My first post/written piece... so bit rough around the edges but any advice would be great!

It’s difficult at the best of times to articulate the importance that cars and driving has on my life, and never has that been amplified more than during current times. It’s in moments of despair we turn to our most basic of needs, and for me; like so many of us blessed and cursed with the obsession of anything with 4 wheels, it’s cars... now I’m not comparing Covid Britain and Lockdown to utter poverty and ruin but often, the negatives in peoples lives are relevant to themselves, and the joy ones hobbies and passions can bring are only amplified in times of need... and with that, I bring it back to the simple joy of driving to a basic bitch petrol head like me during lockdown.

Given the weather over the last couple of months, my M3 has spent most of it’s recent life sat in the garage and then occasionally been cleaned on the off chance it had briefly ventured a distance further than the end of my driveway, as well as one ruinously expensive drive out for a service and MOT. This,unfortunately, was my first experience with the renowned M tax ownership costs associated with owning an older performance car, namely older BMW M cars. A fact I chose to ignore despite the best intentions and warnings from dear friends. Because, obviously I knew better and those horror stories are just that, stories. The service was a full one, which included the basic oil changes for the engine and diff, as well as other exciting and necessary fluids needed to stop the engine from having the icu equivalent of a stroke. However, it also included some less common costs for parts that your average car owner has never even considered could go wrong. This list includes, but unfortunately is not exclusive to; suspension arms (front and rear), oil sensors, brake callipers, pads, brake lines and the MOT itself. None of which came as a shock, as I knew most of these things needed to be addressed, however the figure on the invoice regardless of how much mental preparation and fortitude I had attempted to gain for myself still shocked me with what I was sure was an accidental nought on the final figure.

Needless to say, I felt slightly bitter towards the car; as i’d not driven it properly for months, it had upset my bank balance and equally upset my ever understanding mrs. As I know i’m sure like many of you have experienced if you’re strangely and worryingly obsessed with cars that you can sometimes feel socially awkward, in the same way a whale hunter feels socially awkward at a green peace rally. But despite this, I somehow always convince myself that everyone cares about cars and that I look as cool Paul Walker driving his infamous skyline in 2 fast 2 furious when i’m behind the wheel... despite being a curly haired, lanky northerner usually driving a diesel estate car on the M62. Anyway, back to the small matter of how I suddenly didn’t feel so cool once my bank balance had been shattered by a car that had sat dormant for what felt like eons (not because of the reality of my aforementioned appearance... I still felt like a young Paul Walker driving my 10 year old 320d). This M3 sat there, costing money, not being driven and being the topic of many awkward arguments and conversations with my very non-petrol head other half.

However, as always, all became clear after a proper good ol’ fashioned blast. The joy, the satisfaction, the sheer ‘visceral’ pleasure of heel and toeing, of catching a corner right and the sound of a screaming V8 makes it all make sense. Suddenly my bank balance no longer mattered; my 3 month long uncut mop and dog hair covered trousers didn’t matter, and neither did the slightly grey British skyline as once again I was in early naughties Miami driving my own silver skyline with blue neon and flames from the exhaust without a care in the world. Even if deep down, despite my self portrayed image of myself being Paul Walker I know most people who don’t get it probably look on from their Vauxhall Mokka’s thinking what a moron!

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