Terry, here's my vote: trailer your new TR3. On the way home call ahead
and make dinner reservations, and when you arrive check the fluids then
take your bride out in the TR3 for a really nice dinner. Before you go
buy a really nice scarf to keep her hair from blowing around, gift-wrap
it and stash it in the glovebox.
Adventure is a great lure but the downside is that I usually find a
problem or two during the first few hundred miles of driving a "new" old
car. It's easy for me to imagine you'll have this experience with your
"original, slightly worn" car. No big deal if you're near your house and
you have AAA Plus and a cellphone. If those first few hundred miles are
still hundreds of miles from home, you might develop a little problem --
an odd sound, running a bit hot -- that you're tempted to just drive
through and maybe you get home with a big problem. Or it's one that
leaves you stranded and you can't easily fix because you didn't bring
the spare coil you needed. I for one didn't have a spare when my
then-new TR4's coil failed one hour into my 1100 mile drive home.
Sure, I didn't take this advice myself. In 2000 I drove mine home out of
33% spirit of adventure, 33% cheapness and concern about finding a good
transporter, and 33% impatience. I booked the next cheap flight, and in
fairness it was a nice drive home aside from the failed coil and all the
broken rings and smoke. But it doesn't save much if any money over a
transporter when you add up a flight, food, lodging, gas, cases of motor
oil. You can probably save a good bit if you own or can borrow a trailer
and truck. I'm comparing my adventure costs to a transporter, either way
it was around $800. I shouldn't have stayed at the Ritz but the soap is
so nice and I needed to wash up. If you still need adventure, drive the
TR3 to work on Monday, or take the day off and plan a long spirited
drive through... the Poconos? Whereever you take long spirited drives
near Long Island.
Of course, my coil would have failed on the way to the restaurant.
--
Steven Newell
Littleton, CO
'62 TR4, '66 Volvo 122S wagon, '76 MB 240D, '71 MB 250C
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