Finding the Perfect Car

Ever since I was in high school, my dream car was a Jaguar. Although I was driving a standard Russian Lada at the time that was white, with a blue stripe and black interior, I always dreamed of owning a Jaguar.

When I turned 31, I bought a British racing green Jaguar with crème leather interior for $35,000 CDN. It was the high end kind – a 1997 Vanderplus. That car handled so well, the gauges were easy to use, the seats warmed up and it had a six-CD changer so it was perfect for long rides and good tunes.

It's amazing how a car can change your life – it truly can. At the time I owned the car, SARS was a big deal in Toronto and I was taking advantage of discount rates at the Sutton Place Hotel by staying there. The car attendants would jump to park my car (something that definitely would not have happened in the Lada). That car turned heads and made people think I was rich. I got a kick out of wearing my green "poor boy" hat while driving the car like I was a chauffeur and fully experienced the pleasure of riding a fine automobile.

Although a Jaguar is a huge financial stretch from a Lada, it was actually the Lada that I owned longer. The car was easier to park because of its size, gas was about 45 cents a litre at that time and the ownership issue was far less expensive than the Jaguar.

I ended up selling the Jaguar, and because I was still holding onto my dream, I bought another one. This time it was white, with a red stripe and a black leather interior. It was also a classic car from 1982. I was driving a car nearly as old as me. In many ways it reminded me of my Lada.

Every time I got behind the wheel of this car, I shuddered. Although it was in good condition for its age, there were so many problems with it that I couldn't afford to fix. One time when I was driving out to Whitby for a job, on the highway the car started to shake once it passed the 100 kilometres point. This car was a fragile flower and I felt like my life was fragile driving it.

The car still turned heads though. While in traffic, one man rolled down his window just to tell me it's a beautiful car. Another man who saw me park it said that if I treat it well, it will treat me well.