Some cars you simply own. Some cars change everything.
Let me explain.
About 20 years ago, I had a hankering for a small, pit-type vehicle that could go off road. I first looked at Mini Mokes and VW Things. While both are cool, they’re objectively quite unattractive. Plus, they’re somewhat complicated, and each one that I looked at was rusty. …
Some high school friends had one. They used to go bombing down sections of old Mint 400 course (it's 8 miles from our house) and they once stuffed it in a ditch. The four of them got out and lifted up the front end and pushed it back out.
They are gloriously fun vehicles that seem to turn even the most mild manner drivers into fun loving hooligans.
My first car was a Miata. Look at how that turned out.
One summer in highschool I worked for a VW dunebuggy rental shop from whom I'd purchased my first car, a 1974 Beetle, the prior year. Living at the beach with 45mph speedlimits they really are just a lot of fun. I don't need another car, but I would be pretty happy to own a tub buggy. My old boss had a Manta Ray body that I really liked as well as a Meyers Tow'd. Both of which I'd happily have as my "going for pizza on friday night" car.
And then there’s that time the Manx got permanently banned from Daytona International Speedway.
Do tell. You don't get off that easy around here mister! 
Scott
Keith Tanner said:My first car was a Miata. Look at how that turned out.
Our NA Miata changed our lives, drawing us down a path of many adventures, great experiences and a lot of fun. I've owned a lot of vehicles, but none had the impact of our first Miata.
If you think about it, like...in the grand scheme of everything, that Manx has changed a bunch of people's lives.
Here's three more (third, behind the camera).
Shout out to Nancy. The boys promised her they'd be careful. She laughed at my car joke (it's when it stops leaking that you have a problem)
My FR-S got me a house. I bought it when times were good. Then they became not so good. Like tough, every dollar spent, not sure I'm going g to make it tough. A lot of people said to let the car go. Let it be repo'd.
I almost bought into it. But I stuck it out. Skrimped and saved. Paid the bill on time and on target.
That phenomenal credit I got by taking on and being able to handle debt proved to the bank that I could handle it. And that credit got me the house I'm in today. The bad credit from a repo would have submarined any chance of that happening.
A Meyers Manx would have been fun, but my brother and I together bought a tricked-out Datsun 510 while in high school. We learned to drive the 4-speed manual only after buying the car--great memories and a great car. Owned a myriad of Datsuns ever since. I would look at other makes, but the Datsun brand made cars that were so basic, easy to repair and work on, plus they were just plain fun to drive.
I've owned a fair number of cars. A couple of years ago, since I live on the edge of the desert, I became interested in off-road vehicles. Discovering ATVs and UTVs, I was disheartened by their cost. Then, I remembered the dune buggies from the '60s and '70s. What attracted me is the prices and availability of VW parts. And, not needing a trailer since they're street legal. It turned out it's also my wife's favorite of all the cars I've owned. A win-win.
Here's my Cox dune buggy, complete with .049 gas powered engine.
"Over dinner that night, Bruce and his amazing wife, Winnie, shared countless stories. One that perfectly captures his spirit: He shaped the Manx’s front fender to hold a beer. And despite experiencing some serious adversity, he still had a gleam in his eye."
That's a pretty cool fun fact.
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