By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
will tell.”
With the bumper to bumper traffic every where around the city all the time, I had been thinking of having a small car. I once fancied the Suzuki Jimny until I rode one owned by a fellow lawyer and I said, “No jimny for me.” I still admire the car though due to international reviews of its off-road capabilities. But the cramped space inside turned me off. Before I rode it I thought it was like the small British cars of old such as the Mini Cooper. While it looks so small outside, the space inside surprised me. It was spacious enough for comfort—more than enough legroom and headroom and is wide enough.
Now that the company was bought by BMW, my dream of owning one vanished into thin air. I don’t see a time when I will be able to afford one. I can always restore a junk one but that would not be any cheaper. Besides, to work on the tight spaces of its engine bay would be hell. Perhaps, I don’t have enough patience for that anymore.
Another reason why I was thinking of a small car is the scarcity of parking spaces. The problem is really so bad and has become a good reason to just take public transportation. After you get off, no more problem. Such a choice will also give me some more chances to exercise, even just by walking to and from the “paradaan”
While there is a slew of other cars around, the cost of buying one can be staggering with my new situation. I have to buy good number of maintenance meds every day and these are not cheap. So the only possible option regarding my new fetish is to make do with any of the junk cars I have. This points to the rusty Volkswagen Beetle standing on one side of my yard. I am very familiar with its parts and how they work. Long story short, maintaining it would not be a problem.
The problem is how to get it into a good running condition. Since am still recovering from a heart failure last December 1, I cannot predict when will I be good enough to work on it. Will I have the enthusiasm to go for it sometime in the near future? It is a big fat I DON’T KNOW.
Why not pay for somebody to do it? I have no budget for that and it still sounds stupid to me. I have yet to come to terms with the fact I am no longer a spring chicken. But who knows I might suddenly wake up one morning with a gung-ho attitude to go for it.
I still pine for the smallness of that Beetle and its on-road and off-road abilities. It has got a lot going for it in that respect even as against new cars.
As to parts, there are still a lot of them around the world. And with the internet now, it would be practical to think of buying these from any corner of this planet.
Will I be driving a good running old Beetle in the near future? Only time will tell.
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