http://www.autopuzzles.com/cfeature2.htmAP: Tell us about yourself and when you became interested in cars?
Boxer2500: I’m 21 years old, an aspiring musician, occasional college student, and a “park rat”. That’s industry slang for someone who does a lot of seasonal resort and park work, for those who don’t know. Glacier National Park in northern Montana has been my home for the past two summers, and I spent a good chunk of last winter ski bumming it in Colorado. I was born and raised in Columbus, OH, which is where I’m residing for the next couple of months.
I’ve been a car guy quite literally as long as I can remember. Somewhere in an old, dusty cabinet, there are photos of me as a two or three year-old sitting behind the wheel of dad’s VW Rabbit. My dad is probably one of the big reasons for my automotive leanings – even before I could read, I would stare at the photos in his Car and Driver and Autoweek magazines. From about the age of ten, I kept a running countdown to my 16th birthday, when I could finally slip behind the wheel, turn the key, and motor away.
AP: What was your first car?
Boxer2500: My first car was a 1995 Taurus SHO. It was white over gray interior, fully loaded, and automatic (my over-worried mother thought a proper gearbox would be “too distracting” for a new driver – as far as she knew it was just an ordinary Taurus). I took delivery in November 2000, and within 24 hours I had discovered the joy of FWD burnouts and covered the car in dirt from an impromptu rally run through the still-unpaved streets of a new housing development. In hindsight, it was a terrible car for a 16 year-old to have. That car taught me such important things as how to overcome power-off oversteer – ”Wow, who knew a FWD car could do that?!!” – and why driving through a residential neighborhood at freeway speeds was a really, really bad idea.
The SHO was very many things, but reliable wasn’t one of them. In the two years it spent with me, every single sensor on the engine must have gone bad, the throttle stuck wide open twice, and it took great joy in stranding me at inopportune times and places. I still miss it, though.
AP: What is your daily driver?
Boxer2500: Last February, on somewhat of an impulse, I took delivery on a brand new Subaru Impreza 2.5i wagon. Since then, it’s covered more than 20,000 miles, taking me to Glacier for the summer and then on an epic road trip covering Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Utah. The car has yet to miss a beat, and even though it’s not the fastest thing on four wheels it can still be quite entertaining on the right road.
AP: What classic(s) or special cars do you currently have?
Boxer2500: Sadly, none… yet. Stay tuned in the next few years and see what happens on this front.
AP: Have you ever just missed buying a particular car, and lived to regret it?
Boxer2500: Last year, a friend was selling his mint condition 1988 Porsche 944 for a song. Sadly, I couldn’t come up with the money and I missed the boat on this one. There will be a P-car in my future, no doubt about it.
AP: What would be your dream car?
Boxer2500: It’s really hard to narrow this down to one car, but I’ll try. I think the car I lust after most is a late model Porsche 993 Turbo S… the ultimate air-cooled Porsche. Or I could go in the other direction entirely and say an all-original 21 window VW Bus. Each would be incredibly fun in its own way.
AP: Which car do you regret having parted company with?
Boxer2500: This is an easy one. In December I sold my 1991 Vanagon Westfalia. I had every practical reason to sell it – it was rusty, dented, and needed a ton of work to make it reliable enough for my long journeys. Still, every time I head out on the open road in my comfortable, reliable, economical Subaru, I miss the feeling of sitting in the upright drivers seat of the van with that horizontal wheel in my hands, listening to the sound of that flat-4 way out in back. Beyond that, the van had been in the family since I was in elementary school – I have millions of memories associated with it. Given the opportunity, I’d probably buy it back in half a heartbeat.
AP: What is your favorite drive in your classic or special car?
Boxer2500: My favorite drive would have to be on the east side of Glacier Park in Montana. Heading south out of Babb, you skirt along the eastern fringe of the Rocky Mountains on US-89. For the first eight miles, it’s a very fast road with lots of wide, sweeping curves. Once you reach St. Mary, the road begins to rapidly gain elevation as you leave the high prairie behind and it turns into a challenging, mountainous drive on what is known as the Looking Glass Highway. At one point, you crest a rise and can see the curves stretching out ahead for miles – it looks like something out of a sports car commercial
At Kiowa Junction, bear right on State Route 49, which will take you into East Glacier through some of the most spectacular scenery you have ever seen. This part of the road is very treacherous in parts, with gravel patches, washouts, and steep drop-offs, so I usually take it easy here and enjoy the scenery. The cut-off into the Two Medicine Valley is worthwhile, and I’ll often detour here, rent a kayak, and spend some time paddling on Two Medicine Lake. Then it’s into East Glacier, and Serrano’s restaurant for some of the best Mexican food around.
From East Glacier, you can either backtrack the way you came, or head east on highway 2 to Browning. In Browning, highway 464 cuts back up to Babb across the prairie. The good sightlines and gentle curves on 464 allow for some serious hammer-down driving if one is so inclined. From there, you’ll end up back where you started – just watch for free-range cattle and BIA officers (it’s on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation!). I may be biased, but I think this is about as good a drive as you can find anywhere in the US of A.
AP: How much work on your car(s) do you carry out yourself?
Boxer2500: The Subie needs little more than oil changes, and I usually just let the quickie lube places take care of that. Can I still call myself a car guy?
AP: What do you carry with you go out in your car(s)?
Boxer2500: Music, a backroad atlas, camping gear, bikes… really whatever I feel like.
AP: Do you get involved in the club scene, and why?
Boxer2500: Not right now. I just don’t have the time.
AP: Do you take an interest in motor sport, and if so where is your favorite venue(s)/club meeting(s)?
Boxer2500: I’d consider myself a casual motorsport fan. I love rallying, sports car racing, and all kinds of amateur/club racing. My favorite venues are Mid-Ohio and Columbus Motor Speedway. Mid-O is one of the best road courses around, and CMS is home to some great short-track racing every Friday night during the summer.
AP: What is your worst memory involving a car?
Boxer2500: Spinning the SHO with 4 friends on board when I was 16. Refer to the “power-off oversteer” remark above.
AP: What is your funniest memory involving a car?
Boxer2500: Driving into East Glacier, Montana via the above route with 14 people in the Vanagon. That’s one of the downsides of van ownership – everyone wants to hitch a ride.
AP: What is your most enjoyable moment involving a car?
Boxer2500: Anytime I’m hitting the road for the sheer fun of it, with no particular place to go. The road trip I just finished would be one such time. 3 weeks, 4000 miles, 3 people, 7 states. It’s a pretty good recipe for fun.
AP: Best road food?
Boxer2500: Beef jerky. It’s like a cross between a meat product and chewing gum. Delicious and nutritious.
AP: How would you define a ‘classic’?
Boxer2500: A ‘classic’ to me is any car people still remember 25 years after the last one rolled off the line. It can be a machine as pedigreed as a Blower Bentley or something as simple as an AMC Pacer.
AP: What in your opinion, is the worst car regarded as a ‘classic’ and why?
Boxer2500: I can’t even begin to answer this. One man’s junker is another man’s classic, and I find no reason to dump on that.
AP: What in your view will be a future classic?
Boxer2500: I think the first-generation Mazda Miata is already well on its way to classic status. Some may argue that it’s nothing more than a clone of a classic British roadster with better wiring and weather protection, but I feel it stands on its own merits as a classic. The Miata is yet another car that will find its way into my (hopefully large) garage someday.
AP: What question would you like to ask and who to?
Boxer2500: Ferdinand Piech: What the hell were you thinking when you tried to turn the maker of the “people’s car” into a Mercedes competitor?!! Did anyone but you seriously think the Phaeton was a good idea?
AP: What car publications / car websites do you regularly read?
Boxer2500: I do most of my magazine reading online these days, but I enjoy Car and Driver, Road & Track, Automobile, Autoweek, Grassroots Motorsports, as well as numerous British publications that they have on sale at Borders for $10 an issue.
