20 Years

[Jim Wright]

On Mar 29, 2011, at 9:03 PM, Darren Calbero wrote:

> 20 years ago I drove off the lot of a Nissan dealer with my brand new Aztec Red SE-R.  So it didn't have the leather steering wheel or shifter boot, floor mats, a radio, or even a/c . . . 

Ah, the memories that brings back...  Shortly after getting my black SE-R in late '90, a clip holding the shifter boot broke, it was the rubber accordion style, not leather.  Problem was, the leather one had become a 'standard option' and Nissan didn't even have a part number for the rubber version.  The dealer tried everything to order the correct part, they kept getting the leather one instead.  I told them they could either get me the leather steering wheel and call it good, or they could get the right boot, so they kept trying.  It wasn't until the NX 2000 shipped months later that the magic part finally became available to order.

I'd bought a Nissan jacket and t-shirt, I'd wear it ever time I went in to see if they had the right part when they opened the box.  I'd tear into the parking lot, park sideways in front of the parts door like I owned the place, and any sales weasels or service guys would see me getting out of the car and say 'Oh, it's YOU Bob...', and go about their business with a smile and a wave.


> It's funny looking back at when my car was new and I would look at those older guys in their 70s 510s, and Corollas, and wonder what they saw in that old car?  Why do they still own something so old with old tech?  Yeah they were modded and fast, but really?  A 20-year-old import?  I guess it took me 20 years to figure it out.  I may be one of the few original owners left compared to the grand ol days of SERCA, but I do know that those that still own their B13s today are just as die-hard as myself.  I know if I sell the car, I would miss it dearly.

Much truth was written there...  It broke my heart when I sold the '91 back in '09.  When Grover picked it up to drive it to Dallas, I stood in the street just listening to the sound fading away, long after he turned out of view at the end of the street.  With that exhaust I still heard him for several blocks after that, fading off into the distance, knowing it was destined for wide open fields, and roads without speed limit signs.

I still visit the car regularly when it races at the track, and still smile every time it roars past the stands.


Jim
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