Yikes! I'm lusting for a Buick!

Tag : wood sandals

Am I getting prematurely older? More nerdish? Both? These are amongthe rhetorical questions I'm asking while peering into the rearviewmirror, pondering if banality and surrender -- much like those"objects" -- are "closer than they appear."
Vehicle types and nameplates I previously shunned are now making myheart rev. Automotive features that once occupied the corner ofDoofus and Dweeb now strike me as appealing. Surely, bumperstickers bearing quaint slogans beckon.
What gives? How can someone suddenly leapfrog past his CarlsbergYears and land smack in the middle of the Oldsmobile Epoch? Will Istart wearing socks with sandals and using words like "dagnabbit"?
Following is a rundown of things automotive that have evolved fromtoxic to terrific, at least in the eye of this particular beholder.
Wagons, ho! I struck an arrangement with my pal Erik back in 1993.While walking down Bay Street, we spotted a grotesque '70s fauxwood panel station wagon right out of The Brady Bunch, seemingly enroute to Hooterville. The wagon was so repulsive that we decided tomake a vow. Essentially, one was free to physically harm the otherwithout penalty if caught doing one of the following: 1. Pluckingcrabgrass from a lawn; 2. Driving a wagon. (We were childless andurban and only sporty coupes would do.)
Oh, but Mr. Brady, come back -- all is forgiven. Suddenly, in theworld of suburban fatherhood (and all the schlepping that goes withit), a wagon is wondrous thanks to its pelican-like ability toswallow cargo while embracing sedan-like road manners.
Better yet, several of today's station wagons (oops -- "sportwagons") are esthetically stunning. Mercifully absent is the fauxwood panelling and boxy lines.
Cruel irony, though: Just when the wagon seduces me, manyautomakers are veering away from these vehicles. The gorgeous DodgeMagnum is a goner after this model year. Mazda doesn't make thesuperb 6 Sport Wagon anymore, the Ford Focus wagon has beendiscontinued and the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu doesn't come inMaxx trim.
There is a silver lining, however: I needn't worry about gettingpummelled by Erik. He recently purchased a Volvo wagon.
Buick as Dave magnet There's a belief among some autojournaliststhat the demographic most Buick owners fall into is somewhere northof 80.
However, with last year's introduction of the Enclave, I'm pinchingmyself: I never thought I'd lust for a Buick while still in my 40s.
The Enclave boasts perhaps the classiest dashboard in the GeneralMotors fleet (for example, no grey-on-grey plastic). Despite itsgirth, fuel economy is reasonable (I averaged a respectable 14.7litres per 100 kilometres in combined city and highway driving).While beauty is always subjective, the Enclave excels over itsstablemates, the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. The ride is assmooth as butter and insulation from road noise is outstanding. Inever thought I'd be a fan of Buicks in particular or theSUV/crossover segment in general; the Enclave has rebooted thatmindset.