MOVING ON // FROM ALL-AMERICAN TO OVERLY CAUTIOUS

Growing up, I was about as All-American as they come. I played baseball and lacrosse, my first car was a fire engine red Ford Mustang, my girlfriend was a cheerleader and when I finished school, I put my head down and eagerly pursued my goal of becoming a journalist. But somewhere along the way things began to change. Once known for my my brash and somewhat over the top personality, I suddenly found myself at the wheel of a Volvo station wagon, telling people to 'turn that down' and worrying about fuel economy and my insurance rate... [read more]

Having collected my fare share of speeding and reckless driving tickets, I decided it was time for something a bit more sedate. Something that would allow me to get from A to B without being noticed, especially by the Seattle Police Department. So when I went looking for a new daily driver I settled on the reliability and safety of a Volvo.

After a great deal of searching, I found a 1998 Volvo V70 AWD station wagon. She had less than 80,000 miles on the clock, heated leather interior, a wood grain dash and ample seating and storage capacity. She was, all in all, a great car. But I began to feel like something was missing. Like I had just lost a bit of who I was. Like I was pretending.

While I cannot complain about the car, as it ran flawlessly and I was certainly glad to have it last Winter, I do have to complain about how it made me feel. Responsible. Serious. Old. Bored. There was a lack of input, a lack response. The car required little. It drove itself. With a four speed automatic, power steering and an All-Wheel Drive system that corrected nearly every driving error, I was nearly asleep at the wheel half of the time.

It took me six long months to realize this was not me. That while a Volvo station wagon is a wonderfully built, highly reliable automobile, it is not the kind of car I wanted to be driving. So I have moved on. I have sold the SwedeWagon and am now knee deep in my All-American roots once again. My new ride, a certain Ali MacGraw, is everything I have been missing. Brash, loud, fun, American and ok, maybe a bit over the top ;)

Photo/Editorial: Justin Coffey