Getting Closer

I ASKED my car contact to find me a good, used BMW 5 series. A new one would be well out of my financial reach as I didn't want to borrow, given the very high interest rates around 1990. And in no time at all he came up with a 1989 model, the E34 as it was known in house. This was the first year of this model, replacing the E28 which had that famous shark-like leaning-forward grille. And, of course, I fell in love at first sight. Or rather, first drive. The interior was every bit as well put together as the Audi 80 but a little more glamorous, having lovely tan leather seats, a leather covered steering wheel in the proper 3 spoke shape, leather around the lovely gear lever controlling the 5 speed Getrag box and many other features that made this car a really upmarket vehicle. I rejoiced in the care taken to ensure the ergonomics were perfect - electric seats that moved up & down to provide enough head room, even with the sunroof open & the pedals & wheel being just the right distance away when adjusted to fit a 6 foot tall man.

In fact I liked this car so much that I kept it for 16 years! It took me to Nebraska & the Black Hills of South Dakota & although I would like to say "without trouble" I have to confess I can't. I didn't put big miles on it over the years, but even early on it needed brake rotors & a new clutch. I didn't mind however, as it was Just right, I felt. Well, almost. I did make a couple of "improvements" to put my mark upon it - a solid wood gear lever took my eye at the dealership one day, & my only lament was the absence of wood around it. So I took out the  shiny, black plastic & spent several hours shaping a lovely strip of walnut to go in its place, as you see in the photo above.

Apart from that, the car was  so well balanced that despite being rear-wheel drive, with decent Dunlop winter tires on I found that 5 inches of snow was traversable along my long, country driveway, before I even got the tractor out.

Because by then I was an apple farmer, with 15 acres & 250 lovely apple trees. Unfortunately, I was pathetic at that career, making insufficient money to properly support myself, so eventually I sold, in recognition also of my advancing years & the significant appreciation of the farm. But I was there for 7 years or so, & it was indeed an idyllic place...in the summer! Winters were another matter in this snowbelt region of central Ontario where spring often waited until May before appearing, somewhat shamefaced, & autumn seemed to be way too eager to push summer aside in early October.
Eventually those aspects & the cost of a new gas tank (the original had a rust hole in it) - $1000 ! - caused me to think about new horizons. The complex relationship with my ex-wife resulted in a move to "town" & with the sale came a new car. This time again, a really new one. Since I'd bought the farm a new-fangled service had become both normal & practical so it was online I was able to read about developments in automotive transport over the last 20 years. Where I lived was over 100 miles away from Toronto, so, from a practical point of view I visited dealers within 20 miles or so of my home. Being a dyed-in-the-wool imported car driver (confirmed over the years by occasional rentals of American cars) I was limited to VW, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai & Subaru from what I could see. The trend towards all wheel drive crossovers was in full swing & seemed sensible for someone living in a semi-rural environment. I drove all the mid-range models I could - except for the too expensive & too big Toureg - including the quite luxurious Vera Cruz, the Pilot & also the Tribeca & Nissan Murano.
It was fairly easy to filter out the Pilot as I thought it clumsily soft & too much akin to driving a Buick. The Vera Cruz did appeal, but was too big - I didn't need 3 rows of seats. When I got to the Murano I hesitated. The size was just right & I particularly liked the way the pedals moved forth & back to accommodate long or short legs, but still maintaining a preset distance to the steering wheel.
But it was a bit dear & I worried about gravel roads chipping away at the wheel wells which didn't seem to have a plastic lip as protection.
Now V & I had had a Subaru Forester some 15 years earlier, & I had fond memories of that boxy first edition Forester so went across the road to the Subaru dealer. Thinking again of the Forester.But then I saw the Tribeca, with what I thought was a very attractive interior - it looked very modern & spaceship-like with a bright, swoopy aluminium (really plastic, but well done) fascia.
When I read the reviews, they were very positive about the Tribeca, saying it had good handling (which it did) & a decent engine. So I bought one.

We took that car down to South Carolina & were really, very pleased with it. It was comfortable, roomy for all our stuff, had enough power - a 3 litre flat 6 cylinder - and was, I thought, quite an attractive vehicle. The front end apparently, according to the manufacturer, was intended to resemble an aircraft's wings & I agree, it does have that look. But a stupid journalist complained about the appearance, thought it looked pig-like, & from then on, every reviewer criticised the appearance, which very quickly had an effect upon sales. Within 2 years of the 1996 release the front end was reshaped into something very boring, & what had been a good shape, was now rubbish. So, when, 6 years later I decided to move on, that image was adversely reflected in the trade-in price.