Happy Valentine’s Day from Surfwrench

Cars We Love

Valentine’s Day: another bulls**t Hallmark holiday designed to sell cards, flowers, and chocolate (we’re not complaining about the chocolate). Often times used as an excuse for people to feel bad about their relationship status, it has morphed into a holiday where people love everything — from their pets, to their family members, to the people who make their coffee. However, we know that sometimes love transcends the very thought of life itself. Sometimes people genuinely love their cars.

This makes sense though. In many cases, people own their cars for years. They experience a variety of emotions with their cars: They are sad when their car isn’t working. They are happy when their favorite song comes on the radio. They are mad when someone in a Lexus is sitting in the left lane doing 3 over the speed limit. Because of this variety of emotion, often times it results in a deep emotional bond. There is both monetary and time invested with our cars. How often in nostalgic conversation have you heard someone say, “oh I loved that car” with just an ounce of pain knowing the bond is no more.

With that being said, here are some of the cars that our staff love:

Caitlin – Porsche 911

I come from a family of Volvo lovers. It’s an understatement to say my family is kind of obsessed with Volvos…and by all accounts so am I. When I return home, I go out of my way to drive my family’s overly practical, slow Swedish vehicles. There is no doubt in my mind that I will one day own a beater XC70 that I will run into the ground. It’s fair to say I like practical, boring cars…except when it comes to my love of the Porsche 911.

I’ve been a fan of the 911 for as long as I can remember. It’s cute, fast, and timeless. While more trained eyes will probably argue otherwise, during its original run from 1964-89, the aesthetic differences from one model year to the next are miniscule. Why mess with a perfect design?

My love for it has only multiplied since a little company in California, Singer Vehicle Design, began masterfully, meticulously restoring Porsche 964s, which were produced from 1989-94. A Singer Porsche isn’t just restored. It is reborn. The finished product resembles a piece of mechanical and aesthetic perfection. From the threading on the seats to the flat-six engines developed in partnership with Cosworth, these guys leave no stone unturned during the restoration process.

Normally, I would turn up my nose at spending $600,000 on anything, but when you combine an already perfect design with the painstaking detail these guys pour into their restorations…damn.

Uncle Jimmy – 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

The car that I love is the 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. It might not even be accurate to use the word love…obsessed seems more appropriate. If these cars could talk they would probably ask for a restraining order against me. I’ll admit it, I stalk them, and seek them out from coast to coast (I have the ticket stubs to prove it). I even visited the factory where most of them were born. I have dismantled them to their most infinite components and filed them away for future use. I often seek the opportunity to score special parts for them and then squirrel them away for future use as well. I am clearly infatuated and the addiction is way beyond the help of any 12 step programs or intervention. I loved that car I called the Bluesmobile, but it lives no more. Like any good serial killer with a taste for more, I still have several more just like it. As dark as it may seem it’s all good and what I have learned from these cars was instrumental in my careers. So my love for the Bluesmobile, a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, started a journey (sometimes on foot) that has led me to create Surfwrench. It’s a game changing app that will save you a lot of money on car repairs. Leaving you more money for the things you love, even if it isn’t a Nordic Blue Cutlass!

Erik – 1987 BMW E30

My first car was a Luxorbeige (German for s**t brown) E30 etta, with the word “FELIX” stamped into the key. From that moment, I knew I was a Beemer man. I put like 80,000 miles on that quirky little death trap, and I loved every single one of them. From bombing the backroads of Ellicottville, doing high speed runs of the Parkway, to “cramming 800 pounds of dude into 2400 pounds of car” — that car became a part of me. Every time I left school early to get to work my senior year, Felix took me from a place of monotony, conformity, and quasi-fascism; to being Michael Schumacher at Hockenhiem. It had an electrical draw that would kill the battery if stopped for more than a few hours, so I took to running a jump box from the band room to the trunk where the battery was. When this wasn’t an option, I would disconnect the terminals when going in, and reattach them when leaving. It was a major pain in the ass, but it was MY pain in the ass. It was ugly, but the fantastic nature of that chassis and the way it could effortlessly hit an apex made everything okay.

Ben – C3 Stingray

My neighbor had one. Specifically, he found one that had been sitting at the bottom of a pond for a number of years. Because of the fiberglass body, he was able to slide a new frame underneath it and do a complete top down restoration on it. It took him several years, but he painted it a sort of electric blue and I thought that it was the most striking looking car id ever seen. I know it’s not the fastest Corvette, and I know it’s not the best looking Corvette- but it was one of a kind and had an incredible story to back it up.

Shannon – Toyota Prius C

I am probably that dork that considers my first car as one of my best friends. Franklin, my 2015 Toyota Prius C is my go to for everything from storage of half my life to cruising the thruway. Many make fun of the Prius family but I only get gas about once or twice a month, so ultimately I win. In a more serious note the Prius C is one of the cars that was able to get my 4’9 body to see out of the front without having to sit on a pillow or dictionary. If you know of someone looking at tiny cars for tiny people, I highly recommend this one. I can adjust the seat nicely and just feel comfortable. My height may be small but I sure do feel like a badass as I cruise down the road.

Mark – 1974 Dodge Monaco

If I were to compare my knowledge of automobiles to Erik’s on a scale of part-time Delta Sonic employee to F1 racing legend Niki Lauda, I’m somewhere right around Ricky Bobby (I know where the ignition is though: progress). However, I love movie cars, and one of my all-time favorites is the 1974 Dodge Monaco, featured in 1980’s The Blues Brothers. I could’ve easily went to a more famous car, but it’s just too classic to pass up. It’s bold, dependable, and can help you get across the state of Illinois while outrunning the law. It can magically do flips and can fly, pretty much. What more could you want?

Aidan & Douglas – The Hoffmann

Our bosses won’t let us drive one of these (insurance reasons), but here’s a car that we love. It’s like the movie The Room — it’s so bad it’s hard not to like. Watch the video if you have a minute, and you’re not a public space where laughing like a lunatic will draw unwanted attention.

 

What cars do you love? Tell us about it!

But this really isn’t about us: it’s about you. We just told you a little bit about our favorite cars to start the dialogue with you about what car you love. Reciprocity: it’s what friends do. More importantly, when a car you love isn’t running right, take good care of it by putting it up on Surfwrench and getting it back on the road for less money. Our services can’t make your car impervious to the relentless advance of time (or the corrosive asshole-ery of New York winter salt) but we can keep it going longer for less money.