"TractorPillow" (tractorpillow)
03/09/2016 at 22:30 • Filed to: None
51
55|
"TractorPillow" (tractorpillow)
03/09/2016 at 22:30 • Filed to: None | 51
| 55 |
In the past 4 years my wife has stood by my side while I chase down cars that are anything but practical (Elise, classic mini, Viper, old gas guzzling benzes). In fact, after I sold the Elise I decided to get back into the hatchback world. I wanted to be practical for our family. I checked out the MB GLA250 and the Subaru Outback.
I also continued my addiction of looking at cars on the internet and made jokes about getting a Viper. One day, my wife said “just get the Viper” as I was weighing the pros and cons of the current hatchback market. In about a week I was on a plane to Houston to buy an 02 and drive it home.
During all these years of car shows, going on cruises with me and other enthusiasts, and simply borrowing my cars, she has been rocking a base model, silver, 2008 Toyota Camry.
Not too long ago, my wife said the next car would be hers.We looked at tons of stuff, but she was determined to get something “fast and fun.” She looked at cars that ranged from Jeep SRT to Lotus Evora to a Mazda 3 to a C7 to another classic mini.
Recently I found a great deal on a 2008 Porsche Cayman S (manual of course). Laura test drove it and when she came back she was all giddy and the salesman told me while I was driving it that he was super impressed with how well she could drive manual (made me so proud since I was the one that taught her, but at the same time I wanted to smack him for assuming a girl couldn’t drive stick).
Only picture I have so far.
I threw a low offer at the salesman (about 2k less than I thought it was worth and 3.5k less than they had it listed) and he came back apologetically and said that the best they could do was $350 over my offer. I bit my lip to stop from smiling and asked for a few minutes to talk it over with Laura. Of course we took it.
This car is incredible. I keep begging her to let me drive it. Will write more about it later, but super happy and proud that my beautiful wife is now driving an amazing car and loving every minute of it. The first night she told me she was too excited to sleep and kept going to the garage to look at it. She wrote an email to my Granddad and father showing them the car and told them that she is happy to be a part of a family that enjoys cars so much and thanked all of us for helping her learn to enjoy them as well.
Seeing her drive away in the Cayman, smiling from ear to ear, while I followed behind in the“bland” and “boring” Camry has been one of best car experiences of my life.
Chariotoflove
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:37 |
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That is a fantastic story. It’s so cool how your Laura hung in there with you and caught her own version of the car bug instead of rolling her eyes at yours like so many wives do. This is the kind of give and take that makes marriages stronger.
Sam
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:38 |
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Seems like a great dealership as well, they’re willing to roll out the red carpet on an 8 year old car.
Also, you certainly found a keeper. :)
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TractorPillow
> Sam
03/09/2016 at 22:40 |
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It was actually a Volkswagen dealership. The salesman said they are trying to find good, used luxury cars to sell because they, for obvious reasons, are struggling to sell VWs. They had a fair amount of Jags, MBs, BMWs, and Caddys on the lot.
JeepJeremy
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:41 |
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This is fantastic Oppo!
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TractorPillow
> Chariotoflove
03/09/2016 at 22:44 |
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You’re absolutely right about it making the marriage stronger. I think now that she has her own, she’s gonna catch the car bug even more.
On the plus side, I can stop daily driving the Viper and use the Camry as a commuter vehicle. Tomorrow I have a ruck march at work and am happy to not have to finagle the ruck into the Viper.
E92M3
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:46 |
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Nicely done sir. It’s even the right color!!
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TractorPillow
> JeepJeremy
03/09/2016 at 22:46 |
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Thanks, and great name (I’m Jeremy too!)
jkm7680
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:47 |
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Very nice!
Rainbow
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:47 |
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Speaking of driving the Viper, any chance you’ll be at Caffeine and Exotics again this month? (or any other month, now that it’s coming back after winter?)
I still haven’t had a chance to look at it while knowing it belongs to an Opponaut. That makes things cooler, for some reason.
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TractorPillow
> Rainbow
03/09/2016 at 22:49 |
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There is absolutely ZERO chance as the Army has relocated me to beautiful El Paso, TX. Sorry!
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JeepJeremy
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:50 |
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Hahaha! That’s great! Jeremy is a very uncommonly common name, is it not?
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Rainbow
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:52 |
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Oh, I must have missed that!
You’re even farther from Atlanta, TX than Atlanta, GA is. So yeah, that would be quite the drive.
iSureWilll
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:52 |
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Great car, great girl, great guy, great Oppo. We need more stories like this.
Alex from Toronto
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:53 |
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XJDano
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:54 |
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Great story, we are going through something similar here but I bought my wife a used Dodge minivan. She loves it, I think more than. Her equinox.
We dropped the van off we bought Monday to a shop tonight and took the kids (of course) when we were swapping car seats the kids didn’t know what was going on, until we got in the equinox and left the van. My 2 year old son started crying historically. It was also past there bed time but I asked my wife, “You going to cry too?"
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TractorPillow
> JeepJeremy
03/09/2016 at 22:55 |
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Well said about uncommonly common! There’s always another Jeremy, but not very many of them. I’ve also met a couple Jeramy’s and one Jermy.
My last name is less common: Meeks. Unfortunately the two combined make for an interesting google (Jeremy Meeks). Check it out and I guarantee you’ll have a laugh at my expense.
Master Cylinder
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:56 |
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Awesome! Great color for a Porsche and super cool that your wife is into cars like that. My wife has other great qualities but when it comes to cars, well, all I’ll say is that she LOVES her ‘07 Equinox.
Congrats on the purchase!
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TractorPillow
> Rainbow
03/09/2016 at 22:57 |
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I drove the Viper all the way here. Bad decision. One ticket and one VERY VERY expensive flat tire. Guess who carries Viper sized tires in TX? Nobody! Had to pay $300 to overnight a pair from a FL warehouse to San Antonio, plus the cost of the tires and install.
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JeepJeremy
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 22:59 |
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Oh wow! I had forgot about that “hot convict” dude being a Jeremy. That dude DOES NOT look like a Jeremy at all.
What a crazy world
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TractorPillow
> JeepJeremy
03/09/2016 at 23:01 |
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Yep. I was in a training exercise without internet connection and when I got back my FB and email were blown up with links of the dude. At least it will make any future employers really dig to find out about the actual me...that or they will give me an interview just to meet the “handsome felon” and then be super disappointed.
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Rainbow
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:01 |
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Daaaang, that sucks!
Although, it makes me wonder.... Your brakes are probably too big and the offset would be wrong, but maybe it’s a good idea to invest in a set of steelies with normal-sized tires when driving fancy cars long distance. Save the tread for more fun drives and whatnot.
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TractorPillow
> Master Cylinder
03/09/2016 at 23:02 |
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Thanks! We don’t have our own kids yet so we are living it up now. Keeping the Camry so we can go on trips with our furry children though.
JGrabowMSt
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:02 |
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I hope they threw in that bow and those balloons. Would have sealed the deal for me.
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:04 |
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My mom's first car was 3 on the tree and even now she can still rev match and everything.
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TractorPillow
> Rainbow
03/09/2016 at 23:05 |
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haha I doubt that would work out too well and would make the Viper even more unpredictable.
It was a HUGE sharp bolt/screw thing that just punctured the crap out of the tire. Just bad luck, but at the same time, it happened 1 mile from a discount tire and not on the 500 mile stretch of nothingness that is west I-10. I was able to limp it into the shop no problem
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TractorPillow
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
03/09/2016 at 23:06 |
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Very nice! We are a manual family. My mom has a Forrester, but wanted the manual so she could “control” it better.
sm70- why not Duesenberg?
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:09 |
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Beautiful car! Hope you and she enjoy it a ton!
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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:09 |
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I want to get better at it but I currently do not have access to a manual car
CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:17 |
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Those wheels make the Cayman much more serious than I could ever imagine. Congrats on the car(s)!
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TractorPillow
> CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
03/09/2016 at 23:19 |
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That’s exactly what I said! They are gorgeous wheels and not a hint of curbing.
Sneaky Pete
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:26 |
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Great story. I need to find one of those! (An awesome wife, though the Porsche is cool too).
Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:32 |
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Damn! Awesome!
Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:32 |
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Damn that’s pretty. Well done.
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JeepJeremy
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:33 |
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Coincidentally weird: http://jezebel.com/that-hot-felon…
That article just popped up around 40mins ago!
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TractorPillow
> JeepJeremy
03/09/2016 at 23:36 |
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HAHA weird!
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:38 |
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Showed this to my wife, she looked at me, smiled, and said, “It’s very nice... why didn’t I get a Porsche, hmm?” T_T
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TractorPillow
> Sneaky Pete
03/09/2016 at 23:38 |
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I’m hoping you’re unmarried or that your current wife doesn’t check Oppo haha
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TractorPillow
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/09/2016 at 23:39 |
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haha! great response
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Sneaky Pete
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:48 |
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The former.
EL_ULY
> TractorPillow
03/09/2016 at 23:50 |
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Duuuuuude! Ultra radness!
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TractorPillow
> EL_ULY
03/09/2016 at 23:55 |
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Haha thanks!
smobgirl
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 00:12 |
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I like this story! Pretty awesome all around.
Gated Manual
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 00:14 |
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Congrats. They look like HRE Wheels.
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TractorPillow
> Gated Manual
03/10/2016 at 00:21 |
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P40 monoblocks
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 01:23 |
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Screw the 911, the Cayman is a better car!
Steve in Manhattan
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 01:25 |
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Women who know how to drive a stick are hot. Full. Stop.
Luken10
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 04:24 |
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What a great read. Seems like you two have this whole marriage thing figured out!
DirtyBird
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 07:53 |
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Awesome!!
ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 08:28 |
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That’s awesome! It always feels good when your significant other finds the same joy that you have, in cars.
RiceOwl
> TractorPillow
03/10/2016 at 09:51 |
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I love the color scheme on the Cayman! White with dark grey GTS (? - not sure what that design is called) wheels is how I’d have mine. I have an ‘02 996, and when I drove an ‘08 Cayman S over the summer I seriously thought about swapping because it drove so well.
Elumerere
> sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/10/2016 at 12:16 |
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It looks so good in white!
Green Mountain Car Guy
> TractorPillow
03/11/2016 at 12:04 |
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....My wife wants her Cayman in blue....I think I’ll not show this to her...
wantafuncar
> TractorPillow
03/11/2016 at 14:13 |
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This is highly underrated. Keep doing this. More of this. Much much more. Do not underestimate the time it takes to raise children well. I do not regret the children, but I do regret not living it up prior to children.
ZHP Sparky, the 5th
> TractorPillow
03/11/2016 at 17:15 |
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Awesome, congrats! Great car and sounds like a great wife! Cherish them both!
Any tips on how you got your wife more interested in cars? Mine has shown interest every now and then but haven’t really done anything to get her properly hooked. Recently she mentioned that she’d really like to go karting sometime...so definitely going to try make that happen.
Living in a crowded and hilly city (San Francisco) it’s been tough to even logistically figure out a way to teach her to drive stick without making it a huge chore.
His Stigness
> TractorPillow
03/13/2016 at 00:16 |
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God I would have punched the salesman for the manual comment. I hate that sexist attitude.
I’m so glad the salesman I bought my Golf from didn’t make a stupid comment like that when my mom got excited it was a manual.