Karl's Cars

Bug and Toad

This is a list of the cars I own or have owned, from most recent addition back to my first car. Here are some directions and flags to help you navigate the menagerie (pick one to limit the view, or show all):

fun car   Fun cars!
daily driver Daily drivers for kids, dogs, and commutes
my car My cars
kathy's car Kathy's cars (which she let me drive)
retired Cars which have moved on to new garages :-(
current Current cars
Country of origin:

Germany   Great Britain   Japan   United States

daily driver
retired
Germany 2001˝ Volkswagen Passat Wagon

Kathy and I bought this car in preparation for Libby's arrival. It had the Audi 2.8-litre V6 engine, so it was quite fast and fun to drive. Kathy usually drove it until she got her Prius.

 2001˝ Volkswagen Passat Wagon
fun car Great Britain 1953 Morgan +4 "The Flying Haggis"

A veteran of the 1988, 1989, and 1990 runs of La Carrera Panamericana, the Mexican Road Race. I bought it in 1999 and hope to do some vintage racing with it.

 1953 Morgan +4
fun car
Kathy's car
retired
Germany 1997 BMW Z3

Kathy bought her Z3 after years of practical cars, having realized that a fuel-efficient four-seater added little real value for short commutes with no passengers. She soon discovered that convertibles weren't just for sunny days - they're great for enjoying starry nights! This realization played a prominent role in our meeting. While good for solo commuting in California, a Z3 is not good for kids, so Libby's arrival contributed to the Z3's reluctant departure.

 1997 BMW Z3
daily driver
Kathy's car
retired
United States 1993 Saturn SL2

This was Kathy's practical car, then my daily-driver after she got the Passat. While not the most exciting car, I could actually take nearby freeway ramps faster in it than in the Morgan. In traffic, air conditioning and decent tunes were nice, too. With over 107,000 miles, it was finally replaced by Kathy's Prius.

fun car
retired
Germany 1979 BMW 323i

I liked the BMW 320i from the first time I saw one, but they were anemic. The 323i is a European-model, never imported officially to North America, which has a 2.3-liter inline six instead of the 320i's 2.0-liter (1.8 in later years) inline four.

 1979 BMW 323i
daily driver
retired
Germany 1982 Volkswagen Scirocco

This is the only car I bought new for myself—so I had reliable transportation when I started my first job out of school. Alas, that job was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so the car's first few years were pretty rough, and it accumulated many battle scars. For a long time it was a good "take the dog to the beach" car, but I finally found it another home in 2000. In better days, it looked like this twin (pictured at right).

 1982 Volkswagen Scirocco
fun car Germany 1979 Volkswagen Cabriolet (Super Beetle)

My first car, from the last model year that the original Beetle was sold in the United States in any form. (The Cabriolet was actually built by Karmann using the Super Beetle from 1971 on.)

 1979 Volkswagen Cabriolet

More car stuff ...


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