Car Connoisseur

Here’s a list of some of the more memorable vehicles to grace the Henriques garage over the years, some for better, others for worse.

Volkswagen Beetle

My mother’s first car was a 1972 Super Beetle with a semi-automatic transmission. My father had several Beetles in the U.S. and abroad, one which had an overbored engine and Porsche rims. My grandfather also owned one, until my aunt slammed it into a tree. My cousin drove a New Beetle for a while, but that’s essentially a Golf with a funny facelift. Easy to fix, an unmistakable profile and a cinch to learn how to drive stick shift on. We’ll never see something quite like the original Bug come along again.

1967 Mercedes-Benz 230S

The ’67 Mercedes amounts to what is one of the most classic vehicles ever in the family. My father had a black on saddle tan example with a 4 speed manual. The fintail Benzes, while regarded as somewhat faddish at the time have aged well. Their values have stayed somewhat reasonable as well, as you can find near perfect examples for under $20,000. If you have the time and patience to keep a classic running, this is a solid and practical sedan.

1978 Fiat 131 Coupé

FIAT. Fix It Again, Tony. We’ll get to the reasoning behind that mnemonic in a minute. This was my parent’s first car after they were married. My father owned a Fiat 124 Spyder a few years prior to getting hitched. The 124 Spyder was a lovely car. Driving around in the summers with the top down and the heater on to prevent the engine from overheating was standard operating procedure with that little roadster.

The 131 on the other hand was handsome Italian coupé with a very comfortable interior. Not so fast though, because this car had its fair share of problems. Their particular car had a three speed automatic transmission, which suffered from a cracked transmission case from new. The dealership claimed “they all do that.” The 131 would also go through spark plugs like it was its job. The rear bell housing leaked like a civ, eventually leading my father to seal it up permanently with silicone. This wasn’t recommended by the factory, but then again, most of the assembly line workers in Turin couldn’t distinguish between anti freeze and Chianti at the time.

1982 Peugeot 505 Diesel

This was my grandfather’s car which he kept in Portugal. Eventually he replaced it in 1995 with a Honda Civic, because he had trouble with his hip and needed an automatic transmission. While they sold the Peugeot 505 in the U.S., his was a Euro-spec model, of course. This car was no barn stormer, but had a most comfortable ride, even over the rough roads and cobblestone streets of Portugal. Big French cars are noted for their smooth ride and this was no exception.

Unfortunately the 505 had tweed seat fabric which was a bitch in the summers; extremely itchy to the skin. During my last trip to Portugal in 2003, the old 505 was still trucking around the village, beaten up almost beyond recognition. One of the townspeople bought it off my grandfather after he took delivery of his new car. They don’t build ‘em like they used to applies in this case, too.

1983 Honda Accord Hatchback

This was probably the best car my family had while we were growing up. After saying arrivederci to the Fiat 131, this was the next family car. My mother’s parents owned a similar ’82 sedan model as well, after years of unreliable 1970s American machinery. This was the longest my family had ever owned one single vehicle. Thirteen years, 83,000 miles. One set of front brake pads and that’s about it. Of all the cars we had while growing up, I miss this one the most. I’m guessing it probably went to that big graveyard in the sky by now. Given Honda’s legendary reliability in the 1980s, I wouldn’t be surprised if I came across it once again someday.

1989 Honda Accord LX-i

Behind the ’83 Accord Hatchback, this was my most favorite of the Japanese cars in the family. Finished in Monterey Green Metallic, this car was definitely ahead of the curve predicting the ‘90s trend of green as a popular car color. With fuel injection, power everything, sunroof and alloy wheels, this car was hot stuff for 1989. It had a somewhat stiff clutch spring, but other than that, a very reliable and economical car.

The Accord LX-i was sold for a new 1997 Honda Accord EX-L (leather package) with an automatic transmission. I didn’t like that particular Accord very much. The ’97 Accord being the family’s last Honda, it was quite apparent the attention to detail and quality of materials found in the 1980s era Hondas was lost. And that’s my explanation for switching over to owning cars from the fatherland.

1992 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6

The first generation of baby Benzes was welcomed into our family with open arms. Our diamond blue metallic example had the creamy smooth inline six with the automatic transmission. Even after 10 years, it was an extremely mint car for its age. Unfortunately, my father was broadsided at 40 mph through an intersection and that was all she wrote for the 190E. Rest in peace.

1992 Mercedes-Benz 400E

The 400E came as a direct result of our beloved 190E being totaled. This was the first and only V8 engined car my father owned. While not in as good of shape, the car was mechanically sound and quite presentable in terms of appearance. It also would blow the doors off most vehicles it encountered at stop lights. It didn’t handle quite as well as the 190E, but chalk that up to the V8’s greater mass hanging over the front axle. A fine grand touring machine, the family bid adieu to the 400E after the MINI Cooper arrived after months of eager anticipation.

1998 Volkswagen GTI 2.0 Anniversary Edition

This was my favorite of all VWs. I drove this car for a little more than a year from new, but decided to sell it in favor of the new A4 chassis GTI, which turned out to be a lemon. Other than a electrical short causing the check engine light stay on (which was promptly fixed), this car was solid as a rock. Not extremely fast, but plenty powerful, a great handler and an excellent snow vehicle. If I had the room, I’d love to have this car back. Luckily it was bought by a family friend, so not all is completely lost.

1999 Volkswagen Passat

After a long run of Honda ownership, the family decided to go back to driving German machinery exclusively. My dad had his eye on the B4 generation Passat ever since it made its debut in 1997. When the V6 option came out the next year, his interest was piqued even more. After waiting a few months for the factory to fill the order, a silver V6 5 speed manual arrived on our doorstep. Quite fast, but a bit floaty on its feet, the Passat proved very reliable. It had a drive by wire throttle which proved to be tricky when combined with the heavy clutch on launch. My mother had her eye on a Mercedes and wanted an automatic transmission again, as the traffic in our area was getting heavier by the minute. Three years later, bye bye Passat.

1998 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sedan

The 1998 C230 was my fourth vehicle and first Mercedes-Benz. Having bought it as a certified used vehicle with 32,000 miles under the Starmark program, it provided me nearly six years of trouble free service. It wasn’t a flashy car, but had an understated elegance about it. It looked, drove and felt like a classic Mercedes should. It wasn’t a screamer off the line, but had plenty of power for most situations. It was built like a bank vault. True, I could have bought many new cars for the price I paid for my three year old Mercedes at the time, but to me, it was worth it. As the old Mercedes slogan touted, “engineered like no other car in the world.”

2002 MINI Cooper

This is what my father currently drives. Sometimes I think I’m driving the wrong car and perhaps I should buy a MINI Cooper myself, especially living in cramped quarters in Boston. What can I say about a small car that makes all the right moves and has that BMW build quality and aura about it? We were one of the first families in our area to take delivery of a MINI. You couldn’t take the car anywhere without causing a scene. MINI has taught many Americans that small is cool. Thank you BMW for reviving a legend.

2007 Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport Sedan

Upon selling my 1998 C230, I purchased a brand new, 2007 C230 sport sedan. The C class, for me, is the perfect car. Not too big yet not too small, powerful, efficient and well built. For 2007, this new C230 brought a number of upgrades over my previous C230, most notably the 2.5 liter V6 powerplant with 7 speed automatic. With the sport suspension and rack and pinion steering, there is a lot more sharpness in the way the car handles, yet it doesn’t lose the supple Mercedes-Benz manners on the highway. In an era of oversized “mid-size” vehicles and gas guzzling SUVs, it’s nice to know one can still buy smaller, efficient luxury vehicles.