Just a Car Geek

So, by necessity, I am pretty particular about the websites I visit, since it has to be done at work. (I don’t use the web on the weekends, as I already spend 40 hours a week with my hands on the keyboard as it is). But there are two or three websites that I visit regularly, and one of them is called “Just A Car Geek,” which lists and reviews interesting cars for sale. In fact, I look forward to its arrival, about 4pm every day. I like the writing style, and I like the general philosophy and approach. Not every post on this blog features something I need to know about, but guess what? – most of them do. This by itself is pretty remarkable.

I’ve taken some heat for some of the cars I’ve chosen to write about, like the Renault R10, for example.

Last November, I noted that this site has reached its first anniversary, which is an accomplishment in our new digital world, where most of us are overwhelmed by incoming e-mail messages. Retaining an audience every day for a year forces the writer to write with economy and precision, and each comment, typically accompanied by links to eBay, video clips, or other articles, is meaningful. As the writer David Carr said about Twitter, “If you think email and surfing can make time disappear, wait until you get ahold of Twitter, or more likely, it gets ahold of you. There is always something more interesting on Twitter than whatever you happen to be working on.” I can apply this comment to this site too.

Posted on January 10th:

1959 Simca Aronde Océane This is a neat little Facel bodied roadster. According to the seller, it’s been in storage since 1964. It looks like at one time it might have been a daily driver. It has some old-school whitewall tires on the front, but a pair of snow tires on the rear.
The car needs complete restoration, but the seller says that except for some rust around the wheel wells, it’s a solid car. All of the hard to find trim appears to still be with the car. The seller also states that it starts and runs. This is not the fastest car you could buy, but it’s a cool alternative to a similar vintage British or Italian roadster. Located in Akron, OH, on eBay listing.

The author of the site wishes to remain anonymous, known only as Dave. But I did I find a description of the methodology behind the site. “I own a retail store. In between customers, I usually have some downtime. I’ll usually use some of the downtime to skim eBay, Craigslist, AutoTrader.com, to find interesting cars. After finding one, I use some of the rest of the day’s downtime to write about it. Once that is done, I save it. When I wake up the next morning, I check that the car is still relevant (e.g. it’s still for sale and the post is still accessible) and post it.”

I wanted to keep this blog dedicated to unfamiliar cars and cars the average person could afford to own. Each car has its own personality.

On November 7th, Dave wrote a bit more about himself. “The actual writing of the blog is easy…Finding cars to write about is sometimes tough. There are weeks when there are tons of great cars listed, and then there are weeks when they have nothing. These are the times when it’s tough to write this blog…I don’t make any money from the cars I post. I just find a car I like and write about it. Unless I email them for more information, the sellers have no idea their car is on this site. I’ve taken some heat for some of the cars I’ve chosen to write about, like the Renault R10, for example. It’s easy to see why someone would restore or preserve an exotic like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Aston Martin. Old Alfas, Jaguars, MG’s, Triumphs, BMW’s, etc. are understandable too. They are fun cars with historic names, and are great classics for people on a budget. But the Fiat sedans, Austins, and Renaults of the world are in a way, classics too. If nothing else, they’re a piece of history. Most of these cars were sent to junkyards as soon as they outlived their usefulness. Yet, the ones I write about somehow survived. I look at this blog as a cyber car show. I’m just including some lesser known cars in my little car show. Being passionate about any car is better than having no passion at all. I wanted to keep this blog dedicated to unfamiliar cars and cars the average person could afford to own. Each car has its own personality.”

Posted January 10th:

Citroen CX Weirdness – I received an e-mail from my friend Jon the other night. It read:
Hey Dave, If the weekend is going slow…
Here are roughly 7 pages (each with tons of photos) of classic Citroen CX weirdness. By the way, a lot look like those bizarre 6 wheeled Olds Toronados from the 60’s.
Jonathan

The weekend wasn’t going slow, but of course I had to check it out and then spent a good amount of what should have been “sleep time” looking at it.

It’s just what Jon said it is. It’s 7 pages of pictures of every possible custom job and variation of the Citroen CX. It’s insane what people do to these cars. Citroen weirdness, indeed.
So… If your weekend is going slow (or not), check this site out. You can find it here.

However, I still wanted to get in touch with Dave himself, and finally I did. I asked about his background, explaining the VeloceToday was very interested. He explained, “My father worked for GM, so I grew up around cars. He was one of those American Dream stories. He started in their accounting department and retired as an executive. He was very loyal to GM. All kids need a way to rebel, and since my parents never gave me grief about the length of my hair, my choice of friends, etc., I rebelled by buying every off-beat, non-GM car I could find! I try to write about unusual cars that almost anyone can afford, even when new. I think we forget that every car was once a new car, and has a history and a story. Someone likely loved their new Renault R10 as much as someone else loved their new Ferrari.”

How can you resist a story which begins with lines like these?

-Every now and then something happens that makes me want to do a post right away and not wait for the morning. This is one of those cases.
-Sometimes, I’m left speechless.
-Let’s say tomorrow Congress passed a law….
-Save me from myself….
-Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?
-My friends know me all too well.
-This is another one that makes me go “Hmmmmm.”

On his site currently are these neat offerings and his unique perspectives thereof:
Intermeccanica Torino Italia Coupe
1969 Austin America
1991 Alfa 164
1972 Alfa Zagato 1600 Junior
1967 NSU Spider
1988 Citroen CX 22 TRS

I have spent the last 50 years studying automobile design, and yet I find that there is still so much to learn, and I am continually surprised by how much I do not know. This site provides me with a way to do that, every day. Or as Dave says, “This is one of the many reasons I enjoy writing this blog. Not only do I have fun, but sometimes I learn something new and there’s nothing better than that!”

To which I can only add, Amen.