The Sterling? Indeed! I was on the lookout for something odd and preferably European. I was hoping for a musty old Biturbo, a natty Rover 3500, a Renault Medallion, a BMW 325i, among others. The only one I could actually locate and drive in the under 2K range in any condition was the 325i, and the one I looked at was a PIG. Rusty, with a terrible stumble, a loose steering gear, and slack in the shift linkage. No thanks!

A recent trip through northern Indiana led me past a business with several dozen rotting Mercedes Benzes out front, along with the hoped for Maserati and (I am not making this up) a derelict Delorean. I stopped in to talk to the guy, and the place turned out to be a repair shop run by some old eastern European guy. Nothing was marked for sale, but everything in the pig pen was negotiable. The Maserati was not in running condition, as it had major electrical gremlins. No surprise there. Everything else looked like junk. Heck, it was junk.

Best laid plans... in the end, I found a Ford Escort wagon with 122K on it that runs like a top. It doesn't burn a drop of oil, the five speed shifts smoothly, the clutch is decent, and the tires have plenty of tread on them. The interior is reasonably clean, with no tears. Everything works (even the AC), and the light bit of body rust has already been cut out, glassed in, and painted by yours truly. It's actually a nice little car, that I bought for a mere $750. It's not as interesting as what i had hoped for, but perhaps none of the others would have provided day in, day out reliable transportation. And, with the price of gas these days, I am not complaining about driving anything that cuts my expense at the pump almost in half!