Winter came in with a bang a couple of weeks back, up here in the “great white north”.

We’ve had a lot of snow and since I live in an area where main thoroughfares are sanded and salted, but smaller residential streets aren’t we been treated to everything from tons of slush and slop that cars sometimes slide on, to black ice and hard packed snow that acts pretty much like ice as well.

I’ve never had a 4wd, nor have I driven in winter in a rear wheel drive in more years than I care to count. I really just didn’t know what to expect. Got 4 winter tires and figured that I could always add studs if necessary to keep from skating all over.

Boy, I was in for a really pleasant surprise. By default, I two wheel it and in rear wheel drive that gave me a couple of thrills (read sliding turns and stops) as I made the adjustment from front wheel drive.

When we had our 1st  major storm and several inches of snow, I was unable to get out of the parking spot in 2 wheel mode because of the bank of snow that had been built up behind me by a passing plow – I swear the plow drivers get sadistic pleasure out of plugging up driveways and snowing in cars.

Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to shovel that stuff, so I slapped the thing into 4 wheel drive and …….. Voila! I just plowed through that stuff as if it were the middle of summer. I could tell I was gonna love this.

Out on our roads, the Tracker in 4 wheel mode cut back on the sliding stops and seriously straightened out the curves.

As I thought back to my initial intention to get a sports car (which have all been scared into hiding for the winter), I couldn’t help but think what a genius I was choosing a Tracker-Sidekick convertible.

Not only do I get a super little drop top to tool around in during the nice weather, but as a bonus, I get a rugged snow eater for the winter.

This really is the best of both worlds!

Later,

Make it a great day!

MarcL

I’m into my third month of owning my Chevy Tracker and it’s turning out to be even more of a blast than I expected.

One reason is that I have a stick shift again. I had to forsake that for an automatic when we bought the family sedan because, my wife did not want to drive a standard.

It’s not the smoothest or fastest transmission I’ve ever tried, but hey, this is a small truck, not a Ferrari.

Aside from that though I bought the Tracker just as the summer turned nice (we had had a cloudy and rainy one until then). We’ve already put a couple of thousand clicks on it and it’s been a real blast tooling along the secondary roads with the top down, admiring the scenery and discovering places we didn’t know existed right here in our own back yard so to speak.

Truckin' on a summer day! Nope, it's not a traffic jam, we're on a ferry crossing the St-Lawrence River.

It rides a bit rougher than the family sedan, but with the comfortable seats, it’s still pleasant. Actually, this is part of the Tracker’s appeal for me.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the 2.0 litre engine / 5 speed manual transmission match up. It’s more responsive than I had expected and just fine for keeping up with city or freeway traffic.

Here’s the icing on the cake though. My wife really likes the fact that I don’t go blasting around corners; that she can’t see the underside of 18 wheelers and that we don’t have everyone’s exhaust pipe right in our faces.

The one thing that first worried me was my impression that you needed a PhD in engineering to drop and raise the top on this thing.

The previous owner explained how to do it, but my mind went numb and my eyes glassed over after the 2^nd sentence. It actually turned out the way simpler than I expected once you just get down to doing it.

All in all, I’m thrilled with the Tracker and hope to be able to enjoy it for many years. It’s not the Tracker that I’m worried about – these things are reported to be like the Energizer Bunny – it’s me – at my age, you just never know.

There is one thing that worries me bit though.

My son, who’s just qualified for his learner’s permit ( step one in getting his license), has been looking at the thing with a sort of starry-eyed look in his eye. Sort of the “I can see myself with my girlfriend and friends heading out to the beach in this thing” kind of look.

Better start hiding the keys!

And now, here it comes – that “How can I dress this thing up a bit” phase.

Well, with winter coming, I’ll just have to wait until spring to get around to that sort of thing, but that’s okay ‘cause that’ll give me time to think about it.

Okay, enough for now,

Make it a great day!

MarcL

Surprisingly, some tracker-sidekick purists contacted me after my previous post stating that the ’03 Chevy Tracker – isn’t a “true” off-road 4 x 4.

In addition to those comments, I’ve also read online reviews, articles and opinions, that mention that the earlier models were easier to mod and that the rack & pinion steering on the later models was more subject to breakage and more costly to repair.

You know what? I don’t disagree with that at all.

That’s one of the beauties of the Geo/ Chevy Trackers and Suzuki Sidekicks. They have something for everyone – well, almost!

Looking for a fun car to drop the top and tool around the country roads or bring the gang to the beach? Got that!

Looking for one to have some fun and catch some rays while driving the family around? Got that too!

Looking for something that’ll wade through rivers and mud; drive through forests, up and down dunes; or climb over rocks or up mountains? Got that too!

Looking for something that feels right at home in suburbia? Got that too!

Looking for something that you can race on the street or elsewhere, or burn rubber to vent some macho frustration or show off your ummmmmm, virility? Nope, sorry – ain’t got that!

Basically, these little gems are so versatile that you can configure them in just about every flavor you like and that’s the main element that led to their popularity.

Whether you off-road or not, it’s okay to be proud of your wheels and this site is for you.

We’d love to see and hear about your Sidekick, Vitara or Tracker and any stories that you’d like to share.

Feel free to register and post.  I’m still looking for a plugin that’ll allow visitors to post photos so please bear with me on that score – and,

Make it a great day,

MarcL

Hi, and welcome back. If you just tuned in, you might want to read the previous post. It’s short and gives you the beginning of this story.

Okay, now picture this – 65 year old dude seeks “fun car” that he can tool around town and country with his wife on weekends and short trips.

The key here is that I’m looking for something both of us can enjoy and therein lies the challenge:

My definition of “Fun Car”: Convertible – something low that I can blast around corners on windy roads. I have visions of me speed shifting and having a blast with my better half beside me. A sports car just seems to be the perfect answer.

My wife’s definition of a “Fun Car”: Convertible – something high off the ground that she won’t be looking at the underside of 18 wheelers or getting exhaust fumes right in the face when we’re stopped at a light; Something that she can sit back in and enjoy the scenery as we laze along back roads. Into speed and blasting around corners she is not.

Now if we look at the two definitions, we see that the only common ground is – convertible. That’s where it ends!

Before going further, here’re a few facts that’ll provide background for some of my comments and decisions.

Now, my wife is definitely a good sport and she tells me that it’s my car so get what I want, and I know that she’ll try her best to humor me when it’s time to go out on the road. So, I start looking, but in the back of my mind, I also know that if I take her out blasting around country roads, she’ll make the effort, but ultimately she will be more and more reluctant to come. And, my object of this whole exercise is to have good times together.

So, here’s a bit more background:

1. I’ve owned two vintage British sports cars at various times in the past – one a ’62 Austin Healey and the other, a ‘70s Triumph Spitfire.I’m not saying this to brag, but rather to show that I know how they handle and what they’re like to keep up and repair. I also know what these things perform like in 2 feet of snow.

1. I live in Canada – the Great White North – Salt and slush capital of the world! That means deep snow, freezing cold and, that you can hear your car rusting out from under you due to the salt and slush.

Okay, fast forward to the summer of ’09 and I’ve got the urge.

I start looking at British Sports cars – Healey’s and the like but quickly realize (or remember) a couple of things:

a)      These cars have gone up in price tremendously in the last few years and I don’t really feel like shelling out those kind of bucks just for a weekend fun car, much less having to shell out for maintenance to keep it on the road.

b)      These vintage models can be a blast to drive, but the motor, transmission and road noise coupled with the solid ride (to be polite and not use the term bone-jarring) means that you’ve gotta be an enthusiast to love them.

c)      They’re built so low that you can see the underside of 18 wheelers (which can be intimidating for those who don’t share the dream) and in our city of seemingly endless traffic jams, you usually have everyone’s exhaust right in your face.

You definitely don’t want to take deep breaths.

Aside from everything else, I can’t see my wife finding trips – other than to the grocery store as very pleasant, so out goes that dream.

Okay, so now what?

Well, remember, I don’t want to re-mortgage the house. This is supposed to be fun, so I start looking at more recent reasonably priced sports cars (or as a vintage British sports car lover might say – cut down street sedans) – like the Mazda Miata, Mistubishi Eclipse and Porsche Boxsters.

I try a few, but can’t quite get my brain wrapped around a Miata since (my apologies to Miata owners) I always considered them to be a ladies’ car and a poor imitation of a real sports car.

The Boxster, well it’s a cute car, but it’s also a mid-engine job and everything, except perhaps checking and adding oil, has do be done from underneath the vehicle. I can just see the repair bills if I have to get even the most simple maintenance done – and I don’t even want to think about the cost of parts.

As for the Mitsubishis, I hear that they make great little cars with a lot of bang for the buck, but I’m looking for a car with soul and for me, the eclipse is really a cut down sedan.

Still and all, I think maybe I’m just prejudiced so I decide to get another opinion  and bring my wife along and test drive another Miata.

One sure sign of your getting old is when you look at a sports car’s trunk and think:

-         My wife’s hair dryer and cosmetics just might fit in there, but where would the rest go?

-         Where am I going to put the dog?

-         This thing isn’t going to cut it in the Canadian winter, so I’ll have to spend about $100/month to store it for the 6 months of the year that I won’t be able to drive it.

I ask my wife’s opinion and she again says it’s my call, but she does mention, not surprisingly, that she does find them awfully low and really doesn’t like to be able to see the underside of 18 wheelers while she’s sitting in the car.

As for the corners, I can still the finger imprints where she clung onto the arm rests.

Okay, well there goes that option!

I’m just about giving up on my dream when I do one final analysis:

Okay, what exactly is it that I want?

-         A convertible that’ll be fun for me and my wife to go on trips with

-         Enough room to be able to handle a lady’s luggage.

-         Something that won’t have her looking at the underside of 18 wheelers

-         Something where neither of us will be getting exhaust directly in the face

-         Something I can use all year round

-         Something that lasts, doesn’t cost a fortune to repair, and

-         Has room for the dog and my son  – even if he only rarely follows us any more

All of a sudden the lights go on:

Hmmmmm – Convertible? Fun? Roomy? Higher off the ground? Year Round?

Hey!!!!!!!! What about that fun thing we had in Fuerteventura?

It was all that and more? Do we have them up here in Canada?

Well, yes we do! Take your pick!

We have a bewildering choice of Suzuki Sidekicks, Geo Trackers, Chevy Trackers, GMC Trackers, Asuna and Pontiac Sunrunners and as a bargain, most of them are 4×4s, which means not only won’t I have to store the things, but it’ll actually be better than the family sedan during snow storms.

The idea grows on me to the point where I lose all interest in having a sports car.

The search is now on in earnest for one of these little gems and a few test drives just served to reinforce my decision.

Then,  I come across a super clean ’03 Chevy tracker.

I snap it up and there starts the love affair! Here’re a couple of shots of “The Toy”

Tracker Pride

Another Angle

Well, that’s enough for now; I’m calling it a day.

Make it a great one and I hope to see you back real soon!

MarcL

I have to credit my wife for my first exposure to the Geo/Chevy Tracker – Suzuki Sidekick breed.

We were on holiday in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and wanted to tour the island so, she suggested that I rent a “Jeep”. Being from North America, we thought that everything square and 4×4 was a jeep.  Wrong!

I ambled down to the hotel desk and rented what turned out to be a Suzuki Jimny. The weather was fantastic and the island has some very good roads and others that are pretty windy and bumpy. Great stuff for trying one of these out.

The model I had was an automatic so you had to work like crazy to work up any kind of steam, but my wife hates speed, so that’s okay. Man, that thing was a blast to drive, with the sunroof back and the top down, it was just great. I could almost hear the Beach Boys singing, see the surfboards sticking out the back and the surf!

Even though it only really takes a day to get around the island, I rented the Jimny for an extra day, just to buzz around in it.

Then, came the end of the vacation and the Suzuki was replaced by the family Mazda, becoming just a fond vacation memory like so many others. You know, the ones that you only remember when you pull out the pictures and then think “Hey, that thing was fun!”

That was back in 2002.

Tune in to the next post to see how I wound up with an ’03 Chevy Tracker as my ’09 fun car!

It’s a strange roundabout journey.

In the meantime, enjoy yourself and,

Make it a great day!

MarcL