Sportscars to Saline Sensational

For anyone who missed it Sunday, downtown Saline was the place to be as Sportscars to Saline took over Ann Arbor Street. If you're interested in catching a glimpse of it, check out our Web site at www.heritage.com. I captured some of the cars on video and interviewed a participant.

The event, organized by Doreen and Richard McGuire and sponsored by the Saline Downtown Merchants' Association, seemed to be a hit as American and European sports cars lined the street and were showcased in the city parking lot behind Brecon Grille. I saw lots of Porches, Corvettes and other beautiful cars. While I am certainly no gear head, I can appreciate a beautiful sports car. I have a BMW Z4 and absolutely love it. It was supposed to be a fun summer car to zip around town in, but with the mild winters we've had, I've pretty much driven it year-round and racked up more than 30,000 miles in two years. Don't tell my insurance provider.

The problem is, I got spoiled. After my first spring and summer of driving it, I hated going back to my 1997 Eagle Talon with manual roll-down windows and locks, cloth seats and cassette player. I wanted my leather interior, heated seats, CD player and electric-powered locks and windows, not to mention the infrequent oil changes at every 15,000 miles, tight suspension and lightening speed. The comments are nice, too. While sitting at a traffic light or rolling slowly through a parking lot at the mall, I get lots of compliments on the car.

Now I am considering a new "winter" car to replace the Talon, as I just can't handle another winter, whether it's just a week or two and then a break in the Beamer, in that "hunk of junk," my pet name for it. I just don't know what to get. I am not really inspired by many cars. I like the Saturn Sky, the Pontiac Solstice and Lotus Elise, but those are roadsters like my Z4. I need something that can handle the snow, a little bigger, but sporty-looking and fun. I don't want a SUV, mini-van, truck or run-of-the-mill car like the Ford Focus. Those just aren't my style. But I do think I need something with four seats. If you have any ideas, let me know.

By the way, winners in the Sportscars to Saline event were David Reid of Saline, Mayor's Choice Award, 1962 Corvette; Shirley and Tony Caruso of Clinton, Best American Sports Car, 1963 Corvette; Hermann Schaller of Clarkston, Best British Sports Car, 1949 Triumph 2000 roadster; Bill Rohrer of Ann Arbor, Best German Sports Car, 1963 Porsche 356; Nick Vermet of Ann Arbor, Best Italian Sports Car, 1987 Ferrari; and there was a tie for Best Japanese Sports Car, with John Bandrofchak of Saline and Bob Miller of Milan capturing the award with their 1999 Mazda Miata and 2001 MX5 Mazda Miata, respectively.