New Toy by Tim Costa

Let me start by saying how much I love my wife Kim. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be writing this article. In fact if it wasn’t for her support I  wouldn’t be  in a position either monetarily or otherwise, to afford  the toys that I have and enjoy so much that it prompted me to write this anyway.

I'm not sure how many of you caught it but in the last edition of The Patter our esteemed president Bill Hokemeyer made mention of the fact that he recently talked me out of my #1 toy, that being an absolutely gorgeous ’95 993 finished in metallic black. In doing so he unwittingly caused uproar in our house. I hadn’t realized it but my wife had some how grew very fond of that car along the way.

The first hint of her fondness came when I mentioned that I was considering selling the car and she scoffed and mumbled something under her breath as she walked away. A few weeks later while I was surfing the net searching for my next toy I got the same treatment again only with a lot more mumbling. When I ask why all I got was “it’s your car you do what you want with it”. Only to be followed up with “But you can bet I'm driving the next one”. Seems there was this unspoken rule that nobody drives “my” toys but me.

She assumed that since I treated my car with a sort of reverence that she was forbidden to drive it. That was never the case. I only asked that she let me teach her how first. Years of driving minivans and SUVs aren’t good learning devices when it comes to a high performance rear engine sports car. So after the deal with Bill was done I spent much more time looking for a replacement. That’s when my wife, I think, finally realized my true obsession with automobiles. She finally saw that I wasn’t just infatuated with that car but with lots of other cars as well.

My search came to an end when I found a beautiful Ocean Blue Metallic 996 with an aero kit and very nice Rubicon Grey interior located in Fort Lauderdale. I made arrangements for Kim and I to fly in, pick up the car, then drive to Fort Meyers to visit with some of her family there on our round about way home. I told her this would be a great opportunity to learn how to drive one of these German works of art. Little did I know that Mother Nature had other plans?

We were humbled when we drove through Punta Gorde and saw first hand all the destruction left behind by Hurricane Charlie however we neglected to consider the wrath Tropical Storm Gaston. We made great time running north through Florida even spending an hour or so running with another couple in their (his) new toy, a shiny new 997 Carrera S. We found lodging for the night at about 11:30pm after 12 hours of driving, 3 of which were needed to burn off the effects of an unplanned overdose of No Dose, but that’s another story. As we were heading into our room the skies opened up and it didn’t stop raining until we were 10 miles south of Washington D.C. the next afternoon. Needless to say Kim didn’t get to drive the car. She graciously maintained her co driver’s position the whole time.

I don’t think I would have been happier with anyone else in the car. She’s a real trooper and now I think she has a better appreciation for my addiction. I can only hope that in 2 or 3 years when its time for my next toy she’ll be as understanding. I’ve tried to explain the old saying about “the guy how dies with the most toys wins” but I don’t think she feels it applies. Anyway if you see a very attractive 30 something year old driving an Ocean Blue 996 give her some extra room and much deserved respect because she’s not only just learned to drive it but she’s also trying to gain some fondness for OUR newest toy.