Hummin' Along

[John Brennan]

There's snow up on Four Peaks, about 50 miles east of town. That's not exactly unusual, but it's the second or third time I've seen it, and it's barely December. Saw the first snow up there in early November, which is unusual.

Sugar Beat thrums north on the 101 Freeway in South Scottsdale, having just emerged from a protracted below-ground portion in Tempe to cross the Salt River, which suddenly opens to a nice clear vista of the Valley's eastern edge across the open space of the Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation: Superstition, Usery, and Red mountains directly east, the familiar McDowells north of those, and the mighty Mazatzals, far behind them all, rising and falling, reaching northward towards the distant Mogollon Rim, a high desert suspension bridge. Brown's Peak, the first and highest of the oddly symmetrical Four Peaks which cap the range, has a nose-in-cappuccino dollop of the stuff, more of which has dribbled down its chin and chest.

The tires slapping the expansion joints of this long freeway interchange cause an impromptu Riverdance with the car in the next lane, syncopated in a round with other cars in front and behind. The car is in a very familiar and happy place: cruising at speed, in a groove at 3500 rpm, running straight and true and hunkered down to the road, but ready for a tiny flick of the wheel, the merest tap of brakes, or slight pressure on the accelerator, to engage in a little Gale Sayers when the opportunity presents itself. But now is not the time for broken-field running. Up ahead, brake lights appear as the cars, submerging like a flotilla of submarines once again to navigate the Thomas Road underpass, encounter a bit of a curve and a gaggle of cars entering the freeway from the right. Prudence dictates allowing the car in front to dwindle ahead some; it's 4:30 in the afternoon, and this stretch of freeway, like many across the nation at this time of day, is known for some fairly sudden and unannounced stoppages. Sure enough, noses drop and rear ends lift, one unprepared pickup truck fanning wide towards the carpool lane in an attempt to either avoid being hit from behind, or to avoid hitting the car in front. The maneuver was completely unnecessary, giving rise to a moment of mild contempt for the driver. Pay attention, Bonehead, and be grateful for the fact that nobody was in the lane you just trespassed into.

This foolishness behind us, the thickening school of fish-cars cautiously resumes speed once again. Sixty-eight miles per hour, and the front tires pass through the slight wobble they've re-developed at that point known to us all, reminding me to check the pressures, maybe swap fronts for rears, or seek out Discount Tire for a re-balance if those don't remedy the condition. I've been enjoying a new-found smoothness in the driveline, after paying a visit to my friend Tom Dooley's shop last weekend for a driveshaft swap (I arrived to find Tom perched high up in the bucket of his Cherry Picker Bucket Truck, one of his sundry and delightful toys which do double duty as work vehicles, merrily installing Santa hats on the tops of several tall Saguaros. It is nearly Christmas, after all. Tom, as usual, read my mind, and let me take a turn. Tom's like that).

The rear U-joint had been badly worn, causing all kinds of havoc that I originally attributed to my custom exhaust system banging into various chassis points (a crime to which it pleaded innocent), or to a right-side CV joint wearing to the point of making itself heard and felt (not so!). Like many repairs we make to these cars, the elimination of one set of symptoms has led to the revealing of others. And danged if I didn't disturb my tailshaft seal upon reinstallation of the yoke, resulting in a shameful dribbling of gear oil onto the garage floor. Oh, well-- next on the agenda is a clutch job, whereupon I'll not only deal with that, but also the lightly leaking Rear Main, not to mention the scarcity of clutch pedal travel and the sometimes-chirping throwout bearing. Hang in there, baby... we'll retire that embarrassing drip pan yet.

I have recently been given a revelation: the car which I have been driving fifty miles a day, day after day, week after week, and now year after year, is a lot tougher than even I had thought. It has not the assumed 126,000 miles on the clock, but rather 226,000. Anyone telling you Merkurs are unreliable can now officially be slapped upside the head. The car has done this, mind you, loaded down with tools and parts for a side business the whole time, and with not so much as a whimper.

I'm impressed-- and grateful.

Sometimes I have to chuckle a bit at myself, self-styled Free Thinker and Non-Comformist, driving the same model car for over two decades now, a creature of habit after all. But I have a damned good reason. Ladies and Gentlemen, submitted for your approval, one of the best all-around cars yet designed. I cannot duplicate the experience I get with this car in any other without spending mad stacks of cash. That includes not only its driving dynamics and the feel from behind the wheel, but its usefulness and practicality. It simply does too many things too well to not drive and own. I also realize that were it not for the existence of this car, I would not be able to enjoy driving as much as I am allowed to on a daily basis, because I cannot afford the kind of car it would otherwise take to get me there. The Porsche Experience? Here's the Merkur XR4ti Experience; not quite as polished or sexy, with not quite the pedigree (but an impressive racing heritage nonetheless!), communicating with me just as honestly and intimately. The BMW Tingle? I've got your Merkur Tingle right here, a rolling massage therapy chair that delivers all the thrilling tactile sensations one could ask for. If my luggage says Samsonite, and not Louis Vitton, I am nevertheless traveling well. My Miata handled better (did it?), but wasn't nearly as pleasant to live with. The XR has the right size, right heft and weight. It's nimble, yet substantial in a way the Miata never was. Bumps that upset the Miata do not bother the XR at all. My Taurus SHO was more powerful (was it?), but somewhat loath to change direction in comparison.

Maybe one of the reasons I have kept driving Merkurs is because I find being behind the wheel a sort of happy meditation. The XR4Ti is a car that will deliver a long and beautiful "Om" to the seeker, a driving harmony, and a clear path of awakening to the simple fact that life is pretty darned good, after all. Merkurs reward the involved, even as they will not tolerate the uninvolved. Asked what sort of a car it is, it might want to know: who is asking?

I used to worry that the day would come when owning the car would no longer be practical, when parts would dry up, when innovation would cease and the car would languish from apathy. I am very happy to report that two decades on, the opposite is true. There are ever-more parts and new ideas being applied to it, and it seems to only just be hitting its stride. I don't know how long we have, but that's just like life itself. I don't know what the future may bring, but I'm content to enjoy the present.

[FocusSVT]

Wow, that is an incredible couple of paragraphs. I feel where you are coming from. These are great cars, with a great community to support them. I plan on owning my Scorpio until it just won't go anymore

[Ed Lijewski]

Lookin' forward to Post #10,000!

YMMV

[Mike McCreight]

Thanks, John.
Eloquently put, as usual.
OK to quote you on those last 3 or 4 paragraphs?
Sums up a lot of what I'm not capable of communicating.
As I've said for almost a decade, GOOD to have you aboard.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Welcome to the 9000 club John.

BTW, at 10,000 we're required to call you Mr. Brennan

[John Brennan]

Thank you, Mr. Anesi...

And thanks Mike, who is ever so much more valuable to us than I'll likely ever be (quote anything! I'd be honored); and to patient Ed, who puts up with a lot of crap but keeps on helping and giving anyway; Darren, you do just that-- I'm trying to get more into my Scorpio, too.

One thing I neglected to say is that one of the best things about owning these cars is having the people associated with them as your friends, which is absolutely "priceless," and which has always been a very strong reason to keep at it during those times when the car's giving you second thoughts.

[merkurdriver]

As usual, some well thought, well written ppst from JB.

[hEaT]

Very nicely written

[xR4rally]

Are the 'tools and parts' for the side business a typewriter and reams of paper? Or is that your 'day' job?
And, without delving into a rant about local drivers, consider yourself lucky that traffic flows at 68 in your locale.

[anglin]

I'm just glad to be here and read another one of these!

[John Brennan]

Thanks, guys. Chris, we're glad you're here, too.

I am pretty lucky that this town has a nice system of freeways combined with low density. The City of Phoenix is 2 square miles larger than the City of Los Angeles (269-267). I also leave for work at 0530, and usually don't run into problems on the way home unless I have to go to some of the yards downtown-- for my GPS tracking system installation and maintenance business-- and even then, the traffic moves, if at a crawl. it's not like jams I've been in in LA or even Seattle, where one can spend extended periods of time not moving at all! The freeways are new, fairly well-built, and are a godsend compared to getting around this huge place before we had them.

By day, I'm behind a desk as Tech Support (love the job, hate the desk) for the company that makes the equipment and sells the service. I've always enjoyed writing, and hope that one day when I'm not quite so firmly strapped to the wheel, I can devote more time to it.

[TommyT]

Very nice work.... Thank you.

[Razorthirty]

Thanks, guys. Chris, we're glad you're here, too.

I am pretty lucky that this town has a nice system of freeways combined with low density. The City of Phoenix is 2 square miles larger than the City of Los Angeles (269-267). I also leave for work at 0530, and usually don't run into problems on the way home unless I have to go to some of the yards downtown-- for my GPS tracking system installation and maintenance business-- and even then, the traffic moves, if at a crawl. it's not like jams I've been in in LA or even Seattle, where one can spend extended periods of time not moving at all! The freeways are new, fairly well-built, and are a godsend compared to getting around this huge place before we had them.

By day, I'm behind a desk as Tech Support (love the job, hate the desk) for the company that makes the equipment and sells the service. I've always enjoyed writing, and hope that one day when I'm not quite so firmly strapped to the wheel, I can devote more time to it.

Makes me so glad I live out of town in MT where there is no traffic. just the occasional other person going about their business.. I cant stand being surrounded by that many other souls.