MR Cars

Marc was passionate about cars of all kinds, especially the one he was driving at that moment. He did not stick with one auto brand throughout his life, sampling (sometimes on the wild side) much of what was new and interesting. He almost always purchased new cars, so the leases at the end are unusual. The Saabs and GTI may have been purchased used. Possibly the MG Midget as well. That said, he started with VW, visited the VW plant in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1979, and ended with VW which must mean something. Below is a reasonably thorough list that I’ve come up with that illustrates his life in cars. I look forward to getting corrections and additions (and photos of MR in any of these cars?) from others to help make this more complete.

• VW Bug
• (he crashed CAR’s before the wedding? Then they drove another out to San Diego after he graduated)
• “The VW that took them to California had a broken gas gauge – they had to periodically put a yardstick down into the gas tank.”–BR
• CAR reports driving their Bug from SD to Norfolk, VA when MR was transferred to Atlantic fleet.
• MG Midget(s?), for racing on Sundays
• Plymouth Barracudas
• Two different, one stolen
• Second sold before moving to Mass?
• Austin American
• broke down mid-move from Roanoke, VA to Watertown, MA
• tan Volvo 142 sedan
• Two door boxy 4 cylinder “classic” 1970’s Volvo, early adopter of seatbelts and head rests. Probably lasted 10 years (and *over* 100K miles — a rarity back then!) until it burst into flame (fuel leak) on Dickerman Rd. No one was injured.
• gray Toyota Celica
• (instead of the BMW 2002 he was threatening to buy)
• red Ford Escort
• When the Volvo burst into flame
• [Martha’s beige VW Bug in rotation for a while, until Amy got it]
• several Peugeot sedans
• one of them a diesel
• went to SF with them in ’93
• Peugeot bike
• Briefly commuted to Harvard Square by bike, perhaps 1977 – 1980?
• [picked up a VW Rabbit diesel in Germany in 1979 for friends, used for a few weeks, then dropped off to be shipped back to US]
• [drove an Alfa Romeo sedan during the 1979 summer we stayed in Paris, including a trip to Bordeaux
• Peugeot moped (purple?)
• Briefly commuted on moped, taking advantage of 100+mpg, and less sweaty on arrival? Perhaps 1979-81 until the moped was vandelized while parked.
• Mazda 929 sedan
• MR got T-boned in the 929 by Mayor’s limo in SF and it was totaled
• Mazda Millennia, loaner?
• “I remember him telling me that was the best car he ever owned, which confused me when they switched to the first Saab soon after.”–BR
• Honda 125 scooter! in SF
• two Saab sedans
• one dark color?
• one silver-ish, died on trip in N.California; BR can tell the story
• VW GTI in SF; drove to Reno, sold to Sarah
• [bot Tesla stock too high w/GTI proceeds and then panic sold too low]
• VW Tiguan
• leased blue
• leased white in terrible deal, then bot out; sold when CAR moved to ME