At year’s end, the Japanese tradition of bonenkai takes place. These “forget the year parties” are held to drink away the heartaches of the previous 365 days and hope for better luck the next time ’round the sun. For me personally, it’s not what I did but what I didn’t do. With work and family duties, I didn’t get to wrench/drive/hang out at car events as much as I wanted to. There’s also the massive hole in my heart left by how I didn’t spend more time with a dear friend before he passed away. Well, the turning of the calendar gives us all the opportunity to start anew and kaizen ourselves in 2022.
What automotive heartaches are you most eager to forget?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are you asking Japanese Santa Claus for this year?“.
We truly hope everyone gets what they asked for, from tangible wishes like Clifton and Ellis‘ elusive classic Hondas to more abstract wants like F31Roger‘s hopes for a 2-car garage or Michael K.‘s desire for and end to the pandemic. But we know for sure that the winner this week, Rob Sayers, definitely will. Also, we’re genuinely glad to see there are readers who don’t exclusively drive Japanese cars, especially ones who make us laugh with their comments:
Santa has already ordered (with my credit card annoyingly enough) a liberty walk spoiler for my Mustang.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
I’m hoping to forget how much time and money has been spent on my Montero engine rebuild, which went from just needing to replace the valve stem seals to ordering new cylinder heads, then driving to Chicago for a new old stock short block.. I know when it’s all done and running again it’ll be worth it, but in the meantime it has just taken time and funds away from the RX-7 next to it in the garage..
I want to forget about that one time I hit a deer in my Honda when on my way to a Prom Dinner date. yeah… I am sure you know how that went
September 29, 2021. I saw a 2001 Dodge Viper crash into a Mercedes crossover. No injuries but the Viper was a write-off. The poor owner of the Viper, when he got out I saw he was wearing a work uniform from an autobody shop. I tried to console him over the loss of what he himself said was his dream car. I gave him my contact so I could give a witness statement to the insurance adjustors. What shocked me most was that about 100-200 feet behind the car a chunk of the bonnet from the Viper landed. That is from the point where the crash happened. The piece in question was about the size of a 45 LP record. Kinda snuffed out my fondness for fibreglass bodywork.
OT, but a big compliment on that top photo, of the red RX. That could be a poster, and I would gladly pay for one.
The road, the car, the light, the overall composition, that is one beautiful piece of work.
Thanks!
Tangentially automotive related – this time last year I lamented about my canceled 3-week 2020 dream trip to Japan. I also mentioned how it was rescheduled for May 2021. Well…. 2021 didn’t fare any better. Everything is now up in the air with our JR pass use-by dates continually being extended into the future.
Perhaps the delays will give me extra time to figure out how to get to and from the Prince and Skyline Museum in a reasonable amount of time.
I remember this comment from last year. Can’t believe we have to postpone everything yet another year!
Well, my project car is slow because the people I wanted to do their part for the car are totally slacking.
My RB25det could have been done, but my builder said the engine will take 2 days to put together, but he wanted the car back in LA (it was in Arizona getting painted by a friend). When the car returned to LA, he said he didn’t have space… so I’ve been waiting for him to tell me what’s next and I found out he is in South America for vacation (which is fine, but he didn’t give me a timeframe so I can plan).
My friend took way too long to get paint on my car and a ultimatum lead to an unfinished/needs a lot of cut/buff work.
I’m slowly getting the end stage of the build… Everyone has been paid, yet my car still needs to be “polished up”.
It totally sucks and I can’t wait for it to just put together.
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As with my other M30, leaky power steering rack, need to lower, repaint the body kit…
I am hoping to forget about how I snapped a tungsten carbide drill bit into a broken screw extractor that is stuck in a broken and rusted bolt. Perhaps in 2022 I will remove this nightmare, but until then it will stay as a reminder to the trials and tribulations of wrenching on old automobiles.