Then came the drop-top. “I was thinking about getting a convertible and then I read this article about June Callwood's children getting her a new one to replace the old one. So I just phoned Mazda dealers until I found her car. They only had to change one light bulb to pass safety.”
“It's got the odd little ding and scratch on it. It's not the perfect car by any means, but it runs like a dream and my wife loves driving it.”
He even had the privilege of meeting its late owner June Callwood. “I recognized her at a Cirque de Soleil opening, I went up and introduced myself. She smiled, wagged her finger in my face, and said, ‘You know, I took good care of that car!'”
But not all purchases were wise ones. “The Suburban really looks like hell. It's why you should never buy a car on eBay.
“It looked good in the photos on eBay and it was really cheap. I bought it and it cost me another $1,000 to get it here; and once it arrived it literally had no floor – from the seat to the firewall – there was no floor!”
To date, he has dumped nearly $10,000 in the Suburban. “A word to the wise – if you buy something like this, it better be because you want to own it because the carrying costs are high.
“The initial investment can be very low. I bought the Miata and the Blazer thinking they might be some future investment, but you're not going to make money on cars. At least, I'm not,” he laughs.
Over the years, Bednar has owned a 1967 Dodge A100 Slant-6 van, a 1968 Volkswagen Bus, a 1969 Buick Wildcat, a 1967 Dodge Monaco, an Austin America, a Ford Aerostar and a 1976 Chevy van that was used during the Montreal Olympics. But there's only one vehicle he regrets parting with.
“The car I regret selling was the Vega station wagon” – a car the kids nicknamed Brown Car.
“It ran like a piece of crap – it had an aluminum engine and it didn't have a very comfortable ride, but it was a good-looking little car. If I could bring that one back, I would.”
pgentile@globeandmail.com
