Vintage Ride: Enough for the City

Country hot rodders won't believe this, but city living has its benefits, especially for gearheads. Take Sunday's NYT story about Joanne Cohen who has driven her 1973 VW Karmann Ghia, since, well, 1973, when she was 19. Mileage: 85,000. Yes, it's her only car.
If Mrs. Cohen's VW had been a true daily driver, it would have been toast by 1981 (a generous stretch for this model in a northern climate.) Yet the beauty of owning a classic in the city is you don't use it for basic transportation -- there's buses, trains and bicycles for that. Driving is for fun.
A Karmann Ghia may not be your dream car (how about that yellow three-window coupe?) but Mrs. Cohen's blue VW proves a point -- if you can only afford one car, the city is the place to buy the car you want. Parking is tough and there's always the danger of a smashed window and theft, but if your transmission goes out, you can still get your offspring to a doctor. You can still put milk in the fridge. For a little extra cash, the theft and parking problem is easily solved. Here in a Baltimore, a garage with electricity can be had for $100 a month.
Bad news, however, for Mrs. Cohen and her VW. Two years ago she moved two hours north of Manhattan. We see a Camry in her future.
Watch the NYT Slideshow -- A Life of Auto Monogamy