Off-Road On The Mind

All cars can be off-road, if you have the right attitude. Attitude is basically everything. That’s what I learned from ‘Initial D’, that show about a mechanic whose name is David Davidson, and he gets picked on all the time for his initials, which are both ‘D’. He takes out all his aggression in dangerous street races but realises throughout the course of the series that it’s okay to just shrug it off when people laugh at you for stupid reasons.

I don’t really want to get involved in racing, but I DO want to go for some adventures, which is hard for me because I have a 2001 Corolla and it’s not built for off-road. Last time when I hit the kangaroo and it had to be towed to that car servicing garage in Ringwood, I did ask about its continued adventures driving through the wild. And I was told…no. Do not do that. A Corolla is a road car, not an off-road car. But I know that I can make it work, with the power of friendship. See, in the show, David Davidson can speak to his car with his special auto-voice, telling it to go faster and that he has faith in their ability to win, giving it a burst of energy that carries them through to the finish line.

I know that doesn’t exist in real life, but I’m sure there’s a real life equivalent. Like, you can learn to hear what your car is doing, what it sounds like when the vehicle can’t take the current activity, and when to not drive over those sharp rocks or jump off that small cliff face that I totally think I should’ve been able to make because it was only like five feet.

Anyway, I now need a roadworthy because things aren’t looking good for the suspension. I suppose it’s back to Ringwood. Roadworthy is going to be tough to get unless I make some repairs to the car. Then I’m back into the bush, perhaps. I know me and my car can do it. A road trip to remember.

-JS