Shore Musings is Collin Hall’s column about life at the Shore: the good and the bad.
Car spotting is like birding. Birds and cars are everywhere; something special might pass right by if you don’t have the eyes to see it.
I used to feel punished by cars. Why, God, do I have to drive a 3,000-pound screeching metal machine just to get to work? I fell into a spell when my old Volvo died and I had to quickly find a reliable car on a small budget. For the first time, I found myself researching cars, sniffing out what makes each one unique, and which one could be the right fit for me. I fell in love with my 2009 Mazda3 hatchback, purchased in cash in a Trader Joe’s parking lot. I took the bus from Philly to Boston to catch the deal.
Now, I’m always telling people to educate themselves about cars because they are a fact of life whether they like it or not. Folks too easily sign up for crazy car loans without even knowing the engine inside, or if it’s gonna depreciate like crazy within three years.
If you have to drive a car, at least get one that makes you happy. Don’t settle for a boring beater. There’s joy to be found at any budget; you’ve just got to find something with some spirit. A number of the cars pictured here can be bought for $7,000 or less.
Car spotting also makes me a little sad. Americans are obsessed with giant SUVs. I frequently point to a tiny old clunker on the highway and yell to my passengers: “Oh my God, everybody look!” and it’s just some rattly Oldsmobile or Suzuki. Keeping an old economy car on the road takes some sweat, especially down here on the Cape with our salty air and frequent floods.
So here we are in 2025; Ford doesn’t even sell a car anymore besides the Mustang. The day of the small, simple, affordable car is over. Sometimes I spot an old hatchback and it feels like I’ve seen a ghost.
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com
Above right: A lowered third-generation Subaru Outback by the Starlux in Wildwood. RIP the station wagon, the upcoming seventh generation Outback is just another bog-standard SUV.
