This is the Austin Healey 3000 Mk. 2 I owned, pictured at the Seattle vintage races in 1995 or 1996. Imagine my delight when, after a day at the races, I came back to my car to find this pre-war Aston Martin parked next to me. I’m not sure of the exact model–there is an excellent guide here–I believe it might be a 1934 Mk. II 2/4 seater.

In any case, not only is the Aston a glorious car in-and-of-itself, but this particular example had an wonderful patina. The interior was completely original and the paint was decidely aged but in “well loved” condition. This would be a $100,000+ car now, so it’s almost certain to never grace the “current liabilities” column. But I enjoyed seeing it a decade ago, and hope it’s still giving its owner pleasure today.

It’s funny what you remember about certain cars and what you don’t. I’m going to see what I can come up with in a few minutes for this car, the Healey 3000 tri-carb I owned in 1995 or so, ten years ago (!).

• I remember driving down to see it. The gentleman who owned it was in a tough position, he had lung cancer and had already had a fairly major operation for it. The car was fine, though it had a “lace job” on the bonnet and boot, fortunately done with tape, not paint. The owner’s house was near to a military firing range, the visit was punctuated with giant “booms” from the guns.
• The clutch driven plate broke about halfway through my ownership, necessitating a clutch job, done in the parking garage of the apartment building I was living in at the time. The Healey transmission is a monster, and I can recall dropping this one on its output shaft, which didn’t seem to do much damage, except to a friend’s shin.
• This car also suffered a flat tire one day when I came to drive it. A 3000 offers very few places to get a standard jack under when a wheel is flat, being so low to the ground. I had to start in the opposite corner and work my way around.
• I recall driving the Mayflower Park Hotel classic rally in this car with my friend Matt. We did horribly, but it was a fun time, none-the-less. We were probably the shabbiest car on the event.
• This car was not suitable for use in wet weather due to seals that didn’t. A journey in inclement weather was incredibly annoying because the front windshield leaked under in such a way that water would be sprayed onto your face as you were driving.
• I generally have an impression of ho-hum-ness when I think of this machine, despite its glamour. It was a nickle-and-dimer, and really needed a complete restoration, which I couldn’t do at the time. I sold it to buy my first house, so I have to give it credit for that!

This was my second Healey, and in theory what I had always wanted…a “Healey Blue” tri-carb 3000. I enjoyed the car, but it constantly needed attention, which just didn’t mesh with the 70 hour weeks I was working.

I found it down in Steilacoom, an older gentleman owned it and was getting out of the classic cars. It was $10,000, as I recall (big money for me), and it must have been about 1994. It had a pinstripe “lace job” on the bonnet and boot, which I quickly took care of (fortunately it was tape), but otherwise wasn’t in bad condition–not great, but not a wreck, either.

Except, of course, that it constantly needed or wanted something. The clutch pressure plate failed one day just down the hill from my flat, and that necessitated removing the tranny in the parking garage of my apartment complex, always a pleasure (especially at the Healey tranny weighs about a million pounds). Various electrical devices failed, and the interior was never up to much, nor the seals. I can remember being caught in the rain and having water spraying over me from under the windshield.

It made nice noises, and was fun to own, but the money it represented was better used as a down payment on my first house. Some cars, crappy as they are, are the basis for a genuine bond between the owner and the machine. Others never click. This one, for whatever reason, fell into the latter category.