There was a 1970 movie titled ‘Diary of a Mad Housewife’ that covered the life and times of a bored bride who had a loose connection to her marriage.
The movie featured a young Carrie Snodgrass in a starring role as the housewife in question and her onscreen antics won over a young male theater audience in a big way.
Jim Sutherland
MyStarCollectorCar borrowed most of the title from the movie for use in this article but will steer away from the movie’s plot and avoid an adult rating for our diary. We just thought ‘Diary of a Mad Housewife’ was a pretty cool title back in the day and decided to paraphrase it. The following are excerpts from our mad car guy diary:
Chapter 1: “I woke up today and decided I needed an old car. I’ve always loved the retro stuff from a bygone era and wanted to own a piece of the automotive past. The only thing left for me is to find the right car. My wife (insert name here) will grow to love my old car and appreciate my decision. I can’t wait to buy my retro ride “.
Chapter 2: “A few minor problems have cropped up. I found out old cars are not cheap, and my wife is not exactly in love with my ownership idea. Old cars cost a ton, a grim fact I had to share with my now-worried bride. What used to be a parts car is now worth its weight in gold according to the seller and, sadly, he is not wrong. In fact, I may be forced to pay big bucks for a major restoration project and convince my wife it’s a great idea. Tall, tall order… I sincerely hope my high school automotive class will get me through to the finish line”.
Chapter 3: “Negotiations went well with the seller, so I am now the proud but anxious owner of a vintage car composed of rust with some metal sprinkled into the mix…just enough metal to encourage optimism bordering on complete delusion. The delusion angle may help me convince my wife that I purchased an appreciating asset instead of simple heartache, misery and a real risk of bankruptcy”.
Chapter 4: “Negotiations with my wife did not go well after I learned I had a better chance of raising humans from the dead than reviving my old car. My case for the old car was extremely weak right up until our house got a complete makeover, new furniture, and a temporarily happy bride. Excessive spending continued when the old car got competent professionals instead of a moron like me who actually believed my introductory high school automotive class was enough to tackle a resurrection on a rust bucket that was 10 minutes late for a crusher. This project is getting very expensive”.
Chapter 5: “The old car project finally had an ending. It cost way more money than I envisioned when I started the process to find my dream vehicle. Unfortunately, the rust bucket was the only old car of its kind that I could find during my search. Suitable parts for the junkyard refugee were also very hard to find-and incredibly expensive. Throw in the fact a quality restoration guy is not cheap.
“Good thing I love my shiny old car more than my ex-wife and her lawyer.”
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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