Silvie Gets a New Coat

For a while I was beginning to think that my Mercedes-Benz 450SL was nothing more than a piece of decorative sculpture in my driveway. Problems with owning an antique sports car were multiplying faster than I could solve them. She didn't pass inspection, so I had some restoration work done on her, which took so long that I turned the plates in, and then it was almost winter, so I decided not to drive her till spring, but then all that sitting rusted the brakes, so I had to have them fixed, and a few other things besides.

All the problems had started because the car wasn't watertight. So after all the work and $$$, I was terrified of any more water getting inside of her. I had some of the seals replaced, but I think the rubber around the windshield needs to be changed as well, and who knows what else. I was losing sleep worrying about her, then dreaming about building garages, carports, and lean-tos when I finally would pass out. My eventual solution was to buy a car cover.

The cover I chose was the Noah by Covercraft. It's the cover of choice in places like L.A. where even people with fancy cars and pricey condos don't necessarily have a place to store a vehicle. It's billed as water-resistant, not waterproof, but the impression I got after reading about 500 customer reviews was that it was as close as I was going to get to waterproof while still having some breathability. (If I wanted to sacrifice breathability, which I did not, I could've stuck with the $14 tarp.)

The covers are custom-made for each vehicle. Mine arrived promptly, and proved easy to slip on and off. Most importantly, it seems to be doing its job. After each drenching downpour, I run out and worriedly check the floorboards, but so far, so good.

Yesterday I took her for a spin. She was clean and beautiful since she'd been carefully covered. The day was sunny and gorgeous, and I wasn't in a hurry. I'd nearly forgotten what a pleasure it is to drive this car. That's why I bought her in the first place, after all...to drive her, not to jones for her. And now I can again, thanks to the Noah.