My turn.
My name is Mark Kalmus. I have lived in Austin TX with my family since
December 1998. I am a Usability Engineer for Dell Computers. I have been a
member of this listserv since 1997.
Fresh out of college, I purchased my 1970 2000 (SRL311-13695) from a farmer
in Slater MO in 1985. I had owned a 1976 Fiat X1/9 when I first got my
license, and, although it was the most problematic vehicle ("You smell
something burning?"), I was bitten by the convertible bug. After ridding
myself of the Fiat ("No, let it burn. Then we'll put it out."), I was
actually on the lookout for an old Austin runabout when I saw the farmer's
ad in the local Kansas City Star classifieds. He had kept it in his barn
for more than ten years, driving it only to Jefferson City MO a couple of
times in an attempt to sell it. I test drove it for about 30 minutes then
drove it home. I replaced the tires (dry rot) and tuned it up (following
the specs in a Chilton's manual I scored from a used book store). I ordered
a catalog from Rallye, listened for the death rattle, and went to swap meets
looking for old roadster resources. Found some old Roadster Enthusiast
magazines, a service manual, a transmission service manual, and an owner's
manual. I made it my fair weather driver, keeping my 1973 Celica GT and
1973 Datsun 1600 pickup for daily rainy/snowy driving. I also had a 1984
Honda V65 Magna for campus parking when the weather was choice.
Out of college I worked as a technical editor for a large investment company
before landing a job as a Human Factors Functional Analyst for a software
development company. Got married ten years ago to Amy Rhoads. Along the
way, Amy and I had two sons, Simon (9) and Eli (7). Sold all the vehicles
except the 2000. We have been Toyota loyalists, long before Amy and I
became a couple. We've gone through two Celicas ('73 GT and '74 ST), a
Tercel ('83), a LandCruiser FJ60 ('83), a Camry ('90), and our current
4Runner ('90 with 225,000 miles!!) and RAV4 ('96). The 2000 has the fewest
miles on it (72,000) of any vehicle we've had, mostly because I haven't
driven it for more than five years. We moved to Texas when Amy's employer
Sprint transferred her to the Austin office and I accepted Dell's offer.
When we were preparing to move in July 2000 to our current home in southwest
Austin, I followed Tom Walter's checklist for getting your car out of
storage, but couldn't get the engine to turn. Tom even came over from
nearby Round Rock one Saturday afternoon and the two of us tried to get it
to move. Bruce Schluderman also came over to lend a hand, but to no avail.
So, I towed it to the new address and my two-seater is now sitting in the
garage waiting until the queue of current projects (outbuilding, built-ins,
workbench) is reduced enough for me to give it the attention it requires.
The car is complete with minor rust on the chrome and over the right rear
wheel well. The bumpers could both use some straightening and replating. I
believe I am its third owner. I expect to pull the engine this winter to
root cause the lockup.
This listserv has proved to be invaluable for information. I still have
pertinent posts from 1997 burned onto CD for future reference.
Mark
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