Jen and I have begun talking about selling the Subaru and buying something a bit more, *ahem*, family-oriented. Now before you saw “they’re buying a minivan” let me say we are NOT looking for a minivan. If all goes well, we won’t even have a station wagon. But something with four doors would be really nice. Ideally, we’d get a WRX, but it’s kinda nice not having any car payments, so I’m currently researching Volvo 750s and 850s. Nice, quick, safe 4 door sedans. Time will tell though, and we’re going to be very picky if we do buy something, since we’re not under the gun with lease termination or whatnot.

Rally News

As expected, Gilles Panizzi has signed a contract with Mitsubishi for next season. This is the sort of opportunity Panizzi has been looking for (and what Peugeot wouldn’t give him) — a full season of driving in a WRC-spec car. While the Lancer may not be the fastest car on the road next year, Panizzi’s input should really move the team forward quickly.

Here’s a quick rundown on the big names that don’t have drives secured for next year:

* Colin McRae
* Carlos Sainz
* Harri Rovanpera
* Freddy Loix
* Alister McRae

More and likely, Sainz or Colin McRae will land at Peugeot, and the other will stay at Citroen. It’s really quite odd that Peugeot wouldn’t just go with Rovanpera, as he’s had success in the 206 in the past. He really hasn’t gotten a fair shake this season, being limited to a handful of rallies and suffering numerous technical issues. He’s never been a real time driver for Peugeot either. It seems Peugeot has lost faith in Rovanpera, and if he can’t secure a ride with Hyundai or Mitsubishi, he may be watching next season from the pub. Loix has the ability to be a fine third driver with a team like Peugeot or Citroen (or Subaru or Ford, if they have a third car next season) as he is fast and could provide top ten manufacturers point in a quick car.

Posted on 25 August 2003