My hopes and plans for 2012... in automotive terms

Well... it's 2012 now. It's that time of year when we talk about our plans and resolutions for the coming year. Although some people think that the whole idea of New Year's Resolutions is a bit disingenuous. After all, why take a seemingly arbitrary point on the calendar to think about improving oneself, rather than keeping true to that ideal year-round?

I, on the other hand, like the idea of NYRs. Although I fail at some of them like anyone else, I certainly do try to come up with a strategy to improve my life at this time of year. I feel that without NYRs, I, and probably most people, would be less likely to make a self-improvement effort at all. The new year, symbolically, is about new beginnings, and getting another chance to start from scratch.

As such, here are my New Year's Resolutions (well, the ones that relate to my cars, anyway) for 2012, in no particular order of importance:

1) First and foremost, I'd like to keep this blog a little more active for those of you that may be reading. I video pretty much my whole automotive life for Youtube, but I'm putting far less content up here on Blogger. This is particularly disturbing to me, as I consider myself to be a writer more than anything else.

2) Make a real attempt to repair my Dahon folding bike. True, it's not a car, but if I can get it roadworthy again, it becomes a source of backup transportation that I can take on the train and/or throw in the trunk of my car.

3) In reference to my first resolution, I'd like to get another 200-300 videos up on Youtube this year. But, the challenge is to make sure they're all relevant, or at least entertaining, and not simply me jabbering on for the camera. Obviously, I'm referencing my automotive videos.

4) This is the big one... If possible, I'd like to be able to save enough money to be able to start repairing the Vanagon before 2013. The van's in storage now while I save to put in a Subaru engine. I just sold the Mercedes 220D to make room to store the van.

5) As the Mercedes is gone, and the van is not driveable, I'd like to find another Subaru to add to the stable. This will be the source of a lot of my videos for a while. Once it's ready, it'll become my wife's daily driver, and I'll retire her old car to serve as backup transportation for us.

Have a good 2012, everyone. As always, make your time count - you don't get a lot of it.