2022年12月9日

2017年，j·j·柯林斯(J.J. Collins)爱上了2001年铃木Every Wagon Joypop版的一张照片。现在，这是她的日常交通工具，而且非常适合她的家人(包括她的狗狗Beefaroni)。j·j·柯林斯从十几岁开始就对两轮车着迷。作为一名狂热的古董摩托车收藏家(她的日常用品是1966年的铃木X6)，这位前IT工作者据说会在接到通知的一瞬间就买一对新摩托车。但最近，柯林斯经历了一次转变。在多伦多市中心生活了30年之后，她改变了职业，搬到了汉密尔顿，开启了她生活的新时代。53岁的她现在在一家独立摇滚厂牌工作，她优先考虑慢节奏，一路上给丈夫和他们的狗Beefaroni留了个座位。那么，什么样的车既能与两轮车的紧凑酷酷相媲美，又能容纳齿轮迷、她最喜欢的人以及后面的几辆自行车呢?柯林斯坚持认为，“迷你月”可以做到所有这些，甚至更多。柯林斯说:“我一直对非常奇怪和有趣的车辆有兴趣。”柯林斯在2017年购买了2001年的铃木Every Wagon Joypop Edition。 “I specifically remember in the late 1990s when the Cube — a mini version of a minivan — was being introduced as a concept vehicle in Japan. I thought it was such a rad vehicle. I suppose that owning a microvan had been in the back of my mind ever since. “One day a targeted ad popped up on my Facebook saying this van was being delivered from Japan to the East Coast — Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to be exact — and was anyone interested in purchasing it? When I looked at the photo, I knew it was going to be mine. “I ended up calling a random guy in the area to test drive it from afar. I paid him $100 and I said, ‘OK, drive it and you tell me what you think.’ He came back and told me it was the most fun he had ever had in a vehicle. I was sold. It shipped to Ontario a few months later. “When I finally met the Minizuki, as my husband and I call it, it was naturally extremely cute. But I also knew that having come from Japan, it would be reliable and above all else, practical. “Now it’s my everyday vehicle. Next summer I’m planning to rip around on my moped and I know I can load it in there, along with my husband and Beefaroni. “It looks quite small, but it’s incredible how much space the design affords. I could load a dresser or double air mattress in there, or I could load four people in and get around.” Little differences “The steering wheel is on the other side. That really sets the vehicle apart, which I love, but the flip side is that it doubles your insurance in Canada. It can get also get tricky at drive-thrus — it’s a long reach over to grab your snack.” Small but speedy “While the car only goes up to 140 kilometres per hour, it truly, truly goes. If there are high winds, I have to take it on (lower-speed) streets, for sure. But it’s really fun to bomb around in.” Hidden gems “I’ve had the car for five years and I’m still finding interesting little features — there’s this tiny space below the wheel that’s specially designed to hold a flare in case of emergency, and another slot in the front console that fits a credit card perfectly. Everything is built for functionality, and I love that.” Want to be featured in Why I Love My Vehicle? Email us at wheels@thestar.ca . SHARE: