Why we want the cars we couldn’t have | Column

Do I need another camera? No, we have a house full of them, from those hundred-year-old folding models with the cloth bellows to today’s high-tech digital workhorses.

So why did I buy another camera? To experience a legendary piece of equipment that at one point sat totally beyond my means. 

I have always shot Canon cameras because that’s what my dad has always used. Like father, like son, right? 

In 1971, Canon launched its first real professional model. It was simply called the F-1, and this all-manual brick of a camera was designed to go anywhere under any conditions, literally from the Olympics to the battlefield.

Canon rated the camera’s shutter for 100,000 cycles and said that you could use it in conditions south of 0 degrees. Another promise to pro photographers: It would stay in production unchanged for 10 years, so no worries about gear going out of date. And what did Canon do after those 10 years? It released a similar yet totally updated F-1 that, again, would remain in production for a decade.

This model carried an appropriate cost, too. In 1973, a new Honda Civic stickered around $2000. At the same time, you could buy a Canon F-1 with a short lens for about $600–that’s more than $3600 in today’s dollars. Even when I started shooting in the ’80s, such gear fell well beyond my budget. 

Fast-forward to today, and film photography is hip again. We even have a custom film lab not 5 minutes from my house, and we don’t even live in a real city (sorry not sorry). 

Lately, I have been thinking about getting back into film. I have all of these old cameras–including the Canon A-1 that got me through school–so why not experience them once again? 

I admit, digital makes too much sense. You take the photo and then immediately upload it for the world to see. No wait, no expense. 

But it’s not quite the same. Maybe it’s the difference between clicking an icon to play an audio file versus firing up the turntable. 

I recently wondered, how much would it cost to go back in time and experience Canon’s legend? How do those 10,000 parts come together to produce that satisfying click?

Well, as my eBay history shows, you can now buy an F-1 for $217.44 with free shipping. It’s not a perfect example–the seller, one of the biggest names in used gear, labels its condition as Bargain: “70 to 79 percent of original condition and priced to sell.”

That’s fine. I like things that have a story to tell. Again, it’s all about the experience. 

Why today’s interest in older cars–older as in from the ’80s and ’90s? The experience. Maybe you wanted one back in the day and couldn’t afford it, or perhaps you’d like to see what it’s like to turn back the clock a bit. 

Fortunately, those days gave us some of the coolest cars. We were there, and I have been lucky to own some of the day’s greatest hits–machines sporting model designations like Si, SE-R and GTI. 

Are those cars fast by today’s standards? No, not really. A new minivan is likely quicker. Anything EV would destroy them. 

But those older cars have an appeal that goes beyond numbers. They’re simple, fun and light on their feet as they’re not weighted down with too much extra gear. Thin roof pillars and low beltlines deliver airy cockpits. Looking back, even something that seemed mundane at the time, like a flip-up-headlight Accord, now has a retro coolness thanks to the same traits. 

And I totally get it. Everything sitting in our garage can be tied together with a simple theme: cars I couldn’t have back in the day. 

My advice for those disenchanted by the rising prices in that segment: You’ll find something–maybe not your unicorn, but something that you’ll be proud to own and show. Or maybe it will be something from the bargain bin that has a few stories to tell. Ping me online and we can go shopping together. 

Don’t worry, though, I’m not there bidding against you. I’ve ticked most of the boxes off my list–although, thinking back, I never did get my dream car from my school days, Mazda’s then-new 323 GTX. It offered all-wheel drive, turbo power and all the rally cred. At the time, though, I could only afford a pair of Chuck Taylors and, eventually, a used Accord. 

[Mazda 323 GTX | Vintage Views]

Not sure if I’ll fire up the time machine and search for that little Mazda. I think that ship has sailed, as today’s examples carry prices well outside my comfort zone for an impulse purchase. But, someday, it might be fulfilling to just experience one.