Actor Garrett Keogh
What was your first car and why did you choose it?
Fiat 127. I had no choice in the matter.
How old were you when you got it?
I was 28.
Was it new or second-hand?
It was a hand-me-down. I got it from my sister, who got it from my mother.
How much did it cost?
Nobody remembers how much it was when it was first bought. It cost me nothing, - but I'm still paying for it!
Did you know much about cars when you bought it?
An uncle showed me how to drive in a van on Santry Lane. I did the test and got my first licence in Los Angeles. I cut my teeth on the freeway system there...
What difference did it make to your life (and your pocket)?
I lived in town so it just sat there most of the day. Then Vinnie McCabe and I started a theatre company. We painted/scrawled the name Red Rex in red letters on the sides. We put the set on the roof, the costumes and props in the back, and travelled the country.
Did you have any run-ins with the law while you were driving it and what were they for?
One night we were stopped by a garda in Patrick St, Cork on our way to a party. He asked the usual questions. One of a gang in the back seat shouted: We're actors! Oh, said the garda, "are you the crowd that got the bad review in the Examiner this morning?"
What's the longest trip you ever took in the 127?
We seemed to cover the whole country.
What's your best memory or most memorable moment in the car?
My girlfriend and I would dress up and drive to a hotel in Stillorgan for cocktails.
...and your worst memory?
Two hundred yards from where I was living, going steeply down Michael's Hill, a young girl ran out onto the road. I hit the brakes. She froze. I turned left. She moved left. I turned right. She moved right. I stopped inches away from her.
How long did you keep it and what did you get next?
I kept it until it fell apart. I reversed to pick up a friend on Burgh Quay. I didn't notice the lamppost. The open door was bent back off its hinges. It stayed on, but wouldn't close. We would get in, tie one door to the other with string, and wear coats for the draughts. My next car was a second-hand hand-me-down of the same pedigree. It was a Fiesta.
What do you drive now and how does it compare?
I recently got a Lexus GS300. I like it now, as much as I liked the Fiat then.