Springtime and Convertibles
Spring is in the air across the USA and with this lovely weather (despite the fact that the price of gas is out of control) there is nothing better than the desire to get in the car and drive .
Its always nice to have a destination for some, but personally, I just love the opportunity to crank up the music, open the windows/sunroof/put the top down, and just breathe deep.
Blue skies and green lights. Country roads where you can wind and downshift and feel the road, the wind in your hair(at least for me) smell the fresh earth, the plowed fields and watch the shadows of the clouds as they play on the road in front of you.
Now, open roads may not be available, and getting in the car for a spring drive may mean bumper to bumper traffic, and learning the art of patience. The actual experience may be quite the opposite of the dream drive, but the key to making it a great drive is the vehicle.
On the open road, what turns you on? Straight drive (oh yeah baby!) or could it be automatic, where you are not required to think about coodinating hand, foot and transmission…In my case it’s a no brainer, but I was lucky and learned to drive a stick many years ago. For me there is no better way to drive. Most likely its all about control, feeling the road and knowing the concentation level is a bit higher. Pitting skill against the curves makes my heart beat faster.
Is the vehicle a sports car, luxury vehicle, van, SUV or truck?
In spring, the most popular vehicles are convertibles. Hmm. not summertime you ask? Nope. Spring. The air is just warm enough-not stifling. We are TIRED of having been couped up inside all winter and are ready to play. Its the perfect time of year. By summer we want the a/c blasting to keep us cool. In spring, no a/c is required and we can go topless.
I grieved the day I heard Cadillac stopped making the XLR: it is everything I love in a car, sexy, fast, great lines, a hardtop convertible, and it gets the looks. OK, it was out my price range, but talk about a hot car! Oh well, there is always the Miata: its cute, sporty, a convertible and much easier on the pocketbook. Sexy fun, yup, that will do.
Aston Martin has so many beautiful topless models (if you have $200,000 or so to spend) but since most of us have champagne tastes and beer budgets, there are other more reasonable choices out there, like the Chrysler 200. Looks good…a bit of testosterone in the styling. BMW, Mercedes, all have their strong points, and then of course there is my favorite: the Boxster. Some day soon, you shall be mine, or I’ll just find a great used Toyota MR2 Spyder (WHY did they stop manufacturing that car) which has all the looks of the Porche without the price tag or the maintenance costs.
Never EVER underestimate the appeal of a convertible. Whether its on the open road or stuck in traffic, it’s still just about as good as it gets.
