A New Birthday Prezzie?

 

2020 Ford Mustang Convertible

It looks fast even when it is parked in my driveway.

As the Beatles would say, "they say it's your birthday!"

Yes, it's true. I turned 68 years old today and so I went on down to the Ford dealership and decided that it was high time for me to realize one of Life's ambitions, i.e. own a superfast Ford Mustang convertible. I mean, we don't live forever, so why not?

OK, here is the more mundane and true story.

My big old clunky 2016 Ford Explorer truck needed to pay a visit with the mechanic's shop to fix a couple of things and do some regular maintenance. The garage will be keeping the truck for a few days and so I decided that it would be a good idea to rent a car for several days.

So I ordered me up a plain ole vanilla mid-sized Chevy Impala. Nothing fancy, just a set of wheels to get me around. I arrived at the rental store and the following happened:

...and action!

Rental Agent: 

Mr. Purky, I am so sorry that we do not have the car that you ordered on the lot today. Would it be ok if we gave you a brand new 2020 Ford Mustang convertible with only 2,000 miles on it, at the same price as the Impala?"

Me:

"Hmm, well, um, ah SURE!" (I had to think about it for a nanosecond).

CUT! End of scene.

So that is how I ended up with a black sportscar on my driveway on my birthday.

The pluses: It's a fun car to drive, very fast off the blocks. It has a rumble to the engine that makes you feel like you are about to start the LeMans or something similar. You can be speeding in ticket territory with just the slightest tap on the gas pedal, so I have to be mindful of that when I drive.

The downside?   It is way to tight of a fit for me, it is low to the ground (not good for the snowy weather that we are sure to get very soon), and it has a rear window that is only a little larger than a sheet of notebook paper. The back seats are a joke - no one is really meant to be sitting in the two back seats - there is zero leg room so you would have to sit sideways. The amount of trunk space is inversely proportionate to the speed of the vehicle .

But then, you don't buy one of these cars for making trips to the grocery store and the bank etc., nor do you buy one if you want to carry boxes of wargame troops and terrain in the boot when you drive to the opponent's home pitch.

Bottom line: it's a fun car to drive and I'm glad to have this unexpected opportunity to give the Mustang an extensive test drive, but I don't see myself ever buying one. (now if it were an original 1966-68 version, then I'd be all in). Nevertheless, driving it is a fun little birthday present.

Cheers,

Jim

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