Emotional and Practical Dilemma

I am the first to acknowledge the role of emotion and pleasure when making decision. But also, I try as much as I can to be acutely aware of how my decisions affect others. I try as much as I can to decide for what causes the least amount of harm or most benefit to the world.

In your case realize that your enjoyment of the impractical car is entirely artificial and that there is likely more long term enjoyment to be had with the Prius. Just cutting by 3/4s the time spent at the pump is worth it for me.

 

Next to owning a house, a car is probably the biggest purchase most people make, so it's not stupid, unusual, or unexpected to want to get the most enjoyment out of it as possible. It's entirely up to you to figure out what will give you the most enjoyment. Yes, convertibles are fun... but having spent some time driving around my mom's SLK-320 (frickin sweet car, great engine, hard top convertible... drool), i can tell you that it tends to lose a bit of its fun after a while. Think of it this way: If you spent your entire life eating vanilla ice cream, and then saw people eating chocolate, you might think chocolate is so much better... but then you spend a month eating nothing but chocolate and get sick.

For me, there's no question in my mind what i would do. The cargo space in the Prius, my roof rack, and my Kayak all make the Prius a hands down winner. A convertible simply could not keep up with all of my activities. Throw in the 44k miles i've put on it in the past 3 years, and the money i've saved in fuel costs, and it's a no brainer.

That and Minnesota winters can be damn cold... I wouldn't want a convertible in those!

 

I vote for the convertible...


<--- But that's just me.

 

The practical side says - how much more will the convertable cost and how does that impact your savings for a house, vacation, kids, retirement etc? (20 is the best time to start saving for all of the above!). I try to be conservative with my money (doesn't always work), but having cash in the bank has helped me through some thin times.

The less expensive option would be to treat yourself and rent a convertable for a weekend or a weeks vacation. You could enjoy it and give it back.

 

Seconding what Bica2go suggested - save up and rent a convertible for a weekend or a few days when the weather is nice.

You have the advantage of time right now. Saving now - even just a little bit at first and even with low interest rates - will give you many more options later on down the line.

 

He lives in San Diego...He can drive it year round and leave it with the top down in his driveway with no worries. (I was just in S.D. visiting family but now back in overcast but beautiful Mass.)

I would go for the convertible, were I in your shoes. I mean, you drive everyday, so why not making that a little more pleasurable? Also, there are so many times in life when you can't have things the way you want them...I think it's good for the soul to have something you want and that makes you happy when you can get it.

 

Who said you have to give up practical for youthful or vice verse? I'm a shade of 55 and my Prius is new, which I am adapting to and enjoying quite a bit (I don't miss the Durango 5.9 R/T I sold), but I retain some of the youthfulness (maybe it's stupidity) because my other car, which I am not giving up, is a Harley Davidson FLHTC.

By the way, Evan, nice looking soft-top.

TK

 

sdtundra,

While on the surface the choice of your Prius or a convertable may
seem to be important... in the long run it is not.

However, the special condition that you enjoy, living at home, is
what creates the financial independance that you enjoy on your
limited income.

As to renting a convertable, yes, you should do that.

But you should do it for your Mom and Dad. They would probably
think it was a hoot, maybe even reliving some magic times in their
past... maybe add a nights stay at a good beach-front motel.
However good your relationship is with them, it will get even
stronger afterwards.

Now you're talkin'!

 

Well, considering your commute is 11 miles, is that going to change in the near future? You could sell your Prius for a good price, get a used car, and put the money in your pocket.

Sometimes one has to have a little fun in life too. My FJ Cruiser, in the past 6 months I've put a whopping 2,000 miles on it. It usually sits in the garage.

My FJ is driven so infrequently, the Battery Minder is a must-have accessory

 

Why do you need a car at all to go 11 miles? Get a bicycle, and spend the rest on dates to show off your improved physique.

 

You might want to consider how much higher the payments would be, and how much more you will spend on gas (I know you must drive more than JUST to work and back!). If that amount over and above your current payment would make the payment on a used Miata (or, my favorite, the MR2 Spyder) you might consider the best of both worlds: keep the Prius and add a "pleasure" ride.

My last convertible was a 1987 Alfa Romeo spider, bought new in 1988. I lived with the 2-seater as my only ride for about a year. I ended up adding a used Shelby CSX to have an enclosed, 4-seater - the convertible was fun, but noisy on the highway (top up or down) and eventually it kinda got tiring to live with.

 

The problem with a convertible is that the direct sun on your head will fry your brain. I'd much rather have a roof and air conditioning. Now, with an 11 mile commute you could have a really fun car and save money at the same time: Sell the Prius and get a Zap Xebra. Here in WA the Xebra costs 2 cents per mile to drive (3 miles per kWh) and there are no oil changes, because there's no oil.

 

I have a good friend that uses a Miata for track racing... it is quite a spirited little scooter when you mod the engine (he just put on a CARB approved turbo kit) and put sticky tires on it. Good mileage out of it too... if you do that kinda thing, buy a rollbar.

 

It is not stupid to want it, but giving in to jealousy over what other folks are displaying is an extremely well traveled road to financial problems. Many folks make stupid choices early, and spend decades recovering. Cars are major money drains, and trading cars frequently makes this much worse.

Make your existing car last as long as you can. You don't need to keep it 20+ years like my household does, but if you can keep car trades down to less than once per decade, you can be financially independent much sooner. Most of those folks with the fancy convertibles are either already independent, or never will be.

FWIW, my new Prius replaced an Accord hatchback that I bought in 1986.

 

Fun is so individual. I live out somehat in the county. I really like being able to:

- run in EV mode with the windows open in the beautiful weather, taking in the sounds, sights, and smells of the countryside.

- be able to wait at a light or in stopped traffic with no noise coming from the ICE.

- experience the smoothness and quietness of my 2009 on both highways and backroads.


We just took an over 1800 mile round trip in our Prius. I found it to be very enjoyable, and not fatiguing. Very relaxing for a small to mid-sized car.

All those are fun to me.

Best wishes,

Frank

 

When I was your age, I had to have a convertible. I had a '60 'Vette, a '59 Austin Healey Sprite, a '62 Sprite, a '67 Sprite, a '76 Triumph Spitfire, and an '81 Triumph TR7 Spyder - from my teens through my early 30's. Convert's are a mixed bag. On the downside, they're noisy, easy to break into, heavier than a hardtop with more chassis flex than most hardtops, more maintenance intensive, and DANGEROUS.

I remember pulling up onto the sand at Morrow Bay with my girlfriend with the top down - not hers, the car's. We were admiring the beautiful view when suddenly, I couldn't see anything out of the windshield. Two large seagulls deposited their bird-doo in two MASSIVE SPLATS - one in front of my face, the other in front of hers. They covered the entire windshield. If I had been going a few feet per minute faster, we would have gotten plastered - and not the fun kind. I'm telling you, convertibles are DANGEROUS!

Mark