My Story in Lists|Cars I've Had Part V

After years of car payments and nothing to show for them after the payments were over and done with, it was so great to own my car outright. But several years after my last payment was made, I began to get that itch. It would happen whenever I passed a VW Bug Convertible. My thoughts became words and one October day in 2008, just for fun, I took Brie with me to a VW dealership just so we could test drive some cars.

I wasn't planning to come home with a new car. I had already priced them out and knew the payments would be more than I was willing to commit to. What I wasn't counting on was seeing a pre-loved certified model that was too hard to resist. I test drove the car, talked price, went home, ran some numbers, called the ins company, ran some more and hightailed it back to the dealership.

We drove home with the top down in red VW convertible, laughing all the way home. I felt like pinching myself. Ever since I was in college I wanted a bug convertible. Now I had one. And I still had my RAV-4. Two cars. It was crazy.

As we drove home, I told Brie that I didn't want my convertible to be like a swimming pool that people want and when they finally get one they never use it. I was going to put the top down as much as possible. And I do. Spring and fall days are the best. Even warm winter days are pretty good, too. Almost four years later and I still love driving around in it, still take too many pictures of it.

No, it's not perfect, it is a VW after all so it can't take the abuse I gave to my Toyotas, but still it makes me happy. There is nothing like driving home with the top down after a long day at work. There's nothing like actually hearing someone call a slug bug as we drive by (yes, we have literally heard people do this on more than one occasion).