…but I think I know what to get her for her next birthday.
Some of you may know that I got her a Prius for her last major birthday. We don’t always drive, but when we do, we prefer the Prius. (This is a lame shout-out to the cute Dos Equis ads involving “The Most Interesting Man in the World.”)
In any event, while we love the car, it has to be said that it not the prettiest vehicle on the road. I don’t particularly think it is as ugly as some others do, but it is only sexy in a crunchy-save-the-world-damn-the-oil-company kind of way. But as the brighter eyes among you have probably already noticed, just because you have a Prius doesn’t mean that you can’t drive the hottest car in the people’s republic of Massachusetts. All it takes, apparently, is a couple of months and $46,000. A mere bagatelle when compared to the undeniable compounding of smug when you drive a deliciously fuel efficient vehicle that will blow the toupee off of the middle class congnescenti. Here’s some quotes from the owner:
The car took approximately 6 months to complete all the work. It is, to my knowledge the only convertible Prius ever done. It was stripped to the bare metal, (interior) and every piece of the interior was removed and a complete custom rebuild, piece by piece) was undertaken by Newport Engineering in California.
The side air bags had to be removed and the side interior moldings had to be rebuilt to allow the frame to set properly. There are now no side air bags.
The top seals nicely with little wind noise. The mileage with top down loses approximately 2 miles a gallon and with the top up gains approximately 4 miles per gallon. Who would know!