I’ve never been one for big, American cars, but I gotta say, I love my Crown Vic. Not that I don’t still like small cars, because I do, but the Vic is just so… indulgent.
I drive over 600 miles per week in one for work, see, and where at first I thought I was going to hate it, now I look forward to it. I much prefer it to the Impala that I have to drive for a measly 170 or so miles per week. In fact, despite that the Impala has all the modern amenities – cruise control, CD player, a much nicer environmental system (as opposed to hot or cold), I’d give it up any day for my Vic.
For starters, there’s legroom. And I don’t mean the kind that most mid-size cars like to call “luxurious”. I mean Leg Room. When I can, at six feet tall, stretch my legs out to the point that I can barely touch the pedals, that’s something. When I get off of work, and have to drive the Jetta home, there’s a lot of cursing up-front, I can tell you. I like my Jetta just fine, but the knees in the chest thing just isn’t working for me anymore now that I’ve seen what the good life is like.
Then there’s the tank factor. I don’t care what the safety ratings actually look like, this baby gives the illusion of safety like nobody’s business. So much so, that I don’t even want to look up the actual ratings. I don’t need to. I just know it’s safe. Something this big, how could it not be? The hood of the car alone is practically longer than I am tall. The visibility is kind of crappy, but hey, I’ll survive if I hit anything, so I can let that one slide.
Next we have the engine. My baby is special from your average, run-of-the-mill Vic, because she’s got a police Interceptor in her. When I hit the pedal, she goes as fast as I want, when I want. This is especially fun when it’s wet outside, because I work late at night, and have access to several large, empty parking lots. I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this. Since I knew the tires were going to be replaced, I figured I’d take some… liberties… with the last set.
I’ll probably never buy one for myself, but I no longer have the aversion to the tank that I used to. Truth be told, my next vehicle will most likely be a pickup truck. It’s a good, universal vehicle. You can haul stuff, tow stuff, go off-road, and best of all, still enjoy that feeling of superiority in knowing that you can drive through many of the other cars out there.
The jury is still out on the whole manual vs. automatic transmission. They each have their own applicability, and there are things I like about each. I may go auto with the truck, because the Jetta’s a turbo, and I can get all the enjoyment out of that manual transmission that I need. I don’t know, I’ll just have to see what jumps out and grabs me when the time comes.
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I could never figure out the new American phobia where large cars are concerned. It’s like everyone’s afraid of anything bigger than a Civic. Yawn. Live a little, goddammit!!!
I drive a 1972 Plymouth Gran Fury. Been driving it since March of 1990. It’s a beast. I heartily recommend it.
Posted by Adam Black @ 06/07/03 03:31 AM