The Good Life: Start Yer Engines
Lexus SC 430
The dent: $65,355 base
What it’s got: A 288 hp V8 engine and a super-sleek Japanese design that screams, “Looky here!”
What it’s not: Family-friendly. It claims to seat four passengers. It doesn’t. But then, you’ll probably want to keep the kids as far away as possible from a car that oozes this much sex anyway.
The spin: The hundreds of miles of Turnpike that lie between Mid-County and Ohio make for an incredibly boring drive—except when you can feel the breeze in your hair at 120mph. Amazingly, we eluded the state troopers.
Chrysler PT Cruiser GT
The dent: $29,060 base
What it’s got: An inferiority complex. You buy a convertible to attract attention. Behind the wheel of this bad boy, we shallowly hoped we wouldn’t see anyone we knew.
What it’s not: A sexy high-school graduation present. (For Nana and Pop-Pop’s 50th anniversary? Totally.)
The spin: Too-cool people in Fishtown and Northern Liberties literally laughed at us, but who had the last laugh when we packed in three people, a baby in a car seat, and two weeks’ worth of Genuardi’s groceries? (Okay, they did.) Still, if you want a family convertible that won’t break the bank, go for it.
BMW 650i
The dent: $78,800 base
What it’s got: The ability to take you from a dead stop to 60 in 5.3 seconds. And its “Active Roll Stabilization” means you won’t flip when barreling through a perilous Lincoln Drive curve.
What it’s not: For the frivolous driver. It demands one who can rock 360 hp.
The spin: We weren’t planning on hitting the Borgata again. (We sorta lost our shirt last time.) But the BMW has High Roller written all over it, and we couldn’t resist.
The good news: When you’re stuck on the AC Expressway, people have more time to ogle. The bad news: In a car like this, you have to over-tip valets, or you just look cheap.
Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster
The dent: $328,150 base
What it’s got: More car than you can afford. You can drive from the waterfront to 30th Street Station in less time than it takes to get a Venti Macchiato with Whip at Starbucks.
What it’s not: A city car. With the exception of some rural stretches of Chester and Bucks counties, there’s not too much use for a Lamborghini in these parts.
The spin: You realize what true absurdity is when you pull a car worth more than most houses into Weber’s Drive-In on Route 38 in Pennsauken and order a few hot dogs. Positively the most impractical car on the road, but a helluva lot of fun if you have the scratch.
