The busy hedonist, my friend Tracey, needs a new car. I believe it was James May of Top Gear who said the Golf is always the answer. As usual, he is right. If you need a small, yet very roomy, fun to drive, well put together, safe, reasonably priced and efficient car, you have very few options. I strongly recommend the Ford Focus as well.
Tracy currently drives a seven-year-old Volvo v50, which is essentially a Ford Focus wagon platform with some Swedish style.
About four years ago I was upstate with Tracey and her then infant daughter. We were going to drive back separately but the snow was coming down so fast that I decided to drive her Volvo for her and just leave my GTI. I became so angry with her husband because the tires were not holding air and there was no windshield wiper fluid. Driving in heavy snow with a lot of salt on the roads you need properly inflated tires and washer fluid. I don’t like saying anything bad about her husband because he’s a big strapping fireman who could probably break my neck or at least turn a hose on me. I thought, how dare he not maintain the car that his wife and baby use. Turns out, it was not his fault but a specific New York City car maintenance problem. Rats had chewed through a lot of stuff on the car. I don’t think Volvo covered it under their warranty because rats are not Volvo’s problem – unless they sell you a rat with the car. But now Tracey lives in a slightly less rat populated area so chances of that happening again should go down. And when she lived in Chinatown, that car was always parked in a puddle of toxic sludge.
Below is a picture of my first GTI, which would be 26 years old now. That sexy style holds up, huh?