The Most Perfect Car for Colorado is a MINI Soft Top

"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit) 11/10/2014 at 10:51 • Filed to: Cars for colorado, Colorado, Mini, Cooper, Soft Top, Convertible, Roadster, Miata is always the answer, or is it

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It's Monday, November 10, 2014, which means for most Coloradans the temperature is predicted to be somewhere between "Elsa singing Let it Go " and "chances of the Lakers or Raiders having a winning record this season, as represented in Fahrenheit." Yet we Coloradans had a pretty warm week previous, not to mention an October that frequently saw highs in the 70s, or at least the 60s. With over...what is it? 300 days of sunshine? Not really, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! depending on where you are and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! admitting to a third of the year being clear on a good year, Colorado is a pretty good climate to be in.

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Topshot from Public Domain courtesy Wikipedia

Yet in addition to the sunshine rep, Colorado also has serious snow cred. So much so, that you guys apparently decided that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! a Subaru.

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Not even a WRX. No, we're talking Outbacks apparently. The automotive equivalent of sewing the Oakley logo onto your black no-slips. The snow reputation has clearly outstripped the sunshine. The terrorists have won. And by terrorists I mean all the posers with NEVER SUMMER stickers on their C-pillars who have never touched a snowboard in their lives.

Yeah, as a Coloradan I understand you want a car that can handle the snow. But as a Coloradan I want to take advantage of all that sunshine, damnit! So let me present to you what's really the perfect car for Colorado: a MINI soft top.

Image courtesy the author

I'm clearly not the only one to think this, as you still see a large number of drop-top S40s and Saabs running around well after their manufacturing dates expired - well, at least higher than you'd see in other places, I guess. Even the Sebring and 200...ok, I'm lying, of course nobody is going to buy the Sebring or 200 even in convertible form and be capable of driving it faster than 45 MPH down I-25. But obviously, some savvy Colorado buyers recognized the advantages of a FWD convertible boulevard cruiser to daily drive, conquer the weather and enjoy the sun all in the same vehicle. The S40 and Saabs may be long gone but MINI still provides all the same drop-top fun, eccentricity and reliability as their Scandinavian counterparts!

Image from Public Domain courtesy Wikipedia

Now you'd think the obvious and most logical conclusion to all of this would be to declare the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet the Official Car of Colorado as it combines AWD with a convertible top. Actually, you wouldn't think this because the Murano CrossCabriolet is such a horrible, awful and ugly car and not even in Colorado could they sell them, exactly the one place where you'd think they'd sell. Seriously I've seen more 5-series Gran Coupes and Accord Crosstours than Murano CrossCabriolets.

Image from Public Domain via Wikiepedia

There's, however, the Audi A5 and TT of course, both of which have the Murano CrossCabriolet's AWD with all the Audi flair and none of the former's ugly. In fact you'd think the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was specifically gunning for Official State Car. It's a really strong case - they're gorgeous cars, fast with good handling, and have both the AWD and and folding tops for the weather.

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But I would still argue that a FWD roadster is a more ideal daily driver for Colorado. Even for all but the worst snow conditions (in which case you probably should just call in sick anyway) a FWD car with good snow tires (even if you must insist they be " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ") is probably all you need (and do you really think your A5 comes from the lot with all-weathers instead of the ultra-low profile summer tires the S5 pictured above has?) And if nothing else, AWD just feels like too much of a concession to that "All Snow All The Time" myth that Colorado still can't ever shake off. Yes, you can get FWD A5s and TTs, but really, you buy an Audi for Quattro. Doing otherwise is like buying only a single glossy black no-slip shoe. And then sewing the Oakley logo on it.

Image courtesy our friends at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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Besides, the MINIs strike me as very light, small and tossable cars - like the ones over at parent BMW but with the wheels switched to the wrong (or in this case, right) side. Not to mention much cheaper than the Audis despite all premium feel and blustering. And hey, it may be a fusion of both the best in British and German engineering but it's not like the pure Teuton is skyrocketing up the JD Power survey any time soon (but just in case, you might want to get the extended warranty). That's how a compact, light FWD convertible with upscale features for urban living with good snow tires to take you to the 'burbs in the snow really is the ideal ride for Coloradans.

Now, if only they'd make a convertible Focus ST....

ACESandEIGHTS > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 11/10/2014 at 11:11

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ACESandEIGHTS here to dispel two Colorado myths:

1) That the official car of Colorado is anything other than this:

2) That the 300 days of sunshine saying is a myth. It's so close to true as to be virtually indistinguishable. If the NOAA wants to classify 100% cloudless days as the only days worth counting, have at it. Overcast days are basically nonexistent. Accumulated snow lasts approximately 20 hours. What is rain? Baby, don't hurt me. Spend most of your life six months there and you'll look like a high plains drifter from a post apocalyptic wasteland movie—there really is that much sun.

3) Bonus myth-bust: The 1985 picture Red Dawn , an underrated classic, was filmed in New Mexico and set in a fictional Colorado town. Apparently Colorado is not Colorado enough to be portrayed as itself in the movies.

HammerheadFistpunch > ACESandEIGHTS 11/10/2014 at 11:24

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#3 pisses me off to no end. not that movie specifically but lots of ski movies are filmed in Utah typically and then set in California. seriously?

ACESandEIGHTS > HammerheadFistpunch 11/10/2014 at 11:33

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Haha, makes sense considering Utah really does have The Greatest Snow on Earth. I've always seen snowboarders/ trick skiers rank the best terrain from awesome-to-flat as 1) Pretty Much Anywhere in Utah, 2) Breckenridge, 3) B.C., if you can deal with that, 4) California and everywhere else, though they rank Tahoe as fantastic for backcountry stuff. But you've got to eventually set everything in California because of course California is where everyone in the US lives, unless you count NYC.

Ski movies, hah, there hasn't been a stupid 80s ski movie in a while.

HammerheadFistpunch > ACESandEIGHTS 11/10/2014 at 11:35

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wasn't hot tub time machine supposed to fill that role? never watched it, no regrets.

ACESandEIGHTS > HammerheadFistpunch 11/10/2014 at 11:37

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Ahhh, yes, good point. That is actually a funny one, despite its outright dumbness. I credit Daryl with saving it.

BarryDanger > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 11/10/2014 at 11:42

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I'm sorry but if your a real native, a Mini will not do. Simply put, neither my 195 skis nor my Santa Cruz mountain bike will fit in a mini cabriolet, maybe on one of those trailer hitch racks but who wants to do that? If you are looking for something that can do year round duties while having fun with the top down, the perfect car is a manual, 4x4, convertible with a truck bed. Similar to what AcesandEights said I'm going with Bronco, Scout, 74 and older blazers and if you want to get more contemporary, this-

Or if you have balls and want to have a little fun in the snow, get one of these:

crowmolly > HammerheadFistpunch 11/10/2014 at 11:57

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Considering how much movie companies get charged to film, yeah.

Bad Idea Hat > ACESandEIGHTS 11/10/2014 at 12:46

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Better Off Dead. Fin.

ACESandEIGHTS > Bad Idea Hat 11/10/2014 at 12:59

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That's a damn shame, people throwing away a perfectly good white boy.

Bad Idea Hat > ACESandEIGHTS 11/10/2014 at 13:04

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You have no idea how many times I use that line in a given week. Usually when I hear or see something stupid that I know is going to end poorly for said person.

MarquetteLa > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 11/10/2014 at 13:35

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This new Coloradan has the perfect car s for the state: a 2002 Mazda Miata for all of those sunshiney days (and there are so many!) and a 1988 Mazda 323 GTX (Group A Rally homologation car, 1.6L turbo, full-time AWD with electronically locking center diff) for the snow.

PRBot II > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 11/15/2014 at 15:26

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Hey Detroit, awesome post :)

I was just wondering if I could persuade you to change the "Cars By State" tag up top? Pretty please?