What is the coolest "dad" car?

rorr

"A Lexus GS with 22" rims is just plain sick."

Careful with the adjectives. In today's venacular (or at least last week's), the term 'sick' means it's actually COOL. So a lot of 17 yo's would probably agree that 22" rims on a GS really IS 'sick'.

andre1969

I was thinking about what kind of baby boomer would put those blingy wheels on his car just so his high school kid's buddies would think he's cool. But then it hit me. I'm old enough to have a kid in high school! Heck, I guess if I wasn't careful as a teen I'd be old enough now to have one starting college! :surprise:

Okay, I feel old now.

corvette

I don't want to imagine what the ride on a car with 22" wheels is like. For the roads I have to drive on, I'd take any of the three you mentioned over that!

researchqueen

I've seen a lot of car ads lately (Hummer in particular) that target the parents' need to be seen as "cool," or at least not to embarass their kids. Seems automakers are pushing a specific button here.

john_324

Sure...as America's most narcisistic generation, the baby boomers are mortified of being seen as uncool, and will buy pretty much ANYTHING that promises them coolness...

It's enough to make one nostalgic for Red Foreman (That '70s Show) style dads who didn't try to fight it and didn't give a **** what kids thought of them...

andre1969

I think the simple fact that Red doesn't care what ANYONE thinks of him, and whether he's cool or not, just makes him all that much more cool! Anyone that and call their kid "dumb-" without batting an eye is all right in my book. I think more parents need to be like that.

I used to think Pa Ingalls would be a cool dad. I mean, anyone who would tell Harriett Oleson that Willis from "Diff'rent Strokes" was his kid from a previous marriage, especially considering how uptight people were about that back in the (18)70's is pretty cool. Well, until he frosted his hair at the Little Hairstylist on the Prairie. And now that I think about it, those rigs he was driving must've had something like 48" rims on them, so maybe he was trying to show off, too?

jefferyg

For my 7 year old daughter, pretty or cute means cool. She'd love it if I drove a New Beetle Covertible because it's cute.

For my 6 year old son, however, the more gadgets it has the better he likes it. We recently test-drove a Honda Odyssey Minivan. He tried out every button, raised and lowered the window shades, and he thought it rocked because it had so many things to play with.

Now to be sure, both of my kids are thoroughly impressed by any vehicle with a DVD player. Incidentally that impresses teens as well, but only if you have at least five screens.

But alas, I go back to my original post on this topic. Both my kids love my beat up 96 Ranger pickup with all 242,000 miles on it. It's not cool at all, but it has no passenger side airbag and no rear seat so they get to ride up front. And even at six and seven, riding shotgun is everything.

carlisimo

"For my 6 year old son, however, the more gadgets it has the better he likes it. We recently test-drove a Honda Odyssey Minivan. He tried out every button, raised and lowered the window shades, and he thought it rocked because it had so many things to play with."

That reminds me, when I was that age I loved my friend's parents' VW camper van, stove and all.

lemko

...my Uncle Daniel had the coolest cars - a 1973 Cadillac Sedan DeVille and later a 1975 Lincoln Continental.

john_324

"Now to be sure, both of my kids are thoroughly impressed by any vehicle with a DVD player. Incidentally that impresses teens as well, but only if you have at least five screens."

5 screens!? :surprise: Where you fit them all all?? Is there one in the trunk, so you don't miss a second of your favorite teen movie while loading up your X-box??

john_324

Well, until he frosted his hair at the Little Hairstylist on the Prairie.

LOL...I remember that.

I find it interesting that fathers prior to the Baby Boom generation lived in a pretty much "adult" world, and whether children found them cool or not was irrelevant; they were just kids, and their opinions were viewed as unimportant.

It used to be pretty pronounced in terms of car choices...there were cars for kids, and cars for adults. While that's still true, it's a lot more blury and there's a lot more overlap. The guy driving the WRX can be a Baby Boomer in his french blue shirt and Khakis or just as easily a Gen-Y guy with his hat on sideways.

As a Mustang guy, I've been facinated to try to figure out what the current generation thinks of the new Mustang, and whether they really accept it, or just view it as some retro thing that appeals to "old people". The answer to that question, I think, will determine in a big way what the next Mustang redesign looks like...despite the horror of buyers back in the 1980s over the Ford Probe almost becoming the next Mustang, it's entirely possible that a future Mustang could be a fwd, smaller-engined coupe.

carlisimo

Bell bottoms became big in high school around 1998... retro works for young people. I think the Mustang styling is well received even among those of us who grew up driving a Civic or Integra. It's a little too "loud" (visually) for many of us, but those are the same people who wouldn't buy a WRX or a bewinged Civic for the same reason. It also has issues as a daily driver, being too big, too thirsty, and having seats just as totally useless as those in a Prelude.

But part of the reason the Mustang's styling works is because the creases and proportions look like those of a car designed this decade (just like everything in the 90s was softly rounded). A retro car still has to look new.

jefferyg

You have the flip down one in the usual place on the ceiling between the front seats, then the ones that are fitted into the back of the front headrests, and the two on each of the sunvisors. If you want there are plenty of in-dash models with both fixed and retractable screens. And then of course you want the one on the rear deck so that the people behind you can see that you have more money than sense - what's that- 7?