If you’re planning to enjoy a scenic drive on your next trip, consider treating yourself by renting a convertible. In the United States, there are beautiful drives for just about every region of the country. You may want to explore the rust-hued deserts and canyons by visiting Utah’s Big Five. You could find yourself on Highway 101 traveling around Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. You could breathe in the mountain air and admire the gorgeous change of season along the Blue Ridge Parkway. You could even put life on hold while you drive the Overseas Highway suspended over the ocean.
Advantages of Renting a Convertible
Whatever scenic destination you desire should be enjoyed in a convertible. There’s a reason people drive them in the movies, but life isn’t a movie. So, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of renting a convertible.
Convertibles Are Fun
One of the most obvious advantages of renting a convertible might also be the one adults are quick to dismiss. The truth is convertibles are fun to drive. As we focus on all of our responsibilities, it may be easy to forget the importance of fun as an adult. Having fun as an adult can improve your life, reduce the effects of stress, and improve your overall health. If you’re renting a car anyway, shouldn’t you try to enjoy yourself as much as possible? Many modern convertibles come with a Steptronic transmission, which means you can have automatic or manual transmission. Your option of sticking to an automatic transmission can make it easy to sit back, relax, and just drive. However, you can really engage in your drive with the “clutchless” manual transmission. Switching gears as you go for a lot of drivers is just fun. Another fun feature on some convertibles is the steering wheels give them the feel of a Formula One race car. If you want to see an avid driver come to life behind the wheel, give them an open road and a car that feels like a race car.
Convertibles Are Stylish
When you’re on vacation, you want to feel good. That’s part of why we go on vacation in the first place. Being in style is one of the best feelings. When you pull up to a red light and heads turn to look at your car, you feel good. You feel stylish. When you lower the top down on a convertible, heads will turn, and people everywhere assume you’re having fun and living your best life. The freedom and the attention will make you feel like you really must be living your best life. As much as we want the world to look at what’s on the inside, we all know the truth is that convertibles make you look cool. There’s an air of popularity and attractiveness associated with convertibles, and you might think that it’s all in our heads. However, when you slide into your rental, you’ll be surprised when all the hype isn’t in your head. It’s in your hands.
Convertibles Have a Retractable Roof
Okay. This is probably a “Duh!” moment, but for anyone who doesn’t know, convertibles are called convertibles because you can convert them from a traditional vehicle with a roof to a vehicle that’s top has been removed or folded back. Older model convertibles would have to have their tops removed or folded back manually. It takes time, and if you’re about to approach wetter weather, you have to pull over to prepare your vehicle or risk getting your interior and yourself soaking wet. Modern convertibles have retractable roofs that use motors to power the tops. This makes the transition to top-down and back easier and convenient for the driver. This took one of the drawbacks of previous convertibles and converted it to an advantage.
Top-Down Convertibles Have Great Visibility
When your top is down, there is no blind spot when you’re driving. You have basically a 360-degree view of the world around you which improves safety. In addition to having a better view of the traffic around you as the driver, the improved visibility also allows you to take in the scenery more easily. Your passengers aren’t straining to see out the window. As you drive along, it’s easy for anyone in the vehicle to look around and take in the sights.
Disadvantages of Renting a Convertible
Top-Up Convertibles Have Poor Rear Visibility
To be honest, while we just discussed the increased visibility to see the traffic in other lanes when you have the top-down, it’s also true that when you drive with the top up on a convertible, the rear visibility is not very good. It can create a blind spot on both sides when it is in the up position, and those dual blindspots can make backing out of parking spaces and changing lanes rather difficult. The last thing you want during your fun rental is to cause damage or get in a fender bender. When you’re renting a convertible, be sure to have the right amount of insurance to protect yourself in the unfortunate circumstances that arise from accidents.
Convertibles Don’t Always Go With the Weather
Of course, riding in a convertible with the top down when it’s raining is not ideal or recommended. You probably worked that much out for yourself. What people don’t always think about is the humidity of their destination. Take Alabama, for an example. Alabama is a beautiful state, but it is home to two of the hottest cities in the United States. Its capital has almost 90 days per year on average, where temperatures are at least 90° F. If you’ve ever heard someone explain the heat in the southern United States, they will tell you that it’s not the heat. It’s the humidity. Humidity means that your sweat won’t evaporate to cool you down faster, so you actually feel hotter and stay hotter for longer. You might even hear it referred to as a sticky heat. Riding in a convertible with the top down in humidity can impact the enjoyment of your ride. Thankfully, most convertibles have air conditioning available now.
Convertibles Cost More To Rent
No one is telling you always to rent a convertible. While they have their place and their use, it’s very important to note that every car has its own time and place to be of good use when you’re traveling. Convertibles are luxury sports cars. They’re also usually in higher demand at popular vacation destinations. Supply and demand always dictate price, so you can expect that demand will make convertibles cost a bit more to rent. Keeping this in mind can help you weigh your options.
Convertibles May Need More Insurance
Because of the convertible’s interior’s exposure to external elements, like bad weather, it’s possible that you may be asked to add what would otherwise be optional insurance. The open nature of a convertible also leaves it open to thieves and vandalism. If you have valuables in your rental, you may want to add additional coverage to protect you from property theft. Remember that the convertible is a luxury sports car, so it can cost more to insure it. Depending on the comprehensiveness of insurance your policy, damage to the convertible may not be covered. This can put you on the hook for damage done to the soft top of the car. Make sure you know your coverage before you leave with your rental.
Summary
Convertibles are like everything else in life. There is good and bad. If you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the world’s beauty, take full advantage of it and have fun. Rent a convertible, see the sights, and make memories. Sources: Highway 101 Loop | Olympicpeninsula.org Read: The Benefits of Play for Adults | Helpguide.org. 2 Alabama cities among hottest in the U.S. | AL.com
