Keeping it clean is hard. Is it possible to have a decent daily driver anymore? I am not talking about the outrageously priced gasoline, but rather the ability to keep your Mustang in pristine condition and still drive it to work everyday. In the winter, I mostly drive my truck, a 2002 F-250 Super Duty. I would drive it more often back when the price of diesel was somewhat reasonable. But last summer I picked up a 2007 Mustang GT thinking it would be great to have a new Stang to drive everyday. I had recently sold my 1993 Mustang LX because it just didn’t do it for me. The new Stang fit me perfectly. After all, it was brand new, and that meant no blemishes. Ask the guys in the office; I pride myself on keeping my vehicles in tip-top shape. Despite my truck having 112,000-or-so miles on the odometer, it is in fantastic condition. The interior still looks brand new. I quickly learned how crappy, dirty, and rough New York and New Jersey roads could be on a modern-day muscle car. Within the first two months of owning the Stang, I received two chips in the paint courtesy of a flying rock on the Garden State Parkway. I was not happy, to say the least. The amount of four-letter words spewing for ten minutes made Pulp Fiction’s dialogue sound like a G-rated movie. My nice, new Mustang had road scars, and it hadn’t even flipped 2,500 miles yet. Luckily, I parked it through the winter and used it sparingly on nice days. Back in late February, I decided it was time to start driving the car again. The track opened up, and the weather became consistently warm enough that the threat of snow was not going to be a factor. The ridiculously high diesel prices also made my decision to start using the Stang again. Unfortunately, the filthy roads of NY/NJ struck again. The tally for damage is one broken windshield and another chip. This time the chip is on the roof, just above the windshield. It is almost depressing to think; with barely 8,000 miles on the odometer, my perfectly clean and cared for Mustang has three paint chips and a cracked windshield. And this morning, on the way to work another rock hit the windshield and cracked it. That is the reason I am fuming and writing this blog. Luckily, I all ready had an appointment tomorrow to get the glass replaced. I am now considering an alternative route, one that will take me on brand new roads and are void of trucks. I am closing this blog with the same question as I began—is it possible to have a show-quality car while still maintaining daily driven status? In my opinion, unless you live in a rural area in the south with nice roads, my answer is, No!
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