CARRERA FEVER

I hate it when I get the hots to buy a new car. This time the hots are over a Porsche Carrera Cabriolet (that's European for convertible, folks).

Buying a fossil fuel vehicle is probably the worst investment to make. Do they make a hydrogen or french fry oil propelled Porsche? I need to keep up with the times.

I'm so tight with money. It's earned. It's saved or invested. We have money. The wife says, "Spend it".

Still, it's hard to part with money in the bank.

Since age 16 the hots were focused on the Corvette. Anyone can buy a Corvette. In Cow Town 'Vette's are a dime a dozen. Why buy something everyone else has? Being different is a good thing.

There's nary a black Carrera in this neck of the woods. Don't you think a Porsche of this type makes a statement? I do.

The statement is, "We're spending our kids inheritance." Every dime.

Then again, spending on extravagant items comes hard. Our parents were children of the Great Depression.

A lot of their habits rubbed off on us. A penny saved . . . yeah, yeah, it's earned alright.

It feels better to shop for a used Carrera Cabriolet than for a new Porsche - nothing older than a 2001. Why eat all of that depreciation?

I've had the best luck with vehicles that are "even year" models. They've been virtually trouble free.

The Carerra needs to be a 2002, 2004 or 2008. Anything other than an even year vehicle will probably be a piece of crap.

Call me superstitious but honestly even year model cars have been the very best.

It has to have: Manual transmission. Low miles. Better than excellent condition. I'm going black Carrera and never going back.

Now if I can just remember that it's just money and spend it!