Cars.com Reflects on Father's Day
Sunday will mark my first Father’s Day. I’m not sure what to expect. Probably some nice cards, a homemade breakfast and I’m sure plenty of spit-up and at least a dirty diaper or two. But say I could have anything in the automotive sphere — what would it be?
To join in the fatherly reverie, I tapped resident Suburban Dad Patrick Olsen to see what he would want if the world gave dads everything they desired.
Cars
Dave: I’m a pretty big fan of wagons, and I’ve had my eye on the new Audi A4 Avant since it debuted a few months back. It doesn’t go on sale until the fall, but it’s downright sexy for something that will sport a baby seat in the back and a dog in the cargo area.
I recently discovered that our baby seat fits just fine in the back of a new BMW M3. Seeing as that’s one of my favorite cars, I wouldn’t turn it down either. I know what Patrick will want — say it with me now: Mini Cooper. But maybe he’ll surprise us.
Patrick: Yeah, yeah, I know my reputation, but even though I love the Mini, there are other cars out there that turn my head, often while I’m behind their wheel. For example, I wouldn’t say no to the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet that I got to drive in Georgia back in January. It showed me that some small cars can be even more fun that the Mini. Experiencing that zero-to-60 speed firsthand definitely turned my head (actually, it pretty much snapped it back).
Although that dream’s probably out of the price range of anyone in my family, thinking smaller (and more realistically), I’d even be interested in something like the Volvo C70. Its retractable hardtop means it’d be practical even here in Chicago. It drives great and averaged 26 mpg when I tested it. Plus, it would give my wife and me a great-looking and great-riding convertible to cavort in, while still having enough room for the kids — but only in case of emergency.
Gadgets
Dave: Gadgets are a dad’s best friend, keeping us conveniently occupied in times of domestic upheaval. I would think the most-wanted gadget for dads would be the upcoming iPhone. Me, I’d like a Wii with the Mario Kart wheel and any other driving game offered. Plus, the wife would get a kick out of me trying the Wii Fit like Brian Lam from Gizmodo. Seriously, check out the video. My wife and I have had that “Karate Kid” song in our head for weeks.
Patrick: I’m right there with you on the iPhone, but I’d like them to jack up the memory to something closer to 64G myself. I like a lot of music, and if I can leave my iPod at home and just take the phone (especially one with GPS!), I’d be set. I can skip the video games – I’m too old for that — but I’d love to be able to get Sirius Satellite TV in cars other than just the Chrysler minivans. Not that there’s anything wrong with minivans, but even being able to hear ESPN (which I know isn’t available right now on Sirius, but a boy can dream, can’t he?) while driving would be pretty cool. Go, Golden Eagles!
Dave: Oh man, no video games? Not even Guitar Hero? You can play all those hippie bands you still like. And if you get Sirius or XM satellite radio, they have like five ESPN channels so you can hear Marquette lose in satellite clarity without a picture. My Hoosiers will probably be banned from any broadcasts for a while though…
Otherwise for Dad’s day, if I had my own car — the Outback is the wife’s transportation — a nice gift would be a detailing or at least a good washing. I can’t wait till Carter is old enough to wash the car, do the dishes, take out the trash…
Patrick: I’m sure little Carter is just dreaming of that day too … anyway, for Father’s Day, I’d be happy just taking a long drive and listening to my very current musical collection without hearing any arguing over who has to sit in the third row. Now that would be a gift!
Update from Dave: My wife did honor my fatherly duties with a Nintendo Wii on Sunday. Of course it came attached to a Wii Fit so I could get in shape, but I’m not complaining.
