The search begins… and ends abruptly.

I had been expecting my Lexus to go 200,000 miles, so I thought I had a couple more years, before I had to find a replacement. For years, I had told my wife Bonnie, my friends, heck, anyone that would listen, that my next car was going to be a two-seat convertible. I had owned a Triumph TR6 back in my 20‘s and wanted the convertible experience again.

My 1974 TR6, and my 1979 daughter
My 1974 TR6, and my 1979 daughter

Now that I was actively looking for one, Bonnie started having reservations about my choice. Her concern was that if something happened to her car (a 1999 Lexus ES300), I would be unable to transport her and our daughter, Zoe. This was frustrating to me, because, as I said, I had made my intentions clear well before this point.

I have only leased one car in my life, and prefer to buy certified pre-owned cars for the price advantage and warranty coverage.  So, I went from dealership to dealership, test driving convertibles. Bonnie even located a nice Lexus SC430 for me (which has a back seat). Although I preferred the roadster experience and REALLY wanted the BMW shown above, I put money down to hold the SC430 until Bonnie could go to the dealership to see it herself.

What did I get? Funny story: Our last four cars were Lexuses (Lexii?), all ES300’s. The convertible I had on hold was at a different Lexus dealer than where I’d bought my others, so I stopped by my usual dealer to see what they had in their pre-owned stock. As I mentioned, the need for a new car was not on a timeframe of my choosing, I was getting resistance from Bon about the convertible and I was starting to calculate the monthly payment, insurance and fuel costs and that was sobering. My Lexus dealer had a certified, pre-owned ES300, so I drove that home. I thought I could get that for Bonnie and drive her old ES for a couple years and get my convertible, when we were more prepared for the financial commitment it would require.

When I proposed this to her, I also made the deal that if we got the ES, that in a couple years, I was going to get a two-seat convertible and there would be NO debate about it. She agreed and I called the salesperson holding the convertible to break the news to him.

The next day, we went to our usual Lexus dealer and when we pulled into the dealership, my wife spotted a black 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid in the pre-owned lot. She’s an SUV fan and likes to ride up high. We’re both ecologically minded and she had always wanted to own a hybrid. We had been customers of Green Mountain Energy for a decade and were happy that our home’s electricity was wind-generated, so we’re kind of the tree hugger type.

We bought the Highlander, again with the agreement that I would get my convertible in two to three years. Unfortunately, since the Highlander was not a Lexus, it was not certified and had no extended warranty. (more on that later)

About the author

An accidental EVangelist: On my way to work at Apple one morning, my car was rear-ended (and totaled) by an SUV, driven by a guy playing with his smartphone.
This led me to get my first plug-in vehicle.
I started blogging about my experiences immediately.
A year later, in 2013, I was hired by the dealership as their "EVangelist."
I became a board member with the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (www.TxETRA.org) and perform public speaking in the DFW area regarding electric vehicles and environmental issues.
I also teach others how to sell plug-in vehicles or manage EV sales.
I'm on a mission.

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