18th January 2010, 08:27
| #1 |
| BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bangalore
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| A drive to Niagara in a Mustang 2010 convertible I and a friend of mine were returning RAV4 we had hired for camping in Adirondacks. We got friendly with the rep there and got talking; during the conversation he happened to mention something about him getting stuck in traffic while returning from service of a new Mustang convertible. Wasting no time we straight away got down to work and enquired if the car would be available for rent. To our disappointment he said they just had a couple of them and were taken right from day 1 with bookings filled for the next month as well. He said he would inform us first if any of the bookings get cancelled. After about couple of weeks the rental guy called us on a Friday and said that one of the mustangs was available for the weekend. It had gone to the workshop because of a broken lever – the one which holds the top, and they had got it back earlier than expected. I am not sure if all this was true but he did show us the lever and asked us to be a little extra careful with it while taking out the top as it was prone to damage. Now we had the car but absolutely no plan as to where to .The weather report of a rainy weekend made it even bad. After some usual R&D we finalized on Niagara though it was working out pretty tight on the mile limit. I don’t remember the exact rates as it was about 2-3 months back. We paid about 320$ for the car, it had less than 5k miles on it,and they put a mileage limit of 350miles per day which they increased to 900 after pestering them continuously. The rental guy cautioned us about the increased cops on Niagara route and said drive safe First look at the car and I just couldn’t stop staring at it - An absolute no nonsense macho masculine look. You just can’t take your eyes off the first time you see it from close proximity. The only thing that came to my mind looking at this car was a bull. Sat inside the car and held the steering wheel – was an absolute mans car. The firm seats were the most comfortable seats I have ever sat on – hugs you nicely and gives the right amount of support to your back, thighs etc. The feel of the steering wheel was rock solid and the interiors were just simple and manly. This car gave me a strong feeling of belonging – being a part of the car or the car being a part of you. I have never got this feeling in any other cars that I have driven.         Fired the car and it started with a strong growl, my friend instantly said it sounds like a bull. Pressed on the gas and started off, it was an absolute delight. Having been used to driving Japanese cars – Toyotas, Hondas most of the time, I felt the steering a little hard but started liking it more and more as I drove. The same goes with the suspension/ride of the car too. The car being new to me and driving in city roads I decided to take it easy till I got a fair feel of the steering, acceleration and braking etc of the car. The more I drove it the more I felt home/belonged. Got an empty stretch and I decided to floor the pedal, the acceleration was amazing. It was a wonderful feeling. The braking and the feel was spot on for me and instilled confidence. We kind of never tried to do top speeds but instead enjoyed the 20-80 bursts whenever we could. As we went further it started raining and saw quiet few accidents – most of them looked like was because of the skidding due to a mix of oil and initial rain water on road. We were always in safe limits and maintained that little extra distance from the front vehicle required during rains. The weather was dry after sometime and we were doing speeds at about 75 mph. With the cops everywhere we did not do speeds more than this and constantly corrected when the car went to 80-85 without our knowledge. The one thing that impressed me was this cars handling and steering. I could so easily place this car where I wanted with almost pin point precision. It was a life time experience for me to drive this car in relatively small 2 lane hilly roads on the way to Niagara.      A little more than half way through the sun came out and we got the top out, this was my first drive in a convertible with the open top. It was an exciting experience for me and I literally felt top of the world. No words can explain it. We reached Niagara late afternoon and did the usual stuff – maid of the mist, cave of the winds etc. We stayed late to get a few pics of lit Niagara Falls but a constant drizzle played spoilsport and we did not risk taking out our cameras much in the rain. Managed to get only a few shots. We had the aquarium and few other things for the next day but we could not get an accommodation anywhere and decided to head back. We stopped at a rest area on the way back and slept for a while in the car. Got up, freshened and headed straight to a MacDonald’s for a quick breakfast and coffee. On the way back we decided to take a detour and drove through country side roads. The weather was perfect - bright and sunny and we kept the roof top down. It was an amazing experience for me and I have run out of patience to write any further, hard for a impatient person like me to put it in words. Writing and reading was and never will be my cup of tea. This is my first attempt to sit and write down something other than my exams/mails; it’s very raw and amateur – bear with me.      |
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19th January 2010, 11:26
| #2 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Dilwalon ki Dilli
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19th January 2010, 12:12
| #3 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai
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19th January 2010, 12:16
| #4 | |
| BHPian  | amzing Quote:
I guess your a Pretty good writer. keep the pictures coming it amazing Experience to read Awesome Pictures Keep the Rev Up | |
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19th January 2010, 12:19
| #5 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai
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19th January 2010, 12:47
| #6 |
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19th January 2010, 14:41
| #7 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
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| One helluva ride you have had there with the Mustang mate! The pics look amazing of the car!! It was more like reading a car review than a travelogue.  Awesome pics! Post some more if you have them. |
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19th January 2010, 16:03
| #8 |
| BHPian  | So whatz the top speed you reached? I drove this baby, in Europe, where one patch had no speed limit  |
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19th January 2010, 16:40
| #9 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: MH-02-India-Bombay-Bandra
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19th January 2010, 16:40
| #10 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   | |
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19th January 2010, 17:00
| #11 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pune
Posts: 593
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20th January 2010, 18:22
| #12 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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20th January 2010, 18:33
| #13 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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20th January 2010, 18:47
| #14 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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20th January 2010, 21:47
| #15 |
| Senior - BHPian  | It looks like a mean machine. I specially like the front part, its kind of, "don't mess with me" |
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