These Are The Best Cars For Gloomy Autumn Weather

Stormy weather, since my car and I ain’t together, it keeps raining all the time. Well, except on Sunday Michigan will get its first taste of snow. I’m so ready. I love a cozy day in. I always crack open a bottle of apple brandy and bake something during the first snow, but before that, my husband and I will go for a drive through our local historic cemetery. There’s something so refreshing about embracing the gloomy days. 

That’s what I asked you all to do earlier this week, and I was surprised by the duality of your answers. Some people insisted on raging against the dying of the light with bright cheerful cars like Miatas or Fiats, other embraced the darkness in “Stranger Things” style boxy old Ford trucks or Pacific Northwest-coded Subarus. All of your answers were interesting. I picked a few of my favorites, which you can find below. 

I once drove a ’94 Mercedes E320 through the densest fog I’ve ever seen in my life. I had to drive across the Fraser Valley, at night. Waiting until morning for the fog to clear wasn’t an option. Gliding through the black dense night, foglights showing me little more than the lines on the road, I felt safe and snug in that car. It was stable and sure-footed. The whole car just felt reassuring. I was trusting that car with my life.

From JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

Glass roofs are fantastic on a cloudy day! That’s my vote. Add in a cheerful paint color and hit the road! Bonus points for good cornering, sharp transmission (manual?) and a nice stereo.

From SlowCarFast

So 20 years ago I had a Miata and a Subaru Legacy GT in the garage. I loved that Miata to death, but on dreary days I always chose the Subie and felt pretty much invincible in any kind of inclement weather. So I vote Subaru AWD + MT + Turbo FTW.

And

I’d go for a Subaru wagon of some flavor — sure footed, comfortable heated seats, good outward visibility, reliable, and a cupholder for a big cup of hot coffee. A half million Vermonters can’t be wrong.

And

Back in college, the lady friend had a 98 legacy wagon, driving it through campus with the old trees and buildings always made me feel like i was in a 80s murder mystery, especially on foggy, rainy, sleety days

From WeryPert1, BuddyS, JaredOfLondon

Any brightly-colored car.

I do know that if i wear yellow or amber-tinted glasses, such as used for shooting sports, it makes gloomy conditions much brighter and cheerier, as well as enhancing detail.

They also help at night when folks with illegal bright LED headlights try to give you a migraine.

And

Fiat 500. It comes in bright, cheerful colors. The interior is fun and bright and cheery.

I have an umbrella that’s sky blue with fluffy white clouds printed on it. When I open it up, it literally makes a gloomy rainy day look better. It puts a smile on my face every time I use it, and I think the fiat 500 is the car equivalent of that umbrella- cheerful and fun.

From Longboat and Buckfiddious

I would routinely look for beaters to maybe buy with the idea of saving my 2014 Mustang from the ravages of the Greater Boston winter. And I pretty much only looked at old Buicks (once a Cadillac DTS piqued my interest). But by the time I had space for an extra car, there wasn’t any point anymore. Plus it was just a regular Mustang GT…nothing special worth trying to ‘save’ considering the added expense of the ‘beater’.

From Crucial Taunt

an older, boxy truck. Like a 7th, 8th, or 9th gen F150. Blanket draped down the back of the bench seat, Grouper playing through the convoluted phone-to-bluetooth-receiver-to-aux-cable/casette-player combo, dog asleep next to you. A hot McDonald’s coffee would seal the deal.

From Haricot_Rouge

I live in Michigan. It’s gloomy at least half the year. It’s why I despise the miserableness of charcoal grey paint.

I will be specific: A bright red hard-top Miata with a MT, a great stereo, your favorite NA beverage, and a winding road. That’s the best car for a gloomy day.

Runner-up for highway cruising: A mint 2006 Lexus LS430 with the upgraded sound system, seat heaters on low, the same NA beverage, and the cruise set.

And

A Miata will always brighten your day

From LeftLaneTRDPrius and Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death