{"id":2449983,"date":"2019-10-17T10:10:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T16:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=314468"},"modified":"2019-10-17T10:10:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-17T16:10:00","slug":"subarus-to-teslas-to-trucks-which-one-do-you-drive-what-do-they-say-about-the-future-of-aspen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/subarus-to-teslas-to-trucks-which-one-do-you-drive-what-do-they-say-about-the-future-of-aspen\/","title":{"rendered":"Subarus to Teslas to Trucks: Which one do you drive? What do they say about the future of Aspen?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If cars speak something to their drivers, then a community of cars must say something of the community who drives them. Aspen hosts a unique assortment of vehicles \u2014 from the sublime to the sensible \u2014 a mix that doesn\u2019t quite look like any other town in America.<\/p>\n

In the early 1970s, when Police Chief Michael Chandler wanted to get rid of the Ford Torino patrol cars (\u201cRear-wheel-drive monsters,\u201d he called them) he picked the then-totally-unheard-of Saab. Part of a masterful marketing strategy, the Swedish company offered Aspen a sweetheart deal, and not since cr\u00e8me fraiche and caviar have two things gone so well together, each positioning the other as entities that do things a little differently.<\/p>\n

With the police force switching to hybrid Toyota Highlanders in 2008 and Audi reigning automotive supreme on the marketing front, what does the car-scape look like in 2019? If Saab represented a simple, sturdy, speedy, slightly exotic style, what do the trucks and Teslas of today represent?<\/p>\n

This mini-catalog is by no means exhaustive, but it covers roughly 90% of the vehicles one sees cruising Main Street. (As a baseline attribute, all these cars do well on ice and snow, unless otherwise stated.)<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

THE SUBARU OUTBACK<\/p>\n

\u201cI may drive on the right, but my politics are on the left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

Born in Japan in the \u201980s as a sporty upgrade to the station wagon, the car evolved over the years into the quintessential crossover. Coined by marketeers \u201cthe world\u2019s first sport utility wagon\u201d and peddled by Paul \u201cCrocodile Dundee\u201d Hogan, the Outback (and Legacy) are workhorses.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can drive the bleep out of them for 300,000 miles, no problem,\u201d says one loyal owner.<\/p>\n

What Makes It \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

They also speak to a mountain-style practicality. They also can signal a certain alignment with progressive politics, which comes in particularly handy when great-granddaddy\u2019s oil fortune weighs on the conscious.<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

THE PICKUP TRUCK<\/p>\n

\u201cHey now, that\u2019s a nice truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

There are a lot of interesting contradictions in the history of the American pickup truck. The \u201cChicken Tax\u201d (in a nutshell: tariff wars) gives a certain understanding as to how the Ford F Series has been the most popular car sold on Planet Earth since 1982. Ford or Chevy, Dodge or Toyota, beat up or brand new, a nice pickup is a beautiful thing.<\/p>\n

What Makes it \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

Aspen has a lot of driveways that need plowing, snow-melts mended, yards mowed, leaves blown, houses renovated, etc. That said, in spite of the pickup\u2019s blue-collar bona fides, it also makes up the largest sector of the American luxury market \u2014 go figure.<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

The Land & Range Rovers<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because I\u2019m rich, doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m a b\u2014h.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

The Rover Company was founded after World War II, developing their off-road wagon for muddy English country roads and safari game drives. In 1970, they introduced the posher Range Rover and it has been a staple at the polo field ever since. Year after year, JD Power and Associates ranks them last in customer satisfaction, yet somehow their tempestuousness never affects sales.<\/p>\n

What Makes It \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

They are expensive, impractical and driven by royal families the world over. To the Red Mountain set, what could be more Aspen?<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

SUVs Other Than Range Rovers<\/p>\n

The Premier Ski Pass<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

From the mighty suburban to the compact RAV4, from the Jeep to the G-Wagon, the sport utility vehicle is one of the great gifts from the late-20th century. Why? Because it gave parents the dignity of not having to drive a minivan.<\/p>\n

What makes It \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

SUVs (including crossovers) make infinite sense at 8,000 feet. They just do \u2014 skis, bikes, golf clubs, hockey equipment, no problem! The SUV is like a Premier ski pass. Do you neeeeed one? No. But are they really nice to have? Oh yeah.<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

Vintage Darlings & Sports Cars<\/p>\n

L.T.D. (a.k.a. \u201cLiving the Dream\u201d)<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

When the clock strikes midnight on the 1st of June, out they come from under their white cloths and climate-controlled garages to sparkle and roar and strut. Be they the dream cars of youth, or simply well-maintained and loved, the expensive sports car and the beautifully maintained vintage automobile demand your attention. And while easy to jeer (insert \u201cmust-be-compensating\u201d joke here), one has to admit they are drivable masterpieces.<\/p>\n

What Makes It \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

Aspen has cinematic mountain roads and a lovely summer climate, perfect for top-down drives to nowhere in particular. Or as local broker and vintage car-lover Lex Tarumianz observes: \u201cIt\u2019s part of the Aspen way to milk every last ounce out of life, so why not drive something that ups the experience?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Junkers<\/h5>\n

The Ski Bum\u2019s Bentley<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry about it.<\/p>\n

What Makes It \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

Part economic necessity, part lifestyle choice, there are some cars puttering around town that wear their rust spots like badges of honor. They represent the never-give-up, never-let-go spirit that goes back to the mining days.<\/p>\n

The Teslas<\/h5>\n

The Second Family and a New Hope<\/p>\n

Under the Hood<\/p>\n

Tesla set out to replace the gas engine in 2003, and while they still have a long way to go, the progress thus far is the biggest thing in cars since the Model T. A former country club valet puts it like this: \u201cI have parked every nice car you can think of \u2014 BMW, Maserati, Ferrari, you name it \u2014 and nothing, and I mean nothing, ever has or ever will come close to the feeling of tapping that accelerator.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Makes It \u201cAspen\u201d<\/p>\n

Cynics might say they are just self-driving status symbols, but if you take a step closer, they truly feel like a bridge to a better future, a reminder that technology and ingenuity can still accomplish great things.<\/p>\n

David Stillman Meyer is a writer and art director. You can reach him at stillman.meyer@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If cars speak something to their drivers, then a community of cars must say something of the community who drives them. Aspen hosts a unique assortment of vehicles \u2014 from the sublime to the sensible \u2014 a mix that doesn\u2019t quite look like any other town in America. In the early 1970s, when Police Chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2449983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 13:57:07","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2449983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2449983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2449983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2449983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2449983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}