The beloved black Dodge Stratus R/T
was totaled on June 18 2009 while en route to chasing a moderate risk
day in Iowa. That state finds new ways to put me in my place every time
I try and chase it, and this time it was a sleepy driver catching some
shut eye as she plowed into the back of my car in a work zone.
Since before acquiring the R/T I had always loved the Mazda 6 but went
with the R/T model that I found. It treated me well and I'd planned on
getting a ton more miles out of it, but it wasn't meant to be! Being
forced into getting a new vehicle, I went back to looking at the 6. I
got just enough money from the insurance settlement to pay for one in
full, so I went for it. After driving a black car around (and maroon
before that) a yellow car seemed crazy. However, after test driving
this car I had to have it. I've come to find it's bright yellow finish
to be endearing, and absolutely love driving this car.
Some chasers will turn their nose up at driving a sporty car around for
storm chasing and refuse to drive anything that isn't a 4x4 SUV. When
you think about it, a very small portion of the time that you're
driving your car is actually for storm chasing purposes, and I'm
definitely not an SUV person so I'd rather have something fun to drive
around. Some day I might stumble upon a situation where I'd wish for a
bigger car, but in all my chases to this point I have never had this
issue come up. It's not overly hard to avoid a rain soaked road being
the only option between you and the tornado. A little planning ahead
will save you a lot more than a set of all-terrain tires!
The car does not scream "storm chaser" at all, but I kind of like that
any more. With all the crazies out there these days I'd rather fly
under the radar. I won't scream chaser, but I will definitely stand out
under the meso. If you're out and see a bright yellow mazda parked on
some desolate farm road, come on over and say hey. Odds are it will be
me. |
