I Drive a 2004 Mustang Convertible (Yes, On Purpose)

I drive a 2004 Ford Mustang Convertible. Cherry red. V6. No, not the cool V8 that roars like thunder and makes old guys in jorts smile. The V6. The one people politely nod at when I pull into a gas station. The one that says “he’s trying his best.”

But here’s the deal. I love this car.

I got it for $5,000. That’s all the money I had saved to buy my daughter her first car. But when the time came, I looked at my newer Toyota Camry, full of airbags and backup cameras and all those parent-approved safety features, and I handed her the key...fob.

I gave my daughter the better car.

And I became the proud owner of a 20-year-old convertible with divots in the leather seats, tape on the inside of the drivers side door, a CD player (well, actually a 6 disc changer in the dash!)

If you’ve heard my comedy set, you know I can squeeze about 10-15 minutes out of this scenario. It’s a goldmine. The dad driving a midlife crisis car not because he’s having one, but because he’s funding one for everyone else.

But here’s where it gets real. I genuinely love driving this car.

Not in the “listen to this engine purr” kind of way (although the engine is nice because you can actually hear the car running - call me old school, but I love hearing an engine turn on when you turn the key - now there are no keys and engines shut off at lights), but in the “this thing makes me smile every single time I get behind the wheel” kind of way. There’s something about a convertible that just lifts your mood. Windows down, music up, pretending I’m in a music video from 2006 — it’s therapy with no co-pay.

And I did something that still cracks me up: I bought a GT decal off Amazon and slapped it on the back. It’s like putting a gold medal on a participation trophy, but it makes me laugh every time I see it. Comedians have these inside jokes that never make it into the set because no one else thinks they’re funny but we keep them anyway, just for ourselves.

I rent A LOT of cars and every once in a while I get Jeep Wagoneers.   and think man, it’d be nice to have something like that. But then I remember — I paid cash. No payments. No stress. Just a car that runs, a top that goes down, and a sense of peace that can’t be financed.

Colossians 3 tells us to “set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.” And this car, ironically, helps me do that. It reminds me that I chose to put my family first. That I don’t need the best or the flashiest or the fastest. I just need to be faithful with what I have and find joy in it.

We’ve got five drivers in our house, my wife and I and three kids who are out there on the road. We’ve got a car for each of them. And Lord willing, we’ll have something ready when the next two hit driving age. That’s a gift. That’s a huge blessing. Not everyone gets that.

So yeah, sometimes I wish I could roll up in something new, something impressive. But more and more, I find happiness in knowing that what I have is already more than enough. Because contentment doesn’t come from chrome finishes and leather interiors. It comes from knowing that God has provided — and realizing how good that really is.

And if you see a cherry red Mustang with a GT badge and a guy grinning like he’s 17 again, just know it’s not about the car.

It’s about choosing joy in what I’ve been given.

And maybe laughing a little along the way.