In this week’s Ask Nathan:
- Yes, the Red Hot Chili Roadster kinda lived, but drop-tops may be on the way out.
- Seriously in love with my Chevy Truck?
The first question comes from a fan who caught me rockin’ out while driving at a car show. This message is back from late 2024.
Q (Via Facebook): RE: Red Hot Chili Roadster
Hey, do you remember that I saw you at the 2024 truck show in Pasadena? It was kind of like a swap meet too. You were driving a convertible, and you said the funniest thing. It got me thinking about other cars and I realize that there weren’t too many convertibles anymore.
You kind of said so. Anyway, I love the fact that you named your car the Red Hot Chilli Pepper. I thought that was really funny because it was a red convertible. And I think you were listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Tell me, are convertibles going to be phased out? It seems that way.
Your friend,
– Austin Hamilton.
A: Howdy Austin!
Sorry about the slow response.
I remember that meeting. I was driving a Mustang GT convertible, listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the car was sort of red. Naturally, I named it the “Red Hot Chili Roadster,” because apparently I thought I was both clever and Über-hip. I stand by the Chili Roadster’s awesome name.
The car was a convertible, though. A roadster usually means a sporty, open-top two-seater, like the Mazda MX-5 Miata. A Mustang has a back seat, even if using it requires a close friendship with your knees. The roof mechanism and aerodynamics matter to how the car is engineered, but they aren’t what earn it the roadster name. Thus: my naming kinda sucked.
Sadly, open-air cars have gone from rock stars to deep cuts. S&P Global Mobility data puts U.S. convertible sales at roughly 70,000 annually, down from more than 300,000 in 2004. That’s a tiny audience in a market of millions. Still, the band hasn’t broken up: the Miata remains a two-seat roadster, and you can still buy a 2026 Mustang GT Premium Convertible with a V8 and a standard six-speed manual.
Think about it: A manual V8 convertible. Three pedals, no roof, and your playlist competing with the exhaust note. It’s gloriously impractical, which is precisely why I’m glad Ford still builds one.
— N
The last question comes from a fan who loves his base model Chevy pickup truck…
Q (Via Facebook): RE: I am so in love with my 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 WT 4X4!
Hello TFL Studios!
Thank you for all of your coverage of the Silverado with the turbo four. No one else covered it as much as you did. In my 60 years I have never owned a better truck, and I’ve had 12. Mileage is real good and I tow over 7,000 pounds with it regularly. It has no problem with my farm equipment and my travel trailer.
Just hit 50,000 miles in less than 2 years and it runs like a top. The only thing I replaced was tires. I added some Dynapro AT2 Xtreme based on your suggestion, and they have worked great for over ten 000 miles!
So, I like the truck and love the tires and I’m happy as a clam. But I wonder why you guys suggest other trucks from time to time?
– Barsin_Low65
A: So happy to hear about your truck experience.
Not everyone wants a Chevy.
Truck loyalty is like baseball, religion and whatever social leaning(s) you’d rather not discuss at Thanksgiving. Once you pick a side, forever will it dominate your path.
I just quoted Yoda. Sort of. You get my drift.
We’re not all cut from the same cloth, and that’s the great thing about trucks. There’s something for nearly every taste here in the depraved land of the truck, even if some of those trucks are rising to ludicrous levels. I’m delighted to hear you went with the WT. Honestly, pickup prices have pushed well past absurd, so choosing the work truck makes a lot of sense to me.
Happy motoring!
— N
Source: tflcar.com
