My favorite car: 1978 VW Beetle Convertible

Name: J.J. Hemingway, 47, Spokane.

Purchased: In December, 2006.

Why I love it: This is the second-to-last year they made the original air-cooled, rear-engine Beetles, and in 1978 you could only get a convertible. It’s all original — except for the nice FM-AM-CD player and speakers that I had installed — gotta have my music! And it gets up and goes OK for having just 48 horsepower. No cracks on the dash and the odometer says 25,700 miles — not sure if that’s the original mileage. The car was restored in Portland, and I bought it from a gentleman in Eugene back in December. It’s fun to drive and I get lots of “thumbs up” from folks of all ages who say the car is “so cute!” The heating system isn’t the best — anyone who has driven an air-cooled VW will attest to that. Other than that, no complaints!

My next car will be: I might check out the new VW Eos — their new hardtop convertible that includes a sunroof!