Weather & Wealth

If you like to admire the automobile as either a work of art or an object of desire, then Florida is the place to be. The combination of great weather and incredible wealth make the sunshine state an auto paradise.

Living most of my life in Rhode Island, summer and it's abundance of sunshine and warmth was but one of four seasons. And even in summer, the roads never fully escaped the grip, or wrath, of winter.

The roads in the northeast are filled with pot holes and frost heaves in the winter and in spring, summer and fall the roadways are crisscrossed with a varicose vein like web of asphalt patching. In the winter, drivers have to contend with freezing rain, black ice  and snow. To counteract the poor traction caused by snow and ice, the roads are regularly treated with sand and salt. While these help to make vehicles more tractable in inclement road conditions, the salt has a corrosive effect on cars and in the spring and summer the remaining sand on the roadways makes travel more interesting for motor vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians.

Given all that, it isn't surprising that you don't find many classic [older] cars on the road. They've either succumbed to the elements or they're kept in hermetically sealed garages. In Florida, it is just the opposite. With year round sunshine and warm temps, the roadways are remarkable free of any blemishes. In the nearly ten months that I've been here, I've not come across a single pot hole. The only sand you see is on the beach and the only salt is on the kitchen table.

Up north, if the asphalt changes color from dark charcoal to light gray, driver beware! That road surface will not only be worn down, but it will be chock full of imperfections. In Florida, that light gray colored asphalt is still as smooth as a baby's bottom. Its no wonder that the roads down here are filled with plenty of older, classic (and some not so classic) cars.

Of course, the other side of the equation is wealth. Cruise the streets of Rhode Island and you'll see your fair share of Cadillacs, Mercedes, BMWs, Porsche, even the occasional Rolls Royce or rarer still, a Ferrari.

Here in south Florida the landscape is a little more exotic. Sure, you'll still see Mercedes, BMWs, Porsche but they'll typically be the top of the line models which are usually customized. Ferrari sightings are almost common place, as are Bentley and Lamborghini sightings (almost never seen in little Rhody). In fact, a few months back there were two Lamborghinis at the gym. Lots of eye candy!