Why Owning A Land-Yacht Is The Most Rewarding Experience Ever

It’s 2018, and yet I can still take me and five friends to a diner in my Buick Century and not get arrested for carrying too many people in the car because of the front bench seat. I just recently picked up a set of chrome rims that fit my fifteen year old car, I almost had a set of whitewalls if Firestone didn’t discontinue the FR710. Well, one night I was cruising around town and I saw a bunch of slammed Hondas and varying other Japanese cars with giant exhausts, and that got me thinking, why don’t more people drive land-yachts?

Don’t say gas mileage, because while my Century is no Park Avenue or Grand Marquis, it does get 27 miles per gallon on the highway if I keep it at 65 miles per hour. While it isn’t a back road carver, it does a good enough job holding a line, and the body roll puts a smile on my face, and scares everyone in the back seat.

Obviously, they aren’t the coolest cars, but they can be had for next to nothing. The resale value of my Century is only $2,750. What does that get you? One of the softest rides, a quiet commuter than can sound like a fire-breathing hot rod if you bury your right foot. Parts are cheap, and you get all the fun and practicality of a big car. Did I mention it gets 27 to the gallon?

But enough about my car, and back to land-yachts in general. It’s interesting to see the shift from giant comfortable car, to business-class jet. The power figures and handling have improved exponentially since the early 1990’s, when Cadillac Broughams and 1st-Gen Lexus LS’s roamed the streets. Cadillac just unveiled a 550 horsepower 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 that will be put into the CT6 V-Sport. Mercedes and BMW have been putting massive horsepower engines in the S-Class and 7-Series respectively, since the early 2000s. Full-Size luxury cars nowadays are trying to be Swiss Army Knives, fast, comfortable, and luxurious.
All of which are great qualities, but they lose a lot of that bloated, whale-like attributes that make American land-yachts so addicting. Not to mention the names, at least to me, don’t carry the same power that they used to. Roadmaster, Ambassador, Brougham, Fleetwood, Caprice, LTD, Crown Victoria, Town Car, each one of these names harks back to a time when cars were more purposed. Sports cars were the fast and powerful vehicles, while luxury cars were meant to simply waft along interstates and avenues.

What I’m trying to say, is that these cars might be slow, and most of them might be terrible on gas, and a majority of them handle like the boats that they are, but they are still an incredible amount of fun. The same car that will light up it’s rear tires from the torque, can be steered with one finger, and carry you, and all your friends on journeys for miles on end. Respect your elders, and they will respect you. Got a favorite land-yacht? Comment below, I’d love to hear about it!