The Long & Winding Road

To some, that means a cushy compromise car like the Lexus RX330, a crossover utility vehicle that's easier on gas than an SUV is, but still loaded with luxury. To others, it means finally giving in to life's little automotive pleasures. Nanu Clark, a self-described "overgrown hippie" from Berkeley, Calif., deeply regrets buying her latest Honda Civic without air conditioning. That's how she equipped her first Civic, 27 years ago, because it was better for the environment. But now the single mom dreads sweating it out behind the wheel. "It was easier to be idealistic when it didn't make me completely miserable," says Clark, 48. "My comfort has become more important than it was when I was younger, and I'm willing to compromise some things that may not be as environmentally sound."

But for boomers more interested in horsepower than flower power, there's another road leading back to the future: the reinvented muscle car. This week at the New York Auto Show, Ford will take the wraps off its latest outrageous interpretation of the classic Mustang: the Shelby GT 500KR (for King of the Road), priced north of $50,000 and with a 540-horsepower V-8 (a testament to how boomer buying power has grown since the original Mustang had a sticker price of $2,368). Coming soon: retro remakes of the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Challenger. And graying hot rodders can't wait. After all, they're out to show everyone on the road that they haven't slowed down (much) just because they've got a few miles on the odometer. Take Bob Hill, 58, a biostatistician in Santa Rosa, Calif. Once the kids left the nest, he and his wife got a "midlife-crisis car"—a ruby red 2003 Corvette convertible. Just like back in the day, Hill loves to go cruising with the stereo cranked. "There's nothing like 'Sympathy for the Devil' with the top down in a 'Vette," he says, laughing. "It brings out my inner child." For the generation that refuses to grow up, that's the sweetest ride of all.

With Joanna Broder, Joan Raymond, Hilary Shenfeld, Margaret Nelson Brinkhaus, Patrick Crowley and Tara Weingarten

© 2007