By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Mike Barter and his wife, Mindy, love cruising down the highway on beautiful, warm days in their 2004 Thunderbird convertible.

The couple bought the car from its former owner in 2018, but can’t say which of them most wanted the car.

“What was appealing was it was really kind of my life,” he said. “I’d always wanted a convertible, wanting a car to enjoy the weather.”

He liked the T-bird look and the color of the car, but his wife might have liked it even better.

“My wife was really drawn to it,” he said.

Mindy’s love for convertibles put stars in her eyes when she looked at the car.

The car has a removable hard top and a soft top convertible roof.

Bringing up the soft top is as easy as pushing a button.

The hard and soft roofs are at different heights, so side windows adjust downward when doors are opened to miss hitting the roof.

Having an option to drive with the hard top, the soft top, or the top down make the car a three-way treat.

“I don’t really care if we have a hard top or a soft top, but it’s really nice to have that option,” he said. “It’s really nice to have the car to drive out in the country during gorgeous weather. It’s our enjoyment.”

Its powerful V-8 engine is a nice feature as well.

“It really does have some get-up-and-go,” Barter said.

Its heated leather seats are a nice touch as well.

They don’t like to drive the car in bad weather, though, because it is rear-wheel drive.

The only down side is it’s a two-seater, Barter said.

“The trunk is very, very shallow, so it’s not a car you’re going to pack up and take off in,” he said.

Barter has been pastor at Hillsboro’s Grace Community Fellowship since 2018.

Mindy is an English teacher at Haven High School.

The couple moved from the St. Louis area in 2015 to be closer to relatives.