An introduction to the Sebring most likely comes as a rental experience. The things are everywhere on Florida rental lots, extremely popular in Central Florida. DaimlerChrysler should put in a bid to make the Sebring the official car of Disney World, but chances are Disney would want too much upfront money.

Whatever, your first glimpse of a Sebring will most likely be of one with occupants. Those occupants, two adults and two children, will be beet-red from sunburn and sporting black Mickey Mouse ears. They came to Florida, by God, to experience Disney World and get some sun, and they're doing both-overdoing both, actually, as they'll discover back at the Kissimmee motel room. Damn the 45SPF. Full sun ahead.

Yet should the vacationing family move to Florida, they'll fondly remember sunburn in a Sebring and become likely buyers. Anyone wanting a reasonably priced, four-passenger convertible car has little choice. The Sebring is comfortable, economical, relatively safe, and has room for four adults. Most four-passenger convertibles are cramped.

The newest Sebrings appear to avoid quality problems that plagued earlier models and their predecessor, the Lebaron. That one was a disaster, quickly becoming leaky and squeaky. The new Sebring doesn't display undue cowl shake (the tendency of a convertible to flex on uneven pavement, since a roof is lost as a body brace). And in my tests, the Sebrings have been watertight with the top securely in place.

A dedicated single might opt for a Mazda Miata instead of a Sebring, but anyone with more than one friend will buy a Sebring. Those with sufficient funds will opt for something even better-the Mercedes-Benz four-passenger convertible.

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RICH REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER

The Gold Rush heydays of displacing alligators in the Everglades may be over, but the new Florida land rush has been good to you, especially with the rise of luxury condominiums and mega-homes. But even if your high-rises testify to your success, you need to show that you've arrived with your choice of car. What kind of developer would drive a Ford Escort, a Toyota Corolla, a Chevy Impala? Please. You're a breed apart. Showcase your enterprising, adventurous nature with the Yukon sport utility.

Only a few years ago, I hated this vehicle. It was truck-like, which meant it brutalized anyone unlucky enough to be inside while traveling over all but the smoothest pavement. Then General Motors finally got around to civilizing its truck fleet, and the Yukon benefited from improvements made to the Silverado series. Benefited? The Yukon became a luxury vehicle.

It's big, it's powerful and it will leave deep ruts in the worst muck. You're a match for any Explorer, will better any Durango, and can drive American while sneering at Sequoias, Pathfinders and especially Range Rovers. Next year comes a long-needed Range Rover revolution. But that's next year. Yukon has a terrific sport utility today.

Inside, the top Yukon has leather of a quality normally found only in luxury sedans. The ride is neither stiff, like too many trucks, nor mushy, like too many luxury cars. The seating position is high-commanding, in fact. Steering and braking are made easy by power assist. And in any accident, the heft of the Yukon assures you'll come out on top.

The only drawback is fuel inefficiency. It comes with the size. Maybe you should buy a few shares of Chevron. Hey, there's always money to be made.

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SERIOUSLY COOL SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL

You could buy a "Bond, James Bond" Aston Martin. You could buy a Jaguar XK8. You could buy a "I'm-in-a-mid-life-crisis" Corvette. But you're not Bond, you're not ready for Just For Men Dark Brown, and you would prefer not to advertise to the world that you're reliving an adolescent speed fantasy.

We have just the piece of vehicular body armor for you. The Porsche Boxster S.

There are more powerful Porsches, to be sure. But the Boxster S is all the car anyone will ever need unless he is going for a doctorate at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. (Why do I use the masculine pronoun here? Because Porsche has the highest percentage of male buyers on earth. A Porsche is overwhelmingly-more than 90 percent-a male purchase.)

First there was the Boxster, a splendidly designed retro two-seater that conjured up visions of James Dean's Porsche Spyder cruising down a lonely California highway, Sept. 30, 1955. With the Boxster, you almost became James Dean. Almost.