Chevy After Dark at the Texas State Fair

• First time at the Texas State Fair
• First time to test drive our pick of 2013 Chevy cars
• First time to experience the fried culinary delights that is THE talk of the Texas State Fair

I’ve been in Dallas since 1996 and I never thought I’d get the hubs to the Texas  State fair — especially without my 4 year old princess bargaining chip… But when Chevy invites you to the fair as their guest and waves test drives and fried guacamole in front of you, you say “yes please.” When they pair it with a wine tasting, I start to twitch with excitement.

Chevy Town Square at the Texas State Fair is uber cool. We had a private tent set up with our cholestoral buffet waiting, right next to the kids test track.

I forgot another memorable first: the breathalyzer. I’ve never had that experience either, but it was a must before we got behind the wheel of these beautiful vehicles. The Hubs and I made the most of our test drives, choosing: Volt, Spark, Tahoe (we each drove this one!), Avalanche, and Camaro convertible. It was awesome since we’re actually in the market for a car but unlike cruising the car lots, there were no pushy salesmen around.

I was first out of the gate with the bumble-beeish Camaro, the hubs with the Tahoe. That school bus yellow Camaro convertible was reminiscent of my pre-baby BMW Z-3 days, except for the added sense of safety and a much smoother ride (important on this side of having kids..). I have to admit, I loved this car.

  

And if I could break out of my subdued silver or grey pattern of car colors, this is the one I’d put my money on:

  

I showed the Princess Cupcake the photo and she said, “That’s perfect. I think I want that car when I grow up.” Chevy is long becoming her favorite car brand ever since we went to the Dallas Auto Show and she saw the Chevy Spark in pink. (Notice a pattern?)

But since the convertible wont be making a reappearance anytime soon at our home, my next choice to drive was the Chevy Tahoe (was also the hubs first choice to drive – which means it could be in contention for a spot in our driveway). This is an SUV that I could fit my whole family including two pugs, ALL of their stuff, and my husbands golf clubs in it for vacation without us ever fighting about how to load it. And it looks fantastic both inside and out. Since Chevy threw down some “road hazards” for us to bounce over too, I can honestly say that driving the mean streets of Dallas would be no match for an open cup of Starbucks in this vehicle.

While adorable, we’re probably not the target market for the Spark given our propensity for lots of STUFF with a 4 year old — although I was impressed with the interior stylings of it. And speaking of interior stylings, what’s up with the swanky digs inside the electric Volt car? There’s a definite wow factor there when you start the car with a push of a button and it’s completely silent. Like you’re in a spaceship, silent. Cool. And hey, 98 miles per gallon is freakin’ awesome. I’d like to drive this one for a few days and see how it handles off the test track and in the real world.

 

I also hitched a ride with the hubs when he drove the Avalanche. If you like the creature comforts of the Tahoe, then the Avalanche might not fit your cushy soccer mom image. It was definitely more truck than suburban mom SUV, but a sweet ride all the same. It was a little more utilitarian for my tastes, but what do I know? I drive a car that’s meant to comfortably cruise the autobahn, not haul a boat or go 4-wheeling — in which case, the Avalanche would be the truck for me.

The call of the cholesterol finally won out and we made our way back to the fried food haven. I felt compelled to sample them all:

Deep fried picnic on a stick, and deep fried buffalo chicken wing flapjacks

Deep fried guacamole and deep fried corn dog bites

Deep fried funnel cake fries

Oh my arteries! Good thing they had some Texas wines paired with each gastronomical wonder to swish out all the bad LDL.