Ford Flex fridge + Ohio = license to DUI

The biggest problem with the mid-Western drive-thru isn't the fact that you can readily purchase alcohol from the dank comforts of your old hoopdie, it's the dilemma presented in keeping that beer-flavored soda chilled for duration. Enter the $760 fridge on Ford's new Flex guzzler. The add-on drops up to seven, 12-oz cans of room-temp suds down to 41-degrees F in 2.5 hours. It'll also keep things a frosty 23-degrees in freezer mode. Add anti-drunk-proofing option and watch the car implode.

[Buddy's Beer Barn photo courtesy of mpaulda]

[HydePark @ May 26th 2008 9:37AM]

Ford Flex fridge + Ohio = license to KILL !

[Cryonaka @ May 26th 2008 10:28AM]

they have a bear barn near my house!

[Craig @ May 26th 2008 11:23AM]

bear barn?

[Jeff P. @ May 26th 2008 11:28AM]

A bear barn, eh? I thought the only place to go for drive-thru maulings was Yellowstone National Park?

[Andir3.0 @ May 26th 2008 7:30PM]

It's only illegal if the container is open... having beer in your car is not illegal. Having open beer is.

[Dan @ May 26th 2008 9:41AM]

In Denmark and some parts of Sweden drunk driving is totally legal

[Hancock @ May 26th 2008 10:10AM]

I've been to Denmark and that's just not true...

[peter @ May 26th 2008 10:13AM]

wrong
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6920720.stm

[Drew Scott @ May 26th 2008 12:06PM]

owned.

[Flashpoint @ May 26th 2008 9:55AM]

Ultra Luxury cars such as the Phantom and Maybach have had coolers for years. Then Audi A8L got it and brought that type of luxury down to the average consumer.

I don't see a problem with having wine/beer coolers in a car or limo.

State laws have already mandated when and where you are allowed to have open bottles or alcohol on board so if people get caught by the police breaking the law - they'll just have to pay the price.

I personally don't drink alcohol so if I had this I'd use it for Sprite and Coke.

[jules @ May 26th 2008 9:59AM]

I didn't know the average consumer drives an Audi A8L

[John P @ May 26th 2008 10:17AM]

Though the average consumer doesn't buy an Audi A8, seeing as it's 70 grand, it is a car that is sold in a dealership that is probably close by to you. And the Phantom retails for $300k, which is far above what the A8 sells for.

[itlnstln @ May 26th 2008 4:43PM]

The Dodge Caliber has a built in cooler. Also, my parents 1987 Toyota van (ToyoWagon for U.S. Space Cruiser in Europe) had a cooler as an option.


BTW, ToyoWagon/Space Cruiser = Fail. Way to put the engine in the middle of the car. Made a nice footrest when I was kid in the back seat, though.

[Stiv @ May 26th 2008 10:00AM]

Drive through beeratoriums aren't just a mid-Western thing. I have one right in my town in Eastern PA. They know me there.

Step 1 - Pop trunk.
Step 2 - Wait while one case of Yuengling Lager is deposited.
Step 3 - Pay $25 ($21 for the beer, $4 for the tip because those guys are alright!).
Step 5 - Drive home and enjoy.

[muddyh2o @ May 26th 2008 10:08AM]

and because you're an average consumer, the guys who work there recognize your Audi A8L as soon as you pull up.


If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

[Jake Tobak @ May 26th 2008 12:00PM]

Yah, there's one that I know of in Rhode Island. I'm only 20 though, so I wouldn't know anything about beer...
>_>

[MichaelD @ May 26th 2008 12:05PM]

Nice thing about PA is, these and other distributors are the only places allowed to sell alcohol--not going to see it in your Wal-Marts, or even (AFAIK) in Sheetz.

[Jason @ May 26th 2008 12:11PM]

If only I could get Yuengling here in Georgia....

[Eric @ May 26th 2008 7:40PM]

Ahh, Sheetz MTOs and Yuengling lager... memories (snif).

I guess I'll just have to make due with my Fat Tire and real Mexican food.

[MeatyPi @ May 26th 2008 8:02PM]

@Eric

"I guess I'll just have to make due with my Fat Tire and real Mexican food."

both of these things are quite familiar to me, am I detecting a fellow southern Californian or at least a southwesterner?

[kakapo @ May 26th 2008 10:15AM]

This is a glorified thermalelectric cooler (ergo Peltier device with a car built around it)... been in Mercs and BMWs for yonks.

so you need to cruise around for 1 1/2 hours before it is drinkable - unless you are a Brit (Pommie) or VB drinker here in Oz... ;) then warm works for you!

I prefer mine cool to cold sittin' on a veranda or on the beach... no need to drive - just fill an eskie with ice and Stella Artois (yes, I know - snob beer) and let the wackos kill each other on the road.

Cheers! ;)

[Robert Abramson @ May 26th 2008 10:32AM]

Uhh, no, summary says that this runs off the car's compressor.

[Tom @ May 26th 2008 11:22AM]

Stella? That's no snob beer.... it's nice beer - but no snob beer.

Also, ice in beer = no good. Drop the habit man, your taste buds will thank you.

[Jeff P. @ May 26th 2008 11:32AM]

"Also, ice in beer = no good. Drop the habit man, your taste buds will thank you."

Only in the most dire circumstances! I will admit to plonking an ice cube in my suds but only once or twice. Drastic times (warm weather and warm beer) call for drastic actions. I'm not proud of what I've done.

[kakapo @ May 26th 2008 12:04PM]

Robert - you are so right - but it must be a pretty lousy cooler to take 2 1/2 hours to chill that small a space!

Tom - the ice is for the eskie (cooler to you) not the beer. Urp... almost hurled when I thought of ice in my beer...

Nope like it really cold... vodka cold. But not completely frozen.


Stella is a snob beer here in Oz - $19.50 a six pack!

I will sip a Stella this weekend for ya! - every day is Saturday when you work for your self - and every day is Monday :(

Cheers!

[Q @ May 26th 2008 2:44PM]

"Stella is a snob beer here in Oz - $19.50 a six pack!"
my god, I'm glad I'm living in Belgium
€ 9 for 24 bottles here (about $12)

[Tom @ May 26th 2008 10:03PM]

My lord... that's the price I pay for a nice Belgian Abbey Dubbel 4-6 pack. Preferably Maredsous. Drink your Stella and be proud - but I'd lobby for some lower prices on your alcohol.

And my apologies for confusing the terminologies! Ice in a cooler is acceptable and expected.

Jeff - A nice beer can be had at room temperature. Well, it depends on the beer and the room's temperature - and your taste buds... but I think some Belgian Dubbels/Triples and American IPAs are best without ever touching the fridge. Try it sometime! The worst that'll happen is you have to pop it back in the fridge for 20 minutes.

[lawyer bird @ May 26th 2008 10:05PM]

Dammit Q! I can't even get PBR for that price.

[Jack @ May 27th 2008 5:47AM]

ah, good old wifebeater

its not a snob beer its "reassuring expensive"

[kakapo @ May 26th 2008 10:17AM]

oops 2 1/2 hours... sorry the pain pills are doin' me in - long obviously painful story...

good pills though :P

Heh..

Cheers..

[Ishimaru @ May 26th 2008 10:39AM]

Is that Pabst Blue Ribbon in there??? Seems Ford and Pabst go hand in hand...

[CraigJ @ May 26th 2008 10:45AM]

Maybe it's Denis Hopper's...

[Pandemic @ May 26th 2008 11:11AM]

It comes standard in Toyota Land Cruisers nowadays

[Eric @ May 26th 2008 7:36PM]

PBR?

[Thunderbuck @ May 26th 2008 11:19AM]

This is new, how?

I once owned a 1991 Toyota Previa van that had a nice little fridge in front. It, too, ran off the A/C compressor, and could actually produce ice.

Compartment was just the right size for a six-pack...

[99er @ May 26th 2008 12:21PM]

Being from Ohio, this headline caught my eye. Unless I missed something- what does this have to do with Ohio? ...Other than stereotyping us as a bunch of drunk rednecks.

[Jason D. @ May 26th 2008 12:47PM]

Because we have drive-thrus. I don't think they are legal in other states.

[ZeroCorpse @ May 26th 2008 1:11PM]

It's a midwestern thing. We have them in parts of Michigan, too. Actually, they're drive-thru party stores, and they do the whole selection: Beer, wine, liquor, tobacco products, milk, pop, a few snacks, and one I knew of years ago, just over the border (not in Michigan) did fireworks. (Most major fireworks are illegal in Michigan, and so Michiganians frequently drive south to Indiana or Ohio to get "the good stuff" and then bring it back (illegally) to celebrate the 4th of July in Michigan.)

Back in my old hometown we had a drive-thru party store, and it was pretty convenient. I was just a teen, but it still allowed my lazy butt to stay seated while I was sent to pick up milk, soda pop, and bread.

[happy_penguin @ May 26th 2008 7:23PM]

Thank you ZeroCorpse for saying "Michiganian". I hate being called a "Michigander".

[NoAndThen @ May 26th 2008 12:47PM]

Rocking the PBR!

[MMalecky @ May 26th 2008 1:39PM]

Hellls yeah.

[roman.kim @ May 26th 2008 3:47PM]

I can't think of a more American optional extra, apart from maybe a Big Mac dispenser in the glove box.

[MARSHAK @ May 26th 2008 8:25PM]

gun rack. sadly, its an aftermarket accessory for pick ups.

[BigD145 @ May 26th 2008 3:49PM]

And we wonder why Ford is bankrupt....

[Michael Payson @ May 26th 2008 7:18PM]

What would this have to do with Ford having financial difficulties? VW runs TV commercials promoting the cooled Glovebox in one of their models. As noted by other commenters, many other makes offer a similar feature. So what is it that makes you think that this feature that other automakers do well with is somehow going to bankrupt Ford? Remember, you can put things other than beer in it, too. (And FYI, the photo above is doctored, it contains cola in the original)

[MeatyPi @ May 26th 2008 7:59PM]

Ford isn't bankrupt, obviously they're having financial difficulties, but of the 3 major American auto companies, they are currently the best off and actually making some profits again.

[Rick @ May 26th 2008 5:37PM]

Thank god you dont live in Pennsylvania with the beer drive throughs.

You cant buy a six-pack in one here only a case. The beer distributors hereare fighting the sale of beer in grocery stores on safety concerns.

[DrunkninElpaso @ May 26th 2008 6:42PM]

That barn is in El Paso.
Buddy is the proprietors wife. Really.

They also have the best beer and wine selection in El Paso.

[steigerwald @ May 26th 2008 7:59PM]

Ohio isnt the only state, I live outside philadelphia in bucks county and worked at a drive thru beer store. It has been around actually since the 70's I believe. I remember one day when a customer drove their car into a pallet of yuenglin bottles breaking nearly half the pallet's worth of beer (what a waste). Needless to say he was blacked out and doesn't remember it. There were also many times when we, the workers would almost get hit by cars when a nice drunk would come thru. Thankfully we never served any of them, and even at times told them the only way we would sell the beer to a passanger (who wasn't intoxicated) and that they must drive home.

[MARSHAK @ May 26th 2008 8:13PM]

American beer = Canadian water.

In Ontario there are two places to get alcohol, The Beer Store and the LCBO. both are crown corporations. I havent seen many beer stores without drive thru windows and I have seen at least one LCBO with one.