I know nothing about cars. The only things I know about a car are the color, the make (most of the time I can identify its logo), and whether or not it's pretty (yes, I know that's subjective). So this time around, I've decided that, since I'm living in a city such as San Francisco where parking spaces are hard to come by when one goes out and where traffic can be seen anywhere and everywhere, I want a car that isn't too big, has good fuel economy, and is reliable. Immediately I'm thinking Japanese, Japanese, and Japanese. The Prius comes to mind. Definitely don't want another Volvo.
After looking at the Prius, Lexus IS 250, and Subaru Legacy last week, I decided that I'm going to streamline the process. I scheduled appointments at four different dealers to test drive no less than six cars. Yesterday, after my cello lesson, I embarked on my journey on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.
First up - Volvo. Yes, you read correctly. I know, I said I'm not buying another Volvo. But two nights ago, my friends Papa Joe and Daddy Lo recommended that I at least check out the V50, a station wagon. What!? Do I look like a sixty-year-old grandma? Please don't answer that. I know I drive like one, but still. We went on the Volvo website and discovered that they're offering five years of complimentary maintenance and service plus $3,000 off on the S40 and V50. Since the ways to my heart are money and food, I took the bait.
I first tried out the V50. Surprisingly nice. The Barents Blue was excellent, as was the Titanium Grey. The interior design was also nice - nothing excessive, just the essential elements presented on an upscale, IKEA-like, elegant panel. Unfortunately, the Nordic wood trim on the panel had looked better online than in person, but the aluminum alternative was sleek. I could already imagine how that that would get under the sun; it might be like touching aluminum foil on an oven pan. As for the models, the S40 Sedan has a younger, more interesting design, but the V50 does offere more cargo room. Those of you who are car enthusiasts are probably asking: what about the drive? All I have to say in that department is that it was good - steady, familiar. Of course, before I left, I made sure that my cello case would fit in both cars - a very important issue as I embark on my cello career and prepare for my nationwide concert engagements.
Next, I walked the long journey onward to Subaru, affectionately known as Subie to those who love it. It was next door - took me 30 seconds. Now, you're all asking (I'm asking): why Subaru? Because my cousin Elmer (oh, I forgot, he's not really my cousin, just married to one) said that it's a reliable, fun car. Fun car? I don't know what that means. Reliable car? Now we're talking. By the way, the name Elmer is an alias, sort of like Anastasia Beaverhausen.
The Legacy sedan I had tried last week was fine. Nothing special about it, nothing bad either. But what I remembered most during that trip to Subaru was the color on a Forester SUV - sage green metallic. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw this color because this was the color of my vehicular dreams. If I closed my eyes and imagined the color of my dream car which of course is amorphous at this point, it would like exactly like the sage green metallic I saw. But who buys a car just for the color? Certainly not me. There are the chassis and drivetrain to worry about. I swear I still don't know what these two things are.
Anyway, I sat in the beautiful sage green metallic Forester, which, for some reason unknown to me, has lost a bit of its original appeal. The first thing I thought when I closed the car door was that everything inside looked cheap. Did Subaru run out of material to build in the interior? I drove the car nevertheless but found the engine loud, the ride rough, and the smell smokey. That last part was due to the salesman who has taken a few too many rides on the Camel in his life. So good-bye, Forester. Good-bye Subaru. Good-bye dreamy sage green metallic. Good-bye smelly salesman.
Next on the list was Lexus. It got a bit chilly pulling into the Lexus customer parking lot, so I put on my hoity-toity deflector shield on before stepping out. I was here for the Rx hybrid and the much-hyped, brand new HS. The fast-talking, very annoying, stereotype-fitting salesman named JB was busy telling me how wonderful and technologically unique the HS was. I didn't bother to tell him I don't own an iPhone. Nor an iPod, for that matter. He rambled. I pretended to listen. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. The car drove fine, it was interesting inside despite that bulky center console that was like the Playstation of the car. JB tried to impress me (or dissuade me?) by informing me that there is a three-month waiting list to get an HS, that of the five cars coming in the following week, four have already been reserved. Sticker price only. Limited supply due to the economy, you understand, right? Too many rich people lined up to get the next "in" thing, right?
While there, I saw an Asian family. The dad looked like the typical business or doctor type - you can't tell with Asians - they all look the same. But i was certain he played golf or tennis. Mom was the generic well-dressed kind - meek outside, tyrant at home. Two sons about high school age, dressed with oversized jackets and shorts like most teenagers nowadays (nowadays - that word really ages me). They were checking out the HS for the son who was about to go to college. I have to compete with some acne-faced, tennis-playing 18-year-old whose dad has too much money to throw around? I don't think so. But I digress. Eyes back on the HS. I would label the HS as a cool looking car that is a technologically advanced toy for rich, young people. 90% of what the car offers I don't need. As JB played with the mouse to show me on the navigation screen all the nifty things that car could do, I did my best to keep my eyes on the road and not see anything that he was doing. I did, however, foresee accidents with the HS as people play with the mouse and screen while driving. Not for me.
I then tried the Rxh. Of course, there were none on the lot because they're so popular. So I tried a 2006 used one. Once i got in, the whole thing felt so big that it overwhelmed me. I felt really heavy, like I just ate a whole bucket of KFC chicken (and I'm not talking about the grilled ones). Not a good feeling. Drivewise, it was fine. But I hated the interior look of the Rxh. The buttons were nice, nothing looked cheap like in a Subaru, but it was flat. Literally and figuratively. As I think back to the IS, I remember that was pretty much how it looked as well. So the Lexus is pretty much like a hot, young supermodel - beautiful on the outisde, ugly and soulless on the inside. I pass.
From there I moved on to Toyota. I was amazed by two things there - that my cello case fit in the back seat of a Prius, and that there is a horizontal bar running across the middle of the rearview mirror. The bar is the metal divider of the hatchback window. Who the heck designed that!? But the Prius does have one (and only one) thing going for it - the 50 mpg. Nothing beats it. So I thought I would at least check out another Toyota Hybrid - the Camry. Bad idea. It was déjà vu. The moment I sat in it, the cheapness of the Subaru returned all over again. I got out of the car even before I drove it.
So that was the end of my day of cars. I still don't know what I'll get, but, to my amazement, Volvo is a strong possibility. Prius is up there too. Will keep you posted.
