July 07, 2004

First Dates and More

After over three years of living the high life (so to speak) using Berkeley public transportation, I finally broke down and decided to bring a car up for my fourth and final year of college. So much for being cheap, right? I went home last weekend for introductions and drove back to Berkeley on Monday. Needless to say, after roughing six odd hours of holiday traffic, my car and I are much more than acquainted.

Let's get the essentials out of the way first. It's a dark blue RSX, with an automatic transmission and a virtually nonexistent backseat. Now how about the competitors? Well, initially I had been considering a Mazda 3 and a Scion TC, but unfortunately neither worked out, for various reasons. It wasn't them; it was me. The Scion was in such high demand, it was back ordered for a month at least (read: promiscuous). The Mazda 3 looked good from outside, but considering they wanted approximately $5000 more for nonessential options such as brakes and a steering wheel, it was quickly ruled out (read: gold digger). So I settled on a RSX, not too risqué like the Scion, but not a rip off like the Mazda. Pretty and yet smart too.

The first time I met my car, I wasn't particularly impressed. I mean, it was nice, but it didn't really do anything for me. I guess this could be attributed to a number of reasons, but the main one was probably that it was at the seedy and dark Long Beach Airport (don't get me started) and I just wasn't in the mood. Driving home (our first date), I was caught off guard, never having driven such a small car. It had an awkward line of sight and almost felt like I was driving a toy. Determined to make it work, however, I thought I'd give it another shot the next day, hoping a night of rest would allow me to get past my reservations. Our second date was a trip to Diamond Bar, which was much more successful. We got to know each other better and I finally got a bit more used to the reactive transmission and tight suspension.

After only two short dates, I had to make a major commitment—drive all the way to Northern California. Now most people I know fear commitment immensely and two dates is definitely not enough time to really get to know anything. Needless to say, I was apprehensive. My fears were all for naught, however, as my car came through with flying colors. It braved the treacherous Tejon Pass without the blink of an eyelid and always had enough power to overtake the hordes of idiotic, slow drivers that inundated the I-5. Not only that, it only took me around a tank and a half of gas to get there. I couldn't have been happier with my car's traits: enduring, strong, and economical.

So what's next, you might ask? Well, honestly, I don't know. A part of me wants to buy my car pretty things like a spoiler, tinted windows, and such, while another part just wants to forget about it and only use it as necessary. I guess in the coming weeks, I'll have to decide what I really want: a relationship or a marriage.