I should probably be writing about the camping, which was great, but I'm far too distracted by my rental car. I took my baby into the shop yesterday morning and am now tooling around in a Mitsubishi Lancer. It's so weird driving a different car, and man, it just makes me appreciate my car more. Not that the Lancer doesn't work OK; it does, and I'm particularly impressed with the air conditioner. But, man! The gas pedal is kind of sensitive, which has led to a lot of jerky driving. And I'm not entirely sure that it actually has shocks. It's very bouncy. (Although it does remind me a bit of Sam, my first car--which was a 1987 Honda Civic, so I'm thinking that this isn't necessarily a good thing.) Don't even get me started on the pickup, or lack thereof.
I had gotten very used to the bar in the middle of the rear window in the Prius that seeing the wide expanse of glass in the rearview mirror was somewhat disconcerting. And I keep going to change the volume or switch radio stations on my steering wheel. I can't remember the last time I drove a car that the parking brake wasn't a pedal. And using an actual key to lock and unlock the doors is a bit odd.
But the biggest thing is the gas. Ohh, man, I hadn't realized how spoiled I am in the Prius. Watching the gas level fall, I'm secretly convinced that the car is just jettisoning its gas. That's the only explanation, really. Or...it just doesn't get 52 mpg. With the a/c on. I don't want to live in that world!
I really can't complain. It's a car for $21 a day--and my insurance is paying $20 of that. So for a buck a day, I shouldn't complain. But...well, I'm human, people. I get my baby back on Monday.
Current song in my head:
"Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
Uh-oh, be careful! Check this out from today's Washington Post:
The crash in Charles County that killed three men and sent two to the hospital ... occurred about 12:12 a.m. Sunday when Jason T. Pasternak, 22, of Waldorf was driving his Mitsubishi Lancer up a hill on Bensville Road in the Pomfret area with four passengers.
Crap! This is because I opted out of the rental agency's insurance, isn't it? Now I'm paranoid.
Posted by: Barb at July 26, 2005 03:37 PMWhat happened to the Prius? Why is it in the shop?
Posted by: Spike at July 27, 2005 09:21 AMIt got hit by a tire when I was driving on a highway. Randomly. See June 26 entry for the story and June 30 entry for pictures.
Posted by: Barb at July 27, 2005 01:58 PM