A Year Of Marin
Marin is one year old today. 365 days ago, she was assembled in Ohio and rolled onto a truck for the long and arduous journey to Lafayette. Okay, so it wasn't long and arduous, but she did have to go to the fairgrounds instead of the dealer because of some stupid "Tent Sale" that Civics weren't even apart of. Since then, I've been driving her as much as I can get away with, while trying to keep fuel consumption down. It's been tough, especially since Lafayette is not only the most expensive place in Indiana to buy gas, but as of today $.01 more expensive than the Chicago average. That's right, Lafayette gas costs more than Chicago--or LA, NYC, Seattle, or Atlanta. The average (well, only) price in town was $3.59--compare that to prices on the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. I realize there are higher prices in most cities, but I'm comparing flat-out averages--there is no lower price at all in Lafayette (well, $3.58 in West Lafayette, apparently). Anyway, the 27 MPG I've gotten this year is well short of my goal of 30 MPG, but a lot of that is down to one tank that I managed to run at 15 MPG (blizzard, shuttling back and forth under a mile, basically terrible driving). I hope I do better this year--well, I kind of have to, unless I move to the cheapest place in the country for gas: New Jersey. Oh, and in New Jersey, you aren't allowed to pump your own gas, it's full service by law--and it's still under $3.
Okay, I didn't mean to run on a long gas prices rant. I just find it incredulous that, even with all of the students gone, Lafayette is getting ripped off. Good thing Marin is good at getting out of town. A little too good, at times, as my traffic ticket will attest. Her cruising speed is 70-80 MPH, which is perfect given the state speed limit of 70 and average road speed of 75. Just tap on the cruise control, turn up Bjork's screams, and it's like she has a mind of her own, taking care of everything. Of course, if you want more fun, turn off the Interstate and find some twisties, like the road to Bloomington, and play with the iVTEC. iVTEC varies the valve timing, which means that Marin can cruise and sip fuel or rev like mad and blast through down the tarmac, all controlled with subtle heel-toe work.
Marin has also been good at hauling people and things around, like five-up around Indy (okay, the back was cramped) or a 32-inch flat-screen. The interior is just a great place to be; I don't think I could live without that beautiful digital speedo now, with the "energy tanks" fuel gauge and the great glowing blue central-mount tachometer that swings up to 6800.
Every once in a while, I see a car that gives me a pang of regret: a GTI, or a Rabbit, or a Civic Hybrid or Civic Si, or a Mazda3. But then I slip back behind the wheel of my Marin, and all is forgotten. Gripping that steering wheel, light shining through that sunroof, peeking through those crazy A-pillar windows...it just feels so right.
In non-Marin related news, I beat Super Paper Mario today. Overall good, though I wouldn't be as positive on it if we weren't in the middle of a Wii drought. A Wii drought that will end with a downpour this fall, with the first big title to land being Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on August 20th. That will keep me away from Marin for a good couple of weeks...
Okay, I didn't mean to run on a long gas prices rant. I just find it incredulous that, even with all of the students gone, Lafayette is getting ripped off. Good thing Marin is good at getting out of town. A little too good, at times, as my traffic ticket will attest. Her cruising speed is 70-80 MPH, which is perfect given the state speed limit of 70 and average road speed of 75. Just tap on the cruise control, turn up Bjork's screams, and it's like she has a mind of her own, taking care of everything. Of course, if you want more fun, turn off the Interstate and find some twisties, like the road to Bloomington, and play with the iVTEC. iVTEC varies the valve timing, which means that Marin can cruise and sip fuel or rev like mad and blast through down the tarmac, all controlled with subtle heel-toe work.
Marin has also been good at hauling people and things around, like five-up around Indy (okay, the back was cramped) or a 32-inch flat-screen. The interior is just a great place to be; I don't think I could live without that beautiful digital speedo now, with the "energy tanks" fuel gauge and the great glowing blue central-mount tachometer that swings up to 6800.
Every once in a while, I see a car that gives me a pang of regret: a GTI, or a Rabbit, or a Civic Hybrid or Civic Si, or a Mazda3. But then I slip back behind the wheel of my Marin, and all is forgotten. Gripping that steering wheel, light shining through that sunroof, peeking through those crazy A-pillar windows...it just feels so right.
In non-Marin related news, I beat Super Paper Mario today. Overall good, though I wouldn't be as positive on it if we weren't in the middle of a Wii drought. A Wii drought that will end with a downpour this fall, with the first big title to land being Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on August 20th. That will keep me away from Marin for a good couple of weeks...