Cars I have driven (and what I think about them)
I do not recall the three cars I drove from my drivers' ed classes, so I cannot go over those. I'll try to keep this current as I add new cars to my experience.
My family's:
· 1992 Toyota Camry Station Wagon - The V6 gave this old little buggy some serious pickup, although it was still a wagon, and a creaky one before it was donated to my brother and then driven into the ground.
· 2007 Toyota Avalon &mdash Poor man's Lexus, indeed. Smooth ride, excellent handling, and some fun when you hit the pedal.
· 2001? Subaru Outback - The driver's seat has excellent support. Not excellent acceleration, but it did the job. I didn't have the chance to try out the All-Wheel Drive, and I'm OK with that.
erin_Trying's family's:
· 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - Decent all around car. Killer amounts of storage space, though. Doesn't feel too vanny, but it's no car.
· 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer - Utterly unremarkable, although the environment where I drove it (Mesa, AZ) was a true drivers' heaven: flat, straight, dry, bright.
Zipcars:
· Scion xA - Itty bitty, but surprising amounts of storage space if you put down the back seats. Decent pickup.
· Scion xB - Small on the outside, huge on the inside. Absolutely no acceleration. Absolutely none.
· Toyota Tacoma - It's a pickup truck. It drives like a truck. Could have used a few more tiedown points in the bed, in my opinion.
· 2007 Honda Odyssey - Highly drivable. It rode very low to the ground which was nice (car-like handling), but also not so nice (I drove it in Gilboa, so a little higher undercarriage would have assuaged some fears). The electronic stability control system performed like a champ on the tiny piece of ice we found out there. But the most amazing thing was the depth of the trunk. Because the rear seats are designed to fold flat into the vehicle, behind the third row is absolutely cavernous. The most annoying things about the vehicle had to deal with internal documentation. Many cars' fuel gauges tell you which side has the port. This one didn't. It was also hard to find the levers for the fuel door and the hood (I had to add windshield washer fluid). [added Feb. 16, 2009]
· 2006 Toyota Matrix - Small in every way except for the cargo space. Slightly better acceleration than the xB, but only just. Handling is nothing special. The engine seemed particularly loud, but I can't say how much that was due to possible poor maintenance or design. [added Mar. 2, 2009]
· 2009 Toyota Matrix - The previous Toyota Matrix I drove was the 2006, which was the first model year, I think. They certainly improved this vehicle. It's got a goodly amount of pickup, big interior space, and it handles very well. It was the first car erin_trying and I have driven in where she started asking me questions like, "How much do you think this car is?", and, "What are payments on that amount like?" The only problem I had with it was the same problem I always have with cars: I have to duck slightly to see stop lights if I'm at the line. One day I'll get a convertible, and this won't be a problem! [added Jun. 1, 2009]
· 2008 Honda Civic - The cockpit looks like a spaceship! It's surprisingly roomy inside with a nice amount of acceleration and handling. I didn't have it for long or use it for much, so I cannot really comment on it too much. [added Jun. 15, 2009]
· 2008 BMW 328i - So much fun! From the push-button start to the three different shifting modes (Drive, Sport Drive, clutchless manual), this car was all about a good time. The inline 6 rode smoothly and powerfully and erin_trying and I had a great time opening it up once or twice. Being a 3-series, the backseat was a little small, but the trunk is surprisingly large for such a small car. The only problem I had with it was the steering was a little tight at low speeds, making it slightly harder to park. As a geek, I really appreciated the MPG meter right below the tachometer. [added Jun. 15, 2009]
· 200? Toyota Prius - If it looks like a small car, sounds like a small car, it is one, regardless of hybridness. The car had a very strange shifting method, where I had to hold the shifter into the selection and then release. There was also a separate button to put it in park. The rear view glass was hard to see through and annoying to use. And I found the idling creep a little slow to engage. But it handled well, and it had OK acceleration. The killer-app was the incredible cheapness ($8/hr on a weekend!) and being at the right place (Herald Square) at the right time (when Erin and I had tons of shopping we didn't want to lug on the train). [added Jul. 8, 2009]
· 2007 Mazda 3 Hatchback - Giant interior cargo space, that I didn't use. Small and nimble, but not too much acceleration. Easy to park, and in my case, purple. Also, Canadian, so reading an odometer/speedometer in km/h was a little odd. But I was in Canada at the time, so at least they matched! One interesting thing about the trim was the inclusion of the vehicle's color on portions of the seat fabric accents. [added Jul. 14, 2009]
Other:
· Ford 15-passenger Van - Huuuuge! Very floaty on the road, almost feels like you're driving a boat. Handles decently down steep dirt roads in low gear. I couldn't park it to save my life, however.
My family's:
· 1992 Toyota Camry Station Wagon - The V6 gave this old little buggy some serious pickup, although it was still a wagon, and a creaky one before it was donated to my brother and then driven into the ground.
· 2007 Toyota Avalon &mdash Poor man's Lexus, indeed. Smooth ride, excellent handling, and some fun when you hit the pedal.
· 2001? Subaru Outback - The driver's seat has excellent support. Not excellent acceleration, but it did the job. I didn't have the chance to try out the All-Wheel Drive, and I'm OK with that.
erin_Trying's family's:
· 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - Decent all around car. Killer amounts of storage space, though. Doesn't feel too vanny, but it's no car.
· 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer - Utterly unremarkable, although the environment where I drove it (Mesa, AZ) was a true drivers' heaven: flat, straight, dry, bright.
Zipcars:
· Scion xA - Itty bitty, but surprising amounts of storage space if you put down the back seats. Decent pickup.
· Scion xB - Small on the outside, huge on the inside. Absolutely no acceleration. Absolutely none.
· Toyota Tacoma - It's a pickup truck. It drives like a truck. Could have used a few more tiedown points in the bed, in my opinion.
· 2007 Honda Odyssey - Highly drivable. It rode very low to the ground which was nice (car-like handling), but also not so nice (I drove it in Gilboa, so a little higher undercarriage would have assuaged some fears). The electronic stability control system performed like a champ on the tiny piece of ice we found out there. But the most amazing thing was the depth of the trunk. Because the rear seats are designed to fold flat into the vehicle, behind the third row is absolutely cavernous. The most annoying things about the vehicle had to deal with internal documentation. Many cars' fuel gauges tell you which side has the port. This one didn't. It was also hard to find the levers for the fuel door and the hood (I had to add windshield washer fluid). [added Feb. 16, 2009]
· 2006 Toyota Matrix - Small in every way except for the cargo space. Slightly better acceleration than the xB, but only just. Handling is nothing special. The engine seemed particularly loud, but I can't say how much that was due to possible poor maintenance or design. [added Mar. 2, 2009]
· 2009 Toyota Matrix - The previous Toyota Matrix I drove was the 2006, which was the first model year, I think. They certainly improved this vehicle. It's got a goodly amount of pickup, big interior space, and it handles very well. It was the first car erin_trying and I have driven in where she started asking me questions like, "How much do you think this car is?", and, "What are payments on that amount like?" The only problem I had with it was the same problem I always have with cars: I have to duck slightly to see stop lights if I'm at the line. One day I'll get a convertible, and this won't be a problem! [added Jun. 1, 2009]
· 2008 Honda Civic - The cockpit looks like a spaceship! It's surprisingly roomy inside with a nice amount of acceleration and handling. I didn't have it for long or use it for much, so I cannot really comment on it too much. [added Jun. 15, 2009]
· 2008 BMW 328i - So much fun! From the push-button start to the three different shifting modes (Drive, Sport Drive, clutchless manual), this car was all about a good time. The inline 6 rode smoothly and powerfully and erin_trying and I had a great time opening it up once or twice. Being a 3-series, the backseat was a little small, but the trunk is surprisingly large for such a small car. The only problem I had with it was the steering was a little tight at low speeds, making it slightly harder to park. As a geek, I really appreciated the MPG meter right below the tachometer. [added Jun. 15, 2009]
· 200? Toyota Prius - If it looks like a small car, sounds like a small car, it is one, regardless of hybridness. The car had a very strange shifting method, where I had to hold the shifter into the selection and then release. There was also a separate button to put it in park. The rear view glass was hard to see through and annoying to use. And I found the idling creep a little slow to engage. But it handled well, and it had OK acceleration. The killer-app was the incredible cheapness ($8/hr on a weekend!) and being at the right place (Herald Square) at the right time (when Erin and I had tons of shopping we didn't want to lug on the train). [added Jul. 8, 2009]
· 2007 Mazda 3 Hatchback - Giant interior cargo space, that I didn't use. Small and nimble, but not too much acceleration. Easy to park, and in my case, purple. Also, Canadian, so reading an odometer/speedometer in km/h was a little odd. But I was in Canada at the time, so at least they matched! One interesting thing about the trim was the inclusion of the vehicle's color on portions of the seat fabric accents. [added Jul. 14, 2009]
Other:
· Ford 15-passenger Van - Huuuuge! Very floaty on the road, almost feels like you're driving a boat. Handles decently down steep dirt roads in low gear. I couldn't park it to save my life, however.