Saturn SL 2

What is your all time favorite automobile?

I don’t have expensive tastes, because I like the clutch on an SL 2 better than anything I’ve driven. Roomy enough not to be a short stick, but compact enough that it was very different from driving a pickup. You felt like you were in more of a sports car than you were, because basically the engine on the SL 2 was equivalent to a base mustang.

I will say for the record that I’m not a very good driver, which is why I take the bus and train everywhere. It’s not that I am intentionally bad and need more training. It’s that I don’t have 3D vision, so sometimes things come out of nowhere. It’s so much easier to drive when someone else is with me, but that doesn’t happen often. But it could. Like, if Zac didn’t want to drive, he could ask me and I wouldn’t panic because he’d be in the car and I just need an extra set of eyes. I don’t have my own car because that second set of eyes can’t be with me on every trip. Not Zac’s. I mean that most people spend so much time driving when they’re alone that it’s actually more difficult to get someone to ride with you than you might think.

Everyone likes to be alone in their cars, including me. It’s just that being alone in my car is also not good for me, because I cannot ensure I won’t run a red light because I didn’t see it, or have an accident because I was following too close. If I got a car, I would be constantly worried about driving alone and also I hate traffic. For me, cars in DC are for weekends, because I’ve never gotten anywhere faster in rush hour traffic than taking the Metro. People think it’s easier to drive, and it’s really not. The only time driving comes in handy is when you need the cargo area. The other thing is that time spent driving in traffic is malleable to a large degree. With the Metro, you can predict when you’ll get somewhere almost perfectly because there are going to be fewer delays on the train than the stop and go in traffic. It makes me feel better just to sit back and relax, because if we have an accident, which is unlikely, I’m not the guy they’re going to find at fault. It’s not about eschewing responsibility, it’s that I believe my doctors when they say driving without 3D vision is an issue.

It’s still fun to drive an SL 2, though. Just the greatest, most comfortable shifter and a bangin’ stereo. I bought mine new and even the factory was perfect. The night I got it I ran it into a pole at The Mucky Duck. I had it fixed immediately, but it was just the first indicator that Houston isn’t my thing. I need to be in a city built for public transportation, and Houston is a lot of things, but that’s not one of them.

I also get the pleasure of not having to be attached to one car, because since I take Uber I’ve ridden in just about all makes and models. I honestly haven’t picked a favorite because after a while they all run together. The times I’ve been picked up in a Tesla are always memorable, but not because I’d like to drive one. I just think that the glass roofs are cool.

If I bought a brand new car, and I could if I wanted to pay the ongoing cost (I don’t), I would want a Tesla with all the bells and whistles because their technology would enable me to drive as well as someone with 3-D vision. However, I do not want to give Tesla my money because first of all, I don’t like Elon Musk. Second of all, even with technology I would still be responsible, and the whole point of taking public transportation is to be able to zone out and do my own thing in traffic. Having to stand on the platforms in cold weather has never taken away from the fact that once I get on the train, I can read all the way to my destination, or watch movies I’ve downloaded. Completely different vibe, and with Uber/the bus, I can get anywhere from the train stations, even if a bus isn’t available.

If you’re not going to have a car in a city, you can’t get your friends to cart you around, but good luck getting them to believe that you mean it. All of my friends are very protective of me, and I’m lucky that they think of things like picking me up at the Metro. But that’s because I have amazing friends and they want to do it for me, not that I require it. I appreciate that they’re willing to work with my comfort level with driving and not make me fit into theirs, because for the most part, Maryland is a train culture and Virginia is a car culture, because there’s quite a big space difference in the two states.

When you cross the Potomac, things get more condensed. Virginia looks very much like Texas until you get to the immediate DC area. When you cross from Arlington into The District, space is at a minimum and everything begins to look more like New England. I prefer that kind of architecture, but I also love that Zac’s house backs up to a nature preserve.

It is just unlikely that I would drive there………..

Without my Saturn SL-2.