Three Design Choices I Like About Our New Cars

Ooh! Wheels! ;-)

I agree, #1 and #2 are truly amazing things. My car doesn't have an arrow, but it does have a little design of a car with a light that flashes near the gas thing when it's almost empty. Aux-In is blatantly obvious, cheap, and it means they're suddenly "iPod-compatible", which seems to be enough to cause people to buy $45k cars these days.

Call me anal retentive, but I'm a sucker for the new cars with all of the storage areas. Like the new commmericial for the Yaris, it shows the UFO abducting all types of things you would normally find in a car. Then it shows all of the secret doors where you can put everything. I also love the change holders, mine is always full.

On my new Corolla, I mean Jetta, there are radio volume controls on the steering wheel. I LOVE that.

I also enjoy the MFA telling me my gas mileage: On my 36-mile drive to work, most of it highway, I am getting between 33 or 36 mpg.

I'm not a fan of wheels. Cubes... those work better.

The tilt and telescoping steering wheel in Our Current Vehicle is absolutely fantastic. Every car should have it. Tilt is great, but being able to push or pull the wheel in or out makes getting comfortable a lot easier.

Our Durango has memory seats - when you use your remote to unlock the truck it adjusts the seats, mirrors, radio stations, and climate control for you. We have the audio controls on the back of the streering whee too - but I just can't get into the habit of using them. 20 years of muscle memory in reaching to the radio with my right arm is proving to be a difficult habit to break.

(I've never considered those FM transmitter doohickies an option, really)

If it wasn't for those FM transmitter things, I'd be one sad camper in my 1995 Camry.

Side note: have you ever done a ping on "What music do you consider it appropriate to play at "Eleven" while driving? If the answer is "Nothing should be played at maximum volume while driving", why do you feel that way?

I find playing music loudly in my car is educational for my fellow drivers - you never know, they might find that they LIKE Guided by Voices or Pavement!

So this is what the Ping does late at night. I was just confirming an airline reservation and noticed someone here was up to no good! These people should be locked in a room with video of the "new" Clay Aiken. Did you see him on Wednesday? He looked like one of the Beatles.
love,
jk

PS--my new drug coverage does not cover Clarinex. Think these guys can help me out?

I know. What was with the Beatle look? Totally didn't work--except that he had the totally screaming adoring fan, even if it was a guy. Clay looked quite annoyed, but he did a good job of covering it. I guess the look change meant to open him up to a larger fan base than the rainbow crowd must have been blown by the screaming, gasping, hyperventilating, skinny, beglassesed homosexual (not that there's anything wrong with that) who shared the stage with him.

Had I not heard his voice I never would have known it was him. It was he. There, my mom would be happy about the correct grammar.

Someone in York PA has a car completely dedicated to Clay. I have never seen it but have heard stories from friends--one of my employees came to work one day and said "I think I was behind Clay Aiken's mom in traffic." I wonder what will happen when the woman tries to sell the car. When my friend Jane saw the car parked at a bank, there was a laughing woman next to it taking pictures of it with her cell phone.

Great site. Keep doing.

Keep doing.....what? Writing complete sentences?

I am enjoying my MFA greatly this week as it allows me to see that the AC is not really hurting my fuel economy.

Today at the gas station, I opened my trunk instead of the gas cap and then had to make it look like it was intentional.

I love having 6 gears. I heart my Jetta.

Why do the pill pushers like this particular Ping so much?

We are currently supporting my mom's efforts to wean herself off Xanax.

I guess they like cars.

Mmmmm, cars.

Did you see that VW is bringing back the Rabbit? I swear I knew nothing of this, and I feel neglected. I bet my salesman did not even know. The website is useless also regarding this....still showing last year's Golf! Clever, very clever commercials are already out for the Rabbit.

I will be very curious to know what the differences are between the Rabbit and Golf, since the Golf IS the Rabbit.

jk: They're just renaming the new Golf. Kind of weird - I know the Rabbit is a name with a lot of history, but they've built up the Golf name as well.

Hmm. Maybe it's also to distance the Golf from the Audi A3.

When I was car shopping in January and they were unable to tell me when the 06 Golf was coming out, they knew nothing of this.

Now people can pump Eddie Rabbit at full blast while driving their VW Rabbit.

Brief unofficial survey of Pingers: who knows who Eddie Rabbit is?

When I tell people my name, I sometimes say "like Joan Jett" and if I get a blank stare, I ask, "Are you under 30?"

I loved the heated seats until late March. Now I am strategizing how I can attach a nice terry towel to the seat.

I know Eddie Rabbit. "Driving My Life Away" was one of my favorite songs when I was a toddler (really!)

The gas tank side indicator has been around for a long time.

I like the older cars with out all the fancy electronics and computers. Much easier to fix.

But I'll always have a soft spot for 31 Chevs!!