xtcian

Pablo Cruisin'

3/25/04

To our dismay, we discovered that there was no way two functional, career-minded adults could exist in Los Angeles and share a car. I was bumming rides from friends, and even considered trying the bus, something I did in 1990 after my infamous "I'm fucked and my life is over" car accident. But this city absolutely blows in terms of public transit for just doing errands, so Tessa and I bit the bullet and rented a car for a month.

Since my beloved wife lost her driver's license somewhere in New Orleans (have fun buying liquor at the Verti Marte with your stolen I.D., "Tessa"!) – it was incumbent upon me to get a cheapo monthly rental. Actors out here for pilot season swear by a little company called Fox Rental located on the butt-skirts of LAX airport, so I wound up with the shittiest car I've driven since I lived at the Pink House.

It was a skidmark-brown Nissan Sentra that claimed to be a mid-size, but when I got in, my knees were up by my mouth. It also felt rickety and uncontrollable, kind of like a bumper car (minus all the fun). After a day of lower-back-pain misery, I took the car back and asked what else they had.

And now? I'm cruising Jamie Block style, decked out in a PT Cruiser. For only a little bit more for the month, I have graduated into the Midlife Guilty Pleasure Car, and already, other PT Cruiser owners are waving as I go by. What is it with these people? The car is nice, and pretty freakin' stylish, but there seems to be a PT Cult out there.

It has a moderately good environmental rating, but O! How I miss my Prius! I shall think fondly of it as I comb the beach in my Cruiser and score chicks!