Joe Auricchio

I work in downtown La Jolla, right opposite the Ferrari/Maserati dealership. AMGs, M-series, and Porsche Ses are everyday sights. Jaguars are like Toyotas. I’m tired of seeing expensive cars. But sometimes there’s something a bit more interesting than usual…

One day on the way to work I saw someone picked up in front of a particularly large house by a chauffeured Maybach. In the words of James L. (wherever you are), “Must be nice…”

A few weeks ago I saw a Ford GT in downtown La Jolla. Really, with gas prices up to $5/gallon, you’re driving one of these? You and Jeremy Clarkson both.

The US Open is in town this week, at Torrey Pines. It’s practically across the street from campus. There are a lot more interesting cars here this week—somehow the AMGs and M-series are even more abundant than usual. I found this BMW Z4 with the German plate “BMW Z4″ nestled behind CVS. An odd place to park what I assume is BMW’s touring show car. As I drove out of the parking lot, I saw a brand new SL63 AMG and a DB9 Vantage.

I don’t say any of this out of envy, merely commentary. I don’t particularly want any of these cars.¹ In fact, I still haven’t figured out what kind of car is right for me. Fast or a smooth ride? Four-door? Hatchback? FWD, RWD? Manual or auto? Low-slung or tall and roomy? I have only the vaguest of preferences.

For now I drive my dad’s trusty old Volvo S70 T5. I say “old” because the car is well on its way to 200,000 miles, but she’s only ten years old, and she looks and feels like a young girl of only 60K.² It’s zippy enough that I can have fun on late night jaunts to campus or wherever; but it’s a Volvo, so it’s comfortable enough that I don’t really mind the six-hour nonstop service from SAN to SBP for holidays and vacations. Plus it has five cylinders, which is just neat. It’s my car and I love it.

Then again, with gas going up and up, these may be the last days of the automobile. Maybe I was born in the wrong decade? Ah well. Bring on the public transit and high-speed rail.

This entry was posted Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Doing, Writing. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.