I’ve been a fairly busy guy over the last month and a half, with a Formula E race, two Tudor Championship races, and the Red Bull Global Rallycross media day with 2011 BMW Club Racing National Champion Geoff Sykes. Then there was a business trip to Richmond, Virginia, before I spent a few days in Lake Tahoe for a photo shoot, and most recently I was at Bimmerfest West at Auto Club Speedway to manage the BMW CCA booth.
On these trips, I have put around 1,500 miles on four rental cars. Two of those have been your typical economy rental car, with many things that annoyed me; the other two were just fine and did their job well.
But all of them made me miss my beauty that was sitting at home—covered—in my garage.
There is just something about that first drive in your own car after an extended period of time away from it. The worst rental over this span was the little Chevrolet Sonic that I rented to drive from San Diego up to Monterey for the Tudor race at Laguna Seca. I wasn’t going to have enough time to take my usual fun route there and back, so I got the rental instead of just putting a thousand mindless miles on my M3. I got a great deal on the car, just over $100 for the week—with unlimited miles. The website said that the car’s options would provide at least 38 miles per gallon. After doing the math, it would cost me about the same to rent one of these as it would to drive my own car. Sold!
But there were some side effects to having the cheapest rental car I could find. First off, the Bluetooth would not sync, and there was no USB plug to play my music or charge my phone. I had planned for the absence of a USB plug, and I brought my cigarette-plug charger. Unfortunately, there was just a hole in the center console instead of the cigarette socket.
I had also been lied to about the car’s fuel economy.
The EPA says that the Sonic will only get 35 mpg on the highway, so I don’t know how the website figured 38 or better. How did that pass the legal team? I did my best hyper-miling throughout the trip, and I was only able to get 33.5 mpg. Since its touted fuel economy was the only reason for getting this car, I was a little disappointed.
And let’s just say that after spending a week with that little car, my first drive back in my M3 was a little aggressive.
I love that first time I slip back into the driver’s seat of my car, even when I’ve had something that many people would say is better. Remember that amazing M6 convertible I reviewed last summer? I spent the week cruising some of California’s best roads in a gorgeous car with the performance to match its beauty. But still, that first M3 drive when I got home felt great.
Don’t get me wrong. The M6 is amazing, and I would love to have one in my garage. And after a while, it could easily become the car I wish I could get home to.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reported that in 2009 the average time Americans spent in their vehicle was just over an hour per day. That’s quite a bit of time spent in a car. A car is a major investment of time and money—your time, your money. Some people spend their money on a transportation appliance, but others want to get some other benefits from that investment, however intangible. Seeing your car as a reliable friend, a comfortable traveling companion, or even a work of art might increase its value to the owner.
I hope that when you sit in the driver’s seat of your car and start the engine, you get a smile on your face. If you don’t, you’re doing it wrong.—Nate Risch
