just sneaking by, nobody notices the perfect finish, right...

Okay, okay. Don't hate me....

It was an experiment, really. Does making lease payments in exchange for a fridge that gets 35 mpg work out as a good idea in real life? I mean, what I already said about the Enabler, you know?

But now I have two, because the Suzuki hasn't started giving me any problems yet.

Well, if it keeps the fiancee happy, it's worth it. I took an honest look a the purchase cost of a 1967 Ford Falcon station wagon, the amount of garage space and wrenching facilities available to me, and the amount of sheer time I had available to me, and it added up to "no".

Don't get me wrong. The love of my life understands and entirely sympathizes with the fact that I have 30weight in my blood; and that I will always own and regularly use a motorcycle, at least for commuting.

But one just doesn't live as a normal member of society with grocery bags and driving friends to the Getty Center and going out for coffee on dark and stormy nights without a car. Sorry. I've tried it. It doesn't work. You have to be either single or weird - preferably both.

So given: car. Also given: reliable car. Well, old simple car or new (relatively simple) car? Old simple car: cheap. Requires time, tools and more time. Usually involves some frustration. Adventures, loving and hating. New car: expensive. None of the above stuff involved, if leasing. Set it and forget it. Honda pays for all oil changes for 3 years, warranty, etc etc etc. Not much of an adventure, not a whole lot of emotional attachment. Yet.

We'll see how this works out.

Also, part of the experiment is sheer geek-out curiosity. How do they MAKE cars these days? All this new stuff; drive by wire throttles (no more cables), oil life tracking (a computer tracks engine temperatures, load, and total revolutions to extrapolate oil life), five-speed automatic with overdrive (yes, I count six shifts) ...does all this shiny stuff do what they say it does? Does it really work? I'm kinda curious about this end of the vehicular spectrum, the bleeding edge of Honda's genius. What have they done to make my life simpler, easier and less expensive at the pump? Are new cars any good? If so, how?

Stay tuned.