My husband (shaking head). Have you met him? If so, you can skip ahead. If not, here are a few things you need to know.
My husband is awesome. He is a handyman plus. He can literally do anything: welding, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, carpentry, IT, cooking, laundry, and even sewing. I’m convinced they based the TV series MacGyver on him.
He can be the most easygoing guy in the world. If I want us to go on a vacation, I pretty much plan it and then tell him about it. If I want to order takeout, he says “Surprise me.” But he can also be one of the most difficult too.
He’s the only person I know that can stop by the hardware store for a single nail and agonize over the decision.
3/8? 1/4? Galvanized? Corrugated? Spiral? Pneumatic?
When it comes to guy stuff, he is extremely picky. Now I want you to imagine him picking up a rental car.
First of all, he likes cars. A lot. We subscribe to several car magazines and we always attend the car show together. He knows more about cars than I ever care to. And when I need help falling asleep, he talks to me about the viscosity of motor oil.
So when he gets to drive a rental car, he’s like a kid in the candy store. He prefers to go to the companies where he has some sort of premium service: gold, emerald, or whatever it’s being called these days. Then, he gets his pick of the litter. He usually picks his car based on one he’s been wanting to “try out.”
When he’s forced to go with some other car company that assigns him a car, he’s been known to go back to the counter to see if they might have something else. Like that shiny red one over there.
He usually gets it. He’s learned to attract more flies with honey than vinegar.
He rents these cars locally because he’s on the road most of the week. He drops his car at our local airport, picks up a rental car there, and heads home to pack up for the journey out the next morning. And every time he comes home, it’s the same thing, “Honey, wait til you see what I got this week.”
He’s driven a Volvo, Nissan, Chevy, Ford, and probably others he’s never even told me about. But this week, he was especially excited to show me his car.
He came in and said, “I have something for you to write about!” He was referring to my involvement with TWIN (Toyota Women’s Influencer Network). He was proud to show me his brand new Toyota Camry. As per usual, my son and I went out to the driveway and climb in and test all the buttons and switches.
I gave him my initial assessment. The outside was very blah. Nothing special about the design. But the interior was especially comfortable and roomy with a nicely positioned dashboard and center console. I told him I thought it would be a good car for a long drive. He said he would let me know. And I knew he would.
Over 300 miles later, he’s happy to report a few key things he discovered when driving the Toyota Camry:
- It is actually a very comfortable car for long distance driving.
- It has a very nicely integrated iPod system. He says the interface on the dash operates exactly like the iPod menu does. My car also has iPod integration and I’m less than thrilled. I think Toyota probably made a wise choice by not trying to re-engineer something that is already so wildly popular.
- It has a very good braking system. I didn’t ask him exactly how he knew this. I really didn’t want to know. Sometimes, grown men and rental cars are a dangerous combination. I should tell you about my honeymoon sometime.
- It has a ridiculous gauge. According to him. It’s the average MPG, which in and of itself is a useful measurement. I guess his issue was with the non-digital gauge that you would never really see moving. I kind of understood his point. Kind of.
While the weekly travel is getting old for all of us, we do get a little excited to see new cars every week, even if it only means a quick glimpse a night and a joyride around the block.
By the way, if you are a Toyota Camry owner or have a story about one, you should check out The Camry Effect where you can share your experiences or just read about them (the oldest story I’ve seen so far involves a 1983 Camry!)
Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of the Toyota.
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