No, I didn't buy one. I'm talking about what I usually think about on those interminable rides to and from the office. I spend roughly 3.5 hours commuting, and when you're on the road, all you see are wheels.
I've made a game out of it too. I try to guess the make and model of the car before I get close enough to see the hood ornament. Most of the time, I'm correct about Honda Civic and Toyota Vios. And I could differentiate the Toyota Innova and Avanza. I could also easily spot a Fortuner, and a Nissan Frontier Navara. The flashy BMWs and Mercedes Benzes don't count, because you'd notice them even if you're not trying. I don't do car reviews, but I notice when the mags are hyped up. When the car windows are not tinted too dark, I check the seats.
And of course, I count the doors, because I love looking at two-door cars. The Hyundai Genesis is my favorite these days. I also notice the Ford Fiesta and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. I seldom see a Toyota Celica, but it's there. Where I work, I often see 2-door BMW sports cars, Porsche Boxsters, and Jaguars in the parking lot. But I'd strain my neck just to see a Genesis hurtling down SLEX at 10pm with no traffic. I just adore those sleek bodies in motion. No, I don't mean the drivers.
Ok, so here's what I'm waiting to see: the Honda CR-Z. It was launched in Japan in 2010 and is marketed as a sport hybrid coupe. It is the only gasoline-electric hybrid model offered by any car maker that can be equipped by a manual transmission (which means nothing to me, since I don't know how to drive). It ranked #15 in the list of Affordable Small Cars by US News and World Reports, and was Car of the Year 2010-2011 in Japan. It costs around $21,000, and currently available in Japan, Europe, South Africa and North America. It's scheduled for release in Australia mid-2011. I wonder when it will reach Asia... and how much it will cost in the Philippines by the time we're done burying it in taxes and other charges.
We have a standing joke at home: I will only take driving classes when I have my own two-door car. And since I cringe to think of me killing all the trash bins and guava trees in the neighborhood, and end up wrecking our gate every time I try to park (imagine if it were a Genesis, with a price tag of Php 1.8 million!), here's the car I'll buy:
A 92-94 Honda Civic hatchback, which I'll have painted red. (Honda used to have a metallic purple color in its Civics that I love, but I'm afraid the hatchback would look like an oversized eggplant in it.) I'll have Sparco bucket seats. No tint on the windows. A plate number that says REN 123. No mirrors under the hood, please, but I'll have a mean sound system. And I'll teach my Siamese cat to sit on the dashboard while I run for groceries.
Maybe I could dream of a CR-Z. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford it. But you know what? I think I won't buy one, because I won't need one. The Honda hatchback would be quite fine. It's not horribly expensive, I'm in no immediate danger of being carjacked in the SM parking lot, and if I hit a guava tree, my husband will still smile and fix the fender.
And while I'm driving it, why, I'll still crane my neck to count how many two-door cars are passing me, and be perfectly happy.
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