ita, Nic's Camry is the 6-cylinder job; essentially, it's the Lexus (I think) 4 series, with a different logo. They're made in the same factory.

I'm intensely fond of Ripper, but since Infiniti no longer makes the J series luxury sports sedan, and since none of the other Infiniti models I've driven have come close to Ripper's 230 HP, devouring of hills, and sheer badass attitude, I can't rep it. People who own them tend to hang on to them.

Once Ripper goes to the Big Infiniti Graveyard in the Sky, I'm going to try and find a way to buy a Jag S type. The one we rented and drove from here to LA and back took the Grapevine in fourth gear from a standing start, at 105 mph to the summit, and never whimpered. Plus, comfort for light years and no blind spots. Want.

Your door is ajar ... your door is ajar ...

Ack! That's the voice! What a fun car, though. I actually don't hate our Hyundai right now, though -- for an economy sedan, it's quick but feels nicely powerful and weighty on the road (i.e. not like our ancient Ford Escort, which is like driving an empty shoebox).

I think the Camry's OK to drive, but not great. I liked driving the older model Lexus, but I hate the more recent one I've tried (2003, I think). They redesigned the body slightly, and now there are a bunch of blind spots. (Well, there are for me, anyway. I think that taller people wouldn't have a problem.)

Which is another thing I like about the MINI. The whole scale is smaller -- the steering wheel is a bit smaller than average, the driver's seat a bit higher in relation to the windshield -- and it just feels more comfortable for me to drive. In the Lexus and Camry, I really have to choose between being able to reach the pedals without stretching and being able to see. In the MINI, I can see out the windshield and press the pedals while keeping my heel on the floor.

Oh, man, no word for the hating of the not!Enterprise Computer voice. "Your door is -" WHAM! Eat buckshot, lady.

My dad had one of the first cars to have the voice. Over time, the voice got lower and started to sound like my mom's voice...it was freaky, sort of. Then, of course, he would say "Nag, nag, nag," to the car voice.

I have never liked driving anything Toyota makes, including the Lexus. They feel wrong to me.

The car that felt best driving was a Mazda MX3, which, sure, LOOKED like a pod car, but was awfully nimble and fun.

I dislike large cars (in or out of them), and when I rule the world, will have them outlawed along with ponchos and that kind of denim that's overdyed so it always looks dirty.

Hil, and of course, I have exactly the opposite problem, with height and leg length and visibility. Plus, the multiple sclerosis means I can no longer indulge in the luxury of jerking my head around at warp speed.

It's one reason I don't like sports cars. Not the only reason, not by any stretch, but one reason.

That was something that drove me bonkers not only about driving that Geo metro, but even about sitting in it as a passenger. I kept cracking knees and elbows, and getting in and out, I kept whacking my skull.

I will be going out to a restaurant with friends. I've spent New Year's Eve with the same friend for about 10 years, and the rest of the cast of characters is pretty stable too. I swore in 1988 to never spend New Year's Eve alone again, after the unfortunate wine bottle incident. I was alone on New Year's and decided to open a bottle of wine. There was apparently a flaw in the bottle, and when I turned in the corkscrew, the bottle split apart and gashed my hand. I put on a pressure bandage and drove myself, cold sober, to a doc-in-a-box, where I got eight stitches. I then drove home, poured the remaining wine through a coffee filter, and drank it.

I dislike large cars (in or out of them), and when I rule the world, will have them outlawed along with ponchos and that kind of denim that's overdyed so it always looks dirty.

Well - define "large". I have reasons for loving sedans that have more to do with not hurting myself than with any sense of aesthetics.

If you mean those aircraft carrier-sized things, and H2s, I'm with you.

Well - define "large". I have reasons for loving sedans that have more to do with not hurting myself than with any sense of aesthetics.

Any car larger than a comfortable midsized sedan, any SUV larger than an Bronco, and basically anything where the excuse/reason "But I'm tall!" doesn't really wash because you could fit into something smaller and still be comfortable. (My 6'8" friend drives a Bronco, because it's one of the only cars he fits into. Most people are not that tall.)