The Cars I Drive - A.J.'s Rides!

(from most recent to oldest)

2008 Aston Martin DBS - OK, so I haven't actually driven the DBS, but the story about this one is awesome. I was in Arizona visiting my inlaws, and I made my yearly trip to the Aston Martin dealer. As I walked in, I saw a brand new DBS! It hadn't even come out yet! It turns out that the marketing team brought this model over from the UK to take it around the country, and I just happened to be there. Here is my prize picture.





2005 Maserati Quattroporte - The most expensive car I have driven by far. I love fine Italian machines, and this was my first experience driving one. A fantastic story. I was on my way back home from picking up a couple pizzas, when I saw a this blue Maser. I gassed in behind it so I could have some eye candy while I drove. It started to pull off to turn in to a bank, and I looked at the driver, and low and behold, I knew him! It was my buddy Jimmy from my Freshman marketing class! He had apparently upgraded from the Boxster to this Maserati. :o) We looked at each other, were surprised, and he motioned me to pull over. We caught up a bit, and he told me to take it for a spin. I was so glad the stabilization control was set to on in this beast because it was raining, and I gassed it into a curve pretty hard. The power was so linear and refined. The stitching on the leather was something like I had never felt. I got to sit in the driver seat for about 20 minutes, and I just soaked up the cockpit. The buyer of a Maserati is sure getting pampered.

'02 Dodge Viper RT/10 - The latest arrival at the used car dealership near my place, and I lit up like a torch when I saw it parked out front. I have been in love with vipers since I was in 6th grade and played the first Need For Speed game. I actually got a small Maisto model soon thereafter, and borrowed my dad's carwax and waxed it every Saturday morning while my dad washed his car. Embarrassing now, but it goes to show how much I looked forward to driving a Viper. My biggest disappointment was that I drove the Z06 before the Viper. The Viper was low, heavy, and unrefined. Not that all those negative adjectives are actually bad. Raw, unrefined, uncontrollable power is exciting to a lot of drivers, and I can respect that. I ask for a bit more refinement in my cars though. Plus the large flared fenders make visibility awful trying to corner. No matter where I pointed the nose of this car, I could not keep from thrashing the tires. Plus, heat filled the cabin like crazy while I had that motor pumping hard. Aside from all of that, I broke my sunglasses getting out because I banged my head on the door frame. Not a daily driver, but again, I was super excited about finally getting to drive one of these.


'04 Chevy Corvette Z06 - This car was fantastic! Easily the fastest car I have ever driven! This one was also from the same used car dealership as the '01 corvette, and I was so excited to see this one come in. The cockpit was clean and made me feel like I was driving a race car. This particular vehicle was in total need of new rear tires, which is why I didn't feel too badly about roasting them. This car plays to the sense of speed in your very being. The acceleration was wicked and made me squeal like a small girl - I was quite embarrassed. I have never felt g-force like this before! Wow! I am a huge roller coaster fan, and accelerating in a straight line in this was way more exciting than any twists and turns that a looping coaster has ever provided to me. Acceleration is hot, but way more surprising was the braking! The Z06 virtually rips up pavement as it slams to a halt. It actually felt comfortable enough to use as a daily driver too. Very unlike Chevrolet in my experience.


'01 Chevy Corvette - I got to drive this one when my neighbor who owns a used car dealership got it in, and I took it out. This particular model was automatic which I am not a fan of. The exhaust note on ignition felt powerful and resonated throughout the cabin. Inside it didn't feel like a higher-end car, and it didn't appear to handle as I had expected, but the sound of the engine made me feel powerful.


'08 Mercedes C300 - My father briefly explored getting a new C-class benz, so we went test driving. The salesman took my license and I gave that car a run for its money. In general, my impression was that it is NOT a sports car. It felt heavy around turns and acceleration felt sluggish. The interior felt great, but I'm not really a Benz man. My dad and I differ on that aspect.



'06 Acura RL - My wife's boss drove up in this beauty, and as I've always been partial to Acuras, I had to ask to take it for a spin. My first thought was how smooth and down to earth the RL is. So much gadgetry, and yet, I feel that the driver can have a true connection to the machine. I could actually see someone driving the RL because they loved it, and not caring about image. It is a great car like that. I would love a car with cooled seats, because I am not a fan of leather for the sticky factor. I have to say that is the first option I would tick on this beautiful machine.


'03 Mitsubishi Evo - This was a wicked-fast go kart. I got to drive this one because my brother was trying to decide between it and the Subaru STI. The salesman told him the Evo was being worked on, but he could come back on Monday to try it out. My brother responded that he was leaving out of town, but that he would send me in to drive it and tell him how it was. Man was I glad the salesman agreed to that! I showed up on Monday, hopped in, and took in on the freeway. The Evo was SO eager to race off the line. It was light, agile, and exciting. Unfortunately this model's alignment was off and it pulled heavily to the left. O well, I wouldn't mind having one of these racers.


'03 Porsche Boxster - In my Freshman marketing class, I was in a group with a buddy named Jimmy that drove a Porsche Boxster. He offered to come by and let me take my wife for a ride. I obliged and he dropped by. This little convertible felt so solid. It had great breaking and acceleration, and I was sincerely surprised by its agility for its seemingly low price tag. Such a fun car to throw around. That made my night. Thanks Jimmy!



'04 Audi TT - One of my best friends' mothers owned this cute little convertible, and when he drove down to hang out, he brought it. He let me take my wife for a ride. My first impression was that is was not as exciting of a car as I had imagined. The interior was pretty posh for anything I had driven, and it was fun to toss around. I have little else to say about this ride, except that it was nice to drive something solid with the top down.

'00 Honda S2000 - This car was an absolute blast to drive! I am partial to Hondas anyway, but it was a rocket. I couldn't believe that the dealer let me take this one out! He actually told me that the car had some device on it which would disable the car when it hit higher than 7000rpm...HAAA! He just didn't want me to push it. When I went to get in, I didn't think I was going to fit. My forehead rested securely on the roof and I have never been squeezes so tightly by a vehicle. Performance wise, it was so fast. I would have thought that a 220hp 4 cyl would already be pretty highstrung, but when I looked at the tach and it redlined at 8,500 rpm? Wow! I was blown away. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I would LOVE to own a car I had to lose weight to drive :o)


'01 Mercedes C230 - My dad owned this car brand new, and he loved it. We went out into the garage to listen to our CDs because the sound system was SOO much better than our surround sound in the living room. 16 speakers...yummy. This stint with a Benz was short lived because of my dad's department getting dissolved leaving him out of a job, and then when he went to sell it, 9/11 happened, and the floor dropped out of the car market. He ended up selling this $33,000 car with 2400 miles on it for $21,000. A sad story that we still cry over in my family.