Cars and Splendid Things That Are Not Cars

I'm considering the purchase of a new car. I want something weird. Nothing like the stupid Pontiac Aztec though.

This is an obvious bad choice for a vehicle name, being that I've always associated the Aztec people with human sacrifice. Of course, they had their moments in arcitecture and spiritual beliefs, but when you kill to appease anything, you're doing something wrong.

Ok... moving right along. Here are my three choices for a new vehicle.

First up, the Nissan Cube. It's a bit like a mini delivery truck, but I've always liked Nissans and this one is weird enough to catch my eye. Haven't been able to test drive yet, but will soon. Aptly named, the Cube is something I'm definitely interested in driving. The rear hatch opens out. I'm confused by that, but I kind of like it. I assume it will prove futile in some parking lot situation. We shall see.

Next up is the Kia Soul. Now, I'll be honest. I don't trust Kia. It's a division of Hyundai and that's great, but when they first hit the market, they had terrible safety ratings. They've since fixed that problem, but I now wonder what they overlooked when focusing on the safety of vehicles. I drove this on Thursday in Minnetonka and got a good feel for it. Nice car. Nothing spectacular, but the hatch opens up instead of out like the Cube. That's a definite plus.

Finally, the Scion xD. This drives better than the Soul, to be sure, but my roommate just bought one and I even though I won't be living with her for much longer, I feel like if she drives one, I can't drive one. Great standard equipment on the xD makes it worth looking at, but the fact that it's a Toyota product means they can jack the price up and keep it there without too many complaints from consumers. It's in the running, but the weirdness factor on the Cube and Soul are slowly moving ahead. It's like the tortoise and the hare... except there are two tortoises and the hare is not as big a jerk as he is in the original tale.

So, weigh in, folks. What do you think?

And finally, go see Splendid Things on Monday night at the Bryant-Lake Bowl. They put on a weekly improv show that kills me. This week features special guests, The Mustache Rangers. It's gonna be killer boots. Go here.... now.

'til next time.