I had the occasion to drive a rental car for most of the day. This is the second time, in my life, that I have been the renter of a rental vehicle. Most of the time it is Capt. SO that secures the vehicle. I'm usually just a passenger and pay little attention to the process.
The rental car was arranged by the automotive repair shop because my vehicle, which I had to have "there" by 7:15 a.m., would be out of commission all day. Not only out of commission, but I knew, in advance, that the bill would be frightfully expensive, which it was. At least I had been pre-prepared (my word) and did not fall faint upon the cement floor when picking up my car, thereby necessitating an ambulance ride.
The small, red, rental car was cute enough, although I think it had a four-cylinder engine. If it had a six-cylinder engine it was the most sluggish six I've ever driven. This little car had all of the acceleration power of ten squirrels and that might be an exaggeration! However, I should not complain. It was a luxury to have a vehicle available to me today so I could run my errands hither, thither and yon. And, hither, thither and yon I did go!
Driving a different vehicle is not something I do very often and today I realized why. We consumers become so accustomed to our own cars, trucks, and mini-vans that we could find most of the interior's gadgets, buttons, gizmos, whatchamcallits, knobs, levers, and thingamabobs blindfolded, could we not? Well, today, nothing was in its customary place. I never could figure out how to lock the car's doors once I was in the car. Every time I tried, the panic alarm went off so I dispensed with that habit for the day. The key was not the kind of key that "disappears" into the key fob thingamajig and because I had at least a dozen stops that I had to make today, I spent at least three tries per stop to get the key to fold back into (or out of) the key "thing". Even at the point of rental return, when I got out of the car to walk into the rental-car building, I automatically pressed some imaginary button that would make the key fold inward! Talk about a creature of habit!
In their defense, I must say that those ten squirrels were quite fuel efficient. The only cost I had to foot was to return the fuel tank to full. One dollar and fifteen cents was what the gas pump registered when the auto-flow valve clicked off to indicate full! I should be nice to those ten squirrels!
I think I could get into this car-rental experience. I can see myself flying to a desired destination and renting a sports car that I could go zoom, zoom, zoom in. As long as I can rent a vehicle that has a disappearing key, has a tilt steering wheel, and is able to be locked when the key is in the ignition, "it" and I would get along famously.
Where should I go? The possibilities are endless, as are the car-rental choices!
Ancora imparo
