The Rental Car

I rented this Chrysler 200c to drive around the Maritimes.  It was a pretty decent car.  I decided not to go with a compact rental car because I wanted to have enough room in the back for my daughter, plus I didn't want a hatchback so we could hide our luggage. 

 

Rental cars are odd things.  Cars are such personal items.  People love their cars.  They are statements about the drivers. And then it is odd when you borrow or rent a car.  It is like borrowing another identity.  I went from a practical, economical, and cheap persona to a roomy, luxurious one.  The car had features that I didn't know I'd like: keyless entry and ignition, motorized seat, rear view cam, and fuel economy calculator; and some I didn't use: Bluetooth audio, sunroof, backseat pass through hatch. 

 

Actually, one of those features worked against us.  We stopped at this restaurant in PEI for lunch for about 45 minutes.  It was a pretty hot day and when we walked up to the car, my wife asked, "What's that noise?"  I listened and said, "It must be an automatic cooling fan."  Not exactly.  We got in the car, and I realized I had left the car running the whole time.  See, that's the problem with keyless ignition.  You can start the car without the key, but you don't have the sensory feedback of removing the key to remind you to shut the car down.

 

I always wondered about those announcements on the ferries for drivers to return to their cars because they left them running.  I used to think they were morons to leave their cars running. Now I know they just had fancier cars than mine.