what kind of car is that?

about 3 months ago, i got an invitation in the mail to test drive a car. i always seem to get weird invitations like this. once i was invited by wired magazine to drive saabs all day. don’t know how, but i had a BLAST driving all those saabs. i’d buy one. anyway, off track again…

so, on the 27th, my dad and i went and test drove the new volkswagen phaeton. now, if you haven’t heard about the volkswagen phaeton, i wouldn’t be surprised. vw has been pretty hush hush about it, i think. this is unlike any volkswagen i have ever seen. it’s about as big as a audi a8 or a 700 series bmw. it’s a HUGE car.

it is a luxury mobile, in every sense of the word. it has leather, wood trim, huge ass engine, heated and cooled seats (not to mention the built in massage feature), gps, on-star… the list goes on and on. why volkswagen thinks i can afford a car like this is beyond me.

anyway… we were supposed to drive the w-12 model, but it got in a wreck. so, my dad and i ended up driving the v8. let me say this, it wasn’t too shabby. very nice pickup, and a ultra smooth ride.

dad and i took this car over highway 9 thru the santa cruz mountains and over to my aunts house in watsonville. then we drove it on 101. i put about 300 miles on that car while i had it. i took it on windy roads, up hills, on the freeway… everywhere you can imagine (ok, not in the snow… really how much snow is in san jose at this time of year)

to be honest with you… the car made me car sick. i was nausous most of the drive. i neglected to tell volkswagen that the car made me sick. i really should have. hell, maybe that’s how i got my nasty cold over the break. you never know.

anyway, i’ve got a story about the car. can you believe it? i’m taking it back to san francisco, with my mom in the passenger seat. this car loves to go 90 mph. it is so comfortable there. i knew this. so, i set the cruz at about 78 or so. mom and i were chatting away when i saw the cop on the side of the road. i knew i was in trouble. i knew how fast i was going. so, i did the honest thing… NO, i did not speed up! i slowed down to 65 and got in the right lane. i know, i could have got away from him, but i didn’t. so… eventually the cop caught up to me… going 65 in the slow lane. he got behind me, and i know he was pulling the plates. (the plates were from michigan, and i’m sure it said the car was owned by volkswagon of america). he then pulled up next to me. i wouldn’t even look over. i knew i deserved a ticket. THE COP WAVED! and pulled away.

so there you have it… i was speeding, with my mother in the car, and i was caught. the cop knew it, i knew it… and he let me go. happy new year to me!