Teen Driving: Navigating the Permit Requirements

I wrote this when our son was 15 years, 7 months old. That means he was old enough to get his learner's permit so that he can practice driving while I practice patience. And praying. I'm sure I'll do a lot of praying while he's driving. I got my learner's permit 29 years ago and I only remember how excited I was. I don't remember the process, but I don't think it was this difficult.

We live in California (which might be part of the problem), and Drivers Education is not part of the high school curriculum. I took Drivers Ed one summer and passed all of my tests with flying colors (not surprising, I was a car lover back then, too). Now kids and parents have to find an online Drivers Ed course, complete all of the lessons, pass the test, and get an official certificate to take to the DMV to take another test to get the permit. Are you as confused as I am?

2012 Dodge Avenger: 1100 Miles, Iron Man & One Big Bass

I put more than 1100 miles on the Dodge Avenger SXT Plus I rented two weeks ago. All of those miles were logged in the State of Minnesota with 14 days of driving between Bemidji and Stillwater, with many stops in between. I feel confident that I got to know this Avenger and its ability to handle rain, wind and clouds of bugs. 

Annoying Features: Who Thought of That?

Every now and then I'll run across some feature of a car that really throws me. Why did the designers do that? What's that for? Who thought of that? Here are a few that are on my mind today. If you have some, please share in the comments.

2012 Honda Odyssey: A friend just bought a new Honda Odyssey and she's thrown by the way the radio displays the time and the station: It displays the current time, the radio band, and to the far right the station number. For example, "3:45 AM       680." It annoys her and gets confusing. Maybe if she didn't listen to AM stations...

Sienna cupholders

2011 Toyota Sienna: (This one comes from a friend who is a new Sienna owner.) Where are you supposed to put your iPhone/iPod once you plug it into the auxiliary port and/or charger? On the floor where you can't see it? Or in a cup holder (where you want to put your coffee cup)? Maybe get a little suction cup thing to attach to the cheapy plastic dash?

2011 Chevrolet Malibu: I had this as a rental car and it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get the gas tank door open to fill up the tank. I would have just skipped this step if the gas at the rental place didn't cost $8/gallon. There wasn't a release lever or button in the car. There wasn't a finger hold on the gas tank door. How in the world was I supposed to know that you press on the door and it pops open? I even looked for the book in the glove compartment, but it wasn't there. A little sticker on the gas tank door would have been helpful. Especially for a rental car.

2001-2009 Lexus RX300: Cup holders. The cup holders in the older RX were ridiculously short and would only keep a kid-sized drink upright through any braking or turns. Super annoying. 



(c) Copyright 2010-2016. Erika JN Fish. Car Mama. All Rights Reserved.

2012 Audi A7: A Cure for The Common Mid-life Crisis

I can't deny that I'm in love with the new Audi A7. It's fun to drive, fast, spacious, and has nice headlights. I'm all for hatchbacks as long as they're this sexy.

 

July Road Trip Report

Last July six families (and their cars) descended on Lake Tahoe for a little family reunion. You discover a lot about how some people travel when you watch them unpack their minivan.

Traveling with Minors

We all love our children with all our hearts, but traveling with them can be a challenge. Especially when they hog your laptop and iPad on a four hour flight.