Car Swap

Tuesday, June 5 -  After driving 1,772 miles, something was bound to happen.  The CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON indicator came on.  What should we do?  Just keep driving and hope all’s OK?  No, probably not a good idea with about 560 miles to go.  We called Hertz.  When they answered, the first thing they asked was “are you safe?”  Nice protocol.  They gave us two options: take the car in for an oil change, or swap it.  We chose to swap.  It’s a bit of a gamble, because you don’t know what type of car you’ll get, and it upsets the groove…  You’ve got the packing and unpacking of the trunk down to a science; all nooks, crannies, and cupholders have been assigned and allocated; the XM satellite radio is being put to good use; it’s a white car with a light interior, which is perfect for the southern heat.  They told us we could swap in Tallahassee at the airport, since that was our destination for the evening. 

It’s a small airport, so we suspected our car choices would be limited.  We were right. We took note of what was in the lot before heading inside.  There was a Chevy Malibu, a couple of Camrys, and what we thought was a new Chevy Impala.  The Impala would be good, because it looked like it had satellite radio and it was a newer car than the Impala we had.  Good.  Turns out the Hertz guy didn’t have that car in the system, and the only other car he had with satellite was the Malibu.  OK, we’ll check it out. 

Scene: Back in the lot.

Malibu is definitely a step down.  Trunk is smaller.  We need to get that Impala. 

Scene: Back at the Hertz desk.

Ken: “Can we get the Impala in slot 40?”

Hertz guy: “Sorry, that’s a Malibu, too.”

Sandy: “No it’s not.  It’s an Impala”

Scene: Ken running back to the lot to check slot 40.

It’s a Malibu.  (Takes picture to prove it.)

Scene: Back at the Hertz desk.

Ken (to the Hertz guy): “You’re right, it’s a Malibu.”

Sandy: “What? Aw, I thought it said Impala on the back of the car!  Crap.  Malibu is a step down.”

Now, the big decision:  Satellite radio vs. better car (Camry).

Cue the “Jeopardy” music...

Camry it is.  Good news: both Camrys are 2012, so they’re new.  We’ll survive without satellite radio, since we really only have 2 driving days left.

Scene: In the Camry.

There’s a USB jack!  We can plug the iPod directly into the car’s touchscreen audio system.  All is well with the world again.  Welcome to Tallahassee!