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DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Mikey At The 9th Street Italian Market

"Not to be cliche, but 'Danger Zone' would have to be my theme song."

The Ride
The Driver: Mikey
Car in Question: "Newport Blue Pearl" 2007 Subaru Impreza 2/5i
Spotted at: 9th Street Italian Market, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Odometer: 103,244
Car's Nickname: B.B. for Blue Bullet

THE DEFENSE

Q: Hi Mikey. Where and how did you get your car?

A: I made the purchase in October of 2006, nearly five years ago. I bought my car from Wilkie Subaru on North Broad Street in Philadelphia from Mary, who turned out to be a neighbor of 25 years. I had a great experience working with them.

Q: What iss your car's main use? Do you spend a lot of time in it?

A: I use my car for both work and pleasure. I feel like I spend a lot less time in it these days than I did about two years ago. But, that could also be because I've just gotten used to long commutes. Though, putting 103k-plus miles on a car in just under five years is a lot right?

Q: I'd say that's a lot of miles in just five years. How many miles do you think you've got left?

A: Honestly, if I keep taking care of her and nothing catastrophic happens, I'd say I would break 200,000 miles. Though, by that point I'd hope to have a second car and B.B. would only be my commuter car.

Q: What's the worst part about your long commute?

A: The worst definitely has to be I-76W. It's the kind of road that will back up at 4am for no reason, so rush hour can be murder sometimes. Eastbound is no better in the afternoon. Whoever created the term "reverse commute," with the implication that it's something better, is a liar. The best part of my commute is actually RT-422. That road never seems to be jammed in direction that I'm driving, so it's nice to get out of the jam of I-76 and open the throttle on 422.

Q: What's the most memorable trip you've had with Blue Bullet?

A: My favorite trips involve driving to the New Jersey shore points. I remember one time after I had dinner at my parents' house, I really wanted good ice cream, so I just got in my car and drove to Ocean City, New Jersey. That wasn't exactly a day trip, but it did happen all in one day.

Q: Where's the farthest place you've driven to with this car?

A: Toronto, Ontario is the furthest place I've gone for sure. It's also the craziest, seeing as how the first time I did it was on a whim. On that spontaneous trip, it took only about six hours to get to Buffalo where we were staying, and then another hour and a half to Toronto the next day. I've since gone up to that area plenty of times and it seems to go by faster now, but the fastest recorded time I can remember was my first trip.

Q: With that long annual road trip, you've got to have some road rules. What are they?

A: At first it was simply no eating, drinking, throwing up. Now it's just no smoking or throwing up. When the car was new, I didn't want it to get messy, but traveling a lot just made it difficult for me to not consume any food or beverage while driving. The throwing up part wasn't a rule until my friend almost vomited a week or two after I got B.B. Honestly, I didn't think that was a rule that really needed to be stated.

Q: What do you listen to in your car? Do you ever rock out or sing along?

A: I prefer music in the morning, but it's difficult to find music on the radio. I totally rock out with the windows down in the summer belting out lines to songs. I don't care what people think or see. Not to be cliché, but "Danger Zone" from the Top Gun Soundtrack would have to be my theme song.

Q: If your car had a human emotion, what would it be and why?

A: B.B. has a lot of human emotions. She used to cry every time I'd accelerate. It turned out something was wrong and she was just letting me know. Another time she would make this sound that sounded like "whub" and I attributed it to her "whubbing me," but that turned out to be a bad wheel bearing. Normally, I try and keep her happy, but her front bumper makes her look angry.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about your car?

A: She just got new shoes put on the other day. She's looking mighty sexy in her 17 inches again. Also, I've done a lot of work on my car: intake, exhaust, lighter flywheel and crank pulley, multiple suspension setups, shifters. The list goes on. Even though I say enough is enough, I find myself waking up at a computer with my mouse hovering over an "order now" button and a cart full of more car parts. So, I guess I'll never be done.

Interview by Michaelangelo Ilagan

View previous Defend Your Ride features as well as other great stories for people who love cars at CBSPhilly.com/Autos.


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