DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Daniel At Pat's King Of Steaks

Q: Where and how did you get your car?

A: I signed a three-year lease in May of 2010.

Q: How would you describe your purchasing experience?

A: I leased the Prius from the fine folks over at Holman Toyota in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. You may know them from their awesome Cliff Lee commercials. It was actually a great experience. If you go, ask for Don Ferguson. He was a pleasure to do business with.

Q: Where do you live?

A: Headhouse Square, 19147.

Q: How old are you?

A: I'm 27 years young.

Q: What's your car's main use?

A: Everything I could possibly need is within walking distance in Headhouse Square and Queen Village. I mainly use my Prius to get to and from work. I would say that I spend a below average amount of time in my car. My commute is relatively easy. I'm really thankful for that.

Q: What's the best or worst part of your commute?

A: The traffic on 676W is just atrocious at 8 a.m. It's also an absolute parking lot come 5 p.m. It turns my otherwise effortless, 10 minute commute into a 30 minute hassle. I blame New Jersey drivers for not comprehending the simple concept of merging.

Q: What are some of your car's other uses?

A: Sometimes, I'll drive to Cherry Hill to do food shopping because they have a Wegman's. It's a superior grocery shopping experience. Sadly, Philly does not have a Wegman's. Hey Wegman's, if you're reading this, we're still waiting!

Q: What kind of day trips do you take? 

A: Last year we took the car to Hersheypark, which was a pretty fun ride. It's long, but definitely fun. Plus, who doesn't like chocolate?

Q: What's the craziest trip you've taken?

A: The craziest place would have to be the grand opening of a Sonic in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It took a little less than an hour on the way back from Hersheypark and we totally just stumbled upon it by accident.

Q: Do you have any rules in your car?

A: I insist no one eats inside the car.

Q: What do you listen to in your car?

A: Theme song would definitely be "Around The World" by Daft Punk. Being a rabid Phillies fan, I listen to a lot of sports talk radio as well. As far as music is concerned, there's always a steady rotation of The Smiths on my iPod playlist. I've also been listening to a band called Wild Nothing out of Virginia who I've been playing incessantly in my Prius. I'm pretty sure the people who drive with me are sick of hearing Morrissey at this point. Ha!

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

A: I like to think of my car as sort of a mobile space shuttle on wheels. There's really no other way to describe it. With its effervescent blizzard pearl color, accommodating interior and DeLorean-esque dashboard, I sometimes mistake it for an Apple device. Sorry Toyota.

Q: How many miles do you think are in the life of your car?

A: Hopefully over 100,000, but I'm sure my lease will be up by then. The Prius is pretty environmentally sound. Haters will clamor about the battery not being friendly to the environment. Meh, deal with it. It's also quiet, truly accessible for all ages and obviously, extremely gas-efficient.

Q: What do you think your next car will realistically be?

A: Well, I hope the next car I buy/lease will be a BMW or an Audi--realistically though, for what my commute is and the amount of city driving I do. Stop and go burns a ton of gas, but not in hybrid mode! I think the Toyota Prius fits my lifestyle and personality perfectly.

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

A: The latest Prii models technically have three driving modes. One is electric mode, which makes the vehicle react and move a little slower to conserve gas. The other is power mode, which gives the car a bit more acceleration and pick up. The final is the traditional hybrid mode, where the car will only burn gas when driving over approximately 40 mph.