6/27/05; by Ruth Zaslow
Right now, my wife and I own four vehicles: a ’99 Windstar, a 2000 Jetta, a 1989 Toyota pick-up and a 2003 Ford pick-up.
- How do you and your family use these vehicles?
You’ve got to understand that right now, we’re in transition, in terms of buying and selling vehicles. See, I bought the Ford pick-up to replace the Toyota—we’re trying to sell that. So, if you talk to me next week, I may have only three vehicles. The Jetta is for me to get to work. The Windstar is for my wife to get around in. She usually has the kids, sometimes the dog, is carting things around, groceries, things for the house. The pick-up is for camping, like we did last weekend, hunting, and if we need to haul certain things around—like some timber we hauled for a friend last year in the old pick-up.
- You mentioned that you use the pick-up for camping last weekend. What happens with the pick-up on a camping trip from the time you decide to go to when you arrive at the camp spot? I’m interested in everything, not just the making-the car go actions.
Let’s see: the kids get in the truck while its parked in the driveway. They’re excited about the trip. They’ll get in almost an hour before we leave.
Sometimes watching us get the gear together. They’re 5 and 6, so they can’t help much. They might play some video games. We have some family songs we sing on camping trips, songs we made up. They’ll start singing those songs.
- What happens next with the pick-up on a camping trip?
Let’s see: we go down the road. We sing a couple of those songs. Then we listen to CD’s.
This last trip, we were going to meet up with an old friend of mine from high school, so I took a lot of music that we both liked back then. Molly Hatchett, Dire Straits, Ted Nugent. Also Norah Jones.
- Are the kids listening to the music? Doing something else?
They have picture books and toys. They have their video games, but we only let them play for a certain amount of time. Camping is family time. We don’t want them just plugged in.
- So camping is one kind of family time in the cars. Are there other kinds of family time in the cars?
No. Camping is about getting out there and exploring. My wife and I both communicate that to the kids. It’s really valuable for them to have that feeling of exploration, rather than having everything planned out for them like they usually do: school, play dates, you know. Last month, we found a place way out on the Deschutes River and spent the afternoon chucking pine cones into the river. Last year, we got snowed in for two days at Yosemite. The kids remember that. They still talk about it. We’ve been to ten campsites in three years that the kids really remember.
- Thinking more about this last camping trip: you mentioned that the family sings, the kids play, and you listen to CD’s. What else happens in the car?
My wife might talk to her parents on the phone—they like to keep tabs on us when we go. ‘Course, once we get far enough out, there’s no phone service. In the new truck, the phone is a hassle: where to put it. My wife might set it down on the floor, but I don’t like her to do that. She sets all kinds of things on the floor: jackets, sweat shirts. I don’t like that. This last time we wound up resting the cell phone in the center of the cup holders. But it’s not perfect.
We lay out maps in the center. My wife usually reads them and navigates. We also keep track of the mileage. With the truck being new, I want to see what it is. I also want to make sure I know what the range is. With the short bed, you have little fuel tanks, so I need to carry gas for hunting.
- Do you ever listen to the radio?
Sometimes on the hunting trips, I listen to NPR. It’s great, because even when you’re way out there, you can find a local station.
- You’ve mentioned your hunting trips. Tell me about those.
With a bunch of other Corvallis, Albany and Sweethome guys, we go on two a year: a duck hunting trip and an elk hunting trip. I have a friend who is the real social organizer. We spend several days on the hunt. There are six to fifteen people, four to eight vehicles, trailers, campers. We set up a base camp with them. Sometimes people bring generators. For duck hunting, we also bring boats. As far as the vehicles, it’s a time of real vehicle stress. They sometimes break down. There might be mechanical trouble—but there are mechanics in the group, so it’s usually OK.
- When you’re at base camp, do you use the radios, CD players, or anything else like that from your vehicles?
Not really. Being out on a hunt is mostly about being quiet. Sure, we might get kind of loud ourselves after some beers, but we like it quiet around us. If someone’s got a radio or something that can get reception, we might check out a weather report.
We mostly just use topographical maps for the main areas. GPS is a toy to look at, as far as I’m concerned. One thing we definitely use is coolers: sometimes for food, definitely for beer.
- You also mentioned you use the Jetta to get to work. What happens for you during the typical commute?
Actually, I’ve been driving the Windstar to work lately. See, we got the Jetta because my wife thought I should have that car. It’s black, shiny. She thinks it’s fast. She likes that whole image. Me, I think, why not go more extreme: why not go for a ZX or truck?
- During your commute, what kinds of things get your attention in the car?
Coffee, which I stop off for at the same drive-in every day. Also, calling in to get my work messages. I use my cell. I might return calls or plan out my day.
- Are the materials used inside the car important to you?
I prefer leather, but I don’t want to pay much more for it. I don’t like nylon/rayon. I also don’t like that two-tone pattern. My wife doesn’t like cloth in the van. The kids make it dirty and it’s hard to clean. The finish is important to me: don’t like plastic and I hate to see seams. I don’t like that fake wood.
- What is your favorite vehicle?
I like the truck I just bought. Also, early, mid-90’s ZX’s.
- What do you like about the ZX’s?
They’re fast. They’re sports cars. They have power. Power is also what I like about the truck. You know, with just a little reinforcement, I could probably tow my house!
- What would you like to see as standard in vehicles ten years from now?
More tools. Things you can use. I’m not real concerned about pollution or public transportation. I might be, if I lived in a bigger place. I was born in southern California, and there’s a lot more car crowding there.
- What else would you like to see as standard?
GPS—it’s cool, but a toy. I wouldn’t pay any extra for it. Alternative power sources. I like the diesel of my truck—19 miles per gallon on a huge truck. Great. I’d increase the power. Decrease the noise. Increase the handling responsiveness.
- Have you made any upgrades to your vehicles?
On the old truck, I added a canopy and tires one size up. On the F350, I decreased the tires one size, added running boards, a front trailer head, floor mats. At purchase, I added a spray bedliner and a trailer break controller.
- How much of a priority are your vehicles?
Relatively high. If I think in terms of monthly payments, I have $300 car payments. Savings and real estate are higher. Kids education is about the same—our kids go to public school.
- And if you were suddenly given $10,000 as a gift, what part, if any, would you spend on your vehicles?
Ten thousand dollars? I’d spend it on real estate, investments, and the kids. I just recently spent $10,000 on the new truck. Maybe 10% or 20% of that would go for vehicles. I’d likely trade in the Jetta for something faster, though my wife wouldn’t be too happy about it.
Posted at Jun 29/2005 10:40PM:
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Field Interviews!
Interview 15 (Zaslow)
