A week ago, on my way to the Bart Station, (this one time, at band camp...) a big piece of wood flew off of a flatbed truck and directly into my path. I drove right over it with a loud bang, but since the car kept moving, so did I, dutifully noting the name of the trucking company (Garcia Trucking). That night, I noticed that the front of my car was all jacked up.

Turns out, Mr. Garcia Trucking's loose debris messed up my grill, undercarriage, air conditioning and possibly something with the hood. My insurance covers part of this and a fine rental car for 15 days, if I need it for that long.

I dropped off my beloved VW and picked up a fine rental Mazda (thankfully, it's not white). The woman tried to talk me into upgrading to a less crappy Mazda or Mitsubishi. I told her I'd drive an SUV or a wagon, if she had them but she didn't. So she kept offering crappier Mitsubishis and Mazdas. There was no offer of a Ford or a Chevy though.

Bottom line: I'm a VW person. Sometimes I try to deny it, but the truth is, I feel the most comfortable in a VW. To me, they're safer, more hip, faster and more solid than any of those "rental" cars. My Passat should make her triumphant return to my driveway in a week or so, where she'll be given the respect any decent VW product deserves.