DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Jen At Ocean Beach

Q: Why a Subaru Outback?

A: I used to have a Honda Civic. In 2008, my husband and I were coming back from Summit County in Colorado. It snowed a ton the day we were leaving, but we had to get back to Denver. We were about six miles from the Eisenhower Tunnel and traffic was at a dead stop. The car started slipping. Snow was building up. No plows could get through. So I got out of the car and tried to push it up to the tunnel. Finally this guy came by and towed us to the top. As we drove down the mountain to Denver, I turned to my husband and told him that was going to be the last day we'd ever drive that car. The next day we went to the dealership and got the Subaru Outback.

Q: What brought you from Denver to San Francisco?

A: The company I worked for was acquired and they asked me to move in order to keep my job. San Francisco is beautiful. Especially when it's 60 degrees in January.

Q: Which neighborhood did you decide to live in?

A: The Upper Haight. I wanted to be surrounded by parks and trees.

Q: How often do you drive your car?

A: Very little now that we live in San Francisco. In Denver, we spent quite a bit of time in the car, but now we only drive it on the weekend. Pretty much everything I need is within walking distance or accessible by the train.

Q: Where do you take your car on the weekends?

A: We use it to get out of the city. We go hiking in Marin, or to wine country, or skiing in Tahoe.

Q: What's your favorite day trip?

A: The Matt Davis trail by Stinson Beach. It takes you through meadows and what I consider the Bay Area "rainforest."

Q: Do you have any rules in your car?

A: No smoking. Don't leave your trash in the car. And the driver gets control over the radio. I pretty much always drive unless it's the middle of the night or really bad weather. I tend to get freaked out about driving in the snow, so I pull my hat down over my eyes and try to sleep. Otherwise I panic.

Q: I noticed your car is a manual. Was that your choice?

A: I will only own a manual car. My dad made me take the driving test in a manual. Whenever I go to buy cars, the guy at the dealership says something like, "The men who come in and say they want manuals will leave with an automatic, but the women who come in and say they want manuals will only leave with a manual."

Q: Why do you like driving a manual?

A: I like control. It's more fun. You can do more things with it. The only time it really sucks is when you're on the side of a mountain in the snow and you're slipping down the hill.

Q: What would your next car be?

A: It would be the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. I'd love to do it for the environment, but it's not manual. That's the only thing that's keeping me from getting one.

Q: Sounds like you really love the car you have though. What do you love about it most?

A: It has butt warmers. That's its best quality. You can sleep in the back of it if you're camping. It holds all of our gear. The carrier on top can hold four pairs of skis, a couple of backpacks, and whatever else needs to go in there.

Q: Finally, if your car had a human emotion, what would it be?

A: Tough. I feel like it can get me through anything.