Four out of our five basic senses are stimulated when interacting with a car.
First, you see the car and admire its beauty. In the case of a Mclaren P1, the experience is equal to seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza. As you get in and grab the steering wheel, you feel the material used for the upholstery. Some wooden inserts, like the ones in the new S-class, give me the sensation of holding something important, like Gandalf’s staff. Not that I have ever held a magical staff, but I’m sure it’s the same feeling. Then comes the smell – a feeling so adored it was made into an air freshener. When you finally turn the car on, you hear the roar of the engine through the exhaust pipe. Some engines, like the Lexus LFA’s V10, will cast a musical shadow over Pinkfloyd’s Dark Side of The Moon.

Because each car looks, feels, smells and sounds different, they ultimately have their own personality and, like humans, you tend to know which ones you like to have around and which ones you don’t. 

What about the Nissan Altima, then? What personality does it have?

Well, to best answer this question we could talk about the driving sensations and feedback given from the controls such as the brakes, steering wheel and throttle, but that would be a waste of both your time and mine. So, I’d rather talk about my first day back at school.
Our teacher asked us to introduce ourselves to the class. One after another we said our name, our age, where we’re from, what we like doing in our spare time and what we’re passionate about.
I don’t remember anyone from this class except a girl whose name escapes my brain, we will therefore call her Tesa. When her turn came, she said “Hi, uhm… I’m hmm… I’m Tesa, I’m 22. I uhh.. I was born here.”
Mr. teacher had to ask her what she was passionate about and what she liked doing on her spare time, due to forgetting the easiest task here given to anyone, ever.. To which she answered “Nothing”.

Nothing? Really?! You have the privilege to be alive, Tesa; to have hit the lottery by getting a one-in-a-trillion chance of having a conscience, and you choose to use your precious and valuable time by doing nothing?!
How incredibly sad.

Now, Tesa is not a bad person due to her boring personality, what she is, however, is the Nissan Altima of human beings. Not inherently awful, but not great either. They are both simply uneventful. The lack of excitement, of mystery and ultimately of substance in their personalities has made them both extras in the movie that is my life. I have interacted with them, but it only a matter of time before I forget having done so.

Don’t be like Tesa, and don’t buy a Nissan Altima. Don’t be a background actor, be the main character. Drive something that makes you feel something besides dread and despair. Be happy. Keep asking yourself, if people were watching your life on a big screen, what would the audience be shouting?
Would they say “Yes, spend $28k on an Altima, it sounds like a fantastic idea to become the most boring person in your neighborhood!” Or would they say “No, you idiot! Get out of the dealership and spend $15k on a secondhand Maserati Quattroporte! Make yourself happy. You only live once!”

Max