I've written before on this site about how I shy away from the idea of car payments. I don't need much when it comes to an automobile. I need it to start reliably, to bring me to work and back, and to carry enough groceries for one or two people. Above that, everything else is luxury. So for me, the Hedgehog does just fine.

Recent circumstances, however, have temporarily placed me into a rental car: a 2007 Chevy Cobalt. And while the Cobalt is certainly not the sweetest of rides, several things about it have me apprehensively reconsidering my stance on making payments on a major item that rapidly declines in value.

Unlike my Teal Mobile, the rental doesn't require any tricks to drive. You simply get inside, start it up, and point it where you want it to go. If I owned this Cobalt, I would be able to lend it to someone without first giving them an entire volume of instructions about how to drive it. The Hedgehog doesn't like to be driven by anyone but me, and while all of its quirks are pretty much second nature to me, it's really nice to just hop in a car and drive it without thinking. The downside is that this, combined with the near silence of the interior, threaten to put me to sleep at the wheel. That isn't good.

Another surprising thing that the Cobalt does is easily accelerate on hills (get this!) even while the air conditioner is in use! Imagine that!

The one dangerous feature that the Cobalt has is a digital readout on the dashboard that gives you information such as your average speed, the engine temperature, and your average miles per gallon. However, it also tells you how far you can go on the current amount of gas in your tank. Sweet Jesus. Do you know how much of a temptation it is when you glance down at the dash and see that you have enough gas to go 347 miles? Do you have any idea how hard it is to refrain from actually travelling 347 miles?

I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to go back to driving that mint green glorified lawnmower.

I just don't know.