Shortcuts - Herman Stovall

Car: 2002 Dodge Ram 1500

Previous Cars: I had a 1970s Ford Family Squire Wagon like the Brady Bunch had.

How’s your commute? I drive all over San Diego, so I drive from Allied Gardens to my job but I work in the car business, so I drive 30 to 40 different cars per day all over the county.

Cheapest Gas? I think 76 has the gas game figured out but it can sometimes save you money to buy at Costco. It may or may not be worth your time, but a dollar or two here and there can help out.

What’s wrong with your car? My heater core went out not too long ago, but I’ve had it for six years and it hasn’t put up too many complaints. I coated my car in primer to a matte black look to make it a little bit special. Matte finishes are really in right now.

What do you listen to while you drive? I use Pandora, mostly, everything from hip-hop to alternative rock. My top three favorite driving artists are probably Michael Jackson, Beastie Boys, and myself. I record some tracks under the title All in Your Face.

You don’t use your cell phone while you drive, do you? Well, I use its navigation functions and when I use it as a phone it’s always on speaker. Also, movies, I wouldn’t recommend it while driving, of course, but traffic can be boring at times.

Any good hitchhiking stories? This one time, I decided to give this girl a ride home after we got off the trolley. She was a female, and she didn’t have enough cash to get on the bus and for some strange/odd reason I decided to give her a ride. She offered to pay me mid-trip but I respectfully declined. She apparently really wanted to return the favor so she took off most her clothes and things took an unprintable turn, but it was strange, to say the least.

Tickets? I got pulled over for having an air-freshener tree on my mirror, or as they would put it, “in the driver’s line of sight.” I think they just wanted to get to know me.

Accidents? I was driving through campus one time back in my college years and a fly got all up in my face. This distracted me enough to make me hit a parked car, which turned out to be a 1970s-era Pinto. Thankfully, it didn’t explode and no one was hurt, but I was expecting it to go off like a bombshell.

Where do you typically experience the worst traffic in San Diego? On the 8E heading from the coast back home to Mission Valley. I’d also like to point out the decrepit state of our roads, potholes littering the streets, ruining my suspension. Let’s focus some tax dollars thataway.

What is your favorite drive? I’m not going to lie to you. The San Diego-to-Arizona drive is my favorite. It’s different scenery out there with the red rocks and desert mountains, and it’s a nice change from the normal up-the-coast experience.

Your best ShortCut? When headed from the northwest region, it’s almost always faster to cut from the 8E to 94E by using College Ave instead of the 125S. It’s less distance by far but you can occasionally and almost unpredictably be caught out by SDSU class traffic.

What is your dream car? That’s easy! 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

Do you use any shortcuts in real life? Bring lunch to work. It’s extra work, for sure, but saving left-overs and packing lunch instead of eating out can save you, what, $10 per day? That’s $200 a month or half the monthly payment on a set of tires for my hypothetical Bugatti!