That One Time I...

... Fretted Over Akeno

I adore my Nissan Altima SR VC-Turbo sedan and named her after Akeno Himejima, the High School DxD character that's elegant, gentle, and refined. She can also be seductive and playful, just like my ride. 

Please forgive the dust on her Super Black paint. I'll get that washed soon. Anyway... 

Have you heard about the recent Toyota Tundra/Lexus LX600 recall? Owners of the twin-turbo engine models can't trade them in until the automaker comes up with a fix for their engines. This crisis made me fret over Akeno for the past week, just like I did for a bit last December when the NHTSA had opened an investigation into the KR20DDET engine beneath Akeno's hood. Oddly enough Akeno's model year falls outside its scope, and I had forgotten all about it until this recent Toyota/Lexus engine problem reared its head.

I spent the past couple of days debating whether or not to trade her in for a gently used Mercedes 300C convertible that would set me back about $40,000 plus tax and license. And then that debate ended yesterday afternoon after I decided to fully enjoy Akeno's features on my way home from visiting my sister.

Akeno has an eight speed automatic transmission that can be shifted with paddles mounted behind the steering wheel, but alas she's equipped with a speed governor here in the States. Despite that, she makes driving very enjoyable at any speed.

I often wonder if Japanese owners can peg that 180 mph speedometer. That would be some serious Big Altima Energy there!

For the first time in probably two years, I decided to open her sunroof. That was the view from the Vons parking lot at roughly three o'clock in the afternoon. Sunny. About 70 degrees. A slight wind. Perfect cruising weather.

Yeah, I'm going to keep Akeno. I still might buy a used convertible to keep as a spare, though.