Ars Technica recently wrote about their favorite cars of 2019, which is an interesting list. They get to test a lot and I read their reviews to see what they glean. I love cars, and enjoy driving different vehicles, and I've owned a lot in my life. I think I've probably owned and regularly driven 30 cars since I started driving at 16. There was even a period of a few years in my life where I traded in my car for another used one every 11 months.

I do get to drive or ride in a decent number of cars as I travel regularly and do rent cars at times. In the past year, I managed to rent eight or nine cars last year, all different, though not very exotic ones. Still, it's always interesting to see how manufacturers change their designs and add technology. I've been surprised how much I enjoyed driving around a few cars, such as the Kia Soul.

This week, I'm wondering what you fellow data professionals out there like to drive. Are there any cars or trucks that you have look forward to getting behind the wheel of and puttering around? I've got a long break coming up and perhaps I'll take a few hours and go drive something around. Give me some ideas of what you like, new or old.

In my car history, I've had quite a few cars I really enjoyed. I've had 3 Isuzu Troopers over the years, all of which I liked. The two Suburbans (1988, 2001) I owned were both some of the vehicles I liked taking on trips. An old VW Scirocco in college was a great beach vehicle for me. My 914 and 911s are two I slightly regret letting go, but it was a good decision at the time. I enjoyed our first Prius, mostly because of the MPG when gas was US$4/gal, but it's not a car I look forward to driving. I would like to get behind the wheel of hybrid Toyota CH-R and see what that's like. That's not in the US, but I could try the ICE version.

My wife likes the Tesla, and I've ridden in a few. Not sure it's the car I want, but it's very interesting to drive. The idea of electric vehicles makes sense to me, and I expect to see more and more over time. Not sure if we're ready for one, but we will likely look to get another vehicle in the next 2-3 years, so maybe that will be on the short list. Let me know if you think that's a good idea.