For the past couple of days I have spent over $200 dollars on rentals. How? I didn’t choose the standard vehicles like a Taurus or Grand Am. I rented, instead, a Nissan Murano and an Infiniti M. People, including my spouse, were taken aback especially since we’re spending nearly a thousand in repairs for our regular cars (e.g., new full-sized spare, new radiator, etc.)

Why spend so much on rentals? Because I’m considering each of these vehicles as one of my future cars. Test drives at the dealership are useless. I don’t know how the desired car will handle hills, freeway driving, or even fit in the driveway. (Here’s looking at you, Ridgeline.) A car is a long-term investment, easily costing between $500-$800 a month for the next 5 to 3 years. A $100 is miniscule when looked long-term. Even renting for a day gives me plenty of information.

Vehicles I have rented for consideration include the Mazda3, 6, and Tribute and the Lincoln LS. I want to check out the CX-7 when it’s available; the RX-8; the new Dodge Caliber; Infiniti FX and, of course, a Jaguar S-Type. I have driven the Chrysler 300 and Hyundai Sonata and was not impressed with either one. Both lists will grow as I fall in love with more vehicles.