DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Pete At Dulaney Plaza

Q: Why doesn't your car have a nickname?

A: I don't know. I've just never given it one. It might also be because it's technically the family car, but I've been using it for the past couple years.

Q: Do you want to officially christen it now?

A: Yeah, um, no. I can't think of any.

Q: What's your main use for it?

A: I use it to go back to Baltimore every weekend from my house in College Park. I go to doctor appointments. I go to classes.

Q: What's the longest trip you've taken in this car?

A: I went to New York to pick up my little brother from the airport. He was just getting back from Greece. On the way back to Baltimore, a metal rod flew into the windshield on the Jersey Turnpike and cracked it. No one got hurt, but my little brother woke up from a nap and asked what happened. It was cute because he was still really young.

Q: Did he do any other cute things that trip?

A: He puked on his shoe on the way back.

Q: What's your favorite thing about this car?

A: It's really big, so I can get a lot of my friends in here and take trips--like really dumb trips.

Q: What do you mean by dumb?

A: Like one time, it was a random Thursday night, smack dab in the middle of the school year. We were watching a Phillies game on TV. I jokingly suggested going to Philly to get cheesesteaks, not thinking anyone would respond. Next thing you know, at 10 p.m., me and two roommates left our house in College Park. We made a pit stop in Baltimore to pick up another friend. After getting lost near his neighborhood and finally picking him up, it was 12 a.m. by the time we were actually on the road. We got back to College Park at 4:30 a.m. All this, just to go to Philly and eat cheesesteaks for literally 10 minutes.

Q: What kind of driver are you?

A: I road rage a lot. I bully people on the road a lot. Other people just don't know how to drive. It was the worst in the mornings on 495 when I'd go to work in Silver Spring. One time I was cut off by a tiny BMW. I was so angry. If I rocked that car, it didn't stand a chance.

Q: Do you think having a big car has made you a better driver?

A: Definitely. I can parallel park a car anywhere, assuming it fits. My spatial awareness is much greater.

Q: What do you think your next car will realistically be?

A: Probably a freaking Honda Civic because they're cheap. I also plan to get a used car when I buy one. Civics are in every single paper. If I could decide, it would be a Jeep.

Q: A big one?

A: No, just a Liberty.

Q: That's smaller. Do you think you'll lose your edge on the road?

A: No. The Expedition made me a better driver, but I made it a more aggressive car. The same thing would happen with a Jeep.