Haven't driven my Yaris in a while

[Thirty-Nine]

Man, I got to thinking about it, and I haven't driven my Yaris in about a month. Crazy.

My wife's job requires her to drive everyday to a variety of different stores (she's a field rep for a merchandising program), so she's zooming about town every day. It makes much more sense for her to drive the Yaris, which regularly gets 38 MPG, since she puts so many miles on a vehicle. I've been driving my Suzukis (SX4, Sidekick). But I just thought yesterday: It's been a while since I've driven "my" car!

I'll have to change that this weekend.

[Hamster]

Hey, don't feel bad, I hardly drive my Yaris at all. But unlike you, it's not because of someone else. It's because I recently moved. Now I live really close to work and take the bus downtown (my job pays for my bus passes as a perk, so my cost of commuting is zero). Also, I now live within walking distance of a grocery store. So, put that all together, and I live a nearly car-free lifestyle anyway. Which is nice on one hand because it's healthy and it saves a lot of money. But on the otherhand, I find driving to be such a relaxing activity, and I'm not doing it on a daily basis anymore. Plus I got the rear sway bar installed about a month ago, and I've barely tried it out! I think I'll also go cruising around this weekend.

[Revsson]

Don't forget how sensitive the throttle can be.

[thebarber]

i drove our yaris about 3 times in the first 2 months of my parental leave from work...now im up about 8 times or so, hahaha

[Hamster]

Revsson, it actually is quite easy to forget how sensitive the throttle is on this car if you don't drive it very frequently. Whenever I drive my car now (it's only a few times a month), it's quite a shock to me!

[MadMax]

It happens to me a lot due to my travel schedule for work. I can go weeks without driving my Yaris. It always takes a little adjusting to when I do drive it again, the throttle being something that takes getting used to again (as well as the DFCO).

But it always feels great to get back behind the wheel of Sprocket!

Cheers! M2

[Hamster]

This brings up an important point for us members of the infrequent drivers club. How long can you not drive a car without having to worry about the battery going dead? Once a week, I make sure to take the car out, even if it's just driving a couple blocks. I'm afraid of the battery going dead. I want to know if my fears are unfounded. My Yaris has just under 10,000 miles, and I have the original OEM battery still in. How long can I go without driving without having to worry about the battery dying?

[thebarber]

you'd have to go for months w/o driving for the battery to die...unless its cold (like winter) then you'll want to run it weekly

[Hamster]

Thank you! I also asked people at work (who know more about cars than I do), and they likewise said that you'd have to go a long, long time without driving to cause the battery to die. I'm glad to hear this, because my understanding is that it's harmful to run on car on very short trips all the time. That's what I was doing based on my (unfounded) fear of the battery dying. Once it gets cold, I'll be sure to run the car weekly, maybe drive it on the highways on the weekends.

[Betrivent]

If you're absoolutely terrified of the battery dying you can also hook up a trickle charger to keep it slightly charged instead of driving. Saves gas!

[Thirty-Nine]

Well, still haven't driven it, unless you count backing it down the driveway yesterday. Must prioritize Yaris driving!!!

[Hamster]

Hey, I wound up not driving my Yaris this weekend, either. Great minds think alike?

Anyway, Betrivent, that's good advice. I'll definitely look into getting a trickle charger. Such a thing would be handy to have in the winter. Especially if there's a snow storm, and I'm unable to take the car out on the weekends.

[Thirty-Nine]

Well, I decided to take the Yaris today. It's always a good thing when you drive the car again and remember why you like it so much.

[Hamster]

Yep, I've been managing to drive my car lately once a week. Might as well enjoy it before winter comes and it starts snowing. I'm so glad, though, that I don't need a car anymore to commute to and from work. It makes driving all the more fun when you no longer need to drive everyday in rush hour traffic.