DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Moise At The Southern

Q: Tell us about your car. What are some of your favorite features?

A: I love the fact that it is really easy on gas. Since it's a small car, I don't have to spend a lot of money filling it up, which is great because I'm currently a broke graduate student. Also, since it's a Chevy, whenever anything goes wrong, I generally don't have to waste a lot of money because the parts are so cheap. While it's not anything flashy, it's practical and suits my needs for where I'm at in my life.

Q: Did you purchase it yourself?

A: It was my parents' old car. They were pretty much done with it. When I was in high school, there wasn't a need for me to really have a car, since my parents worked right down the street. They would just pick me up and drop me off. On the weekends, I depended on friends for a ride. However, when I graduated in 2007 things changed. My parents decided since I would be commuting back and forth from college, I would probably need a car. They just gave it to me! I was really grateful.

Q: Are you using it mostly to get back and forth to school?

A: I moved to Humboldt Park which is pretty close to school. That gives me the option to take public transportation or drive. Normally, I just do the CTA, so that way I can just buy a month bus and rail pass for 80 bucks and just drive my car when I really need to.

Q: What's the parking situation like in Humboldt Park? Is it pretty awful?

A: It's a lot different than in the suburbs. Out there parking is free. You never have to worry about where you're going to have to park your car. In the city, it's a totally different situation. In my neighborhood there's a lot of parking you have to pay for. I'm not doing that. I generally park my car three or four blocks away from my building because it's free.

Q: When you're cruising around in Orange Crush, what kind of music do you prefer?

A: I listen to quite a bit of techno and rock. I really like listening to that type of music because I love bass driven beats, so I turn the music up really loud and let loose. I sing, dance, and jump around. If I get really into it, I might jump out at a random stoplight and start dancing. I know that sounds crazy, but that's my personality. I really don't care what others think of me. If I feel like having a good time, I'm going to have one no matter where I am. I guess you could call me the life of the party.

Q: Finally, how long do you plan on keeping this car?

A: I hope I can keep it up until I finish medical school. At the moment, I'm living off of a stipend I get from researching. While I live comfortably, I don't really feel that I'm in the place to go out and buy a brand new car--especially with all the money I'm going to have to spend on med school. However, once I'm finished with that, my earning potential will drastically increase and I will definitely be getting a new car. I will keep her around until then.