DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Larissa At Mel's Drive-In

Q: Welcome to Defend Your Ride Los Angeles. What can you tell us about your Honda Accord?

A: I was moving to L.A. from New York. I had never owned a car! I had a license, but I really barely ever had to drive. When I was moving to Los Angeles, I had no clue about cars. I just knew that Hondas were supposed to be safe and well-made and people tended to like them. I bought this car sight unseen. I never test drove it.

Q: What's your general philosophy about driving in L.A.?

A: Oh, I feel like if you can drive in L.A., you can drive anywhere.

Q: What is your least favorite part about being on the road?

A: The unbearable traffic. You know, on a weekend you can get someplace in ten minutes, but it could take 45 minutes on a weekday during rush hour.

Q: What do you do to make the drive more manageable?

A: Listening to the radio pretty much. If my daughter is in the car, children CDs. And if I'm alone, pop music.

Q: Does she have a favorite CD?

A: It's some kind of sing-along. It has a lot of the popular kids tunes on it. I'm not sure of the name.

Q: Where's the farthest you've ever driven in this car?

A: San Diego. We tend to take the airplane to places like San Francisco and Vegas. It seems to be less risky than driving because you can get stuck in such terrible traffic.

Q: Do you have any rules in the car?

A: Always wear a seatbelt! Never text while driving! Never talking on a cell while driving, unless on a Bluetooth. Mostly just safety rules.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about your Honda?

A: When I first moved here, I had a failed battery twice in a row. I got stuck and AAA had to come. It happened twice in the first year. I worried whether the car was a lemon. Everyone kept reassuring me that no, the car's not a lemon, the batteries were lemons--just coincidentally, two in a row. Now the third one's been working just fine.