DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Nick At The Original Farmers Market

Q: What neighborhood do you live in and what's the zip code?

A: Hollywood, Hancock Park area, 90038.

Q: How old are you?

A: Thirty.

Q: What are you doing in the Farmers Market today?

A: Shopping and eating.

Q: Good food around here?

A: Yeah, definitely. I basically call the Farmers Market my food court. When I'm indecisive, I can come here and get five different things from different types of food and just eat in the middle with a beer.

Q: What does Iconoclast eat?

A: Regular unleaded.

Q: What's your favorite gas station?

A: Probably Valero? It's the cheapest place that takes a credit card. It has everything my car should have.

Q: Why is your car called The Iconoclast?

A: Because it's a Toyota Corolla, and I used to have a car called The Sexy Beast, which was nothing close to resembling a sexy beast. That got me in a lot of trouble over the years, so I figured I'd stay with something safer, and it's kinda funny.

Q: How long have you owned this car?

A: Two years.

Q: How did you get it?

A: I bought it from a rental car dealership.

Q: Are you happy with it?

A: Yeah, I love it.

Q: How many miles do you think you've put on it?

A: Ten thousand miles?

Q: In two years? That's not bad.

A: Yeah well, I used to use it to commute, but now I walk to work, so I only use it for pleasure.

Q: Where do you usually go with your car?

A: You know, vacations, places in Los Angeles, places two hours away. I go up to Santa Barbara a lot to local areas, taste some wine.

Q: What's a recent favorite trip of yours?

A: Recently, we drove up to Santa Barbara and spent a weekend up there. We ate at a bunch of cool restaurants, tried some wine. We got to stay at a little B&B right near the water and hang out at the ocean. Even though it was winter, it was still absolutely beautiful.

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

A: Not that far, actually. In the two years that I've had it, probably maybe up to the Central Coast or farther. Like Santa Ynez or northern Santa Barbara.

Q: Who did you go with?

A: My girlfriend.

Q: How long did it take for you to get there?

A: Three hours. Maybe 250 to 300 miles one way.

Q: Do you have any rules in your car?

A: No real rules! I'm barely in it. I guess probably no smoking, but I don't know anyone who smokes, so I don't have to worry about it.

Q: Have you ever been caught by someone rocking out at a red light?

A: Yes, but I think they might have been rocking out to, so there was more of like a "we're doing this together" sort of thing.

Q: A mutual mosh at a red light.

A: Yeah, exactly.

Q: Great, and if your car had a theme song, what would it be?

A: Probably "Born To Be Wild" from Easy Rider.

Q: And if your car had a human emotion, what would it be?

A: It would be content. It's just so simple. I don't have anything mechanical in it. It's all manual locks, manual windows. Nothing in it can break, and it gets to where it needs to go.

Q: What about it would you brag to your friends?

A: The fact that I fill up every month and a half and mock my friends who have to fill up once a week.

Q: What's your gas mileage?

A: About 30 miles a gallon.

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

A: I'm probably going to drive this one into the ground. My next car will probably be something super simple. I mean, I do get slightly jealous of people when I drive by a really nice Mercedes or something that looks fancy.

Q: Do you have a dream car?

A: Probably an old Mustang. I just love the classic lines of it.

Q: With a racing stripe?

A: Probably no racing stripe. Just a nice old color, like a baby blue, super metallic with nice chrome on it to give it detail and style.

Q: If your car slept with a stuffed animal at night, what would it be?

A: It would probably be a squirrel. It's like something you barely notice when it goes by. You know they're always around, but you don't really pay attention to them.

Q: A squirrel tucked right behind the wheel.

A: Exactly.