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Our extra-long-term Hyundai Genesis is in need of a little extra push to reach the 100,000-mile mark. To that end, everyone here is pitching in to finish the final 38K by December 31—about two months. Follow along as we take road trips of varying necessity in an attempt to roll over that sixth odometer digit.
Trip Mileage: 705 miles
Current Odometer: 67,948 miles
Destination: Indianapolis, Indiana
As regular readers know, we're driving hard to accumulate target mileage—100,000 miles—on our long-term Hyundai Genesis test car. In order to achieve this goal by the end of the year, we calculate that our crew will have to rack up 641 per day, every day. As daily commutes go, that's a bit on the high side, and we confess there are times when the Hyundai's speedometer reading has been known to creep a little north of posted speed limits.
Of course, I didn't confess that to the Indiana state trooper who pulled me over on I-465 outside of Indianapolis. You might get me to confess with a little water-boarding, but I've never seen the technique used at roadside.
"Do you know how fast you were going?" he asked, the pro forma question. I didn't answer that one at all, in part because I was marveling at what appeared to be the ultimate plain-wrapper cop car.
"Is that really a Shelby Mustang?" I asked in return. It was light blue with the white racing strips, the trademark snake logo on the grille, and other Shelby identifying bric-a-brac. "If so, that's not very sporting of you guys."
The trooper, who looked like cover material for the Boy Scouts magazine, did not seem to be amused. "No, it's just a GT with the Shelby stuff added on," he said. "Gets better mileage than a Crown Vic."
Duly impressed, I asked how fast he thought I was going.
"I have you for 71," he replied. "This is a 55 zone."
I thought about all the cars that had passed me in the last few miles—there were at least one or two—as well as the number of people I'd observed looking at their laps, with occasional glances at the road. There are several possible explanations for this—Christine O'Donnell, the Delaware senate candidate defeated in the recent election, probably has a theory. But texting seems the most likely.
Rather than mention this to the trooper, and appear disagreeable, I simply asked if he was going to write me for all of it.
"Of course," he replied, in a tone of voice usually reserved for slow children.
I observed aloud that it was common in minor speeding incidents to make it just 5 mph over.
"That would be a lie," he said, looking very Boy Scout.
What do you say to that? Nothing seemed to be the best bet. He handed over the ticket, with the usual explanatory remarks about who to pay and where, then said, "Drive safely."
"I have been," I said. The sarcasm was lost. These guys are giving Mustangs a bad name.
For the record, in Indiana the difference between 16 mph over the limit and 5 mph is just 10 bucks—$35.50 versus $25.50. That seems pretty reasonable, but the zinger is court costs, which are $114.50 for almost any garden-variety moving violation.
Oh yeah, the Genesis mission. Despite Trooper Scout, and an appointment at the Indy Speedway Museum, I logged 705 miles for the day, leaving only 32,052 to go. Nothing to it.
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