Top SF Realtor POV: 10 Things About My Car

Top SF Realtor POV: 10 Things About My Car

Writings about residential real estate, San Francisco, and all things home, by Lisa Riddle, J. D. and Kindred SF Homes Associate

For years – when I lived in Los Angeles – I drove one huge Chevy Tahoe after another. It was the perfect car to bomb around LA with my kids and their friends. It was always full of boys and their skateboards or chatty, giggling girls with colorful backpacks. 

I kept the last Tahoe for sentimental reasons when we moved back to San Francisco but quickly realized she did not belong here. It was a sad goodbye.

But life goes on and now I drive a cute, compact SUV. It’s perfect for San Francisco and here are 10 reasons why:

1. The center console is stocked with my version of an “emergency roadside repair kit”- hand cream, nail file, lens wipes, cuticle cream, hair ties, mints, lip gloss, Kleenex, mascara and Band-Aids. 

2. It has dog fur and Lisa hair floating around in it. (Just a little.) 

3. In the back I have a stash of grocery bags, an umbrella and a box with19 paper maps of San Francisco. A client asked for one and the San Francisco Association of Realtors office gave me a box of 20. (Want one? Just ask! I’ll drive over and deliver it.)

4. My favorite feature is the big sunroof and it’s always open. Unless it's raining.

5. It’s comfortable, but you can feel every bump and pothole, unlike my giant SUV that felt like you were riding around on your living room sofa. 

6. It’s easier (than my old Tahoe) to park in San Francisco.

7. Despite the easier parking, the exterior nonetheless displays a myriad of little door dings and bumper scuffs and other signs of having parallel parked in too-tight spaces.

8. I like to play my music really loud when I’m driving. That can be embarrassing when I’m stopped next to other cars with my sunroof wide open.

9. Yes, car dancing is a thing. 

10. You cannot fit 8 people and all of their gear in my SF SUV. RIP Chevy Tahoe.

Photo credit: Tim Mossholder