DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Ashley At Wade Shows Carnival

Q: Hi Ashley! So tell us, what are we looking at here?

A: This is a 1997 Ford Taurus GL station wagon that I got about five years ago.

Q: Does your car have a nickname?

A: It does, Sideswipe, just like the transformer. Anything I've ever hit has always been parked, so it was always just a little sideswipe, no serious damage. Most of the scratches on my car come from me sideswiping parked cars. My ex-boyfriend dubbed my car Sideswipe and it stuck.

Q: Have you put many miles on it since you got it?

A: It has 180,000 now. The paper from when I bought it says it had about 95,459 miles on it when I got it. The engine was replaced last year though.

Q: This car has seen a few miles in its time with you then. Anything remarkable?

A: I've driven it 13 hours into Canada and to Chicago. I'm gonna drive it to the 200,000 mark and then I'm getting rid of it. It's got seven more oil changes. I've done the math!

Q: Did you have any cars before this one?

A: A Ford Topaz. I kind of drove that one into the ground. The driver's side door handle didn't work. One time I got stranded on 94 in the rain with my door locked and my cellphone in the car. That was when I decided it had to go, but now I miss it because it was a stick.

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

A: It'll be something small, probably a Mini Cooper or Chevy Aveo. The car I had before this was a little car. This is a big car. Now I'm ready for a little car again.

Q: Say I hand you a million dollars with the only stipulation being that you have to spend it on a car. What would you choose?

A: It'd be a red Ferrari because when I was a kid, I had a red, Ferrari toy that I would put my Barbies in.

Q: Lastly, if you got a job as a used car saleswoman and had to convince someone to buy a Taurus, what would you use as your selling point?

A: It's got a lot of trunk space and room for seven people. Plus, when friends need your help moving, you can charge them!