Exit Lane: Tiffany Hillman

Tiffany Hillman
Owner
Duck & Dodo Antique and Artisans Market

2010 Nissan Murano AWD SL
3.5-litre V6, 265 HP
287,000 kilometres

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THIS IS A new vehicle to me. I got it about three months ago. I wanted something practical and I needed something I could haul furniture with. But I didn’t want a mom van.

MY LAST VEHICLE was a 2003 Buick Rendezvous. I bought it at McKenzie’s [Associated Auctioneers] for, like, a thousand bucks, and drove it for five years until it was done. I took it to Zubick’s [John Zubick Ltd.] and left it; it was like taking your dog the vet to be put down.

I ALWAYS GIVE my vehicles a nickname. That way, when you get mad at them you have someone to yell at. This is Murray the Murano. He’s sort of a beige-on-beige, old-man car, but I really like him.

HE’S CERTAINLY NOT that fancy by new-car standards, but Murray was a real update for me. I went from CD player to an aux cable, so now I can listen to podcasts in my car. And this is the first time I’ve had a key fob that automatically unlocks your car when you get near it. These are big things in my world.

I KNOW IT has higher mileage than a lot of people would be comfortable with. But as a small business owner, having a practical vehicle and no car payment outweighs all the bells and whistles that come along with a newer car. Plus, my business is built around antiques and things that are reused and sustainable, so it makes logical sense that I would not go out and buy a new vehicle. Instead of ending up at Zubick’s sooner than it should, it gets to hang out with me for a little while.

I’VE REALLY BECOME a fan of the Murano. I love the fold-down seats—it’s big enough to fit a lot of larger pieces of furniture, but low enough to the ground that I can load it myself. It’s also spacious, really comfortable and great on the highway. I’ll probably update to another Murano in the next two or three years, just a little younger version. I’d like to have Bluetooth and a GPS built in—and maybe a sunroof, too.