Jim

Edmunds employee since 2008

What is the coolest thing about working at Edmunds?

I like to travel. When working in a corporate environment, vacation policies dictate how much you can travel and for how long. The coolest thing about working at Edmunds? Being able to work from wherever you want, whenever you want, as long as the job still gets done.

Tell us about your favorite Edmunds memory?

In the summer of 2011, some co-workers and I went on a 4x4 trip into Death Valley to explore Racetrack Playa and make good on taking pictures of the infamous "sailing stones." To break the trip up from Santa Monica, we spent a night at the haunted Armagosa Opera House in a zero-stoplight town: Death Valley Junction, CA. I'm not the paranormal-activity 'type', but the green 'form' that showed up in several of my photos from the Opera house gives everyone the creeps.

What do you like to do for fun?

Plan lots of trips. Snowboard. Take pictures. Eat stuff. Talk cars and/or geek. Try to make a science out of college football.

Tell us about your first car:

Respectively at the ages of 15 and 17, my brother and I saved $500 to purchase something that could fulfill our teenage male needs: status, speed, respect, and women. However, $500 couldn't satiate all of the qualities we desired, so we lowered our expectations. A neighbor was selling a 1985 Subaru GL-10 wagon. The Subaru wasn't problem-free... in fact, it was problem-full; however none were of the terminal sort. The AC didn't work, the clutch was on its way out, and the car was Digestion Brown. The gods of depreciation had all they needed to bring this car into our price range. The engine was the 1.8, which per Wikipedia claims 90 horsepower. If there were 90 horses under that hood, they were a bunch of mangy, bowlegged, glue-grade donkeys. The exhaust rusted and fell off pre-muffler, which let the boxer breathe and rumble like a Harley. We put plastic 5-spoke hubcaps on it, a nice aftermarket tape deck, opened the sweet power sunroof, and shifted ourselves through 6 years of adolescence. Without status, speed, respect, or women.

Tell us about what you currently drive:

My 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser has certainly lived up to being the adventure companion I hoped it to be. 4wd, a strong V6 for the mountains, a great stereo, snow tires, and an aftermarket panoramic sunroof.