Cliving for Seven Days in a Sentra

By Annie Dineen

When Marc Horowitz heard that his new car, the 2006 Nissan Sentra, was so good ‘you could pretty much live in it’, he decided to take their challenge. He created rules for himself to follow during the week of his auto-life. During this week, he dealt with state troopers, recalcitrant gas station attendants, blind dates, poker nights, being towed and pranks by friends. By the end of the week, he had become accustomed to a whole new life, a state he called 'cliving'.

Horowitz’s cliving was dictated by ten rules:

1. I must live seven straight days out of my Sentra. I am free to come and go from the Sentra as I please.
2. I must not return to my apartment at any point during the seven days.
3. I must assume my normal day-to-day responsibilities, including work and all scheduled client meetings.
4. I must personally prepare at least four meals within the immediate vicinity of my Sentra.
5. I must go on at least one date. Hopefully more.
6. I must not let anyone else drive my car for the seven days.
7. I must sleep in a different location every night. Once the location is chosen I must not move from it.
8. I must not set foot outside of my car for any reason from midnight to 5 a.m.
9. I must host at least two social functions in my Sentra. One must be on or after Day six.
10. I must maintain the highest standards of personal hygiene.

Horowitz was unable to adhere to all of these rules through the course of the week. He documented his experiences in his blog. He has posted videos, stories and photographs of his day-to-day life, which includes the average eccentricities, pranks played on him by his friends, dreams, random occurrences and sights, and the difficulties he faced during the course of the week.

On day four, he writes, “What am I doing? I could be in my nice, warm, safe bed. This place is outta control.” On day five he was issued a parking ticket, which he tries numerous tactics to evade. He attempts to sweet talk and serenade the parking attendant, but still receives the parking ticket. Early on day four, Horowitz creates a cardboard sign reading, “Honk if u are happy,” and hailed the commuters passing by. He drew up a graph of the number of ‘happiness honks’ he received, which he posted on his blog. His week was saturated with unusual occurrences, all described in gratifying detail on his website.

Horowitz has been featured in several Nissan advertisements. A picture of him receiving a pizza delivery to his car has been used as an ad in several magazines such as Rolling Stone.

Is he crazy for doing this advertising ploy - most definitely. Do his experiences make for interesting reading - yea... they do. Do you think Nissan compensated him for doing this little stunt - not enough. Check out his blog for more details regarding his experiences.