Ilona: The last car I actually bought was with an ex, in 2002.  We got a Camry, which was his idea, not mine.  Then we broke up and he kept it (he needed it more than I did, at the time), so then I was car-less for about a year.  Now I just borrow my boyfriend's car all the time.  He has a big fancy Mercedes and although it's definitely not my style, it's a beautiful car and it has lots of fun gadgets, like GPS.  So I enjoy it, but I'm looking forward to getting my own car again.  I have my heart set on a Mini Cooper.  I actually went shopping for one a few months ago (before I knew that I was moving to New York).  It was a little intimidating walking around the BMW dealership, which is where they sell Mini Coopers.  They were kind of disdainful at first, like we were street urchins and didn't deserve to be in there, until we slipped into conversation that we had come there in the fancy Mercedes parked outside - then they were a lot nicer to us. 
But I don't really care that much about how fancy a car is.  Most of the cars I've owned have been used, American cars.  In the photo, I'm driving my stepmom's 1992 Honda Accord, which has about 150,000 miles on it, and still drives like a dream. 
Whatever car I get, I want it to be a stick shift.  I've always driven stick and I'm just used to the greater control it gives you.  Driving automatic makes me nervous - I'm always reaching for an invisible, phantom stick, and moving my foot to press down on a phantom clutch.

Ask Patty: What is your opinion of current advertising by car manufactures to women?
Ilona: Is there much advertising by car manufacturers to women?  It's hard for me to think of specific examples.  It seems like usually they're targeted at the woman-as-mom, advertising the minivan with tv sets in the back to keep the kids quiet, or else the woman in an ad is just sexy bait to attract the man who's the real audience for the ad.  I liked that TV commercial from a couple of years ago that had a lot of techno music and featured a woman doing some crazy dance while sitting in the passenger seat of a car - I do that kind of thing a lot.  But there you go - see, she wasn't driving.  I think mostly when women are driving in ads they're either moms or it's done for shock value - like that commercial where a couple of guys are standing around exclaiming about how awesome a car parked on the street is, and how the dude who owns it must be so awesome, and then - big surprise finale! - a lady gets into the car and drives away!  which is cool, and progressive, but it's interesting to observe how far we still have to go - that it's still a big shocker when an ad features a woman as the cool driver/owner of a hip car.  Like, duh a woman can drive a cool car. 

Ask Patty:Do you think there is a gender difference in the expectation of men and women during there retail shopping experiences?
Ilona: I think that when men go car shopping they expect to be taken a lot more seriously, and they are taken a lot more seriously.  Women are expected not to know anything about cars and not to be able to make decisions on their own.  Of course, I personally don't know much about cars, and like to get opinions from other people I know.  Since a man is the stereotypical car-buyer, the whole process is going to be geared more toward a type of interaction that men feel comfortable with.  The whole idea of the challenging, bargaining interaction - where the price on the sticker isn't necessarily the "real" price, but you have to argue with the salesperson to get them to lower it - is horribly stressful and uncomfortable for me.  So there are a lot of hurdles that women will need to overcome before they can feel comfortable and confident in car-buying, especially if they don't know much about cars to begin with.  Educating themselves about cars and the car-buying process is probably the best way to start!

Ask Patty: Car dealers offer a lucrative career choice for young women seeking a high paying career, why do you think there is such a shortage of talented women applying for careers in the atomotive industry, specifically at car dealerships?
Ilona: Since men are the stereotypical customers that car dealerships are aiming for, it makes sense that men would feel more inclined and women would feel less inclined to seek careers selling to that customer.  Also, as I said, I think women are a lot more conflict-averse than men - arguing and bargaining stresses us out.  We want everyone to be happy.  So that's another reason those jobs, where a central part of the job is to haggle with the customer over the price, could be unappealing to women.

Ask Patty: Tell me more about your career choice and why?
Ilona: I'm about to start working as a lawyer (assuming I pass the bar, that is).  I'm going to be doing pretty politically-motivated work, representing labor unions and employees.  I like helping the underdog.  I'd rather do work that I care passionately about than work at a big firm with a higher salary doing work that's either boring or morally problematic, or both.  I think being a lawyer, in particular, will be fun, because I like reading and writing and arguing, and that's pretty much what lawyers get to do all day.  I want to devote my skills and my fancy law-school education to making life a little easier for regular people who need some help.

Ask Patty: Thanks you for such a great interview, who ever said youth is not wise. I admire your passion for the under-dog and wish you well on your bar-exams!