Seinfeld Kramer Test Drive Guide

But do watch the clip. Because for two minutes, we all get to live vicariously through the man in the caddish hat who just wants to feel the open road—even if it costs his friend a transmission.

If you have seen Seinfeld Season 5, Episode 21 ("The Opposite"), you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, stop reading this, go open Netflix, and witness 90 seconds of pure, unadulterated automotive anarchy. Let’s set the scene. Jerry has just bought a new car—a dark grey 1994 Saab 900. It’s sleek. It’s sensible. It’s Jerry. But Cosmo Kramer, the human hurricane, needs to run an errand. He offers to drive Jerry’s new baby to the mall. seinfeld kramer test drive

"Oh, she’s a beauty, Jerry! Look at that hood flutter! She’s gettin' air!" But do watch the clip

Jerry, making the first of many mistakes that day, asks: "You’re not going to test drive it, are you?" If you haven’t, stop reading this, go open

Kramer’s reply is legendary: "Well, you gotta get it out on the highway. See what it can do." What follows is not a test drive. It is a psychological horror film from the passenger seat.

We all have a friend like Kramer. The guy who thinks a "test drive" means bouncing the tachometer off the rev limiter. The guy who believes the "check engine" light is a mere suggestion. He represents the chaotic id of every driver who has ever wanted to floor it past a state trooper.

There are great car chases in cinema ( Bullitt , The French Connection ). There are heartfelt car scenes in drama ( Field of Dreams ). But then, there is the Kramer Test Drive .