Name: Jason Spanu, a.k.a. DJ Shine.

Who he is: A progressive house DJ and music producer who is also a programmer with Canadian singer Nelly Furtado’s band, he is touring with breakout sensation, Drake, this summer. Spanu recently released his second album, Attention Deficit Disco.

What he drives: A black, four-door 2004 Nissan Sentra.

Why this car? It’s a hand-me-down from my mom. I got it in 2009. I went through a long period where I didn’t want to buy a car until it was an electric car, because there’s really no point in screwing up the planet anymore. Anyways, in the meantime, until I get an electric car, the Sentra is a pretty economical car to fill up and does the trick. I really don’t drive it unless I have to.

What type of driver are you? I teeter between cautious and aggressive. I’m more cautious now because I’ve got a daughter in the car now. But I’m aggressive inside my mind when I get cut off. But I’m a pretty laidback kind of guy. 

Do you like road tripping? Yes, one of my family’s favourite pastimes is to drive to Waterloo to one of the farmer’s markets in Mennonite country. And my wife loves going to Montreal for the fashion, so we drive out there quite a bit.

What do you love most about the car? Its cargo capacity. It holds a surprising amount of equipment. I can shove in enough gear to keep a party rocking for a good while if I’m doing a smaller gig on my own. And still fit in a baby car seat. And, of course, its fuel economy.

What would we find in your trunk?  A stroller, probably some water in case we have any issues, and bags for groceries — pretty boring stuff (laughs).

Dream car: Actually, I saw the craziest car in Tokyo when I was there recently. It wasn’t very practical, but very cool. It had four wheels on long prongs and had like a pod in the centre. It was a model. It wasn’t on the road. It was really cool. It looked like it had the capacity to jump. It was like a car that could stand upright and then compact itself to fit in a parking spot.

Heather Buchan is a Toronto-based journalist who has worked at Homemakers, Canadian Living, Canadian House & Home and, most recently, Hello! Canada, where she cut her teeth in the world of celebrities.