I drove the Mortymobile around Pacific Beach for an afternoon. Now you can, too

Attention Rick and Morty fans: you can take a spin in a Mortymobile, a see-it-to-believe-it car available to rent in San Diego.

This Rick and Morty-themed vehicle is a collaboration between Turo — think Airbnb for cars — and Adult Swim. The result of that partnership is a white Mazda 3 with a giant Morty statue secured to the top of the vehicle.

The Mortymobile IRL, ready to take on the streets of Pacific Beach.

(Sara Butler)

In the spirit of journalism, I recently took the Mortymobile out for a spin. While you can drive the car anywhere in San Diego, including freeways, I stuck to a short ride through the residential streets of Pacific Beach. So that I could see the reactions from as many cars and pedestrians as possible, I made sure to drive up and down the bustling portion of Garnet Avenue.

When handed the keys, I was warned by the Mortymobile owner to “be ready for looks” — and looks I got.

During my 45-minute drive, I received a peace sign from a UPS driver, a standing ovation from a group of teens outside of the Pacific Beach Recreation Center, two honked horns and three iPhone recording cameos, along with a countless number of laughs, smiles, puzzled faces and double takes.

The Morty statue on top of the car was larger than I imagined.

(Sara Butler)

While I was pulled over on a residential street — taking a time-sensitive call from the office (journalism never sleeps) — one driver passed by smiling with his iPhone out recording me. A few minutes later, he looped back around the block and rolled down his window to chat.

As a big Rick and Morty fan himself, the Pacific Beach driver had heard about the Mortymobile and was considering booking it. I told him that if he was ready for the attention, I’d highly recommend the unique experience.

The Mortymobile is available to book now through Monday, Dec. 16. Interested fans need to create an account with Turo and enter in license and credit card information for pre-approval. Drivers can book the car for any amount of time, but the maximum trip is one day (priced at $246).

Once approved, pick up the keys in Mission Bay — the exact location is disclosed after the ride is booked — and drive off into a Rick and Morty adventure through San Diego.

For interested folks, here’s the fine print:

• You must be 30 years old to rent the car (sorry, kids).
• You cannot leave the car unattended. Mega fans sometimes use this as a chance to take selfies, attempt to climb on Morty or harm the vehicle in other ways.
• With the Morty statue adding quite a bit of height, the car needs eight feet of clearance, so be careful with garages and drive-throughs.

Mortymobile launched in Los Angeles last month, and the car is currently on a multi-city tour, with locations and dates TBA. Though it leaves San Diego next Monday, I have a strong suspicion Morty will be making his way back in July 2020 for Comic-Con.

To book the Mortymobile, visit turo.com/en-us/mortymobile.