Prius fatality rate is half of national average–

[svelte]

[quote=briansd1]Don’t you guys thing that there’s something wrong with our culture where we so identify with what we drive?

Would you date someone who drives a beater?
Do you think that you would get a desirable date if if you drove a beater?[/quote]

Look, one of my father’s favorite stories is how I would line up matchbox/hot wheels on the couch when I still wore diapers…I have been a car nut since before I could talk.

I drive nice cars because *I* love cars. I don’t give a rat’s arse if you like them, if you like my car, if you think I’m better or worse for liking cars, or if you think I’m better or worse for the car I drive. I really don’t.

It brings me great pleasure to drive cars. And I want my cars to be spectacular because it makes me happy…I love walking out and sticking the key in the door of a hot machine. To strap myself in. To hear the engine come to life in a symphony of synchronized sound. That brings a smile to my face.

Yes, I’m the guy who parks at the farthest spot from the front door of the store. I’m the guy who won’t take certain cars out in the rain. And I’m also the guy who will take my worst car to an event just cuz I don’t trust the others going there not to ding it.

My wife drove a beater when we started dating. Obviously I didn’t care what she drove. The only thing that was important to me was that she took care of her car (she did) and that she liked cars (she does).

What I’m not too crazy about, quite frankly, are people who look down their nose at people who like cars.

[Coronita]

[quote=svelte][quote=briansd1]Don’t you guys thing that there’s something wrong with our culture where we so identify with what we drive?

Would you date someone who drives a beater?
Do you think that you would get a desirable date if if you drove a beater?[/quote]

Look, one of my father’s favorite stories is how I would line up matchbox/hot wheels on the couch when I still wore diapers…I have been a car nut since before I could talk.

I drive nice cars because *I* love cars. I don’t give a rat’s arse if you like them, if you like my car, if you think I’m better or worse for liking cars, or if you think I’m better or worse for the car I drive. I really don’t.

It brings me great pleasure to drive cars. And I want my cars to be spectacular because it makes me happy…I love walking out and sticking the key in the door of a hot machine. To strap myself in. To hear the engine come to life in a symphony of synchronized sound. That brings a smile to my face.

Yes, I’m the guy who parks at the farthest spot from the front door of the store. I’m the guy who won’t take certain cars out in the rain. And I’m also the guy who will take my worst car to an event just cuz I don’t trust the others going there not to ding it.

My wife drove a beater when we started dating. Obviously I didn’t care what she drove. The only thing that was important to me was that she took care of her car (she did) and that she liked cars (she does).

What I’m not too crazy about, quite frankly, are people who look down their nose at people who like cars.[/quote]

Yeah, I’m an equal opportunity car hoar…
One of the neighbors of my parents have an old shelby… Damn nice….That reminds me. Me really wants one of these.

650hp in stock form… That’s just unreal…

Only problem is mostly likely, I’d wrap one around a tree the first day 🙁

The front just looks menacing…Pure and sick (in a good way)….

(I’d take one without the ricey racing stripes though)…

[briansd1]

[quote=svelte] What I’m not too crazy about, quite frankly, are people who look down their nose at people who like cars.[/quote]

I don’t mind that some people like cars. But that’s a niche segment.

Transportation policy should be based on providing the best, cheapest transport for everyone.

Who cares if certain policies limit the choice of cars for people who love cars? In the big scheme of things, they don’t matter.

Imagine if everyone (like 90%) drove Prius type cars how much oil we’d save. I’d say that the greater good is more important.

[scaredyclassic]

Well, I just don’t like cars. I guess I can understand why people like cars, but I dislike cars. They seem like a good idea that just went too far.

[an]

[quote=briansd1]Imagine if everyone (like 90%) drove Prius type cars how much oil we’d save. I’d say that the greater good is more important.[/quote]
Imagine if 90% of people walk or ride bikes like in 3rd world countries. How much oil we’d save? I’d say that’d definitely be more beneficial for the greater good than any Hybrid will ever be. Lets also put a requirement in there, where each person can only acquire 300 sq-ft of living space max. Anymore and you’d have to pay a steep fine. That would save a lot of energy too, since you don’t have to spend so much money on heating and cooling a small house/condo.

[sdrealtor]

We should skip every other breathe too.

Brian
For someone so liberal and democrat you have an awful lot to say about how people should live their lives. Get off your donkey

[temeculaguy]

I like to think of life like a bike ride. The first half is all up hill. While you are working hard to get up the hill you think everyone else should work just as hard as you, that the hard part is the good part, that your body will benefit from the exercise.

Then somewhere around 40 when you get to the top of the hill, give or take a few years, you change your perspective. Maybe it’s a few friends your age getting sick, maybe you go to one too many funerals, maybe it’s that every day you look in the mirror or try to play a sport you used to excel at and realize your body is slowly decaying, but it’s something. It makes you realize you are on the back 9 of life. It’s then you decide that you aren’t going to pedal anymore, you are going to coast downhill and enjoy the ride.

Like others, I’ve always been a car guy, even when I had very little money, I shined my beater up real good. I actually was confused by the person with the awesome car that was dirty and had signs of misuse. The guy who orders the best wine in the place and is chewing gum while he’s drinking it, or the guy with the hottest woman on his arm and he never looks at her. I thought to myself “I’ll be different when my day comes” and I wasn’t. It took time to appreciate things, to truly feel content.

So yes, some of us are at the crest of the hill, we’ve decided it’s not worth it to try and win the race, in fact it’s not a race at all. So were at the top, stopped, admiring the view and we’ve decided we have enough to get us the rest of the way. So we are going to do whatever we have a passion for, be it cars, wine, sports or women (or in my case, all of the above). And I’m done pedaling, I’m done judging, I’m done worrying about what others think (well put svelte) and I’m certainly done with worrying about energy policy and what other people drive. You change the world, I already did, now I’m going to enjoy it.

p.s. brian, I have a solution to help you gain wisdom quickly and it may pay dividends to your love life as well. Find a woman who is everything you dislike, for example and uneducated woman who drives a monster truck, lives in a trailer or was raised in one, eats processed food and smokes. Even better if she’s a little chunky, since you dislike fat people. Someone without a passport, who dislikes other countries and cities. She votes republican, has tattoos and I’m thinking at least one illegitimate kid as well. Then look past it all, find out who she is inside, give her an honest chance and fall madly in love with her. You might just find she’s a better person and loves you more than any woman you have ever met, especially those who are just like you. No matter what happens, even if it ends badly, you’ll be better person for it. You”l learn you can appreciate someone without changing them. You will get a ten year fast forward in your journey and learn that everything you used to think about people was wrong. You will reach that conclusion eventually but it will take many friends, girlfriends and experiences to get there, this will just speed up the process. Trust me.

[scaredyclassic]

Except literally the uphill struggle is the good part. I think. I mean, I like riding bikes up steep hills andvi dislike ridingcactual bikes downhill. In fact I dislike the downhill. I don’t mind a small rolling hill but I don’t like fast downhills.

Been reading a book on the history of stone lifting.

Long history, very short book.

Basically in many cultures you had to pick up a really big rock to be considered a man.

Maybe that would simplify things.

Definitely need a good grip for some of those rocks as they are not conveniently shaped.

[scaredyclassic]

I read recently that walking speed and grip strength predict dementia. So ya gotta keep moving and hold on tight or you might be losing it.

[svelte]

TG, you really are a wise man.

I think part of the reason I can see both sides of most topics is because I’ve lived several years in many different areas of the country.

I’ve lived smack dab in redneck territory, so I sometimes enjoy a live country band and a beer at a honky tonk full of actual cowboys (not city imitations) reeking of leather, Skoal and sweat. (my wife doesn’t comprehend this, btw)

I’ve lived in urban areas so I have a blast at parties with flocks of emos…share a laugh and a Metrosexual (banana liqueur, Bacardi, and Mount Gay rum) with them and their Djarum smoking gfs. It’s all good!

And actually, some limits on cars are a good thing. No, I don’t want to see V8s go away (that’s all I own), but a rise in the fuel economy standards (within reason) isn’t a bad thing. I mean, I want my power but I don’t mind getting better MPG at all.

One of the best things to come out of higher MPG standards? 6 and 8 speed transmissions! I used to wonder why cars had 3 and 4 speeds only…now I know…companies just didn’t want the additional expense of adding more gears. Now that they are here, I love’em!

I even agree that cars have really taken over life more than I would like. Roadways, parking lots, etc, eat up a hefty chunk of our cities but it’s getting better. They’ve learned to hide parking garages and have more walking areas in neighborhoods – I like that. I love my cars…but most of the time I like to be around people in people-oriented surroundings.

It would be boring if we all liked the same thing. I’m glad not everyone is a car fan. Just don’t try to outlaw my hobby. 🙂

[briansd1]

[quote=temeculaguy]Find a woman who is everything you dislike, for example and uneducated woman who drives a monster truck, lives in a trailer or was raised in one, eats processed food and smokes. Even better if she’s a little chunky, since you dislike fat people. Someone without a passport, who dislikes other countries and cities. She votes republican, has tattoos and I’m thinking at least one illegitimate kid as well. Then look past it all, find out who she is inside, give her an honest chance and fall madly in love with her. [/quote]

Look past it all, are you kiddin’ me?

I go by 3 strikes and you’re out. You’ve listed many more than 3 negatives.

[briansd1]

[quote=svelte]TG, you really are a wise man.

I think part of the reason I can see both sides of most topics is because I’ve lived several years in many different areas of the country.

I’ve lived smack dab in redneck territory, so I sometimes enjoy a live country band and a beer at a honky tonk full of actual cowboys (not city imitations) reeking of leather, Skoal and sweat. (my wife doesn’t comprehend this, btw)

I’ve lived in urban areas so I have a blast at parties with flocks of emos and share a laugh and a Metrosexual (banana liqueur, Bacardi, and Mount Gay rum) with them and their Djarum smoking gfs. It’s all good!

And actually, some limits on cars are a good thing. No, I don’t want to see V8s go away (that’s all I own), but a raise in the fuel economy standards (within reason) isn’t a bad thing. I mean, I want my power but I don’t mind it getting better MPG at all.

One of the best things to come out of higher MPG standards? 6 and 8 speed transmissions! I used to wonder why cars had 3 and 4 speeds only…now I know…companies just didn’t want the additional expense of adding more gears. Now that they are here, I love’em![/quote]

Actually, svelte, I feel pretty much the same way you do.

I don’t mind Rednecks and country culture. They are nice people. What I do mind is the anti-intellectualism, anti-technology, anti-innovation, anti-change mindset in some quarters.

People can drive whatever they want, but we should give credit to Toyota and Prius buyers for being market leaders and helping develop a new category of fuel efficient cars.

[quote=AN]
Imagine if 90% of people walk or ride bikes like in 3rd world countries. How much oil we’d save? I’d say that’d definitely be more beneficial for the greater good than any Hybrid will ever be. Lets also put a requirement in there, where each person can only acquire 300 sq-ft of living space max. Anymore and you’d have to pay a steep fine. That would save a lot of energy too, since you don’t have to spend so much money on heating and cooling a small house/condo.[/quote]

AN, people can drive all the sports cars they want. I drive a BMW myself, but I try to look at issues detached from my own situation.

Most people buy cars for comfortable transportation. They buy what’s available. So more fuel efficient options would be good for all of us. Think about it… if 90% of people use less fuel, there’d be more fuel for you to waste on your big engines, and more fuel for generations of auto enthusiasts to come.

It’s not about limiting consumption, it’s about using innovation to improve our way of life.

If we have more fuel efficient cars and modern well insulated houses, we would all live better while consuming the same or less resources.

People who drive Prius, eat organic food, tend veggie garden, people who value science and education should be admired, not denigrated.

[scaredyclassic]

I saved sime gas weeding for an hour in the rain with a hoe.

I did it for grip improvement not gas savings. So many weeds.

The only requirement I had for a wife was short, smart and cute.

[svelte]

Hybrid’s Unlikely Rival: Plain Old Cars

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-02-23/hybrids-unlikely-rival-plain-old-cars

[quote=briansd1]
People who drive Prius, eat organic food, tend veggie garden, people who value science and education should be admired, not denigrated.[/quote]

The Efficiency Paradox: Drving a Prius is wrong, and other inconvenient truths:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-02-09/book-review-em-the-conundrum-em-by-david-owen

It doesn’t take long for him to establish the Prius Fallacy: “a belief that switching to an ostensibly more efficient travel mode turns mobility itself into an environmental positive.” Owen cites statistics showing that as government officials have moved to increase automobile fuel efficiency, our gas consumption has gone up, not down. We simply drive more miles as a species. He also disses HOV lanes, traffic-control systems, and even smartphone apps for finding a parking spot as “counterproductive from an environmental point of view because they make drivers even happier with cars than they were already.”

I think we proved earlier in this thread that Prius driver *do* drive more…by about 40 miles/week.

This same phenomena can be seen in Christmas lights. A few decades ago when huge, power hungry bulbs were strung along the fronts of houses, people only put up 100 or so lights. Now, with ultra efficient LEDs, people have switched to icycle lights and now string up 1000 more more on a regular basis!

[briansd1]

[quote=svelte]Hybrid’s Unlikely Rival: Plain Old Cars
[/quote]
I don’t disagree. That’s why I wanted to buy a NGV Civic which is basically a conventional engine modified for natural gas.

The competition to creating more fuel efficient cars is good.

And so what is Prius owners are smug and and feel “superior” for driving their cars? Don’t you think that BMW, Ferrari, even Ford F350 drivers feel smug in some ways also?

In our culture, people identify with their cars. Better a Prius than a gas guzzler.

[quote=svelte]
This same phenomena can be seen in Christmas lights. A few decades ago when huge, power hungry bulbs were strung along the fronts of houses, people only put up 100 or so lights. Now, with ultra efficient LEDs, people have switched to icycle lights and now string up 1000 more more on a regular basis![/quote]

The same goes for central air conditioning. At one point only movie theaters and department stores had AC. Now everyone has it and classrooms can’t function without it.

The point it to use technology to improve our standard of living, while limiting the waste of resources.

[Author]

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