481–490 of 571 posts
Off topic: That comma in the title really grates on me. It's supposed to be "dramatic pause" or something, but it can also be read as "pause while I check my notes to remember what the name of this thing actually is". Hat tip to Joel Garreau, from whom I stole this reading of that kind of comma.
> I call bullshit, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce, the Citroen C15
But they aren’t even for sale in the US!
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AWD has regulatory advantage in Washington state (you're allowed to go over the mountain passes without snow chains in most conditions, even though a RWD or FWD vehicle with snow tires would be just fine in the same conditions), and Subarus are all AWD. I think that's part of it. When I bought a new car last year, I made sure to get AWD -- not because I have any specific need for AWD performance, but because of this…
FWIW I bought a couple pairs of traction control cables for the Outback, just in case. I don’t know that I’ll ever need them, but better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them. I’ve used them on 2WD vehicles in the past and they’re way easier to install than old-school chains, since they’re self-tensioning. Super Z cables, if anyone is interested.
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It's much easier to load motorcycles pointing forwards, just because you have to get them up a ramp into the bed. In the forward direction, you can use their engine to get up the hill.
It does checkout that people buy bro-dozers to avoid being slightly inconvenienced. Sucke for everyone else who unfortunately have to deal with their rearview mirrors perfectly line up with those headlight beams, unless they also buy a 'dozer.
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Modern cars break down less than older cars -- they are more reliable, not less. They generate more power, with better emissions. They have a wealth of creature comforts and features beyond what 1980s cars had.
The reliability of a vehicle isn't just the frequency of breakdowns. It's the frequency of breakdowns times how fucked you are when it does break down. So the actual math also depends on your means and where you live.
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They’re also vastly safer
* For the driver. Large cars/SUVs are vastly more dangerous for everyone else. Visibility in modern cars is also much worse, regardless of size.
>prove that men who buy SUVs and Pick-Ups are, with very few exceptions, compensating for something ;) What does that mean? The thread just repeating this compensating thing but not sure what does it try to say really. Also most women I know drive SUVs or family vans not compact cars. Are they compensating for something?
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This. I think the entire argument and comparison is a fallacy because you can't just compare vehicles on utilitarian factors when many (most?) people are buying primarily based on fashion/aesthetics. Through my American eyes that C15 is dog shit ugly and I don't even care to read through how it measures up on utility because it's style is already a dealbreaker. Personally-I know I don't need a big truck, and don't ha…
I noticed that people often treat cars as they treat clothes. It's their largest and most expensive costumes. This means that fashion and looks start to play a major role, utility be damned. This also means that relatively minor details, like the exact shape of headlights, become a major stylistic and thus market niche differentiator. I don't think it's a new problem with cars. But it maybe relatively new in the util…
But yes you’re absolutely right, in our car dominated cities people certainly see the car you drive as a fashion choice, a signal of your personality, and social status/net worth so it does get complicated. I like driving nice cars on occasion but am rather modest and practical with my daily driver.
I’m in a social circle with several dads who probably have similar net worths and generally have a lot in common. There’s a lot of chest pounding, bragging, and one upping going on. Not negatively, but in a sense of “you need to try this ridiculously priced thing” (whiskey and wine and travel are all common topics). I tend to be the contrarian of the group (I don’t drink alcohol at all, don’t watch sports, drive a clunker car). Anyway They’ve been all getting Rivian SUVs and geek out on them. Trying to talk me into getting one next. I just can’t see why I want to spend 6 figures on it when other very similar and decent looking alternatives exist for half the price. I don’t find anything it offers interesting enough. However, its overall utility of being a SUV of that size is very appealing to me so I’m not really questioning that part.
I know it's a joke, but if you clip a curb or even a slightly chunky branch at 15mph in one of these EVERYONE DIES (...only partially joking) In a crash it'll fold up like the tin can it is, even against a car of a similar vintage and size (no comment on the cows). Up against even a modern supermini and you're literal mince meat, let alone a modern SUV. At least you won't suffer long. So if you are off roading or on…
In Italy we had similar memes for the (old) Fiat Panda 4x4
Best car on snow ever. Like next one does not come even close.