I want a plane.
I Bought A Firetruck
71–80 of 284 posts
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
If someone wrote about their experiences travelling the world, would you make a similar criticism? After all, they are flying, which causes a lot of extra carbon emissions. Or is the fire truck particularly bad for some reason?
As a European I don't understand the american fascination with impractically fhuge cars for every day commuting. Okay I get it, you want a big car for that roadtrip or vacation. Understandable, I do too. But for everyday stuff? My hatchback does perfectly fine around town ... hell, it does perfectly well on most vacations and long drives too.
Im a European, well British anyway....
Something occurred to me today regarding Americans and big huge stupid cars... I was watching the NASCAR earlier and there was a throwaway comment about some driver's sponsors being "local". By local they mean 60 miles away. Now to a Brit, maybe other Europeans, 60 miles feels like anything but "local". So, I get the impression that we don't understand the sort of scale of travel there is in the US. Which kinda begins to explain this fascination with big large cars with big lazy engines. These cars fit American geography and scale. I think it also explain what oil seems that bit more important to the Americans.
See, Im pretty sure that if an American came to live in the UK (maybe else where in Europe) and tried to run a big old American car here, it would take about a week before this American when off and bought a little European type car. Equally, Im pretty sure we'd ditch a small Euro type car for a big old American thing is we went to the US.
I too think American cars are a bit silly, but I think they make sense in context. I think American cars will get smaller and more efficient, but I think they will always be designed with those long distances and scales in mind.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a European I don't understand the american fascination with impractically fhuge cars for every day commuting. Okay I get it, you want a big car for that roadtrip or vacation. Understandable, I do too. But for everyday stuff? My hatchback does perfectly fine around town ... hell, it does perfectly well on most vacations and long drives too.
There's no complicated fascination . It is simple. People like big cars because they are spacious, feel safer, provide a higher vantage point, and a host of other reasons. Your hatchback is perfectly fine around town, but it can't tow a boat, and most people don't like to have multiple cars. So, what winds up happening is people buy the most car they think they will need. It's totally overkill driving to work, and pl…
> With the possible exception of people living in old cities whose roads are just too small.
It's more the rule than the exception. European car makers have a specific car category named "City cars", big enough to host 4 to 5 people but as small as possible to be easy to park etc.
Driving, and worse parking, an american sized SUV in europe is very painful. This is why he don't understand.
American cities are modern and built for cars, most big european cities have been built for walkers and horses, so now we got a tons of oneway streets and a general lack of space to park cars.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#74Is there some sort of crazy game of one-upmanship in the USA as to who can drive the most impractical gas guzzler? First it was stretch limos, then Hummers, then Hummer stretch limos. I wonder if we're gonna see stretch limo fire trucks… Edit (since I'm being downvoted): The story is cool, I just find the fact that he's driving it daily to work completely retarded. What the hell I consider driving a car to work to be…
Dude, it is a single firetruck, not a fleet of firetrucks being driven around to pick up groceries. If he were starting a trend, then yes perhaps this would be a-bad-thing. Instead, it's one guy fulfilling a lifelong dream. The gas mileage is going to be terrible and the emissions bad, but it's one firetruck.
Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#75I want a plane.
Something tells me that if you got yourself a plane and then posted about it here, you'd get treated a lot more nicely than the OP.
The world has become a cynical and mean place. The guy bought a freaking working fire engine, and all people can do is whine endlessly about how impractical and wasteful it is...
But yet these same people wouldn't say the same about an aircraft, race car, or similar. Even though those are likely MORE expensive and equally as wasteful fuel wise.
Whatever, you get your plane! And you have fun with it. Ignore all these haters and cynics.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#76Maybe I missed it, but how did he get it shipped to Montana?
flatbed semi
That must have cost more than the actual vehicle? The "sustainable" part of my mind is competing with the "cool project" part.
I'm not sure which is going to win out yet. I wonder how competitive it would have been to send it by rail?
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#77Is there some sort of crazy game of one-upmanship in the USA as to who can drive the most impractical gas guzzler? First it was stretch limos, then Hummers, then Hummer stretch limos. I wonder if we're gonna see stretch limo fire trucks… Edit (since I'm being downvoted): The story is cool, I just find the fact that he's driving it daily to work completely retarded. What the hell I consider driving a car to work to be…
>Is there some sort of crazy game of one-upmanship in the USA as to who can drive the most impractical gas guzzler?
Well, yeah. Seriously though, I didn't get the impression that he drives it every day, and the town that he lives in is tiny. I doubt anyone would. I don't know if he mentions it but I'd estimate the bounds for his fuel mileage to be 4 mpg to 10 mpg.
>What the hell I consider driving a car to work to be hardly justifiable at all in our trade
If you lived in Missoula Montana, I doubt you'd consider a car / truck as optional.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd be pissed to be his neighbor. The firetruck spews dirty exhaust, is unsafe if there are kids running around, and definitely is an eyesore. Even though there's no HOA he is probably running afoul of city or county zoning rules...you shouldn't be able to park large work trucks in residential neighborhoods.
then watch your kids like a parent should
I like living in a place where my kids can play in the front yard without non-stop surveillance. Every parent has had a kid run out of sight in the back yard, a store, or the mall. The idea that jerks like you say things like that every time something bad happens to someone's child really pisses me off.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd be pissed to be his neighbor. The firetruck spews dirty exhaust, is unsafe if there are kids running around, and definitely is an eyesore. Even though there's no HOA he is probably running afoul of city or county zoning rules...you shouldn't be able to park large work trucks in residential neighborhoods.
What makes the truck more unsafe around children than e.g. a Ford Explorer or similar?
A ford explorer can stop on a dime. A fire truck cannot. A fire truck also has a blind spot equivalent to 3 ford explorers.
Re: I Bought A Firetruck
#80Someone got their childhood dream! Mine was shattered when I found out that my dad didn't drive trains (An electrical engineer is apparently not the same thing). Since then, I've ridden on many trains, but I haven't driven one (yet).
We did this http://wplives.org/ral.html with our kids, yes they let you actually drive the locomotive around, it was freakin' awesome!
Wow! ... I live in central PA and we're blessed with quite a few "steam excursions" and there's a local historical rail society too. Unfortunately, none of them allow you to "drive the train".