Work by Ron Cobb
this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2024
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Fuck Cars
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While I can afford it, I intentionally have the smallest, most efficient vehicle I can possibly get away with owning while still meeting my mandatory social requirement of having a vehicle.
Due to a lack of public transportation, it is required. There’s no other practical means I can use to do the 45 minute commute to work, short of perhaps buying a motorcycle which puts me at risk due to the predominance of huge SUVs. I’ve considered an E bike, but we don’t even have sidewalks on this route.
I just can’t swallow investing in something that either sits outside or sits in traffic. I don’t use half of what that little four banger is capable of.
I always wondered that. Like why have 400 hpwr if there is no opportunity to use it.
Fast cars are fun to drive (if you are blissfully ignorant of how dangerous speeding is), but knowing what I know now, it is scary how easy it is to drive a fast car recklessly. I don't have a source at hand, but I'd bet money that high HP cars kill children and pedestrians at higher rates than small eco cars do.
They are fun to drive! However, you really need to have room for it IMHO like some open or back roads to drive on. If you don’t live near many of those then that’s definitely something to consider. Getting to the bumper of the car in front of me faster is less interesting.
And trucks are just fast cars with worse handling and braking, and worse outcomes for bystanders in accidents.
People don't buy these cars and worry about the fact that it's parked in the driveway or that it's stuck in traffic during the week.
It's bought because it's something they want and they enjoy owning, and because they can fully utilize the power in the evenings or weekends.
Just enjoy your life, buy what you want. Stop worrying about how much it gets used.
First two sentences sound very much like an advertisement.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Spend your money where it makes you happy. I’d feel more sympathetic if I didn’t feel compelled to own one when it’s not something that brings me joy.
I kind of think of it like owning a high-end smartphone. Practically speaking maybe it doesn’t make as much difference as a more cost-effective option, but if it makes you happy, by all means. Life is short. But I can still just manage to get by without a smart phone these days if I wanted to do that. I can’t say the same for a vehicle.
i thought they bought these cars to compensate for erectile dysfunction 🤷
Lmao, no.
People do enjoy fast vehicles. It's fun.
Still, the culture surrounding spending so much of your money on a depreciating asset just to have fun or maintain appearances is crazy.
Americans are spending $1000/month for 6+ years to drive a car that mostly sits in driveways, parking lots, and traffic.
That's why I keep advising people to buy used, and to be able to pay for any expensive toy fully in cash. It saves so much depreciation money, and causes you to not go into debt over an expensive toy.
Most of enjoyment in life is spent around depreciating items that you’ll get no return on: food, entertainment, travel. If you don’t spend your money on enjoyment and focus only on return, what have you done with your life?
Made trillions.
Kidding aside, if the item wasn’t such a significant chunk of one’s earnings and also wasn’t on the never ending purchase cycle perpetuated by advertising and culture I’d feel differently.
Buy a nice car that fits your budget and provides satisfaction. Keep it for long enough that it doesn’t impact your family’s financial stability.
You also are under the assumption that the people who constantly buy new cars can’t afford it. For me, it brings enjoyment (something that is not tangible). I also can afford to buy a new car every few years. I view it as something I take pleasure in similar to eating or traveling.
The other perk about me doing that, is since I eat the depreciation, when I turn it in, someone can buy it for cheaper and drive it until the wheels fall off if they want.
when your personality is wrapped up in polluting the only ecosystem we have, when we know that pollution is going to harm our kids (it's already fucked up the atmosphere and ocean mightily), you'll pardon me if I despise your choices. There are so many ways to find fun, but nope, gotta burn gas fast vrooom vrooom. Such a petty load of garbage for your enjoyment. Pfft.
We have one atmosphere, grow up.
And yet people get so bent out of shape when I point out that most cars are nothing more than expensive toys for adults.
Nothing inherently wrong with expensive toys for adults. Not my cup of tea, but still.
nothing wrong?
what planet do you live on, where pollution isn't a problem, where they have a clean ocean that's not so acidic shellfish can't form their fucking shells?
please, tell me there's nothing wrong with stealing your enjoyment from the mouths of future generations?
pfft
Agreed, nothing inherently wrong with expensive toys for adults. For instance, I have a sailboat. I just don't insist that everybody structure their lives and build their world around it.
Not inherently, but the way people drive? Some people definitely treat driving like a literal toy or a video game, and have no respect for how easily you can kill someone. I can't help but feel like this is a result of american car culture (speaking from an obv american perspective , since the world obv revolves around us /s)
But they don't race them on a track like someone who actually loves speed. They use them as status symbols to flex on the poors.
I thought that was the coal rolling mega trucks the US has? At least I can see past a sea of mustangs or any other sports/muscle car.