In response to post from Dan J:
Driving a car is a necessary evil in the U.S. Our government nor the people of our country do not yet have the insight into transportation. Ideally people should ride public transportation to get everywhere in a city and surrounding country side. For further journeys you should have a car. For those other treks you should share as a community transportation vehicle. If a community shared bigger vehicles then you wouldn't need it to drive to work in them etc., but who in the US wants to share. That's absurd:)
However, if I'm going to drive rather than use public transportation, shouldn't it be a guilty pleasure? I will grant you there is nothing alluring about driving a big SUV unless you are serious off roader. However, get behind the wheel of a sport tuned turbo engine and suddenly I yearn to drive. Slicing through curves, aching for the accelerator, feeling the gyrations from the lag. It's enthralling. Almost erotic. Ooh lah lah.
There are many guilty pleasures in life. Most likely I shouldn't drive. I feel guilty when I do it, but if I'm going to do it then shouldn't I do with a pleasurable ride? Maybe maybe not. Most likely I'll get something above 25 mpg if not 30 mpg so don't think I'm crazy.
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2 comments:
As much as I may criticize vehicles and/or driving styles in the US - I do agree that they are necessary for our culture - especially the suburbs.
When I did my co-op from campus I drive ~25 miles by myself each day. There were 12 of us that did the same thing - and we tried carpooling but that wasn't until 5 months in and even then I think there were only 2 people who carpooled. I enjoyed going to work when I was ready and coming home when I wanted - not constrained by the schedule of another person.
Granted a minivan isn't a stylish vehicle or the most economical either - but it's nice having something larger that you can use as a second closet if you live in a dorm.
I do miss having a vehicle - climate control, music, speed, freedom. As much as it makes economic sense to buy a smaller vehicle with less power that's more efficient I'd rather have something larger and more comfortable as well.
I say we all make a compromise and bet an SUV or pickup truck that can carry a smart car. That way wherever you are you can decide between size and economy :)
Joe...the sexual innuendos behind luxury cars are exactly what the advertising agency wants you to think. They have succeeded, someone deserves to get a raise.
I guess the tramway in Lyon handled those curves well also--especially that one driver late at night who was going really fast.
I guess I have what you could call "guilty pleasures", except that I don't feel guilty about them anymore. I have my Qdoba burrito once a week--I know it's bad for me but it's a decision that I have made and accepted. Even alcohol consumption--although it's bad for me, I don't feel guilty about it since it was a conscious decision to go drinking.
The same can be said for cars. You live in a society that demands that you drive. Don't deny yourself that privilege especially when public transportation is horrible. The best you can to is carpool or lobby your government to tax gas by $2/gallon or something like that.
I like Dan's idea of a smart car attached to an SUV, although maybe people should be using motorcycles more, since they get even better gas mileage than a car.
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