And I hate their blue-rich eye searing headlights to.
Some of the Nissan options look appealing.
Stop buying bigger and bigger cars.
I drive a station wagon because I need to fit two dogs in the booth plus and entire family in the same car. But this is a transitory need. At some point I’ll either get a small van, for carrying the dogs, or a small hatchback and have the backseats always folded down.
You should buy according to your true needs not market pressure.
As someone with one forward facing and two rear facing kids right now - this is so frustrating. I feel like there are so few vehicles that can hold them without busting at the seams and even our minivan makes it hard with getting kids hooked in if they are in the very back.
I can’t wait until they are all forward facing and I can open up what cars we can have.
" everyone should do thing!
But not me, I have a particular circumstance that means I need to exempt myself from the logic!
I plan to stop in the future but for now am certain!
"
Everyone buying these cars has some reason that matters to them. They all believe they need it.
Myself included (similar reason, dogs, kids, family out of state that we need to help often), but I have no illusions that I took the dirty way.
The key words here are “matters” and “need”.
I bought the car I have today because driving my small 4 door hatchback was no longer a feaseable endeavour when wanting to move the entire family all at once. It was an objective need, not something it mattered.
You can reply I didn’t need to get a family or the dogs. You’re right. But that actually mattered to me, regardless if it was an objective need.
As I said, I’m in the same spot.
My point is that 99.9% of large car owners have what to them seems like an objective need. Humans are super good at justifying our actions, especially to ourselves
I don’t even consider a station wagon a big car anymore. And I bet the vast majority of station wagon owners actually need the space. No shot the average SUV owner needs the weight for anything other than to feel “safe” in their tank.
I think shifting baselines is a real issue with car bloat. It should be going the other way where a Focus is seen as a mid-size and the like of the Fiesta a compact rather then sub-compact.
Or buy whatever the fuck you want, because why not make one part of your miserable life slightly more pleasurable by driving something that makes you smile. In the US, 99% of us need a vehicle to commute because we don’t have access to decent public transportation, so why not drive something you enjoy? Do I need a 500hp Mustang to get me to work and back? Hell no, but it sure does turn that commute into a few precious moments of happiness before I start the 9-5 grind.
Does it actually add that much to your life?
There’s a big external cost, but if you spend your weekend taking it to car shows or working on it, then I get it - some people play MMO games just for the fishing minigame. If having a mustang is a big part of your reason for being, fine. Mine is to build things for the sake of learning how to build them… Does the world need an AI agent specifically made to be have a strong personality? Not really, most people aren’t even ready for that so I’m not planning on releasing it publicly. But I’m burning the time and resources to make her, because the act of creation brings me joy
If it’s for your quality of life… Say, your job is to drive around all day, and mustangs strangely have seats that keep you from having back pain… Fine, that job shouldn’t exist but we have the system we have, and I can’t blame someone for minimizing their suffering
But really ask yourself - is this actually something that makes your life better? Or does it just fit the idea you have of success created from a lifetime of exposure to marketing?
If that’s the case, I’m sure you felt joy in buying it, and you feel like it’s a sign of social status… But that attitude is poison. It’s like burning a forest because causing destruction helps soothe the anger you have at a world that sucks because of the lack of green spaces… Sure it might soothe your suffering a bit, but it’s ultimately hurting humanity in aggregate far more than it helps you. And what’s worse, is it feeds the system that caused the suffering you seek to soothe
If you could truly enjoy it. Stuck in traffic, a Mustang is little more than eye candy and ego soothing.
You could also change your life in a way that sitting in traffic is not your day’s highlight, but you do you
Yeah because moving is so viable and affordable for everyone these days. It’s not like there’s a housing crisis with massive inflation.
Oh I forgot I’m in fuckcars, aka one of the most delusional places on the internet.
That’s a very privileged take.
That’s a very privileged take.
I am the world’s last sedan enjoyer.
There are like 2 station wagons on the US market. I’d love one, but I’m not into VWs and the Volvo PHEV wagon is only available as a $75,000 performance wagon and no one makes an EV wagon.
The Kia Niro and the Hyundai Kona are both basically station wagons and they have EV models.
Not really, they’re closer to hatchbacks. I also won’t trust Kia anymore. They got better for a while and then suddenly got much worse.
I hardly ever see a real station wagon in the US anymore. For whatever reason they just stopped selling them here.
You don’t have access to Stellantis FIAT line? The Doblo and Scudo (short chassis model) are pretty affordable and decently compact.
Nope
The Audi A6, Mercedes E class and VW Passat are available I believe. I have seen A6es and E classes in the USA.
The Passat is discontinued in the US and I don’t think they ever had a wagon version of it here. Not recently at least.
The newest Passats I’ve seen in Canada are mk5s I think (2005-2010 or something like that). Most common is the previous gens, which is not common at all.
It’s much, much easier to find and afford a small SUV/crossover than a station wagon body style in North America.
I hate to break it to you, but small to medium SUVs replaced station wagons, just taller. According to my insurance company, my “SUV” is a station wagon
Gross. People don’t need trucks.
Scooters and bicycles are the personal commuter vehicles for most of the world. Otherwise, ride a train or bus!
What? Why’s that?
Some people do, but it’s a dead giveaway when a truck bed is so small it can’t hold a sheet of plywood, AND the truck is super clean AND it doesn’t have any dents and scratches.
At that point it’s obviously not being used for what it was originally designed for.
Because you don’t need a truck to get eggs at Save On Foods, Susan
That’s true, but you need a truck to haul things. There are TONS of reasons to own a truck
99% of people would be better served by getting their stuff delivered or renting a truck the two days a year they need to haul stuff.
The majority of the pickups we see today in the streets are status symbols driven by insecure people, as evidenced by the truck bed not having a single scratch.
Scratches are not indicative of use. I’ll definitely be getting a truck in the future, it’s nice to be able to haul things, take canoes / kayaks out, have more room for our family trips we take many times a year where a small SUV barely cuts it. We’ve had to take two cars places before so yes a truck would be really nice.
Sounds like you need a minivan.
Lol
Superzied sounds pretty sweet
Its a funny word and inspires the idea that its better than all the other things
I want to superzie those fries plz. EPIC DECISION SIR
Unless you work in construction, or have a similar need for a pickup, fuck you for buying one.
Here’s a fun anecdote: I live in California, where these vehicles are (mostly) limited to those who need them. In 2018, I visited family in the midwest. We played a game of counting the pickups while walking a short trip from a hotel to a chain outlet. We hit 99 pickups by the time we got to the doors. I was irritated that we got to 99 and not 100 cause that would have been so awesome, but seriously. 99?! In just several minutes. People drive them for fashion, not for practical need.
Every pickup driver that doesn’t “need” a pickup is my enemy.
People think the shape of a truck somehow works better in the snow
,
If it’s rwd only like most used to be, it’s fucking horrible in the snow. So now they have to make most 4wd.
FWD car in the snow works perfectly well, as long as we’re not talking like a foot of fresh snow.
A bunch of people started buying larger vehicles for “safety” reasons, believing that if they were in a larger vehicle, they’d fair better in an accident. I’ve heard people say their spouse isn’t a great driver, so they wanted to get them something bigger that they’d be safer in. Which only makes the rest of us more unsafe. My personal wish is that we would require a separate license for today’s bigger trucks and large SUVs similar to what we have for motorcycles, but require an annual test to keep the license. Make it just enough hassle to keep the license, so people without a real need start to question if it’s worth the effort.
I would heartily embrace tiered licensing for vehicle weight or general size.
,
My brother had a huge truck for a while. Strangely, this size actually affected his driving. All the sudden he felt justified cutting the half-mile long line to get onto the highway and cut in at the last second. “Might is right” he said. “They always let me in because they are scared of this truck.”
Ugh. I hope this isn’t typical but I feel like it is. I told him that was awful and he just shrugged.
Even then, a van is often better and more convenient, depending on the trade.
How do you know what people need? Also, who are you tell people what they need? You don’t need to be in construction to get a truck. They are the best selling because they are the most versatile. You don’t need different vehicles for different situations.
How do you know what people need?
I know they don’t need a truck bed when it doesn’t have a scratch on it because they are not using it. I don’t know what they need, but a truck is clearly not fit for purpose in that case.
I judge people by how clean their truck bed is
I know plenty of people that have and use trucks that don’t have scratched beds, they take care of stuff.
they don’t make anything else.
TIL cars like Honda Civic and Toyota Prius stopped existing
It’s going to be a shock to all the fiat 500, vauxhall corsa and ford Ka owners!
Yeah, I did a double-take on the headline and point of the article, seeing the Civic as the first on the list.
I’m not sure I agree with most, but I’m not counting: certainly they have a point.
I live in a part of the US where big cars are less common, but I’m truly amazed at the number of people driving full sized pickups as a regular car. I mean, I also think they would be useful a couple times a year but they look damn inconvenient every other day.
Just yesterday, I was walking around our town center with my kid, and we had a bit of a debate about whether a certain truck was parked on the sidewalk, or if there was a valid parking spot it was too big for and too poorly parked
You drive glorified tanks or you dont get on the free(dom) (high)ways.
last time I filled my jeep, gas was around $2.00/gal and pickups were just starting the dino-grill trend. 2020. model 3 is the quickest car I ever owned. sticker shock is real but would have been making payments anyway. still have a gas mower but looking at a robot fix for that chore. sux to be u
Can you name the truck with four wheel drive, smells like a steak and seats 45? Canyonero! (Yahhh) Canyonero.
Twenty feet long and two lanes wide! Fifteen tons of American pride!
I saw a truck with regular old halogens the other day and it still seared my retinas. Fucking hate how tall every vehicle is now.
Those blue headlights you hate are cheap aftermarket lights, not the stock lights that come in cars.
No I hate the stock ones too
Now? Ford F truck is the best selling vehicle in the US for decades! It’s not now.
Hasn’t it gotten bigger over time?
Yeah the F150 is almost half again as heavy as it used to be.
No
Curb weight base f150 in 2000 was like 3900, 2020 was 4700. Nowhere near 6000lbs as far as I can find. Bigger? Absolutely. Heavier? Not by that much.
You forgot to account for the increase in typical driver weight.
“Better the other person die than me/my family.”
An honest response I’ve gotten when I ask why someone needs a big car.
While we’re all bitching about this, is there anything I can do as someone with astigmatism to make driving at night less dangerous besides buying a higher car? I like my small car but it’s beginning to feel like a legitimate safety problem when I drive at night.
Do we seriously not know to flip the rear view mirror switch at night?!?
It’s the oncoming lights that are frequently a problem, as well as the headlight angle creating glare in the road, depending on conditions.
My wife has glasses for if she has to drive at night, but getting a taller car has helped far more.
They make glasses lenses and contact specific for astigmatism. I’ve got the same problem and have been looking into it. I have found that polarized clear lenses on a non prescription pair of glasses is somewhat helpful.
It’s blowing my mind that you guys don’t get the polarized lenses by default. Your glasses are going to be expensive but so is getting put in traction because you got blinded by an asshole with a micropenis.
you got blinded by an asshole with a micropenis.
Kind reminder to please stop denigrating people for factors outside of their control, such as skin color, sexual orientation or size of their genitals.
An antisocial asshole is a problem because of what they do, not the size of their penis.
I think it’s less about the size of one’s genitals, and more the need to compensate for them with material possessions. Just own your shit!
Small pp gang triggered
What does the height of your car have to do with it? I have astigmatism and lights can be annoying sometimes but I drive a Civic and never really felt like it was a safety issue.
Headlights shining directly into the windshield. Vehicles overall are getting taller so more often than not now if you drive a shorter vehicle the headlights will be shining directly into your eyes. Not saying getting a taller vehicle is the solution but I’m pretty sure that’s what OP was getting at.
Fuel economy laws. SUVs are able to be shittier than cars, so companies make more SUVs, because it’s easier to pass the various tests.
Then on the cultural side, once there were a certain number of SUVs on the road it became difficult for people in normal cars to see what was going on. Everyone talked about wanting to be up higher when they drive, to see what’s going on ahead of them. The net result is now no one can see anything. People also view big as safe. Most people don’t want to risk getting in an accident with a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with a Smart car… the Wagoneer is fucking huge. There is also a status aspect to it. Most small cars are budget cars.
There was also a huge hatchback stigma, and minivan stigma in the US. So when people wanted more space, the SUV was there to give them extra space without being a loser in a hatchback or soccer mom in a minivan. (these were the stigmas, not my belief, I have driven hatchbacks for years and I think most SUV owners who think they need the space would do just fine with a hatchback or minivan).
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