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i agree with the use of "appliance" to describe uninteresting devices intended mainly for transportation, just like there is nothing interesting about a toaster. I don't agree that the people who drive them are sheep. Sheep to me means people who don't think about anything and just accept whatever they are told or what is put in front of them. Those topics can include anything, such as cars, toasters, religion, politics, what speakers to buy, etc. I know exciting, vibrant, accomplished people who drive cars i would never consider driving. They simply do not care about what they drive, just like they don't care about how their toast gets...toasted.
I also don't agree that sheep are likely to be problem drivers. I think that distinction is evenly distributed across all types of drivers. I drove over 800 miles last week for work, and saw every bad driver you can think of. The old woman driving 10 under the limit on a 10 mile stretch of two lane without any passing zones, tapping the brake every 59 feet or if anything moved anywhere close to her. She would crane her neck to see me still behind her...tap tap...a bird flew out of a bush on the side of the road...tap tap...a car three miles ahead hit it's brakes...tap tap...etc. She was driving a corvette with filthy windows and windshield, which i assume did not begin it's life as her property. I saw the mook in a hellaflush altima swerving and racing in and out of traffic to gain one car length over 3 miles. No turn signals, tailgating, and making a lot of noise but not really going anywhere. I was passed on an interstate by some sort of generic midsize sedan going at least 100+ mph. It takes all kinds.
This is directed to you enthusiasts out there. I've been reading a lot of car websites lately. When I get to the comments sections, I see a great deal of derision of people who honestly just want a well-made, decent, reliable vehicle to get where they want to go.
Words like "sheep" and "brainwashed" and "appliance" are thrown around quite a bit, as if being extremely practical and frugal in the choice of a vehicle is a bad thing.
I can respect people who place more value on styling, high-performance and handling, fun-to-drive etc. I get it. I really do.
For me, however, my car is not a love affair. It's a means to an end. I don't need it to give me thrills running up my leg. I just want to have a reasonable assurance that it will work and that I won't spend much time or money in the shop beyond the basic maintenance. Is that such a terrible thing?
Well, your approach is rather like drinking wine directly out of the bottle, and cheap wine at that, just to get drunk. There are things in life that you have to do, just as part of life, that you can choose to infuse with some enjoyment, if you will just pay attention to them.
Yeah, you will be a pariah on car enthusiast websites, just as the guy who grabs a bag from Micky D's for lunch is a pariah on foodie websites.
You will never be able to drive as cheaply as a real car guy does, though, if you don't really learn about cars, and if you are not intersted, you won't really learn it.
My teen years where spent working in the car business and I was actually able to pick a car to drive home or run dealership errands...
One day I would drive a heap the next day the most expensive car on the lot... I really liked the contrast.
A few cars were downright no fun to drive... even if they were reliable... others were fun as long as you didn't have to fill the tank...
Many cars of today exceed the performance of high end sports cars from the past...
Once in a while.. I would drive a car where everything was just right.
One downside of having a "Nice" car is the problem of theft and vandalism... sad, but all too true.
Some iconic cars that I have driven would really be little fun or downright hazardous driving in rush hour stop and go traffic...
I remember driving Shelby Cobras and GT40s... sure were a blast to drive... would never want one for a commuter... the Cobra's didn't even have windows and the clutch would get old very fast stop and go across the Bay Bridge...
Each segment has their place... nothing wrong with a Corolla or expensive import...
A co-worker from Germany visited on vacation... his rental turned out to be a Buick and he was complaining before he even got behind the wheel... at home he had a 5 series BMW with a Stick...
After putting 2,000 miles on the Buick... he actually softened a bit and said it was a good ride for America's wide open highways and slow speeds...
Something I have noticed a lot, and the latest incident was today on my way back from shopping.
Every day I like to drive my classic Tbird somewhere,and today it was to do some shopping.
People of all degrees are intent on looking at this bird, to the point of "rubbernecking", waving, and horn tooting, when they see it.
The people who are admiring my car are just average people who drive average cars.
So, how is it, if these "sheep" as they have been called, who have only an interest in getting from point A to point B, and drive these ho hum vehicles, these are the people looking and admiring my car to the point they seem almost obsessed with it's looks?
If these are A to B people, how come so much interest in a vehicle that is nothing like their basic what ever it is they are driving?
Bob.
I'm one of those people who wave at you. Now that I'm living in Arizona I see more classic cars on the road than I did when I lived back East. I almost always give them a wave or a horn toot. And I always give them a smile. Unfortunately, I'm not living a life with the luxury of time or money or knowledge of automobiles that I could fit a machine like that in my life. Just as I don't own a dog even though I like dogs. I wouldn't be doing the dog any favor because it wouldn't, at present, be appropriate to my lifestyle. But I love to look at other people's dogs and other people's amazing cars. I also enjoy looking at the paintings owned by knowledgeable collectors or the clothes worn by someone who can afford fine couture. So thanks for bringing those things into my line of sight. They're not for me at this point in my life, but I'm glad when they are in the hands of someone who can care for them and appreciate them.
Something I have noticed a lot, and the latest incident was today on my way back from shopping.
Every day I like to drive my classic Tbird somewhere,and today it was to do some shopping.
People of all degrees are intent on looking at this bird, to the point of "rubbernecking", waving, and horn tooting, when they see it.
The people who are admiring my car are just average people who drive average cars.
So, how is it, if these "sheep" as they have been called, who have only an interest in getting from point A to point B, and drive these ho hum vehicles, these are the people looking and admiring my car to the point they seem almost obsessed with it's looks?
If these are A to B people, how come so much interest in a vehicle that is nothing like their basic what ever it is they are driving?
Bob.
i remember when i was probably in high school and vw came out with the new beetle. when i would drive in that with my dad, people would wave and talk to him all the time. it was a lot more fun for them than us. that car sucked to drive and be a passenger in.
Some body has to buy the Chevy Impalas and Toyota Camrys of the word, besides the rental car companys that is. Buy what you want, who cares what any one else thinks or says
Nobody "has" to buy them.
Anyone could buy a sedan that is more fun to drive as an alternative to a Camry or an Accord, but they want reliability and no excitement - aka an appliance. They choose these cars.
I understand free choice and encourage going after what makes you happy, but many "drivers" I know buy their Camrys without test drives - they just check off the options list and get a new one. They don't even look at the market - they are just heads down and a car is an absolute A-B transport for them, nothing more.
SOME cars aren't more prone to mechanical problems because they're geared toward performance. But others are. When you are squeezing absolutely ever ounce of horsepower and torque out of every cc or ci of an engine, you are probably putting undue stress on it. The opposite is also true - which is one of the reasons the old 4-cylinder Volvo engines tended to lumber along for hundreds of thousands of miles.
In on sense, this is true; cars like Accords are considered reliable because they don't (didn't, the latest V6s have plenty) have any power and their drivers were not likely to stress anything other than the brakes. Once Hondas started coming to market with more power, the number of transmission failures among them skyrocketed, for example.
In another sense, performance cars come with upgraded components to handle those stresses. Their drivers are more likely to push the car to its limits however, which is why they need more maintenance - they get more use.
Something I have noticed a lot, and the latest incident was today on my way back from shopping.
Every day I like to drive my classic Tbird somewhere,and today it was to do some shopping.
People of all degrees are intent on looking at this bird, to the point of "rubbernecking", waving, and horn tooting, when they see it.
The people who are admiring my car are just average people who drive average cars.
So, how is it, if these "sheep" as they have been called, who have only an interest in getting from point A to point B, and drive these ho hum vehicles, these are the people looking and admiring my car to the point they seem almost obsessed with it's looks?
If these are A to B people, how come so much interest in a vehicle that is nothing like their basic what ever it is they are driving?
Bob.
I think the difference is in the fact that they made the choice not to drive a rewarding vehicle like the TBird. They love it, admire it, possibly lust after it and driving one, but at the end of the day, they go back to their beige car with the extra cup holders.
I run into these people daily as well. They compliment me on what I'm driving/riding, and I always tell them they could get something like it of their own, but they usually have an excuse that they use to hold themselves back.
After putting 2,000 miles on the Buick... he actually softened a bit and said it was a good ride for America's wide open highways and slow speeds...
America's highways - built with a lack of imagination that infected and killed car culture in a few ways. Why go around a hill when you can just go through it?
Cars are meant to be used to get from point A to point B. That's what we ALL have cars for. The difference between enthusiasts and the general public is that enthusiasts want to be excited while doing it, not bored to death behind the wheel.
That's a very literal argument. Sometimes its about the drive, not the destination. Sometimes there is no point B.
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