Mom wants a family sedan and Dad wants a fast car. Put them together and you get a sports sedan with lots of power.
And it is human nature to compare others to our own norms. Everyone does it.
@MikeInNH
Just because you OWN a 270hp family vehicle doesn't mean you're driving like a maniac. You really love to judge people based on very superficial means.So you think all Camry V6 and Lexus Es-350 vehicles are just too much hp for the average family vehicle?
It only takes a one “maniac” to ruin it for the rest of us Mike…
Just because someone owns an AR-15 with a high capacity clip (which I don’t because I have no reason to) doesn’t mean they are going to go shoot up their workplace but people bash those who feel the need to own one because no one NEEDS an ar-15, but many people have the desire to own one…The media has beat this into my head so I have been conditioned to bash things that I don’t see a need for.
two wrongs don t make a right , rick
Mom wants a family sedan and Dad wants a fast car. Put them together and you get a sports sedan with lots of power.
Thats true… the problem is around here people drive like maniacs, racing around cutting you off just to get to the next red light…
We are in a hurry to go wait.
rick, you are sounding like big brother.
It only takes a one "maniac" to ruin it for the rest of us Mike....
So because ONE idiot might drive too fast…that we ALL must suffer the consequences for that one persons action. You want to bring every down to the lowest levels to be on a the same playing field.
My wife in no way drives like a maniac. But you’re now telling me that the Lexus ES-350 shouldn’t be made because some idiot might buy one and drive too fast??? WOW
LOL, Rick, I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m trying to put some perspective on your perception of those who like nice cars. Implying that they’re selfish and akin to alcoholics is a bit over the top, don’t you think?
@TSM, I suppose that the posts are going out of order because @WheresRick has gotten people going this morning. (More effective than coffee!)
I’m popping in only with a gentle reminder that when offering your opinions, frame them in such a way that you don’t put words in other people’s mouths. As we like to say in the social work biz, “keep it on the I,” and don’t name, shame, and blame. (Trying to avert a thread closure, here.)
Implying that they're selfish and akin to alcoholics is a bit over the top, don't you think?
Going down the same analogy with Rick…His view is very very narrow. He judges people on the type of car they drive - weather he sees them driving fast or not. If they own a certain vehicle they are selfish maniacs. It’s no different then judging people by the color of their skin or their religion or race…etc…etc. Judging anyone so narrowly is just plain stupid and wrong.
to be fair, I think rick was saying people s driving style was selfish, not that they were selfish for having the car.
No he’s NOT. He’s judging people on the vehicle they drive because he saw someone with a similar vehicle drive like a maniac.
I have no problem judging how people drive. We all do. But don’t judge people by WHAT they drive.
Well, all I actually need is a small econo car in terms of cargo space and mostly local transportation. But I also need safety. And since even local driving around here requires frequent jaunts on the interstate loop, sharing the road with lots of 18 wheelers and dump trucks hauling gravel from the quarries I choose to own at least a mid-sized car with good acceleration. That said, after 27 years of driving 6 cylinder engines with plenty of low end torque, I’m having to get used to a 4 cylinder again, albeit one with lots more ponies and torque than the '73 Corolla that ran on something like 87 or 89 hp (hamster power). Some folks, like me, also prefer the quieter sound of a more powerful engine along with the acceleration. Besides, in situations where I’m not delaying other drivers, I tend to use hypermiling habits and know from experience that a more powerful engine will actually keep pulling and free wheeling nicely with less foot on the gas than a smaller engine.
As to leaving some space between my front bumper and the car ahead at stop lights, I try to leave just enough room to safely pull out and around if need be which also is a buffer against cars that roll backward, as the area is rather hilly and to pull up close on anyone’s tail at a light or stop sign can easily get one’s front end banged pretty hard.
As to why many prefer faster cars, I noticed that when maximum speed on highways nationwide was limited to 55 mph many people began to be satisfied with slower available acceleration speeds because one could safely merge into highway traffic without quite as hard, fast sprints. But once speed limits were raised considerably higher again, then safety requires engines that allow for faster acceleration just to keep from getting run over by traffic, including big rigs that are barreling along at 70 and 75 mph.
All that said, one disturbing driving trend I’ve noticed becoming more prevalent in recent years is drivers racing up to stop signs and only braking at the last second and only if they can’t successfully run the stop sign without collision. But I see as many small cars driven that way as big vehicles.
@mikeinnh @wesw
Going down the same analogy with Rick....His view is very very narrow. He judges people on the type of car they drive - weather he sees them driving fast or not. If they own a certain vehicle they are selfish maniacs. It's no different then judging people by the color of their skin or their religion or race...etc..etc. Judging anyone so narrowly is just plain stupid and wrong.
I was just drawing a parallel between fast cars and semi automatic assault rifles, I was actually trying to show how ridiculous it is to say a car or gun causes people to kill someone.
Mike, Im not judging anyone by the car they drive, Honestly some of the best careful drivers I have seen on our roadways tend to be driving corvettes for some reason. There are a few bad apples of course but thats any driver.
My wife in no way drives like a maniac. But you're now telling me that the Lexus ES-350 shouldn't be made because some idiot might buy one and drive too fast??? WOW
Mike im sure your wife is a great considerate driver, and most Lexus ES-350 drivers probably are, its just that around here it seems I see so many people flooring their car/truck from a stoplight, just to make it to the next red light which is clearly red, many times exceeding the speedlimit in the process.
The problem is Rude people, not rude cars. Just like guns, alcohol ect… I have shot a friends ar-15 but it didn’t make me get goofy and shoot up some place… If you put me behind the wheel of A 300 HP car i will probably not break the law.
to be fair, I think rick was saying people s driving style was selfish, not that they were selfish for having the car.
Yes!!! thats what i was trying to say. Click and clack have had similar discussions on their show in the past.
@marnet
All that said, one disturbing driving trend I've noticed becoming more prevalent in recent years is drivers racing up to stop signs and only braking at the last second and only if they can't successfully run the stop sign without collision. But I see as many small cars driven that way as big vehicles.
YES!!! I have noticed drives seem to be getting worse and worse, I may have incorrectly blamed these poor driving trends with higher HP vehicles.
I really think drivers were better even 20 years ago, What has changed? Or is it all my perception?
yep rick. I thought your example of guns not being the problem is the same as the car not being the problem, as I and others have said. I m with ben franklin on freedom vs safety
The problem is Rude people, not rude cars.
I suggest you move. And I’m being serious.
You want rude drivers…Come to MA and drive I-93 or I95 (aka 128) during rush-hour traffic. Based on what seems your litter tolerance for other drivers - I’d say you’d commit suicide or kill someone within 2 hours. MA drivers are notoriously rude. A real eye-opener when I moved here from NY. On a typical drive to Boston from NH…I probably have 75-100 cars cut in front of me (and I’m NOT driving slow). I just don’t drive 10" from the car in front of me. Many times…these drivers that cut in front…there’s only 15’ between me and the car in front…but it’s enough room for them to get their front end in…And either I hit them or back off. I’ve yet to drive into Boston where the car behind me is more then 2’ off my bumper…even at the rare moments when were’ doing over 50. Most of the time it’s 10-30 because of all the traffic. People sit in the left lane…and then with less then 1/4 mile from their exit they decide to cut across 4 lanes of traffic. Happens well over 20 times every commute to Boston. I can’t believe your rude drivers come close the typical Masshole driver.
Either live with it or MOVE.
And to complicate Massachusetts driving even more, in some areas the state makes driving on the soft shoulder legal during certain times of day. I always wondered who came up with that idea.
I have to agree with MikeInNH about Massachusetts drivers.
I have lived in the NY/NJ metro area for my entire life, and that region has incredible vehicle density and major traffic problems. However, I have never seen NY or NJ drivers who can compare to those in Massachusetts when it comes to…rudeness…impatience…lack of consideration for others…and recklessness.
And, I have to say that I am puzzled by Rick’s belief that only those who have powerful vehicles drive their vehicles…fast…or dangerously. While a Corolla or Civic or Golf may accelerate more slowly than more powerful cars, once they are up to highway speed, those small cars are just as capable of being driven in a hazardous manner. I still recall driving at ~70 mph on I-287, and being passed (on the shoulder!) by a kid in a rotted-out Civic, who then proceeded to cut-off a car several car lengths in front of me. Somehow, the lack of great power did not prevent him being a real hazard on the road.
By contrast, I have noticed that whenever I see a Corvette on the road, it seems that it is being driven very…sedately, and the same could be said for the Maserati Quattroporte sedans that I see in my area, as well as the Porche Panameras and Cayennes.
I think that Rick is confusing the power of a vehicle with the power of a driver’s self-control, and anyone can suffer from poor self-control on the road, no matter how many or how few “horses” he has under the hood.
And, I have to say that I am puzzled by Rick's belief that only those who have powerful vehicles drive their vehicles...fast...or dangerously.
Good point. A lot of the aggressive drivers I see don’t drive the 270hp Family vehicles…but the BMW, or Miata’s , or the CRV or Civic. When you’re only driving 30mph you don’t need a big V8.