Summer blogger blues
I haven't really felt like posting much in the last few days. Nothing really exciting going on, except that ....
I had a great deal of fun on Monday after work.
See, the car I currently drive, while adequate for getting me to work and back (for now), is falling apart. While I can't argue with the cost (free), it has many mechanical problems that I've inherited- too costly to fix in my opinion. Of course I'm referring to the 1998 Dodge Neon that my parents gave me. I posted about that a few weeks ago when the beast died, my car day from hell.... This car, even in top shape, will not handle driving in the snow well at all, which is necesary for New England winters. Plus I'm so low to the ground that I feel like I'm driving a skateboard with a lawn mower engine. Not safe at all. I wouldn't last in this car, should I ever get into a serious accident.
SO I went to a local Nissan/Honda/Kia/Used car dealer and test drove two vehicles that I had interest in.
One was the 2006 Nissan Altima, a stylish sedan with a powerful 245hp V6 engine... It was nice BUT I'm not a sedan kind of guy. Perhaps if I was 70 it would be good. But I'm not.
The other vehicle I drove I had my eye on before but absolutely fell in love with it when I was driving it. I had a pretty good idea that I would like it going in but ooooh baby, what a ride!!!
I told the sales guy that when I bought a vehicle, that would be it and that I plan to drive it until I can't drive it anymore. Ideally this vehicle will last me 12-15 years. I was going to buy it this month but decided that I need to get some things in order first. Now my goal is to purchase the vehicle at the end of August.
Now I know people say that you shouldn't buy new because of the immediate depreciation as soon as you drive it off of the dealer's lot. But guess what? I don't care about that AT ALL. I'm not going to buy a vehicle with the intent of selling it. I'll buy it to beat the crap out of it. Plus, I'm 37 and have never bought a brand new car in my life. All of the previous vehicles I've owned were used. I want the opportunity to have a worry free vehicle for once in my life.
What was the vehicle that I drove? I'm not telling... For now.
Now I have something to look forward to - a goal to shoot for.
Now you have another reason to keep coming back to read my blog, because I know that your every breath hangs on what you read here AND because you all love me so much!!! (LOL!!)
What, you DON'T?????????
posted by Tim @ 20:04
14 Comments:
constant: don't worry, I'll post more about it once I purchase the bloody thing.
Plus, deep down inside I AM a brat!!!
You think sedans are only for old people? Well you can't be going for a sports car, what with 2 kids to occasionally transport.
Great - you're going to become another planet destroying SUV driver, because you feel 'safer' up there, aren't you?
By the way - i've found that it's a typical american 'must consume' attitude to think that a car will last tops for 15 years. A sizable percentage of the cars here on the road in oz are much older than that.
or, you could buy a bike.
For less than $1000 you can buy a near top of the line machine that not only costs a lot less to fuel, but keeps you healthy at the same time. And yes, you CAN ride it in the New England winter - I did.
AG: Sedans aren't just for old people...
If I'm going to buy a vehicle and spend a good deal of money on it... I want to be excited about driving it every day for as long as it runs. I didn't get that feeling from driving the Altima.
Don't get me wrong, I'll drive the new vehicle for as long as it runs, until the wheels fall off or I blow the head gasket.... But it's been my personal experience that 15 years is about tops here for the life of a car. Now if the climate were a bit more friendly, like you experience in Oz... then maybe it might last longer than 15.
SUV's are no worse at destroying the planet than any other gasoline burning combustion engine would be. They're all equally as harmful.
And yes, I could buy a bike but as you say, it'd be a bit inconvenient occasionally hauling two kids around on it. A bicycle would be good if I lived in a big city where everything was/is reasonably close together, but I don't. You understand how spread out this area is... or have you been in Oz too long???
When I have more space to store it, I'd love to buy a nice bicycle for excersise and enjoyment. I do enjoy riding a bicycle.
You rode your bike in the winter here because you're a wee bit insane, my friend. Don't deny it...
Honda eh?
dabich: possibly. My parents love their Honda Civics
Civics are good cars. Going hybrid? I am when I buy my next car. I have a 99 mazda with 62k miles on it so I have many years left with the car I have. Nuttin like the smell of a new car! Enjoy!
"SUV's are no worse at destroying the planet than any other gasoline burning combustion engine would be. They're all equally as harmful."
Except that SUVs are worse.
- use more resources to build
- less fuel efficient
- receive subsidies disproportionately higher than smaller cars
- cause more damage when they're involved in an accident (and yes, i think that killing people who would normally only be injured counts as damage, if not strictly environmental)
i could go on, but you get the idea.
what are resources for if not to use them?
fuel efficiency depends on the engine size. some SUV's have 4 cylinder engines and are very fuel efficient. Some have 6 cylinder engines and the larger ones have 8 cylinders. You'd need to do a comparison study to see which burns more gas.
you are generalizing regarding accidents. No two accidents are the same. There are way too many variables to consider to make such a sweeping statement.
And a larger, solidly built vehicle would help to save the lives of it's occupants moreso than a small car would. If I got into an accident in a larger vehicle I'd be more likely to walk away from it than if I got into a similar accident in the small car I'm driving now.
Besides, what do you care if the environment goes down the drain? Once you're dead you won't have to worry about it.
"what are resources for if not to use them?"
There's use and then there's abuse. Any chance you'd like to have your kids still able to breathe the air when they grow up?
"fuel efficiency depends on the engine size."
And just as importantly, on the body size. It takes a lot more fuel to move a larger vehicle. But this is a science thing, so I'm sure you can quote reasons from your bible why it's not true.
"you are generalizing regarding accidents. No two accidents are the same. There are way too many variables to consider to make such a sweeping statement."
Yes, like size of vehicle - oh wait bigger things cause more damage when they crash into other things/people (see comment on basic scientific understanding above)
"And a larger, solidly built vehicle would help to save the lives of it's occupants moreso than a small car would."
And do more damage to those in the other vehicle/on their bike/walking. Trust me on this, i was hit by an SUV on my bike once. Thankfully, he was going at extremely slow speeds (coming up to a stop), so I got off not too badly. A couple more inches and I would have been in his wheel well - which was chest hight as opposed to knee hight as it would have been on a normal car.
"Besides, what do you care if the environment goes down the drain? Once you're dead you won't have to worry about it."
Because I want it to still be here for my kids and future generations. Not like you who figure if you kill enough muslims in lebanon, you'll get a free one way ticket to heaven.
there will still be plenty of air for my kids to breathe when they grow up, despite the presence of SUV's.
Yes, you are correct, more fuel is required to move a larger object. I understand the basic physics involved. And the Bible has nothing whatever to do with it.
So that's why you're so against SUV's... I'm sure your incident with your bike vs. the SUV was pretty scary. But even a small car can do you damage in an accident. Sounds like the driver of the SUV was not being careful. But you can't blame the vehicle for the driver's lack of attention. And I'm sure there are specifics of this incident that you aren't telling...
Bottom line is all parties, cyclists/pedestrians and drivers of any vehicle need to use more caution/common sense- just like that accident we were in at the end of my street in your dad's Chevy Citation. The driver of the van wasn't paying attention.... Do you remember that???
you said in reference to me: "Not like you who figure if you kill enough muslims in lebanon, you'll get a free one way ticket to heaven."
I've never thought, said or believed that. Stop putting words into my mouth.
So, the sox kicked ass today huh?
"there will still be plenty of air for my kids to breathe when they grow up, despite the presence of SUV's."
And you say you have nothing in common with W
"So that's why you're so against SUV's... I'm sure your incident with your bike vs. the SUV was pretty scary."
No, my concern for the health of the planet predates my accident. I will admit that personal experience reinforced my view.
"Bottom line is all parties, cyclists/pedestrians and drivers of any vehicle need to use more caution/common sense- just like that accident we were in at the end of my street in your dad's Chevy Citation. The driver of the van wasn't paying attention.... Do you remember that???"
Yes, i remember that. Do you remember that the van driver hit us at about 60 and spun us around 270 degrees, doing more than a bit of damage to my dad's car? Now, had he been in a smaller car, the force of the impact would have been much less.
"I've never thought, said or believed that. Stop putting words into my mouth."
You on GVD: "I support Israel 100%. Always."
And in context, along with your previous comments about the conflict in the middle east being neccesary to bring about amegeddon, it is quite clear that yes, you really do believe this. Even if you don't want to phrase it as crudely as I did.
yes, even though I don't like W, there are some views we do have in common. Still doesn't change the fact that, in most things, I think W's an idiot.
I know you've always been a conservationist at heart and there's nothing wrong with that.
How could I forget the force of impact from that accident?? I'll carry that memory with me forever. And yes, the force of impact would have been different if it was a smaller vehicle that hit us. IT also would have been different had we been in a larger, heavier vehicle. I also remember the driver of te van climbing out his window and falling on his butt becasue he was drunk/high, throwing away whatever beer and marijuana that was in the van before the police arrived. And I remember that the van had NH tags and did not have insurance, since for some dopey reason here in this state ins. is not required.
"I've never thought, said or believed that. Stop putting words into my mouth."
You on GVD: "I support Israel 100%. Always."
Just becasue I support Israel doesn't mean I support everything they are doing. What, you support Hezbollah??? Such a humanitarian organization Hezbollah is.
Even if this current conflict over in the Middle East never happened, I'd still believe that Armageddon is coming, because it is. There's no avoiding it. But there's many things that will have to happen first before it will. And that's a topic for another post entirely.
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