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Heavy car dependency is making American lives less satisfying, study shows
(www.motherjones.com)
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this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2024
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I could ride a horse, but my truck gets me where I want to go much faster, and I can haul 12000lbs of trailer with it or put 2000lbs of stuff in the bed. Really doesn't get more satisfying than that, short of having a personal helicopter.
That isn't the typical use of a car and you know it.
Maybe other people should expand their horizons and do more, instead of just doing the bare minimum with their life.
I did that by doing an ebike conversation.
Our species has existed for hundreds of thousands of years, give or take a bit. Looking back from the year 2100 and possibly a few decades earlier, it will be noted that for just a few generations -- for an almost vanishingly brief fraction of our species' lifespan -- it was temporarily normal and unremarkable for one person to be able to haul thousands of pounds of stuff around whenever they pleased. And then we will be right back where we started, able to carry what we can carry on our backs and sometimes make use of a draft animal, and if we're lucky a cart or a boat.
My personal vehicle gets the equivalent of 120mpg, is fueled at home while I sleep, and can get me to the train station in like 5 minutes. When I have to go places not on a train, it fits my family of four comfortably and carries everything I’ve tried to put in it. It also is very convenient for road trips to places not on Acela
Sold my stupid 95 f150 the moment I didn't need it to do house repairs. It hauled almost nothing and the 5.0 turned fuel into noise and not much else. Our old 3/4 ton suburban isn't much better, but it keeps my dogs in a conditioned space and hauls the same or more than you want. I only drive it when needed and it disgusts me how much smaller it is than a modern half ton. Fuck current vehicles and their useless size.
But realistically, how often do you do that? I wanted a truck, then I realized it's maybe once every 5 years I might need it, and so I got a sedan that fits in parking spots and can travel 800 miles on 16 gallons of gas instead. If I need stuff, I can either get things delivered/hauled or rent a truck if I really need one. Obv, YMMV.
Every day it's doing something, be it going 60+mph down a dirt/gravel road to get to town, driving to a jobsite 5 days a week, driving through a foot of unplowed snow in the winter, hauling a trailer to transport wood, palletized items, or other vehicles/large itrems, pulling out semis that get stuck in the mud/snow/ice, driving down two-tracks to the local fishing/hunting/recreation spot, hauling a 30ft camper around for vacations, going grocery shopping, etc.
The real question is why the hell would I buy something that couldn't do all these things.