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Prince · 10-17-2003, 02:08 PM

This seems to be one of those discussions that you cannot participate in without getting slammed down for your opinions or thoughts. But I'll share mine anyway. This may get long and boring, so feel free to skip it.

I moved to the States from Europe earlier this year, and as you can imagine (or may even know from personal experience), the "automobile culture" differs there greatly from the American one. I ended up in Texas, which seems to be truly the land of trucks. I am still amazed by how many people here drive a truck, and even more so by the size of these things. I've seen bigger SUVs here than I ever did in Europe, and I've been driving for close to ten years. It feels like 3 or 4 out of every car I see out there is a truck. Since this is mostly a college town, I find it hard to believe that ALL of these kids driving an SUV actually needs one. Having said that, though, I do feel they have every right to drive one should they so choose.

My wife drives a Japanese sedan (Jap model, US build), fairly new, automatic, with an engine of well over 2 litres. Now I'm no tree-hugger, but if there is a choice I always go for a more economic and environment-friendly solution when it comes to a car. It amazes me that the engine on her Jap is relatively big for a sedan, especially since a typical European sedan with a 1.6 or even 1.4 litre engine can kick out a whole lot more power with less consumption and pollution. But looking further into this, it seems that American sedans typically seem to have engines that are bigger than necessary, and less efficient compared to the European models. The only reason I can think of why this is, is that the automobile manufacturers in this country still front the image that "bigger is better". Hence, even a small car should have an unnecessarily big engine.

Probably the reason for this is that there is less pressure in America for automobile manufacturers to build engines that consume less yet provide the same power. This is because gas is significantly cheaper here. Before I came to the States, I paid approximately 3 dollars and 80 cents per gallon, for gas. Wouldn't that make you consider selecting a more economic model, too? Hence European manufacturers have had to focus on economy while not producing cars that are less efficient than their North American counterparts.

I used to work at an auto shop that specialized in purchasing and repairing and then reselling new Volvos that had been involved in car accidents. European-made Volvos (I don't know about American manufactured models, haven't had the opportunity to check them out) are extremely safe; I saw hundreds of wrecked Volvos and not one of them was done in so badly that the cabin was completely gone. Yet I've seen a co-worker of mine fold a Jap car's door with his bare hands...

To me, a car is not a status symbol, it's utilitarian. It serves a purpose and that's it. I do think that buying a big car to show it off is utterly ridiculous, just as in Europe people don't buy trucks, they buy as "small and lean" cars as possible, to show off. I would be willing to fork up the money for an SUV, but only for a used one...I would not want to spend a dime more than necessary paying for unnecessary engine power or ridiculous amounts of steel.

10-17-2003, 02:08 PM	#66 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	This seems to be one of those discussions that you cannot participate in without getting slammed down for your opinions or thoughts. But I'll share mine anyway. This may get long and boring, so feel free to skip it. I moved to the States from Europe earlier this year, and as you can imagine (or may even know from personal experience), the "automobile culture" differs there greatly from the American one. I ended up in Texas, which seems to be truly the land of trucks. I am still amazed by how many people here drive a truck, and even more so by the size of these things. I've seen bigger SUVs here than I ever did in Europe, and I've been driving for close to ten years. It feels like 3 or 4 out of every car I see out there is a truck. Since this is mostly a college town, I find it hard to believe that ALL of these kids driving an SUV actually needs one. Having said that, though, I do feel they have every right to drive one should they so choose. My wife drives a Japanese sedan (Jap model, US build), fairly new, automatic, with an engine of well over 2 litres. Now I'm no tree-hugger, but if there is a choice I always go for a more economic and environment-friendly solution when it comes to a car. It amazes me that the engine on her Jap is relatively big for a sedan, especially since a typical European sedan with a 1.6 or even 1.4 litre engine can kick out a whole lot more power with less consumption and pollution. But looking further into this, it seems that American sedans typically seem to have engines that are bigger than necessary, and less efficient compared to the European models. The only reason I can think of why this is, is that the automobile manufacturers in this country still front the image that "bigger is better". Hence, even a small car should have an unnecessarily big engine. Probably the reason for this is that there is less pressure in America for automobile manufacturers to build engines that consume less yet provide the same power. This is because gas is significantly cheaper here. Before I came to the States, I paid approximately 3 dollars and 80 cents per gallon, for gas. Wouldn't that make you consider selecting a more economic model, too? Hence European manufacturers have had to focus on economy while not producing cars that are less efficient than their North American counterparts. I used to work at an auto shop that specialized in purchasing and repairing and then reselling new Volvos that had been involved in car accidents. European-made Volvos (I don't know about American manufactured models, haven't had the opportunity to check them out) are extremely safe; I saw hundreds of wrecked Volvos and not one of them was done in so badly that the cabin was completely gone. Yet I've seen a co-worker of mine fold a Jap car's door with his bare hands... To me, a car is not a status symbol, it's utilitarian. It serves a purpose and that's it. I do think that buying a big car to show it off is utterly ridiculous, just as in Europe people don't buy trucks, they buy as "small and lean" cars as possible, to show off. I would be willing to fork up the money for an SUV, but only for a used one...I would not want to spend a dime more than necessary paying for unnecessary engine power or ridiculous amounts of steel. __________________ Who is John Galt? Last edited by Prince; 10-17-2003 at 02:11 PM..