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Grex > Cars > #131: What Does Your Car Say About You? | |
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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 46 responses total. |
slynne
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response 4 of 46:
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Jan 25 16:18 UTC 2004 |
resp:2 - Gosh, I guess a 1987 Dodge Colt would say to me "this person
doesnt really care about what kind of car they drive so long as it
runs" ;)
resp:3 - That isnt what it says to me, rcurl. Nya Nya :)
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rcurl
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response 5 of 46:
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Jan 25 19:14 UTC 2004 |
Re #4 re #2: it may "say" that to you, but that might not be true. There
are many reasons why a person may be driving a 1987 <whatever>, and they
may in fact *care very much about what kind of car they drive* - and have
chosen that car because they do care. But, of course, you are just playing
the game. 8^}
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gull
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response 6 of 46:
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Jan 25 22:58 UTC 2004 |
Of course, a lot of people do buy a car because they like the image it
projects.
In one extreme example I just read about, a guy who owned a '91 Volvo
240 along with a couple other cars chose to park the 240 at a nearby Wal
Mart, because he didn't like the way it looked in his driveway.
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keesan
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response 7 of 46:
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Jan 26 00:05 UTC 2004 |
The 1987 Dodge was not bought by Jim, it was given to him by a friend, as was
the 1986 car (Toyota?) that is waiting to replace it when the exhaust system
can no longer be patched. Jim fixed plumbing and chimneys for both donors.
But he is somewhat selective about what he lets people give him.
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mdw
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response 8 of 46:
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Jan 26 01:12 UTC 2004 |
First I heard of walmart parking lots cancelling out the "carma" of
Volvos. But I suppose it makes sense.
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slynne
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response 9 of 46:
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Jan 26 17:50 UTC 2004 |
There are certainly people for whom image influences their car choices.
I know that rcurl isnt such a person and yet, I think you can still
tell a lot about a person based on what kind of car they choose to
drive. It isnt always right of course but I bet it is a lot of the
time.
Anyhow, it is just interesting. The whole marketing of cars thing.
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rcurl
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response 10 of 46:
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Jan 26 18:21 UTC 2004 |
(In fact, the image of the car to me does influence my car choice, but not
its image to others.)
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slynne
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response 11 of 46:
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Jan 26 19:15 UTC 2004 |
Fair enough.
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jmsaul
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response 12 of 46:
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Jan 27 00:57 UTC 2004 |
SUVs scream "soccer mom" to me. So do minivans.
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bhoward
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response 13 of 46:
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Jan 27 05:44 UTC 2004 |
To me, SUV's scream "free lodging", particularly when you consider the
often high cost of staying in hotels and ryokan in certain areas of Japan.
It's true I don't need my Toyota "Surf" (called 4-runner in the US) to
go off-roading, but it has proven quite handy for hauling our bikes and
doubling as a mobile hotel when we road trip.
Heh. We even put a (cheap) form of tatami in the back. Very comfortable.
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keesan
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response 14 of 46:
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Jan 27 13:48 UTC 2004 |
We carry our camping gear on our bikes when we road trip. It leads to some
unexpected invitations for free campsites in yards, often including breakfast.
Anyone ever offer SUVs free parking overnight so they can sleep there?
On our last two bike trips totalling 3 weeks, we had planned out most of it
to stay with friends, but also stayed with a carpenter when we got stuck in
a heavy storm and waited it out at a lumberyard, stayed with the owner of a
museum in Dundee when it got dark and we asked about a park, stayed with a
total stranger who yelled at us from his porch to ask if he had a place to
camp, with a neighbor of his; next trip we camped in two orchards and with
the mother of someone training two young steers to pull something down the
middle of the road. The SUV would most likely have scared them away.
You can also put bikes on trains, probably a lot cheaper than you can put cars
on trains.
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jmsaul
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response 15 of 46:
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Jan 27 14:02 UTC 2004 |
Re #13: I have to admit that I'd never thought of them that way.
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slynne
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response 16 of 46:
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Jan 27 15:55 UTC 2004 |
The "cheap lodging" thing is one reason why my next car will probably
be a station wagon. I figure I can put the seat down and put a futon in
the back and then save myself a bunch of money on hotel rooms if I
drive to California or something.
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gull
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response 17 of 46:
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Jan 27 16:33 UTC 2004 |
Station wagons and vans are both even better than SUVs for that. Most
SUVs I've seen were surprisingly small inside.
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scott
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response 18 of 46:
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Jan 27 16:44 UTC 2004 |
I used to have a little Nissan pickup with a cap, and I'd camp in the back
of it on occasion. It even had screens on the cap windows.
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rcurl
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response 19 of 46:
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Jan 27 19:37 UTC 2004 |
I car-camped in my station wagons for many years. I built a platform in
the back with panels that lifted up to access storage underneath. I used
just a foam pad and sleeping bag. Also had curtains on the windows.....
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slynne
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response 20 of 46:
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Jan 27 19:58 UTC 2004 |
I like the idea of a panel that would allow storage underneath. Hmmm.
Well, when I eventually get a station wagon, I will have to look into
that.
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rcurl
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response 21 of 46:
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Jan 27 20:33 UTC 2004 |
In case it helps - I welded up a 1/2" angle-iron framework that fitted
the full back and used 1/2" plywood panels that could be lifted out.
You just don't want to sit up suddenly from sleep.
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slynne
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response 22 of 46:
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Jan 27 20:52 UTC 2004 |
Hmmm. Well I wont be welding up any framework ;)
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gull
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response 23 of 46:
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Jan 28 01:36 UTC 2004 |
You could probably make something similar out of wood, if the extra
weight isn't a problem.
My wagon already has a lockable storage compartment under the load
floor, but I doubt anyone makes them like that anymore.
If you won't have any passengers, you can gain more storage space by
taking out the passenger seat and leaving it at home. This is an old VW
dune buggy trick. On most cars with bucket seats, taking one out only
requires removing a few bolts. (On VWs it was even easier -- they just
slid off the tracks.)
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keesan
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response 24 of 46:
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Jan 28 02:17 UTC 2004 |
We slept in a Jeep once. How do you ventilate and keep out mosquitoes.
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rcurl
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response 25 of 46:
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Jan 28 06:01 UTC 2004 |
You *could* cover the windows with mosquito netting, although I didn't.
This was a while ago, mostly out west, where there were few mosquitos
and repellent took care of them.
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slynne
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response 26 of 46:
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Jan 28 20:05 UTC 2004 |
I have seen screens that can be put in car windows. Or rather I have
seen grates that are designed to allow a person to leave a dog in the
car with the windows down. It would be pretty easy to put some
screening on those things.
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gull
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response 27 of 46:
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Jan 29 00:18 UTC 2004 |
You could glue that magnetic strip stuff you can buy at craft stores to
some screening cut to the right shape.
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keesan
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response 28 of 46:
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Jan 29 14:59 UTC 2004 |
It seems easier to tent. Jim once made a car tent to fit over the back of
a hatchback car.
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