Friday, December 18, 2009

The Ideal Vehicle

xkcd 677


There just isn't one perfect vehicle these days. You do need a hybrid for driving around Suburbia. You need an SUV for when you need to haul a trailer and a lot of people. And many a day have I thought, "If I just had an excavator...."

I went through a lot of cars when I first started driving. I started out buying Acura Integras, starting with the base model and working my way up to power windows and door locks and cruise control. At the time used Integras were scarce and the market was good so I made money changing up. Then I switched to the Acura Legend for a job with a car allowance and a requirement to take people to lunch. That spoiled me for a great ride. But it took premium gas and got only 22 mpg. I finally got a Honda Accord Wagon in 1996 because I wanted to get my uncle to build a boat to fit on the roof. It got 26 to 28 mpg then, and still does over 13 years later. It has a ride comparable to the Legend and reliability and affordable parts that have made me very happy with my choice. It wasn't a particularly cheap car at the time. Cost more than Accords now. But it was worth every penny of it. My car is comfortable on a long trip and will carry my boats and lumber very well.

It's actually pretty bad at carrying people though, but I hardly ever do that so it doesn't matter to me. I expect that's why this wagon was discontinued here. EVERYBODY wants to TAKE PEOPLE somewhere. Long legged, big headed people apparently. They still sell the Accord wagon in Europe, where I suppose petite people are more accustomed to folding themselves into the back seat instead of setting up a whole office cubicle's worth of gear around them to go anywhere.

Why don't people LOOK OUT THE WINDOW when they go on a trip? I can't imagine having a DVD player in the car. I like to see the scenery. It's like kids today have no appreciation for the places between destinations. Maybe they wouldn't be so self-centered if they understood the vastness and variability of our country.

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