I guess it depends on your ride-me, I plan to travel the entire Blue Ridge Parkway in my Civic SI later this summer. Yeah, if you only are driving during rush hour, that can get old, but there’s nothing like getting away from it all on some scenic backcountry or coastal road. Motorcyclists automatically on topic here too.
I do. In my younger days, I’d often go off and spend several hours driving around the countryside; either up into the Sierra Foothills or down the Sacramento River Delta. It was a fabulous way to spend an afternoon. Although I don’t get the chance to do so these days, mainly due to the cost. It’s hard to justify blowing $50 in gas just to go around in circles.
We do like driving vacations, though. I’d really much rather spend two days in the car driving 1,000 miles to get somewhere than deal with airports, parking, rental cars, etc. There’s just so much fabulous stuff everywhere you go that I hate the idea of missing it, and I love being able to take a 50 mile detour to spend the entire afternoon doing something absolutely unexpected, because you happened to see an interesting billboard while tooling down the highway…
Ayuh, I do, I’ve been known to drive just for the sake of driving, it’s also why all my vehicles have been manual transmissions, the automatic is the epitome of BORING, I want to be fully involved in the process of driving a car, not just steering a car, IMO, a manual transmission can make any car more fun, be it a cheapo econobox or full blooded sports car
I never cared for driving, or thought of cars as anything other than transportation. Until I bought my new car last November - a 62 Corvair 4-speed.
Now I’ll drive anywhere at anytime, take the long route, and have fun doing it. Just received delivery of new tunes which I’m looking forward to installing and making the trips even more enjoyable! 
I do, and I never really had a lovely car - just Toyota Corollas, all my life. I don’t like city driving much, it’s stressful, but country driving is lovely.
Hate it. If there was a bus that traveled three miles to the office I would take it. Still drive the 99 corolla. If I hate to hate my commute, paying more a car would just make me feel worse.
Pretty much this. Whenever I need to clear my head, I usually find some good music and a winding back road and just drive for a few hours. But now with the cost of gas, I do this less and less.
This practice started when I was a kid and my dad and I would go driving around on the back roads together and talk and explore the area. So it usually brings up good memories. 
I hate the thought of driving.
But once I get on the road, I’ll do 12 hours at a stretch. My wife thinks it’s just because I like watching the numbers change on my GPS.
I’ve never really loved driving for driving’s sake, but count me in for riding. I love getting on my '74 Vespa, be it only my daily commute to the office or a fun weekend away with mates or SO. I’ve ridden big proper bikes but it just doesn’t have the same fun, breezy feeling as my little two-stroke 150cc ride.
It might seem a bit of a hassle owning an old school scooter but the cool thing is, is that here in Indonesia tons of people still have Vespas, so if I ever break down all I have to do is wait for a bit and before you know it a friendly soul will come up and help me out. Seriously what’s not to love?
Exactly my sentiment, apart from the driving thing. I ride a Vespa.
(cue music: BORN TO BE MILD!!)
I drive 4500 miles a year.
The stable:
1989 383 Convertible Corvette (built race tuned automatic)
1998 Supercharged Corvette (auto)
1966 429 cu in, Cadillac Hearse (auto)
2005 300 hp Subaru Impreza STi (Stick)
2003 Chevy Avalanche (auto)
I may not drive much, but when I do, I really enjoy it!
I love driving. It’s a great way to clear your head. I’ve never had a fun vehicle because I’m pretty sure once I do I’ll never get out of it (and probably get arrested for speeding). I’m currently thinking about buying a new Challenger, if only they were convertible I’d have one tomorrow.
My longest drive was 1540 miles in 24 hours or just shy of 2300 in 48 hours. Currently I’ve put 76K miles on my truck in 27 months.
This will be my first post after years of lurking … but this topic is near and dear. You might never get rid of me now :-))
I LOVE to drive, always have. It must go back to Sunday drives with mom and dad and my two brothers. We;d pile into our big yellow Dodge van, that wouldn’t always start if the night had been damp … we’d listen to CCR usually and talk about our weeks. I miss those drives!
I got my motorcycle license on my 16th birthday and my car license the week after … by then my dad was dead and my brothers had moved away, my mom was a shell of her former self but I could still drive, I found new joy in it being alone and with my thoughts.
Since then I have driven to the tip of Baja and to the end of the Dempster Highway in Inuvik, NWT. I’ve driven across Canada a few times and across the US twice, east to west and north to south.
My first vacation as an adult was when I just turned 18 and drove from Edmonton, AB. to Santa Barbara. It was on a 1981 Yamaha 750 Virago, not a big bike at all but it did what it had to do, it gave me freedom on the road! I even had someone request to buy that old bike when I was in Eugene, OR. I’ve done that trip a few times since and loved every second of it. Driving through the red woods of Northern California and the deserts of Nevada, along the Oregon coast and the interior of California … I had a blast each time. You meet so many people on each trip, people who you talk to for a second or two but never forget. I once ran out of gas outside of Las Vegas … how stupid was that?? I pushed my bike about a mile to an off-ramp to get it off the road and stuck out my thumb at the next car passing and a newlywed couple from Minnesota stopped and gave me a ride to the gas station about 10 miles down the road. They gave me a cold coke from their cooler … did I mention it was about 110 outside?? I told them about my trip and they not only drove me the gas station but they waited and drove me back to my bike, then waited while I filled it up and started it up again. I will never forget that couple.
I was once in Utah in the middle of the night and came around a fast sweeper of a downhill corner and noticed a car on the side of the road with the hood up so I slowed down and turned around and went back. It was young mom and her daughters and their car had just stopped they said … this was before cell phones so they were just waiting for someone to come along to help before they walked if they had too. I looked under the hood and fiddled around, I’m not even sure what I found anymore but we got it started again and they were on their way, happy as can be!
Last summer I drove my new(er) motorcycle (a 1985 Yamaha FJ1100) from Victoria, BC to North Bay, Ont. for school. I drove through BC, Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin before entering Canada again at Sault St. Marie … what a drive, even with 3 days of rain following me. And this spring, since the snow melted a few weeks, ago put another 2000 kms on my bike.
I guess you can say I love to drive … I might go for a long ride after class today, you all have inspired me!
When I had my Mustang, I loved to drive.
Now, it’s the motorcycles. I have put 150 miles on the bike each of the last two weekends.
So far this year I have hit about 1000 or more miles on the bike and it’s only the middle of May.
It’s especially fun in the mountains.
It’s good for the soul.
If I can put the top down, crank up some sweet tunes, and twist through a back country road, then yeah, I still love to drive.
Mostly though, I ride motorcycles; sweeping through the corners, feeling the brief cool air as you pass a creek or river you didn’t know was there…
good times.
Wonderful trip! I’ve done the whole thing once, and portions of it many times. Most excellent. There are a couple of lodgings on the BRP that are excellent; if you want a recommendation, I’ll be glad to provide some.
My husband and I share a love of the open road. We both have fond memories of our first cross-country trip in a new Sting Ray back when we had money, time and no children.
Yeah, you’re speakin’ my language! I love just getting lost on the backroads, the whole Blue Highways deal. Cruisin’ along, not too fast, listening to music, preferably alone, lookin’ around places the Intertstates left behind, maybe stop in at the occasional roadside diner or pub for lunch or a drink, get a little of the local color, then shove off again. After say 6-8 hours exploring, eventually find a cheap motel, maybe drink some, watch some dumb movie on cable, crash out, then do it again the next day whenever I get up.
Selfish? Yeah. Bad for the environment? Yessum. Pointless? Check.
and…sheer bliss!
I love to drive and wish my everyday commute was directed by John Frankenheimer.
Stranger
I love to drive. London traffic can’t put me off. If I’m upset or pissed off, going for a drive really helps. Sometimes after work I’ll just turn off in the “wrong” direction to wind down instead of going straight home. The money I spend on petrol is one of my only real indulgences. I’m abstemious in other ways, don’t drink much, don’t spend money on expensive clothes or whatever, but the car’s always full up and ready to go.
Love driving. Price of gas is a pain, but a Honda Civic gets pretty good mileage. Used to really love driving in California, where two hours would get you somewhere. In Texas, you can drive 5 hours and you’re still in Texas, and it looks pretty much the same as where you left.
Drove from Texas to CA and back, via NM-AZ-western NV this last fall. Had a total blast. Post 9/11, I’d much rather drive than fly, especially if I wanted to bring my pet, but it’s often not practical with work and only having a weekend.
Will strongly recommend to any driving enthusiast that they really need to visit Germany. The autobahn must be experienced to be properly appreciated. Get there before the Greens win and get rid of the unlimited speed sections. It was a joy driving somewhere where I was a below average driver.
I used to drive for recreation. Now that is not a great idea. I cut driving to the most efficient use of the vehicle. The cost of maintenance and repairs is much higher. Accidents happen even when you are defensive. And in my part of the world, police just right bogus tickets for the revenue. That’s the plain truth and some will admit it privately. The vehicle has become merely an appliance for me.