# Why do you drive what you drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075 "2017-01-24T21:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/61 "2017-01-25T16:18:24Z")
I have a sweet-ass Toyota Tacoma (TRD Off-Road). I wanted a pickup because our house is a fixer-upper and it makes hauling stuff a lot easier. I needed an extended cab to fit the two car-seats for the tiny terrors. I also wanted four-wheel drive for the winters here. Lastly, manual transmission is a must-have for me. Only Nissan and Toyota made what I was looking for, and after test driving them both the Tacoma was the clear winner. I love that truck and plan to drive it into the ground. I also have an even sweeter-ass Triumph Speed Triple, because motorcycles are cool and I’m cool so we go together. It’s also crazy fast, which is the whole point. After the truck dies I’ll probably get a Porsche because they’re so practical. Really though, I decided when I was probably ten or twelve that someday I would get one, so I have no choice. ---
**Author:** ![Lifeaging](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Lifeaging](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lifeaging)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/62 "2017-01-25T16:35:17Z")
2016 Jeep, heated steering wheel, heated seats, and remote start. I remember going out to my aunts car and starting it in the bitter cold when I was seven years old. A old jalopy made out of steel, two toned green in color, that purred like a kitten once I got it warmed up. Nineteen sixty-three, when things seemed a lot smipler. Today if a person sent out a seven year old to start a car in the snow they would be put in jail. I remember cleaning blood off the fenders when she ran over a rabbit. It was easy for me because my aunt lived next door, door to us. The lady that lived in the house before her rode a motorcycle. I remember that lady because she was bald, and she had a monkey that was damn mean. She later was killed ina motorcycle accident. Sorry for rambling on. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/63 "2017-01-25T16:43:02Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I drive a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. It is fun to drive. I hear ya. When I finally learned how to drive in my 30’s I told my husband that I needed a goal, something to work toward. He said “Why don’t you get a Jeep so I never have to worry about you getting stuck?” That was when I realized that I always “looked” at Jeeps. So I told him that if he could find me a blue, automatic Jeep TJ that I would learn how to drive. And he did :D. I hate driving an actual car because I feel like I can’t see anything. With my Jeep I can see all over the place. > [@pkbites](#): > > Spring/summer/autumn > **Chevy Corvette** > \*It’s a total blast to drive > \*Goes like a bat outta hell > \*Advertises I’ve got c:cool:🆒l I haven’t even used yet. > > Winter > **Jeep Wrangler** > \*4 Wheel drive. > \*It’s older and used, so I beat the living shit out of it without giving a rip > \*Tougher than a rabid Pit Bull on steroids Haha, this is my retirement plan. ---
**Author:** ![Doubticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@Doubticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubticus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/64 "2017-01-25T16:50:52Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > 2012 Volt. I love it. 239 mpg lifetime so far. I am thinking of getting a Bolt when they hit my area in a few months. The Volt is a quality car, with good electronics and nice to drive. I like getting close to zero emissions. I’ve changed the oil once (maybe twice) and rotated the tires. Other than that, no maintenance. I have the same car. LOL Bought a used 2012 Volt a little over a year ago for 18k with about 30 thousand miles on it. My work commute is around 50 miles, but my office lets me plug in so I don’t have to use any gas. It is quiet, reliable and if I have to take a long trip I can do so on gas, without the hassle of finding a charge station. I’m looking forward to replacing it with a newer model with greater battery range. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/65 "2017-01-25T18:01:13Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > So, an automatic? No – but I have to admit ------------ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/66 "2017-01-25T18:15:30Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Honda Civic. We’ve been an Accord family for 25 years, but the Accords were just getting too damn big and heavy. So when the 2000 Accord got too unreliable last year, I got the Civic. It’s got great fuel economy, and will probably go \>200K miles, just like our Accords have. I’ve owned two Civics, and mostly hate them now because they used to sporty, small cars that a 20-something could be proud to be seen in. Now they’re just kind of oversized mama’s cars. Pity the Honda City isn’t available here; they’re much more like what the Civic used to be. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/67 "2017-01-25T18:21:43Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > 2012 Volt. I love it. 239 mpg lifetime so far. I am thinking of getting a Bolt when they hit my area in a few months. The Volt is a quality car, with good electronics and nice to drive. I like getting close to zero emissions. I’ve changed the oil once (maybe twice) and rotated the tires. Other than that, no maintenance. Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid. Only at about 130 MPG because I live in a place that gets cold in the winter (it has to bring the engine on to heat the car – gas mileage is about four times as high in the summer as the winter for short-trip driving), and unlike the Volt the gas engine can drive the wheels directly, so routine oil changes are still happening. Picked it over the Volt because the Volt was physically uncomfortable and didn’t have a back seat an adult could sit in, but basically wanted the same things. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/68 "2017-01-25T18:24:49Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > You have not met me. I am very tall in the trunk, have huge feet (UK size 14, US 15, EU 48), and moderately short in the arm. The second means I have to have the seat right back. The last means that I cannot set the rake of the seat too far back. There are many cars into which I simply cannot fit. There are many cars I can’t even get into the driver’s seat. > > The Skoda isn’t the prettiest of cars for sure, but the Maserati is a different matter IMHO. _De gustibus_… Indeed. My post wasn’t intended as criticism, I was just amused at the contrast. And of course looks are a matter of opinion as you say. I must admit that even I, as an inveterate petrolhead, might have balked at the (maintenance) costs of the Maser when presented with those two choices. I have nothing against Skodas, that prejudice is now firmly dead I think. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/69 "2017-01-25T19:11:14Z")
I drive a Hyundai Elantra. I like my cars cheap, and in that price range the Elantra had the best warranty of any comparable model with decent head room. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/70 "2017-01-25T19:48:07Z")
Life stages and finances have been the major influences on what I drive. I went from sports cars in my single and early married days to family sedans, minivans and SUV’s. I have purchased no new vehicles in 25 years and have not financed one in about 15 years. That means, especially in times when finances were tight, I have driven old, very cheap vehicles. I used Craigslist and auto auctions extensively. Now I am back to driving a classic 2 seat sportscar - because it’s fun and I like the look. It didn’t hurt that I got a great deal… ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/71 "2017-01-25T20:18:56Z")
Currently, I drive a Ford Fusion Hybrid, mainly for two reasons. First, while I am not “green,” I do think that gasoline-powered cars are on their way out, and want to support newer technologies so they get developed sooner rather than later, which is why I shelled out for a hybrid. Second, I am a bit of a “grandpa driver,” so I wanted a car that had a reasonably high “cruising speed” - that is, how fast it would go without having to concentrate on pushing the gas pedal down. This limited it to larger cars - mainly, the Fusion, and the Toyota Camry. Pretty much everything I read said that the Fusion was the better car at the time (mid-2009). ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/72 "2017-01-25T20:23:36Z")
I like VW - not the cheapest thing on the market, but they make a very solid product. I went from a VW Golf to a Tiguan several years ago. Why? I’m not getting any younger, and folding all 6’5" of me into the Golf was getting more difficult - although, once I put it on and zipped it up, the Golf fit very well. Amazing amount of legroom for such a small car. I love the Tiguan, which, while built on the Golf frame, has more than adequate room for me. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/73 "2017-01-25T20:26:08Z")
I picked out my Mazda3 because among compacts, it was the highest mileage car outside of hybrids (which I couldn’t afford) and also IMO the best looking. And all the reviews I read said it was the best handling and most fun to drive car in its class. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/74 "2017-01-25T20:33:32Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > Acura TSX wagon, bought cash a couple of years ago with 14k miles on it. The main reason was that I wanted a wagon, and that limits your options considerably in the US. … Why do you feel the need of a wagon when hatchbacks are common as dirt? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/75 "2017-01-25T20:51:15Z")
**Disclaimer: I do not have a mullet hair cut or a mustache**. 2002 Pontiac Trans Am with the WS6 performance package. LS1 5.7 L aluminum block engine. The engine is stuffed back under the firewall and behind the front axle for good balance between both axles. Perfectly clean. Not a drop of oil on it. Old school straight axles in the rear. I can go really fast if I don’t have to turn. It is getting a bit outdated but there are many after-market parts to do any thing you want, like the older iron block GM motors. Has its own special room and I drive it every day. Winter driving sucks but that only involves about 4-5 days a year. It is fun. Getting into the car is like plugging my body into a video game and the car is an extension of my body. I need a car that is computer limited to 165 miles per hour, you know, to get to work. Flowing down the back roads, feeling the highway, not really thinking about operating the car. Few people will understand, but some will. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/76 "2017-01-25T20:57:38Z")
For a couple of decades I drove either used cars or the cheapest thing I could find new. When they did cash for clunkers I drove off the lot with a new car for $6000 out of pocket. No radio and manual transmission. I finally got to a point where income was exceeding outgo a couple of years ago and decided it was time for a non-bone jarring, low road noise, came with a radio installed, fully functional car. I started looking around and was actually astounded by what I found in the Hundai Sonata. The story behind this car is actually pretty cool. Hundai figured they could kill two birds with one stone by designing a new car to fill two niches in two markets. They wanted to enter the luxury market in India and other growing economies and also compete with Toyota and Honda int he US sedan market. The Sonata was the result. It is low priced to still be affordable by the upper middle class around the world but it has features to rival some of the luxury cars sold in the US. And in the US it sells for less than competing sedans. I absolutely love the car. I’m a big guy and my last two cars were a Chevy Aveo and a Nissan Versa. The space in the Sonata is fabulous and the seats and ride are excellent. The car gets around 29 MPG combined city / highway. It has all the usual electronics. You could stretch out and nap in the trunk and the back seat will sit adults even with the front seats all the way back, which was good news to my 5’ 10" daughter. One of the big selling points for my wife, here in Vermont, were the seat warmers. Nothing nicer when it’s -20. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/77 "2017-01-25T21:06:01Z")
I bought my car, a 2007 Mustang V6 in 2008 because I was finally making some decent bank and I always wanted a Mustang. I had just paid off my Kia and I was done paying child support but I still wasn’t making enough bank to get a brand new Mustang. Nor could I afford at V8. Nor could I find a stick. But I digress. I had always wanted a Mustang. Love those cars. Right around 2005-6 they came out with the new-retro more muscle-car styling. I had been whining about wanting a Mustang at work so much that one day one of the girls I worked with convinced me to go test drive one at lunch. I owned it by the time I went home that evening. Fucking love this car. Of course, I still drive it now because I’m broke as fuck. I’m not complaining, though. I’ve got 130,000 on it and, outside of some minor problems and standard maintenance issues, it still runs great. And it still looks cool as shit, too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/78 "2017-01-25T21:15:32Z")
I mostly buy cars for their utility, but good zoom is always a plus. Presently it’s a Mazda CX-5, which replaced a Prius, which replaced a Saturn Vue, which replaced a Chrysler 300. The Chrysler was just a fun shot at some luxury, but with AWD for Alaska winters. Sold it and bought the Vue because I needed a vehicle that I could tow four down on our six month trip. Sold the Vue and bought the Prius because I thought the great mileage was a good thing. Turns out, we rarely drive, so it doesn’t matter. Sold the Prius because it was five years old and too low to the ground. Bought the Mazda because of features and higher profile. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/79 "2017-01-25T21:16:25Z")
2012 Ford Mustang, cherry red metallic, V6, stick. We joke that it’s my “midlife-crisis-mobile.” I bought it when I was 46, having always wanted a cool, fun car to drive, and having previously driven cars not known for performance (Mazda Protege, then a Chrysler PT Cruiser). I enjoy driving, anyway, and driving the Mustang is always fun. Well, except in the snow, where it’s “exciting,” in its own way. (Snow tires do help, however.) For the first 3 years that I owned it, I was driving 25 miles each way to work every day, and really racking up the miles on the Mustang – between the commute, and personal driving, I was hitting over 20,000 miles a year, and concerned that I wouldn’t be able to keep it for long, at that rate. But, I changed jobs 2 years ago, and now commute on the train, so the car only has 82,000 miles on it at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075/80 "2017-01-25T21:28:58Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Why do you feel the need of a wagon when hatchbacks are common as dirt? I just like 'em. Also, the space seemed to work better then a smaller hatchback for all our child care paraphernalia. That actually ruled out a number of wagons, like the smaller Jetta. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-drive-what-you-drive/778075.md?page=5)