Comment by coreyp_1 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by coreyp_1 | Hacker News Reader

First, I want to say that this article was horrendous to read. I gave up on it when it hijacked the scroll.

I drive a Silverado Truck, 4-door. Why? Because when I go places, if someone else is with me, they are an adult, and so I got a vehicle that is comfortable for adults to ride in, whether they are in the front or back. Also, I don't have anyone else to rely on when I need to pick up furniture, or mulch, or wood, or anything else.

I'm also a decently-sized guy. When I have to take a long trip, I want to be comfortable. I don't want to feel like I'm riding in a go-cart for hours. I appreciate the safety of having a larger vehicle when traffic is tight.

I like having a larger vehicle. I have driven smaller sports cars, too, but they are never as comfortable as my truck.

I've only been in one accident with it. I was parked, legally, in front of my house and a woman, driving the opposite direction in a SUV, hit the curb on her right, came across the road, and ran into my truck. That's why you get insurance!

I still love driving my truck!

In all but the most remote places you can rent a truck or van nearby. Home Depot rents them for $20. They’ll have a much longer bed than your truck. I usually get one with a ten foot bed, flip down sides and ramps built-in. I did the math and to make a truck more affordable than renting I would have to be hauling things almost every single day.

When I need to buy furniture, we get a u-haul box truck which is really the best for moving that type of stuff. You can do it anytime of year, in any weather, it’s huge, and everything is easily secured.

That thinking falls apart pretty quickly. Why own a car at all? You could just call an Uber every time you need a ride and it would be affordable than paying for a car, insurance, fuel, maintenance.

House? How excessive. Just rent a small apartment instead. You don't need a yard, multiple bedrooms. You can go to a park instead and put multiple sleeping bags on the floor.

People are free to buy whatever they feel is appropriate for them.

That's not falling apart, I know several people who have made both decisions.

But I'm sure the vast majority of Americans fall into the same category as I do.

I drive more than 5000 miles a year, therefore buying a car is cheaper than Uber'ing everywhere.

I need a truck less than once a week, so renting from U-Haul and Home Depot both saves me money and gets me a more appropriate vehicle when I need it.

Yeah, those are exactly the kinds of things we should be doing.

This world does not have the resources for everyone to live like we now do. We have to downsize. And most of what you mention is perfectly reasonable and not even much of a problem.

When I have to take a long trip, I want to be comfortable. I don't want to feel like I'm riding in a go-cart for hours.

There are compact cars that have loads of room for the passengers.

I have driven smaller sports cars, too

Yeah, they're not sports cars. What a ridiculous comparison.

I'm a pretty tall guy, and I'm not sure if it is regulations forcing weird aerodynamics, but after a certain year it basically became impossible for me to be a regular driver of most cars.

The windshield meets the roof directly in the middle of my line of sight if I'm sitting up straight / not slouching or have the chair reclined to an absurd degree.

Some cars don't even allow the steering wheel and seat to be adjusted high enough for me to see the top portion of the speedometer without slouching, either.

The last time I owned a car (before my current truck) I think I tried something like 20 models, and there were only two that had a decent profile for me to sit in. Now, I do some light forestry work (hauling wood, removing diseased trees) and other things that make owning a truck useful, so I don't bother with a car anymore, and I don't really think I'd be too interested in one again unless I absolutely had to (keeping my fingers crossed my current beater truck lives long enough for me to afford a decent electric pickup).

> I'm also a decently-sized guy. When I have to take a long trip, I want to be comfortable.

I've driven my VW Golf over 1000 km non-stop (on one tank of gas, since it's a TDI) and it was quite comfortable. I've often had 1-2 passengers in it during this as well (once helping some move), and they were okay as well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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