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Comment by nkrisc | Hacker News Reader

I find fascinating the difference between people who think of cars as a tool versus a toy. And certainly for some people it simply depends on which car.

For me, all cars are a tool. I don’t really enjoy driving. Driving is a chore I have to do in order to do things I do like.

I don’t yet own an electric car, but I find them very appealing because they would eliminate a chore from my life: going to the gas station.

I do wonder what it would be like to enjoy driving for its own sake.

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Same, I find it especially miserable to drive at night with how car lights have changed to brighter LEDs and people wanting larger and taller cars. Its like getting hit with multiple flash bangs.

In rural areas where car lights are the only illumination, with denser traffic I see continuous strobing and flickering by the adaptive LED and laser headlights.

For me it depends on the state of the roads. If they’re empty, I don’t mind driving and can even enjoy it. If traffic is moderate or above, my opinion of driving takes a hard nosedive.

I’m not even a wild driver. Whenever it’s safe to do so I’m in the right lane doing exactly the speed limit. I just don’t like having to deal with other drivers.

I'd guess that driving was probably more broadly enjoyable for people in the era of manual transmission. That's not to say manual transmissions are fun, but the greater degree of interactivity, control, and skill made it a more interesting and overall enjoyable experience. Also it was kind of cathartic getting up to speed somehow. Driving an automatic is just boring, outside of like others have mentioned - the insane acceleration in an EV.

Manuals on a bridge during traffic though are... unpleasant.

I agree but am curious what difference being on a bridge makes…

Stopped in traffic on an incline, you have to learn how to not roll backwards. Presumably that’s what was meant.

Yeah, on the rainbow bridge port arthur texas. Here's an image:

https://www.panews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/W...

Even my 2011 Jeep manual transmission has hill start assist, it never rolls backwards .

Interestingly, it will roll forwards if you’re on a steep hill and trying to reverse up it. I guess it doesn’t know which way you want to go ( the computers don’t know what gear you’re in)

Interesting. I haven't driven a manual transmission since 2005. That was in San Francisco, so I may have post-traumatic stress.

I learnt to drive in a manual and I drive my partner's manual car frequently.

It's more interesting on an open road but horrible to drive in traffic. Overall both of us hate the experience.

I get my new electric car (a Geely) on Wednesday.

4 cylinder cars killed the joy of driving in addition to the lack of manual transmissions.

4 cylinder ICE is premium now. Nowadays compact cars have 3 cylinders.

American drivel. A revvy 4 pots like what Honda used to put in their S2000 or old Type Rs (Integra, Civic) is more exciting than lazy V8s.

Drive a 4 cylinder AMG and tell me if it "killed the joy" of anything. Incredible motors.

The 718 is also 4 cylinders and a great deal of fun

I think what killed the joy was traffic and speed cameras.

There's a reason why people take their Ferrari out for a spin in the mountains. Highways are just too safe.

What I find fascinating is people who have never driven a fun car, then get an EV that has some decent acceleration. Then they talk about how fun the car is to drive and say how its the best thing ever. I see these posts all the time, and I just think... Yep, now you get what car enthusiasts have been enjoying all this time. If you just drive Rav4s and other appliances, no wonder you hate driving.

My EV is less powerful than my former ICE but way more fun to drive, especially in the mountain area I live in.

Sure, this can be true also. There are a lot of factors that go into what makes a car fun.

What's a fun car for you, and what parts of the driving experience do you find fun? I drive a car that's widely regarded as boring as fuck, and I love it (Toyota Auris with 1.8 HSD). I really enjoy the scenery rolling by and the problem solving part of the driving, like what roads I take and such. I also really like that the cabin is quiet (compared to my last car), so the engine / wind / etc noise doesn't stress me extra, and that I can hear my music, podcast, or own thoughts better.

I just remembered, I also have this minigame where I make the car consume as little as possible. The UI gives the avg consumption after each drive, so there's immediate feedback on how I did. I currently count 4.1-4.5 l/100 as a success (52-57 us mpg). Nicest I ever got over a meaningful distance is 3.5 l/100 (67 mpg).

I also dislike driving; it's just a chore.

Except, it all somehow changes when I pop into the driver's seat of a manual transmission car.

You are just swapping one chore for another. Now instead of going to the gas station occasional, you have to plug it in, all the time. Or you have to go to a plugging station and sit there for a while.

...I assume that's satire? I plug in our EV once a week at home, it takes like what, 5 seconds? Maybe 10 if I'm distracted. Another 5 seconds to unplug it the following morning.

Not sure if you’re joking but I will gladly replace going to the gas station with taking 10 seconds to plug in my car when I get home.

I don't drive in my day to day life but I have enjoyed things like karting or rally driving and I like sim racing video games, maybe try some of those out. Driving for fun at least for me is more about seeing what you can do with a car than anything else.

I'm with you exactly. However, motorcycles I thoroughly enjoy.

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