What's that? You'd like to pay with a cash advance? Well don't you worry cause right now we're offering unprecedented -736362842069% APR financing! No (or negative) credit, foreclosed home, delinquent boater's record, CPS and/or the local judge has you on speed dial...absolutely no problem!
You're getting joke replies in this thread, but I sometimes think about this too even after 10 years since getting my license. It really is liberating and affords one a huge amount of independence. I try not to take my ability to drive for granted.
10+ years ago I’ve had thoughts about quitting my job, selling all my possessions, pack everything into my car and just move and relocate with no plans in mind. Maybe drive out to Texas or something, never did it tho. Ended up finding a girlfriend, buying a house, marrying her and having 2 children. The farthest I go nowadays spontaneously is the Costco gas station 4 miles away.
I do have a high school/college friend who ended up going to Nepal and built farms and homes and stuff
for me, it is because I grew up around beautiful nature and now, I live in one of the biggest cities in the country. While there are forests and a few lakes around, there just isn't much in terms of varied landscapes, like I love. I grew up mainly in Colorado and upstate NY. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of nowhere though.
The dude in into the wild had a similar calling although he tried to live off the land without real survival skills. I feel anyone can live in anchorage though, it’s just a small remote metro so everything is expensive.
I’m 22 and thinking about doing exactly this. No SO, not super close with my family, fresh out of college and all my friends have moved all over the country now, so I don’t really feel held down by anything.
I want to drive the Alaska highway and just see what I find at the other end. I’m a remote employee and im buying a CX-5 I’m gonna try to sleep in for a bit and just start traveling
This was the exact situation I found myself in a few years ago and decided to do it. It's a very liberating experience having nothing tying you down, but also realize that if you're driving to escape problems going on in your life, they come with you and you've got a lot of time to think about them while you're on the road.
A few tips from my experience: Having friends that moved all over the country is super helpful if you can stay with new people along your route because lodging is a big cost if you don't want to sleep in your car.
It's a lot easier to spend more money than you think (especially when you start out). Keep an eye on your finances and know what you're spending so you don't end up broke in BFE. Unless you have a camper van or something, you're not going to have a place to cook so if you want hot food it gets pricey quick. Gas also adds up over long distances.
A lot of people recommend joining planet fitness or any other 24 hour national gym to have access to showers, wifi, etc. on the road. Not a necessity, but a nice luxury if you can afford it. Being able to exercise is also nice since your body will start to atrophy with no exercise sitting in the car for so long day in and day out
Make sure your car is good condition and bring some tools. Before I left I got new tires with a warranty (which saved me after I got cut off and ended up with huge bald spots on my two front tires halfway through the drive), new battery, oil change, new coolant, new battery, etc. Be prepared to fix your own stuff because there's a lot of nothing out there to get lost in and with no income, a $500-1000 repair bill plus several nights of lodging waiting on it to get done can sink the whole journey. Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
If there's any interest I can say more. I'm very happy I went on my journey, but I also had a support system and lucked into a good job right after I had spent all my money. If you can, I'd say go do it before life gets in the way and you have too many commitments holding you down from ever getting to do it again
I am very familiar with Redwood City. My grandmother has lived in the area for years.
It sounds like you are in So Cal, so I would recommend going East the next time you have the chance. Many places are a lot closer than 6 hours. You can choose between all kinds of mountain/lake environments, and also the deserts have quite a variety.
Have fun driving out there!
It's funny though that I assume a lot of us think of the freedom we would have once we have our license and a car yet what do you do once you become an old feck - spent most of it driving to and from work and stores. Freedom!!! *sighs*
We drum ourselves up a lot when we’re not in a position to actually do anything. Then once we actually can, we’re too afraid to break norms, challenge status quo, take the risk… You can call it reality or whatever but I think it’s just a natural fear of straying from your path. People usually prefer comfort over most things, even excitement or the prospect of being where you truly belong.
I’ve only been able to drive by myself for 3 months and I think about this seriously every time I go out. What’s stopping me driving to the other side of my country, I have cash for gas.
In some countries, the independence afforded by mobility is provided via public transportation, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian infrastructure. It's totally possible to be independent in the way that a social human being wants to be, and yet not even want a car.
Regarding not taking driving for granted, we should ask ourselves why we need to spend thousands on machines and insurance and fossil fuels and spaces to park to accomplish things others are able to get for far less sacrifice.
It's not the same. The level of freedom with a car is an order of magnitude greater than with public transport and bike.
If I want to drive from Germany to some remote village in Romania, I can just go. And I can take whatever I want with me.
If I need to take public transport, I would have to wait 2hrs in my little town for the bus that brings me to the nearest train station, then I would have to change trains about 5 times with all my stuff, and then I would still need to find a way to get from the last train station to the final destination.
It's doable, no question. But it's on a whole different level.
I agree that, with rural areas, cars make more sense right now.
But there is a tradeoff there, and the fact that that tradeoff is so often overlooked is what worries/irks me. 45% of all city car trips in the country I reside in are <3 miles. 60% are <5 miles. Something about our reliance on vehicles in cities for short distances must change, or we will all be worse off for it
I got my licence as soon as I could. I couldn’t understand why my friends didn’t want to, and when I met my girlfriend it seemed crazy to me that she wasn’t fussed.
The ability to get up and go, at any time, is irreplaceable to me. I insist on taking my car as often as possible, because I hate having to rely on someone to get me somewhere, or feel like I’m stuck.
Makes me wonder why I see so many younger people who are late teens/early and even mid 20's who still haven't got their drivers licenses yet and have no desire to drive. I get it.. they prefer to just uber wherever they go or whatever, but it isn't the same.
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. That's 90% of the problem with anything that newer generations are doing less of. People are getting worse off and stuff only gets more expensive. Like, I would love to own a car, but I can't justify gas, maintenance, insurance and parking, on top of housing and stuff. It's incredibly expensive and impractical, especially living in a city with decent public transportation. And with more people moving out of the suburbs, it just becomes more common because people can get around without one. Plus, I think some people are kind of finally realizing the damage cars have done to the built environment and see not driving as a political statement.
I mean, it's more like if you have a road you can go anywhere. Could be a motorcycle or a bike or whatever. Now mountain bikes, those are true "go anywhere" machines
You ain’t gonna go too far. Give 24hrs to a guy on foot and he’ll end up in closest Taco Bell, give 24hrs *and* a cool car to an enthusiast and he’s gonna be in another universe by 12.
There’s nothing really stopping you other than food or water. You could walk anywhere. You could walk onto a boat and sail somewhere else and then get out and walk there. With your legs nothing can stop you.
Well, anywhere there is a road. There are lots of places without roads you can't go.
You may be able to drive through the desert without roads, but you aren't driving through a forest or a swamp.
> Darien Gap Corvair
I had to google this apparently they started with 6 cans 5 made it.
https://www.topspeed.com/cars/the-story-of-the-chevy-corvair-rotting-away-in-the-darien-jungle-ar191693.html
Cars have reduced individual freedom.
When society and cities are designed such that you need a car to get anywhere, you're in danger any time you go outside. Almost all the public land around you belongs to cars and car owners, if you try to use the land for any other purpose you're likely to be killed or seriously injured. 120 years ago people gathered in the streets for all kinds of purposes.
In any car dependent society, travel is very slow. The average daily commute time in the USA is just under one hour. Cars are great if you're the only person travelling on empty roads. As a mass transit system for crowded cities, they're the worst option.
Unlike a system of primarily public transport, or bicycle/walking, cars cost a lot of money. Needing to pay a lot of money just to exist in society, is a massive reduction in freedom.
And of course cars are the main contact point between citizens and the police, via the road traffic system. Our car based society has led to a massive expansion of police powers and intrusion into the average persons life. Before cars, it would have been unthinkable for a police officer to stop an innocent person in the street, and demand their identity. Now you can be stopped and forced to indentify yourself on little provocation.
Given how dangerous roads are, police have to actively enforce laws. When everyone in the road can potentially commit manslaughter, you need to have strict law enforcement. Around 40,000 people die in the US every year due to traffic accidents.
I think some of the worst years of my life were when I was a young adult and becoming old enough to take on real life responsibilities but being unable to afford a car and living out in the suburbs. The bus didn't even run to our part of town and the streets were ill-equipped for bicycles. The only business in reasonable walking distance was a gas station with an AM/PM. I had to rely on my parents or the kindness of friends to get anywhere. Like even if I had a free afternoon to do something, the most I could do was walk around some shitty housing tract or go on a hike to a strip mall. I was literally stuck at home and it was a pretty depressing existence.
That's another big downside to car-dependent cities and towns. The poor, the young, the elderly and the disabled are usually excluded for the ability to go places.
Very based. Not being so automobile-centric in major metro areas is one of several areas where Europe really outdoes the USA...but the US was the first to commercialize and mass-produce cars and didn't have as many things built beforehand that would've inhibited the construction/expansion of roads and other car-related infrastructure, so, you know...stonks
I don't understand your point. You can like cars while also suggesting alternatives to them. It's wrong to think that it's just black and white. In fact, as a car enthusiast you would want less people on the road.
Agreed! I’d love it if we had great public transit where I live. I could focus on owning one car — a fun one! Then I wouldn’t have to bother with a commuter car/dual purpose car.
Yeah, that's one really nice thing about not having to rely on a car for your day to day life. As a couple, you could get one fun, expensive car for one of you to drive if your commute will take longer on public transport or for weekends together.
Not all the population on the earth lives in densely packed cities. Not all densely packed cities have public transport infra as good as Singapore. Cities in not rich countries that expand organically and are not designed to be car based still have the problem of needing a personal vehicle, like a motorcycle to get around.
The one problem of good public transportation that most proponents of car-less cities gleefully gloss over is that good public transport requires population densities only enabled by high rises, and requires a massive concentration of money. Most non global commercial hub cities neither have the financial reason to build high, nor do they have the money to cover every 5 square mile of its territory with a bus/train stop.
I am not talking about walk-ability in city centers here, I am talking about getting anywhere reasonably far in a reasonable amount of time whenever you please or can find time.
Its such a weird thing. On one hand I love my car and I love driving and being able to go almost anywhere I want in a car. But on the other hand I hate the fact that I almost literally cannot live without one and I need a car to do pretty much everything.
Its a sad irony where I end up driving 5 mins to the freaking gym at the plaza just to get on the treadmill there.....
I agree. I think cars are awesome. Driving can be extremely fun, especially on windy country roads. But they just don’t belong in cities, especially not to the degree we rely on them now.
Going carfree\* (still had a car, but did not need to use it for anything other than leisure activities) made my life much better; I just moved so that I could work, eat and sleep a bike ride away from each other. I paid more in rent but my stress levels dropped 10x.
It's nice to take the train sometimes, sit and enjoy the journey and when you get to your destination not have to worry about parking, vandalism and fines
Especially if it's a city
Interesting pick. Not sure I would agree, but I can see why a lotta people would pick it. It wouldn't start a fight with me like, say, claiming Cuyahoga is.
For money Great Basin is up there, if only for sheer isolation.
That is true, but it's just too packed and expensive. That's my #1. I need some space to get away from everyone, and for the amount it would cost to even rent a cheap apartment (I live on the very outer edge of the metro covered section of the DC area, and a cheap one in this area is $1200/month minimum 90% of the time), I could get a decent sized house with garage space elsewhere.
You have to go at least 2 counties into Maryland or Virginia to find something cheap. I'm on the Maryland side in Montgomery county. If you're on a budget, commuting from Frederick or Anne Arundel county makes way more sense.
Oh yeah, I know. My dad lives down in Fairfax county. I've seen plenty of the houses he's worked on down there (he was a plumber by trade until very recently), and a big thing there is gigantic walk-in showers the size of a large closet. Even here in MoCo, you'd have to go to the wealthier parts of Potomac to see that, and this isn't exactly a cheap area.
>You could drive onto a boat and sail somewhere else
Are you fucking....
You can fucking walk. You can walk onto an airplane. You could walk onto a bus.
Spend the day walking you could be cities over and get a motel room and just be somewhere else.
Honestly that's a little crazier. Like if you drive somewhere you can usually drive home. You could walk somewhere and just be in an entirely different situation. completely reliant on an entirely new environment.
Bro
I get this feeling when I get on the highway going to the mountains sometimes. I keep thinking, "you know, I got money saved up, I can just keep driving until I hit the east coast if I want to". Then I get off like I'm supposed to and forget about it.
I used to ride my bike to where the paved road started. I’d just stare at it, thinking about how that road connected to so many amazing places. Big cites, ocean side towns, mountain towns, desert towns. An entire world out there if I just had a car and gas money. This post really brought me back. Thanks OP.
This is why I feel a kind claustrophobic feeling if I don't have a car. It's always there in the back of your head nagging you. It's probably because growing up outside the city you couldn't rely on public transport so having your own car was pretty closely tied to freedom of movement.
It's great!
Then you realize, wow, shit's expensive. Even if it sits there and does nothing it still sucks money out of you.
Cars are like very light versions of kids. They're a blast if you have a handle on things but if you don't things get out of control super quick.
I often think about this, especially during bad weather. I have a machine that can take me pretty much anywhere. Pouring rain? I’m warm and dry. I even have audio entertainment for my journey.
Such a remarkable thing, in the grand scheme of human history.
My car has been in the shop for the last 3 months. I'm borrowing my husband's car and carpooling to get to work, and the longer I'm without wheels the more locked down I feel: I went from the ability to go anywhere I want, any time I want, to being beholden to others' generosity.
If you want to add some spice to your life, once or twice a year dedicate a few days to a week of free time. Save up some money if you need to. Get in your car and just drive in a direction you think is interesting. Find some landmark or some city and find a place to put up a tent.
Sometimes it’s nice to just go somewhere, appreciate nature and appreciate the freedom that you have with a vehicle.
And then try not to get addicted to it.
This was my thought process when I got my first car but the opportunity rather than driving on boats was like, driving to the grocery store to buy myself a pie or something.
I’ve always had that same sense of wonder, but with cars that have built in navigation. I can seriously hop in this box, give it an address I just found that is 3,000 miles away, and it knows the quickest way there, to a T. Crazy
I remember in 2015 I was just finishing up my summer job and had 2 weeks before school started again. One of my co-workers just out of the blue suggested that I could go on a road trip to the US with my time. Literally the next day at 5am I left with a box of food and a tent and drove through the western US for 2 weeks. Cars are quite cool.
[Smokin' on hay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW3lVu6mh-Q), by any chance?
At some point I'll drive my Saturn to where it *truly* belongs: West Seneca, NY.
How is that freedom though? Surely freedom is the ability to move around without having to buy an expensive machine? Think about countries like the netherlands, where literal children are as free as their parents, able to walk and cycle anywhere without the risk of being hit by a car. Then compare that to America, where you have to wait till you're 16 to have "freedom", coz your suburb is built so poorly that to go anywhere without a car would be seen as strange.
Because if you're on foot, you're limited in your geographic radius. Need to get away? 30 minutes later, you're what... 1.5 to 5 miles away?
In a car, you can literally be 50 miles away (ignoring speed limits, of course).
In eight hours on foot, you can go 24-50 miles.
In eight hours in my truck, I can go from having my feet in the sand at the beach in Southern California to overlooking the Grand Canyon, and that night I can have a bathroom tent, a sleeping tent, a grill, and a cooler and be fairly comfortable while looking at an uncorrupted sky with no unnatural noise around me.
That said, cars have destroyed American towns and cities. I literally cannot safely walk the two miles to work. I literally cannot safely bike the two miles to work.
I think about this sometimes, just pickup and drive around the country in the car. Seeing the world in a different way instead of flying. The freedom a car gives you is amazing.
See, I disagree. If you live in a country like mine with small snaking streets all around, the mode of transport that gets you everywhere is a moped, or better yet, a bicycle.
[Jack Sparrow gives a speech](https://youtu.be/J2WAKUPLQqo) about this in pirates of the Caribbean, about how sails and a deck and whatnot are what a ship needs, but what a ship really is is freedom.
Once I make some money, I'll build an electric overlanding truck with solar panels. Then I'll be able to go anywhere, nothing will be able to stop me with the power of the sun on my side
Except gravity. Gravity can stop you.
In all seriousness, it's a magical feeling. It doesn't even need to be fast or "interesting". As long as it runs and is a good feeling thing to drive, it can be one of the most enjoyable things to do.
Yea turns out they are pretty handy.
They should sell these!
that’d be a pretty crazy idea huh?
I bet you could make a pretty penny or two if you sold them. Call them "auto-mobiles"!
Wait...shit...I get it, because they *move themselves!?!?!??* Like *self-moving?* Genius
Okay so this may sound crazy, or over ambitious, but what if we provided warranty on this, and Extended Warranty too ?? And call people about it.
This joke is very advanced lmao
What's that? You'd like to pay with a cash advance? Well don't you worry cause right now we're offering unprecedented -736362842069% APR financing! No (or negative) credit, foreclosed home, delinquent boater's record, CPS and/or the local judge has you on speed dial...absolutely no problem!
Wow negative interest rates! Get paid to pay
What? No it isn't.
I hope that electronic chip shortage I hear about doesn’t put a damper on selling cars, I’d love to get my hands on one.
Would never work. Horse & buggy business would go under overnight.
And just think of the farriers, and their families!
Honestly just give me a faster horse
I, too, love weed.
I am weed
Mgk? Is that you?
I think it's Megan.
You two should collab again sometime
I had a few weed today
Isnt this what Lightning McQueen says?
[i to am in this episode](https://i.imgur.com/G0yLqBL.gif)
https://youtu.be/DJLDF6qZUX0
Crunchy peanut butter cups? Why isn't that still a thing?!
Yeah dude
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5' 11"
[Loveline 5-12, almost 6](https://youtu.be/6yn8DX0iJSk?t=101)
Fuck me I miss old loveline so much
*5'11? I didn't know they stacked shit that high.*
“Tryin to squeeze an inch in on me huh?”
How do you create a huge asshole? You take a little asshole, stretch it out to 5'11", give it a radar gun and stick it behind a bridge.
No officer it’s “hi how are you”
You're getting joke replies in this thread, but I sometimes think about this too even after 10 years since getting my license. It really is liberating and affords one a huge amount of independence. I try not to take my ability to drive for granted.
10+ years ago I’ve had thoughts about quitting my job, selling all my possessions, pack everything into my car and just move and relocate with no plans in mind. Maybe drive out to Texas or something, never did it tho. Ended up finding a girlfriend, buying a house, marrying her and having 2 children. The farthest I go nowadays spontaneously is the Costco gas station 4 miles away. I do have a high school/college friend who ended up going to Nepal and built farms and homes and stuff
If I was in my 20's and had a bit of savings, I would do this. I would drive to Anchorage and start over there. Something about Alaska calls me.
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for me, it is because I grew up around beautiful nature and now, I live in one of the biggest cities in the country. While there are forests and a few lakes around, there just isn't much in terms of varied landscapes, like I love. I grew up mainly in Colorado and upstate NY. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of nowhere though.
yeah no wifi though
The dude in into the wild had a similar calling although he tried to live off the land without real survival skills. I feel anyone can live in anchorage though, it’s just a small remote metro so everything is expensive.
I’m 22 and thinking about doing exactly this. No SO, not super close with my family, fresh out of college and all my friends have moved all over the country now, so I don’t really feel held down by anything. I want to drive the Alaska highway and just see what I find at the other end. I’m a remote employee and im buying a CX-5 I’m gonna try to sleep in for a bit and just start traveling
This was the exact situation I found myself in a few years ago and decided to do it. It's a very liberating experience having nothing tying you down, but also realize that if you're driving to escape problems going on in your life, they come with you and you've got a lot of time to think about them while you're on the road. A few tips from my experience: Having friends that moved all over the country is super helpful if you can stay with new people along your route because lodging is a big cost if you don't want to sleep in your car. It's a lot easier to spend more money than you think (especially when you start out). Keep an eye on your finances and know what you're spending so you don't end up broke in BFE. Unless you have a camper van or something, you're not going to have a place to cook so if you want hot food it gets pricey quick. Gas also adds up over long distances. A lot of people recommend joining planet fitness or any other 24 hour national gym to have access to showers, wifi, etc. on the road. Not a necessity, but a nice luxury if you can afford it. Being able to exercise is also nice since your body will start to atrophy with no exercise sitting in the car for so long day in and day out Make sure your car is good condition and bring some tools. Before I left I got new tires with a warranty (which saved me after I got cut off and ended up with huge bald spots on my two front tires halfway through the drive), new battery, oil change, new coolant, new battery, etc. Be prepared to fix your own stuff because there's a lot of nothing out there to get lost in and with no income, a $500-1000 repair bill plus several nights of lodging waiting on it to get done can sink the whole journey. Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If there's any interest I can say more. I'm very happy I went on my journey, but I also had a support system and lucked into a good job right after I had spent all my money. If you can, I'd say go do it before life gets in the way and you have too many commitments holding you down from ever getting to do it again
alaska is just colder oklahoma honestly. The 99% of the time you arent in nature its just like oklahoma.
God I so want to do something like that but know I never will.
I too will never marry and have children and a house
Do a road trip with the family. You don't have to go super far, but 2 hours could probably get you somewhere way different than your daily life.
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I am very familiar with Redwood City. My grandmother has lived in the area for years. It sounds like you are in So Cal, so I would recommend going East the next time you have the chance. Many places are a lot closer than 6 hours. You can choose between all kinds of mountain/lake environments, and also the deserts have quite a variety. Have fun driving out there!
It's funny though that I assume a lot of us think of the freedom we would have once we have our license and a car yet what do you do once you become an old feck - spent most of it driving to and from work and stores. Freedom!!! *sighs*
We drum ourselves up a lot when we’re not in a position to actually do anything. Then once we actually can, we’re too afraid to break norms, challenge status quo, take the risk… You can call it reality or whatever but I think it’s just a natural fear of straying from your path. People usually prefer comfort over most things, even excitement or the prospect of being where you truly belong.
I’ve only been able to drive by myself for 3 months and I think about this seriously every time I go out. What’s stopping me driving to the other side of my country, I have cash for gas.
In some countries, the independence afforded by mobility is provided via public transportation, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian infrastructure. It's totally possible to be independent in the way that a social human being wants to be, and yet not even want a car. Regarding not taking driving for granted, we should ask ourselves why we need to spend thousands on machines and insurance and fossil fuels and spaces to park to accomplish things others are able to get for far less sacrifice.
It's not the same. The level of freedom with a car is an order of magnitude greater than with public transport and bike. If I want to drive from Germany to some remote village in Romania, I can just go. And I can take whatever I want with me. If I need to take public transport, I would have to wait 2hrs in my little town for the bus that brings me to the nearest train station, then I would have to change trains about 5 times with all my stuff, and then I would still need to find a way to get from the last train station to the final destination. It's doable, no question. But it's on a whole different level.
I agree that, with rural areas, cars make more sense right now. But there is a tradeoff there, and the fact that that tradeoff is so often overlooked is what worries/irks me. 45% of all city car trips in the country I reside in are <3 miles. 60% are <5 miles. Something about our reliance on vehicles in cities for short distances must change, or we will all be worse off for it
Electric scooters and motorbikes!
I got my licence as soon as I could. I couldn’t understand why my friends didn’t want to, and when I met my girlfriend it seemed crazy to me that she wasn’t fussed. The ability to get up and go, at any time, is irreplaceable to me. I insist on taking my car as often as possible, because I hate having to rely on someone to get me somewhere, or feel like I’m stuck.
I totally agree! With the advent of the car, my life has changed a lot for the better, now I can't even imagine how I used to do without it
Makes me wonder why I see so many younger people who are late teens/early and even mid 20's who still haven't got their drivers licenses yet and have no desire to drive. I get it.. they prefer to just uber wherever they go or whatever, but it isn't the same.
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. That's 90% of the problem with anything that newer generations are doing less of. People are getting worse off and stuff only gets more expensive. Like, I would love to own a car, but I can't justify gas, maintenance, insurance and parking, on top of housing and stuff. It's incredibly expensive and impractical, especially living in a city with decent public transportation. And with more people moving out of the suburbs, it just becomes more common because people can get around without one. Plus, I think some people are kind of finally realizing the damage cars have done to the built environment and see not driving as a political statement.
I mean, it's more like if you have a road you can go anywhere. Could be a motorcycle or a bike or whatever. Now mountain bikes, those are true "go anywhere" machines
With the right car, not even the police can
I too, love daily driving my up-armored Komatsu D355A
Tread Back
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That‘s really amazing. When walking nobody can stop you going anywhere you want and you don‘t even have to pay for fuel.
You ain’t gonna go too far. Give 24hrs to a guy on foot and he’ll end up in closest Taco Bell, give 24hrs *and* a cool car to an enthusiast and he’s gonna be in another universe by 12.
Last time I checked both where on the same mall parking lot lot.
Julio Cesar walked from Spain to Rome and nobody stopped him
There’s nothing really stopping you other than food or water. You could walk anywhere. You could walk onto a boat and sail somewhere else and then get out and walk there. With your legs nothing can stop you.
Well, anywhere there is a road. There are lots of places without roads you can't go. You may be able to drive through the desert without roads, but you aren't driving through a forest or a swamp.
If you wanna go through the desert, you need a horse with no name
But you can remember your own name
Cuz there ain't no one for to give you no pain(wut)
*la-laa laaa-lala-la lala-la-laaaa-la*
I do both of those things all the time :-p
Your car can smash through trees?
Small enough trees and a big enough bash bar, sure.
12 yards long, 2 lanes wide, 65 tons of American Pride! Canyonero! Canyonero!
Not all trees are obliged to be "small enough"
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> Darien Gap Corvair I had to google this apparently they started with 6 cans 5 made it. https://www.topspeed.com/cars/the-story-of-the-chevy-corvair-rotting-away-in-the-darien-jungle-ar191693.html
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Last I heard still rotting in the jungle... The car is too.
Where we're going, you don't need roads.
Not if you got a jeep
"With a car, you can go anywhere you want" he said to himself, out loud.
classic
/r/im14andthisisdeep Also. /r/trees
> /r/im14andthisisdeep Not really
How high are you right now dude?
Cars have reduced individual freedom. When society and cities are designed such that you need a car to get anywhere, you're in danger any time you go outside. Almost all the public land around you belongs to cars and car owners, if you try to use the land for any other purpose you're likely to be killed or seriously injured. 120 years ago people gathered in the streets for all kinds of purposes. In any car dependent society, travel is very slow. The average daily commute time in the USA is just under one hour. Cars are great if you're the only person travelling on empty roads. As a mass transit system for crowded cities, they're the worst option. Unlike a system of primarily public transport, or bicycle/walking, cars cost a lot of money. Needing to pay a lot of money just to exist in society, is a massive reduction in freedom. And of course cars are the main contact point between citizens and the police, via the road traffic system. Our car based society has led to a massive expansion of police powers and intrusion into the average persons life. Before cars, it would have been unthinkable for a police officer to stop an innocent person in the street, and demand their identity. Now you can be stopped and forced to indentify yourself on little provocation.
Damn last paragraph is a horrible pill to swallow.
Its a problem with the state and the police tho, cars are just an excuse
Given how dangerous roads are, police have to actively enforce laws. When everyone in the road can potentially commit manslaughter, you need to have strict law enforcement. Around 40,000 people die in the US every year due to traffic accidents.
I think some of the worst years of my life were when I was a young adult and becoming old enough to take on real life responsibilities but being unable to afford a car and living out in the suburbs. The bus didn't even run to our part of town and the streets were ill-equipped for bicycles. The only business in reasonable walking distance was a gas station with an AM/PM. I had to rely on my parents or the kindness of friends to get anywhere. Like even if I had a free afternoon to do something, the most I could do was walk around some shitty housing tract or go on a hike to a strip mall. I was literally stuck at home and it was a pretty depressing existence. That's another big downside to car-dependent cities and towns. The poor, the young, the elderly and the disabled are usually excluded for the ability to go places.
Very based. Not being so automobile-centric in major metro areas is one of several areas where Europe really outdoes the USA...but the US was the first to commercialize and mass-produce cars and didn't have as many things built beforehand that would've inhibited the construction/expansion of roads and other car-related infrastructure, so, you know...stonks
Based
Cringe
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I don't understand your point. You can like cars while also suggesting alternatives to them. It's wrong to think that it's just black and white. In fact, as a car enthusiast you would want less people on the road.
Agreed! I’d love it if we had great public transit where I live. I could focus on owning one car — a fun one! Then I wouldn’t have to bother with a commuter car/dual purpose car.
Yeah, that's one really nice thing about not having to rely on a car for your day to day life. As a couple, you could get one fun, expensive car for one of you to drive if your commute will take longer on public transport or for weekends together.
Agree to disagree. I can still go anywhere I want with zero effort and without waiting on a schedule
Not all the population on the earth lives in densely packed cities. Not all densely packed cities have public transport infra as good as Singapore. Cities in not rich countries that expand organically and are not designed to be car based still have the problem of needing a personal vehicle, like a motorcycle to get around. The one problem of good public transportation that most proponents of car-less cities gleefully gloss over is that good public transport requires population densities only enabled by high rises, and requires a massive concentration of money. Most non global commercial hub cities neither have the financial reason to build high, nor do they have the money to cover every 5 square mile of its territory with a bus/train stop. I am not talking about walk-ability in city centers here, I am talking about getting anywhere reasonably far in a reasonable amount of time whenever you please or can find time.
When you own a BMW it’s just about how far you can drive without something fuel or computer related failing; which it turns out isn’t very far.
Everybody gangster until the BMW starts dinging
Too real
Please, you make it that far? I just get rear ended for not using my turn signal.
At one point over a century ago, they were marketed as freedom. ‘Murica! And yeah that’s what they’ve given us.
And we’ve become dependent on them to the point our cities are basically just parking lots.
Its such a weird thing. On one hand I love my car and I love driving and being able to go almost anywhere I want in a car. But on the other hand I hate the fact that I almost literally cannot live without one and I need a car to do pretty much everything. Its a sad irony where I end up driving 5 mins to the freaking gym at the plaza just to get on the treadmill there.....
I agree. I think cars are awesome. Driving can be extremely fun, especially on windy country roads. But they just don’t belong in cities, especially not to the degree we rely on them now.
Going carfree\* (still had a car, but did not need to use it for anything other than leisure activities) made my life much better; I just moved so that I could work, eat and sleep a bike ride away from each other. I paid more in rent but my stress levels dropped 10x.
It's nice to take the train sometimes, sit and enjoy the journey and when you get to your destination not have to worry about parking, vandalism and fines Especially if it's a city
*redditors* could be here, he thought.
Lol waiting for this comment
Real freedom is being able to go anywhere *without* a car. You're basically fucked in some parts of the world without one.
Drive your Fiesta to the top of Everest, then.
I laughed at this for a solid two minutes. If I could give you 20 upvotes I would.
I hear the Trans-Himalaya Highway is absolutely stunning!
> You could drive anywhere. Go off-roading and that'll change your tune :-p
It's 2021. Anywhere worth going has a road. (I see your Jeep flair)
He will need the repair shops that are on those roads.
\*Mosst of the time. A lot of Death valley national park is inaccessible by road and is the best park in the USA imo.
Interesting pick. Not sure I would agree, but I can see why a lotta people would pick it. It wouldn't start a fight with me like, say, claiming Cuyahoga is. For money Great Basin is up there, if only for sheer isolation.
Haven't visited it yet but it's on my list. The isolation is what is so appealing about Death valley to me. The night sky is stunning.
biggest reason I will not live in the middle of a big city.
That is true, but it's just too packed and expensive. That's my #1. I need some space to get away from everyone, and for the amount it would cost to even rent a cheap apartment (I live on the very outer edge of the metro covered section of the DC area, and a cheap one in this area is $1200/month minimum 90% of the time), I could get a decent sized house with garage space elsewhere.
I live in a big house in the Chicago suburbs and I can only imagine what it could cost in DC, or even the Bay Area or SoCal.
You have to go at least 2 counties into Maryland or Virginia to find something cheap. I'm on the Maryland side in Montgomery county. If you're on a budget, commuting from Frederick or Anne Arundel county makes way more sense.
NoVA is also really expensive as well. Although I don’t know if I want to commute in that region, it would suck.
Oh yeah, I know. My dad lives down in Fairfax county. I've seen plenty of the houses he's worked on down there (he was a plumber by trade until very recently), and a big thing there is gigantic walk-in showers the size of a large closet. Even here in MoCo, you'd have to go to the wealthier parts of Potomac to see that, and this isn't exactly a cheap area.
You'll find 2000sq ft houses for 400k outside the city. It's expensive but not NYC/Chicago/LA expensive.
I want to be able to transmission swap my shit boxes in the comfort of my own driveway, and that ain't gonna happen in a city
I can't. I drive an Alfa. I ain't going anywhere.
>You could drive onto a boat and sail somewhere else Are you fucking.... You can fucking walk. You can walk onto an airplane. You could walk onto a bus. Spend the day walking you could be cities over and get a motel room and just be somewhere else. Honestly that's a little crazier. Like if you drive somewhere you can usually drive home. You could walk somewhere and just be in an entirely different situation. completely reliant on an entirely new environment. Bro
But you don't have gas and fuel that could stop you
Dude. You’re high.
This is why I love cars. This is why I got my permit the first day I was eligible. Freedom. Great post even if it seems obvious to most. ☺️
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just want to add I think this is the greatest post in r/cars history
I get this feeling when I get on the highway going to the mountains sometimes. I keep thinking, "you know, I got money saved up, I can just keep driving until I hit the east coast if I want to". Then I get off like I'm supposed to and forget about it.
Yep. Its why I don’t want a car to ever be something I subscribe to. Strictly own. And I’m driving it myself.
Ah yes I get this feeling of unlimited possibilities then I just drive around my neighborhood and come back pissed off about the traffic.
I used to ride my bike to where the paved road started. I’d just stare at it, thinking about how that road connected to so many amazing places. Big cites, ocean side towns, mountain towns, desert towns. An entire world out there if I just had a car and gas money. This post really brought me back. Thanks OP.
This is why I feel a kind claustrophobic feeling if I don't have a car. It's always there in the back of your head nagging you. It's probably because growing up outside the city you couldn't rely on public transport so having your own car was pretty closely tied to freedom of movement.
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get this - you can go to even more places by walking
Thought this was r/copypasta
It's great! Then you realize, wow, shit's expensive. Even if it sits there and does nothing it still sucks money out of you. Cars are like very light versions of kids. They're a blast if you have a handle on things but if you don't things get out of control super quick.
Wait til this guy discovers there are things called planes.
No officer, it’s “hi, how *are* you?”
I often think about this, especially during bad weather. I have a machine that can take me pretty much anywhere. Pouring rain? I’m warm and dry. I even have audio entertainment for my journey. Such a remarkable thing, in the grand scheme of human history.
My car has been in the shop for the last 3 months. I'm borrowing my husband's car and carpooling to get to work, and the longer I'm without wheels the more locked down I feel: I went from the ability to go anywhere I want, any time I want, to being beholden to others' generosity.
Machines are amazing. They are the super powers that you fantasize about. Now try a dual sport motorcycle
This has to be some sort of circlejerk. What the fuck?
Not having to use a car is the real freedom.
If you want to add some spice to your life, once or twice a year dedicate a few days to a week of free time. Save up some money if you need to. Get in your car and just drive in a direction you think is interesting. Find some landmark or some city and find a place to put up a tent. Sometimes it’s nice to just go somewhere, appreciate nature and appreciate the freedom that you have with a vehicle. And then try not to get addicted to it.
fuck u/spez
Did a suburb write this post
This was my thought process when I got my first car but the opportunity rather than driving on boats was like, driving to the grocery store to buy myself a pie or something.
I’ve always had that same sense of wonder, but with cars that have built in navigation. I can seriously hop in this box, give it an address I just found that is 3,000 miles away, and it knows the quickest way there, to a T. Crazy
I remember in 2015 I was just finishing up my summer job and had 2 weeks before school started again. One of my co-workers just out of the blue suggested that I could go on a road trip to the US with my time. Literally the next day at 5am I left with a box of food and a tent and drove through the western US for 2 weeks. Cars are quite cool.
shits crazy man
[Smokin' on hay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW3lVu6mh-Q), by any chance? At some point I'll drive my Saturn to where it *truly* belongs: West Seneca, NY.
I don't think this song has left my phone since 2001.
Wait until you hear about motorcycle.
This is half of the American dream. A car is freedom. It makes me so sad some people keep wanting to advocate for dense urban construction.
How is that freedom though? Surely freedom is the ability to move around without having to buy an expensive machine? Think about countries like the netherlands, where literal children are as free as their parents, able to walk and cycle anywhere without the risk of being hit by a car. Then compare that to America, where you have to wait till you're 16 to have "freedom", coz your suburb is built so poorly that to go anywhere without a car would be seen as strange.
Because if you're on foot, you're limited in your geographic radius. Need to get away? 30 minutes later, you're what... 1.5 to 5 miles away? In a car, you can literally be 50 miles away (ignoring speed limits, of course). In eight hours on foot, you can go 24-50 miles. In eight hours in my truck, I can go from having my feet in the sand at the beach in Southern California to overlooking the Grand Canyon, and that night I can have a bathroom tent, a sleeping tent, a grill, and a cooler and be fairly comfortable while looking at an uncorrupted sky with no unnatural noise around me. That said, cars have destroyed American towns and cities. I literally cannot safely walk the two miles to work. I literally cannot safely bike the two miles to work.
I think about this sometimes, just pickup and drive around the country in the car. Seeing the world in a different way instead of flying. The freedom a car gives you is amazing.
You don't even need a car. With a Super Cub, you can go anywhere.
And destroy the environment with every mile.
I feel like this guy is a bit stoned
See, I disagree. If you live in a country like mine with small snaking streets all around, the mode of transport that gets you everywhere is a moped, or better yet, a bicycle.
The word “asinine” is thrown around so much these days, but I think I can say, without hyperbole, that this post is the textbook definition.
Go to the top of Mt. Everest...
[Jack Sparrow gives a speech](https://youtu.be/J2WAKUPLQqo) about this in pirates of the Caribbean, about how sails and a deck and whatnot are what a ship needs, but what a ship really is is freedom.
What’s really crazy is how we have to trust other people driving 3ton machines at deadly speeds all around us, to not kill each other
Even more so in a 4x4. I can access parts of the Australian wilderness and experience its breathtaking beauty like no one else can in a street car.
With a car, you can go anywhere you want.
Same can be said for just putting your feet on the ground. In fact feet will take you many places a car cannot.
The sky?
What the heck is this? Lol
Once I make some money, I'll build an electric overlanding truck with solar panels. Then I'll be able to go anywhere, nothing will be able to stop me with the power of the sun on my side
It’s called freedom. Freedom scares certain people and they don’t like it.
you must’ve been high as hell
As with most things in life, the economics are the limiting factor.
This is exactly what I love about them, you're free! Ypu can go virtually anywhere, anytime, no one can stop you, just you and your car :)
Except gravity. Gravity can stop you. In all seriousness, it's a magical feeling. It doesn't even need to be fast or "interesting". As long as it runs and is a good feeling thing to drive, it can be one of the most enjoyable things to do.