Interest in driving going down, sales of Toyotas going up. Makes sense.

 

traffic is my main reason for not loving driving in vancouver

that and PATHETIC drivers... ppl in north america need to be taught to drive better (i'm sorry, but you'd all get eaten alive in europe.... especially the whole not getting over into the fast lane thing, i CANNOT stand ppl who dont do that!)

 

I live in Los Alamitos and work in Huntington Beach.

 

Ah. lol I forgot about that one. Now I get it.

 

See, I'd be a LOT more aggravated if I had to not only worry about other drivers and stop-n-go traffic but about shifting as well.

To myself (and most people I know) Manual = Aggravation/Unneeded Distraction

 

Love driving my 6 speed, but not so much for the daily commute. I tried riding an "Express" bus for a while, and will probably start again once all the kids start back to school and traffic really starts to stack up again, but it really adds to my day and isn't very convenient for midday emergencies since the "Express" routes only run at the beginning and end of the workday. Austin metro is in dire need of an efficient mass transit system.

Light rail is supposed to come on line in the next couple of years, as well as a toll road system. The problem with the toll road system is that they are essentially taking existing routes, and making them toll roads. Furthermore, it doesn't save fuel, just time (maybe), and will cost you more.

After visiting D.C., I would love to see light rail here. It would certainly help us surburbanites living 30 miles from work.

 

I've been intending on making a post in my dwindling interest in cars for quite some time. I've got some personal reasons (time and $$), but even still, I drive an SVT Contour - which is usually a very fun car to drive.

Congestion is the single biggest factor for me. The best roads to drive on that are within every day reach (old farm roads in the exurbs) are completely congested nowadays. It's not quite stop and go, but with countless fields of McMansions and the accompanying Suburbans and minivans make spirited driving all but futile, except between the hours of 2-4 a.m...if you're lucky. Traffic disection is my last true vice, but that's not exactly safe or condusive to avoiding road rage....

But it really boils down to personal reasons for me. The bottom line is that it's not practical for me spend thousands of dollars to own a fun car that would benefit me the most. Add in the fact that even if we had a shared enjoyment driving machine, we'd still have to put up with traffic and other idiots on the road.

For us, boating (wakeboarding, skiing, etc...) is a far more fulfilling family motoring experience. Far fewer idiots and finding your own spot usually isn't too dificult. It's also nice to have room for, well, everything and everyone... The list goes on for me.

There will always be a soft spot in my soul for fine automobiles, just not my own.

 

I will always love driving, especially the Camaro's I have owned. I am not far west of Z28x and he could tell you as well that driving is pretty easy unless you are taking I-87N during rush hour. If you're ever in upstate NY try I-88 West sometime, very few cops and you have spots to really get on it. Disclaimer: I am in no way urging unsafe driving.

 

You should, because it's fun