by "Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
Published 02/26/2017 at 07:25
by "Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
Published 02/26/2017 at 07:25
Tags: Thoughts
STARS: 4
The car you buy will either function as a toy, an appliance, or technology. I think it’s time everyone came out and admitted that when they ask for help car shopping they are usually buying an appliance. Of course we pretend they are toys, existing solely for our engagement and enjoyment, but the criteria ALWAYS says you want an appliance.
When shopping, the only time you give out a list of specific mundane criteria to be met and are open to completely random suggestions is when you are shopping appliances. If you wanted the toy then you’d buy it on impulse! If it were to function as technology then you would buy it new or in immaculate condition.
Toy
:
Engagement and Enjoyment.
Appliance
:
Reliability and Responsibility.
Technology
:
Innovation and Imagination.
Y ou either Want a Toy , Need an Appliance , or are Curious about Technology .
When you ask, “Why shouldn’t I buy a (blank)?” that tells us you are looking for something that can be a toy.
When you say, “I need something that can check off the following 15 criteria...” you are shopping an appliance. Even if RWD, V10, manual, and gun rack are all within the list. You are looking for or are planning to turn something into an appliance.
When you ask about a feature or aspect a vehicle contains then we know you’re curious about technology. No matter digital or analog, old or new, working or needing repair. If that’s the case then you need to get the best example and that means spending more on something new, something clean, or (if you want the experience) spending more on the project.
There’s nothing wrong with any of these, and any vehicle can be one thing but used as another, I just want to make sure you all know that there is nothing wrong with appliances, technology, or toys. It’s all about what you’re searching for and the questions you ask telegraph your intentions despite whatever you may say.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
02/26/2017 at 07:44, STARS: 2
I think that you can also buy something that crosses multiple aspects of those categories. I bought my most recent car mostly on a whim, but as a toy with the ability to function as a daily driver appliance. I did not, however buy it as technology, since the tech in the car is mostly several years old and tried an tested.
I agree that it’s not bad to buy an appliance vehicle, if that’s what you need. Toyota sells a lot of Camrys.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 07:44, STARS: 3
I have quite a lot of criterias when I shop for a car...
I want all my cars to be fun, to appreciate in value or, at worst, not lose value, I want them to be RWD unless insanely fun, if RWD,I want a LSD, unless too old and original, I want them to have trunk space if it’s my only car, I want my car to be manual, no matter how fast the autobox shifts and I want my car to be fun. Did I mention that already?
So I bought this, which I daily drive.
Is that an appliance just because I followed rather strict criterias?
"RT" (rt-p)
02/26/2017 at 07:49, STARS: 2
You might as well get an interesting appliance though. E.g: Mazda6, Volvo S60 etc.
"daender" (daender)
02/26/2017 at 08:04, STARS: 4
Why not buy something that’s both a toy and an appliance? Sure it’s won’t be a sports car but at least with the right set of sway bars, springs, and a non-farting muffler, it can at least prevent you from being bored behind the wheel.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 08:05, STARS: 0
I would say you bought a toy to be used as an appliance. Nothing wrong with that! That’s a “novelty” purchase. Like mugs with funny quotes or mustaches print on them (not my most eloquent example but the one that came to me first).
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 08:12, STARS: 0
I think a lot of people forget that you can use a car that’s me for one category but you use it for another. We not understand how racing a Camry around Monoco would be fun but people love watching appliances used as toys! Putting random things in a hydraulic press, blender, or microwave are the same concept. That’s why slow car fast is better than fast car slow (but still not anywhere near fast car fast).
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 08:18, STARS: 1
Well, anyone who can only afford one car while being a massive gearhead will follow my way... What I feel you’re doing is advocating brainless purchases. Basically, if the purchase is not brainless, it’s an appliance.
All cars are appliances depending on how you think about it when you buy it.
I bought a Corvette because I wanted trunk space and daily drivability while keeping it fun. That makes it an appliance according to your logic. But what if I told you I bought it because I always wanted one, yet used it as a daily driver and carried lots of stuff in the truck? What does it become?
Cars are what you want them to be. One day you have an appliance which brought you to work. The next day you have a track day car in which you try to beat your best lap. The third day you have an ambulance driving your friend to the hospital...
Brainless purchases are what they are : brainless. This is why I would by a c63 AMG. Do I want one? Yes, but it doesn’t fit my check list. My next car will probably be a 1969 Lancia Fulvia Zagato, because if the insane deal I get on it, the massive profit I’ll make on it when I sell it and the truck space. I’ll daily it along with the RX-7. Does that make it an appliance too?
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 08:21, STARS: 1
Any time you have something that is one category but promotes itself as another you have a “novelty” item. We love novelty items!! Souvenirs rely on being toys that can be appliances. But toys get boring and a boring toy is worthless. An appliance however will always be usable even once it’s boring. That’s why it’s easier to live and use an engaging appliance until it dies than a toy as an appliance. That toy will either need to be modified or you simply stop liking it.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
02/26/2017 at 08:32, STARS: 1
And I own something that’s nearly the definition of appliance, at least in the US market (the only way to go more appliance would be... well, to get a Camry instead of a Prius)... yet it also fits firmly into the technology category, even though the technology is also tried and tested.
And, then, there’s been a subset of Prius fans that figured out how to use it as a toy, too - sure, it’s a different kind of play than we usually do, but hypermiling is absolutely playing with it as a toy. And, this generation actually handles decently, so it can do the conventional kind of toy too... meaning it actually fits firmly into two categories, and has attributes in the third in one way or another.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 08:34, STARS: 0
If it’s fulfilling a need it’s an appliance. There is nothing wrong with that term and you don’t need to justify away from it. If you NEED a 675LT because you go to the track every weekend then that Macca is an appliance, it serves a need.
If you buy a 675LT Spider because you WANTED something interesting to play with occasionally then it’s a toy.
If you buy a McLaren just to experience a McLaren then it’s technology.
When you purchase something and use it as something else then it’s a novelty purchase. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these and you don’t need to justify a toy doing the things you NEED is not an appliance. I have electric salt and pepper graters, yes I could shake my seasonings on to my food but having a charger for your salt and pepper is way more fun. It’s the novelty!
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 08:39, STARS: 0
Exactly! YOU give the car it’s purpose!! Hypermiling is totally a toy as well and takes as much driving focus and precision as tracking.
MPG = Lap Time.
"Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
02/26/2017 at 08:48, STARS: 2
Absolutely. Difference between us and the rest of the world is that even when we’re buying an appliance, we care.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 08:49, STARS: 1
Yes but the whole thing doesn’t make much sense... Again, following your logic, anything is an appliance unless it’s been bought brainlessly.
“I want a McLaren F1 because it’s one of the rare awesome hyper cars that can bring me my wife and my son to the track”: appliance.
“I want a Porsche 918 because that way I can go hit the canyons and come back late at night on electric mod without having my neighbors complain about the noise”: appliance
The whole thing makes no sense. Cars are not just meant for the sole purpose of driving. Each car purchase has a reason behind it and that doesn’t invalidate the main purchase reason : I want a fun toy.
Also following your logic, the mere fact of needing a toy on wheels to be happy every day makes it an appliance.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 0
Want = Toy
Need = Appliance
Experience = Technology
Nothing more to it. Both your examples are wants so in both cases you would have a toy. If you NEEDED a track car that you could street drive and NEEDED it to be all electric or have a quiet mode then the 918 or NSX are the appliances you are looking for.
Look at when you use the terms want and need then my logic will become logical, umm...I think?
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 0
OK, I’m depressive or I have a boring life and I need a toy. What is it?
"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
02/26/2017 at 09:14, STARS: 0
My Juke could be called an appliance, but I can really throw it around. I’ve got it on 3 wheels (& crap my self). Maxed out the open diff, so in tight corners I doing 1 wheel peels. Can do some nasty rev matches, the lack of muffler cracked & pops like rice crispys.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 09:21, STARS: 0
Unless you started hypermiling because you wanted to save money... Then it’s an appliance.
"loki03xlh" (loki03xlh)
02/26/2017 at 09:25, STARS: 1
This why I have multiple vehicles. My compact truck is my appliance. It is also my daily driver. The Firechicken and my bike are my toys.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 09:30, STARS: 0
Need a toy? It’s a toy! If it’s only for your engagement and enjoyment it’s a toy. If you start using it for your day to day needs then it turns into an appliances.
But when do you need a toy though? Isn’t that a want, no matter how badly you think you need it? Even with kids the trend is that toys need to teach and not simply provide distraction and at that point of need don’t they become children’s appliances?
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 09:37, STARS: 0
The cars typically used for hypermiling are already saving you money though...I mean you bought the car to begin with because it’s rated at 54 mpg combined but you work your tail off to hypermile it to 70 mpg. I say that’s the same thing as buying a car because of its lap times then lapping it to get even faster times. That’s a toy because you dont need to do either, you want to!
Now having a 200 mile commute and a 200 mile range rating would make hypermiling to 220 miles of range a needed application, an appliance if you will.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 09:48, STARS: 1
No, that doesn’t work... It’s the same logic as someone who argues that one wants holidays but doesn’t need any and could just keep on working. I need holidays in my life. I need toys in my life too. I need enjoyment.
This is why you buy a sports car. It fulfills a need in your life. Some will buy one because they want (or need) to feel younger than they are. Other because they need (or want) to have something fun to do when they get out of their office work at 10pm everyday.
I genuinely don’t understand why you feel that cars have to be in “or, or” categories and can’t be “and, and”.
I need a fun car in my life. I also need it to carry stuff from time to time. And yes I want a fun car in my life too... I also want it to carry stuff.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 09:50, STARS: 0
If you use it because you need it then it’s still an appliance. Every so often you might put a CD into a microwave because it’s awesome and the microwave can handle that, but when people see it they’ll still ask, “Are you crazy? That’s not a toy!” That’s why driving a Juke around the Goodwood Festival on two wheels is a novelty rather than an expectation.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 09:58, STARS: 0
No people hypermile anything. Clarkson hypermiled a Jaguar because he “needed” to do a TV show. I hypermiled my gas guzzling RX-7 because I forgot my wallet once. I needed to do it.Hypermiling can be a game or a need. Just like a car can be bought because it can be an appliance and a toy depending on what you need or want.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
02/26/2017 at 10:00, STARS: 7
This needless attempt to label everything is exactly what makes things NOT fun.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 10:06, STARS: 0
Hey, if you love the work you do then you never want to stop doing it. I say if you are in a position that allows you get that perfect appliance that covers your needs and flexes to your wants then you won’t feel a “need” for a toy. Just like a great career will keep you answering emails and calls even on your off days, you’ll be happy to give that morning hour.
All I’m saying is that the term appliance does not exclude enjoyment. A fun daily driver is still a great appliance, just like a job where you work everyday can be the thing you look forward to doing the most. It’s a great thing when you can make your needs your wants.
The only thing holding you back is viewing the term “appliance” as derogatory. But that’s personal and if you already have your own opinions then I won’t change them, only you can do that. It’s like me saying that Kia is building good cars or that Audi and Porsche are building reliable vehicles to someone who has had a Rio and an S4 that left their engines in the parking lot.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/26/2017 at 10:17, STARS: 1
If you live your work you never want to stop doing it?? Really lol? Then if you live your work you’ll be happy doing it for the next 50 years, 7 days a week, right? Logical!! If not then you probably don’t like your work so much...
Again you don’t make much sense. Humans, if you are one, need enjoyment in their lives. Without they go crazy. If they work, they need breaks too. We have hundreds of years of documentations proving that lol. You buy a car that fits your NEEDS. Be it enjoyment or air conditioning. No one buys a car they don’t need.
"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
02/26/2017 at 10:18, STARS: 0
My only car is a 30 year old track-prepped racecar. Didn’t ask for help finding it though.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
02/26/2017 at 10:19, STARS: 0
I’m working to simplify! Everyone feels like their things must be special so can’t possibly be included with something they don’t care for. Thus we have “enthusiast” cars and “regular” cars. Guess what, a car is a car and it’s up to the owner to further define it for themselves. When you look at a parking lot isn’t every single thing from shoe to semi doing the exact same thing, nothing but taking up space? If it isn’t being used then label becomes “object” for all of them.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
02/26/2017 at 10:42, STARS: 1
Y ou either Want a Toy , Need an Appliance , or are Curious about Technology .
Well put. I think that when it comes to cars that are necessary appliances, that IS what they are, no matter how much fun they may be. It’s not a toy by definition unless it truly is frivolous and you could get by without it. The funnest car can be an appliance if that’s how you use it.
It’s okay for a car to serve multiple purposes, but needs are more important than wants . So even if the car gets used only once a month for a very important purpose, but you still have fun with it the rest of the time, it can still classify as a needed appliance, despite the majority of its miles being superfluous.
For most of us, no matter what kind of car it is, it’s an appliance. Sure, we get enjoyment out of it, but it’s still a tool that we need. Some of us may have second cars, projects, or track toys, and if we can afford to let them go (no matter how sad that would make us), they are wants .
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
02/26/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 0
Most of my technology and car purchases have been toys that also fulfill a need for an appliance, that I want. So there.
"random001" (random001)
02/26/2017 at 14:29, STARS: 0
What does my recent purchase say about me?
"TheBimmerGuyWhoNowOwnsAChevy" (thebimmerguy)
02/26/2017 at 15:53, STARS: 0
Yeah I’ve already admitted to myself that the cruze is kind of like an appliance, it needs to be reliable for the next handful of years until I can start buying fun cars again, so for now the cruze is a reliable daily that can still be a bit of fun.
"wiffleballtony" (wiffleballtony)
02/26/2017 at 17:00, STARS: 0
I reject your reality
"cberg" (cberg)
02/26/2017 at 19:50, STARS: 0
Everything about all of this is absurd. I drive a completely stock Volvo V50 T5M, as soon as it shifts like a GTI & gets some custom code on an aftermarket headunit it ticks every box.