Commuting by car sucks the life out of the fun of having a car

"Wheelerguy" (wheelerguy) 01/09/2020 at 11:10 • Filed to: Musings, car ownership, Traffic

2

44

Considering how much commuting by car can corrupt a person, I’d rather have most people go around using public transport.

BUT THAT’S A DAMN DIRTY COMMUNIST IDEA, RIGHT?!

(N evermind the fact that Japan and the EU have brilliant public transport and still get to make to-die-for cars. )

Driving is supposed to be fun. Driving all the fucking time to the meat grinder is not. Trains are better at shuttling most people for fewer resources, and most cars on the road have just the driver in them anyway. Honestly, this is why I find self-driving cars silly, even if I understand that a car grants a level of privacy, comfort, convenience and control that public transport can’t give (and they can). Rail networks can be made to run autonomously; same with buses and trams.

We’re supposed to drive free. And yes, that includes commuting to work or school or third place. But with the level of congestion we’re experiencing, are we driving free? That defeats the point of car ownership.

E90M3 > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:13

3

Simple solution, have a commuting appliance and a fun weekend car. Driving then becomes enjoyable because you're in your weekend car only when you want to be, not when you have to be. 

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > E90M3 01/09/2020 at 11:15

1

Honestly, though, traffic around where I live is heavier on the weekend. There’s no such thing as a “fun” drive - even if you go out to the country, your soul is exhausted from traffic and crappy roads  by the time you get there.

Chuckles > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:17

7

This seems like it only applies to large cities. Commuting by car in smaller cities/suburbs/rural areas is often the best option by a wide margin, while also not being nearly as sad.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:18

3

All depends on the quality of your commute!

Ive now got a 15 minute commute (max, faster if I just simply go faster and dont get stuck behind a slow poke). And the whole thing has this sort of view and twisty roads. I live in a rural enough area that I definitely couldnt benefit from public transit and the roads are too steep and dangerous to really bike it regularly.

I just moved from an hour commute with some traffic though so I get the disdain for a driving commute. It was putting way too many miles on my cars and costing way too much in gas. Now I can actually enjoy my cars instead.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > E90M3 01/09/2020 at 11:18

5

Better solution is two fun weekend cars. Life is too short for boring cars!

412GTI > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:20

1

Yep. I didn’t really understand this until moving to a bigger city. Although I like being in my own litter commuter pod, I often think how it would be more efficient sitting on a train than idling slowly through traffic. Sitting in traffic drives me crazy knowing my somewhat efficient car is only getting 19 mph.

Because I don’t have a trolley stop near my work, I keep thinking of switching to a hybrid commuter and a more dedicated fun car.

Ash78, voting early and often > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 11:21

11

$8 in bus tickets, 3 transfer , 2 hours

or

$3 in fuel and maintenance, one car, 20 minutes

—Most of the US

Chuckles > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 11:23

7

I’ll add that as someone who lives in a small-medium sized city, my options are a 20 minute car commute or a 3 hour commute that requires 2 buses and walking a mile.

Which one of those options sounds more soul sucking to you?

Sovande > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:24

1

Get an old beater. Fix it up mechanically, but leave the cosmetics alone. Drive that thing during rush hour and watch as other drivers clear a path for you. This is my plan for the Caprice Wagon I have. Redo the brakes, new suspension all around and a new (used) engine and that heap of $400 crap is going to be the best commuter ever. Plenty of room, comfortable enough for an hour or so and I guarantee not many people will cut me off.  

Ash78, voting early and often > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:25

5

Commuting is insane, especially when you consider how many jobs don’t even truly require it. The last time I had a job without any flex time or telecommuting was almost 10 years ago. You just have to ask for it, and be willing to take the steps to make it work (leaving at 6am, coming home at 4; or pushing for more telecommute days).

I still struggle to imagine what else I could have accomplished in life if half of my non-working daytime hours in my 20s had not been spent sitting in a car at 10mph.

Honestly, now that I telecommute, it ends up just being a shitload more housework, yardwork, and errands. But I don’t hate driving anymore!

OPPOsaurus WRX > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:25

2

yea i switched from a nice commute with no traffic with the WRX to a congested ride thru hell in an econo Focus.  It really does make you hate driving.  Now i’m still in the econo Focus but its a short 6 mile ride thru secondary roads, not too bad.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:34

1

I live close enough to work/school that I walk there, even though I can drive if I so choose. I find that the only times I drive are when I need to go to the grocery store, somewhere outside of walking distance, or when I go back to my hometown. Hence, my choice of vehicles is somewhat silly as I don’t need a “daily” driver. It’s a nice way to live.

For Sweden > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:37

3

Counterpoint: public transportation doesn’t have Volvo seats

For Sweden > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 11:37

5

Someday, we will learn different towns can use different transportation solutions, and that’s ok.

Wheelerguy > For Sweden 01/09/2020 at 11:39

4

Not with that attitude it won’t.

3point8isgreat > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:39

1

I don’t really deal with much traffic beyond a single merge that sometimes backs up. But the rest is just boring straight highway.

But those few times a week when I can open it up a little on an on- ramp are what make commuting in a fun car worth it. Although 70+ miles a day did make it so that fuel economy mattered to me and limited some options .

Which reminds me of something else I’ve seen in comments on fun cars: people asking “Who cares about the fuel economy? No one would buy this for that.” Except anyone who commutes in that fun car probably DOES care. Especially on something like a hot hatch where the whole point is that it’s both fun and practical.

Wheelerguy > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 11:43

0

I mean that’s what it was supposed to be, right? You beat everyone stuck in cans because you drive to work and it was easier that way. If a driving commute is easier, then that should be option 1. But it can’t be the only option all the time.

E90M3 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/09/2020 at 11:45

0

I mean, my “commuting appliance” is a manual 3 series. 

Wheelerguy > For Sweden 01/09/2020 at 11:47

0

True. In places where everything and everyone is scrunched together, cars are inefficient. The fur ther things are sp aced out, the more cars (and planes) make sense. Ideally, there should be some sense of balance between the two. So far, it’s uneven. And I’m still not too convinced by self-driving cars being a solution to gridlock .

Wheelerguy > 3point8isgreat 01/09/2020 at 11:48

0

Right. I wouldn’t want my sporty estate car to suddenly run out at the wrong time or because I whipped around a bit.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/09/2020 at 11:55

1

For my 20 minute commute against traffic on well maintained high speed highway and uncongested city roads, a fun car could work. Not so with most of America.

Chariotoflove > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:58

1

I agree that congested traffic sucks the fun out of driving. What I like is that the car I have now is pleasant just to be in. It kind of calms me in those situations. 

HammerheadFistpunch > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 11:59

1

I’ve been doing the math on public transit in my daily commute. It comes out financially but it takes a minimum of an additional hour out of my day every day. 

Chariotoflove > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 12:00

1

Same. I’d love to use the Dart rail if it were practical. But it’s faster and cheaper from where I live to drive in. 

Chuckles > HammerheadFistpunch 01/09/2020 at 12:01

1

Your time has value. An extra 5 hours a week is a lot. What could you do with an extra 5 hours a week?

HammerheadFistpunch > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 12:03

2

So many things! oh the things I’d do...my stars so many things...

But seriously, I need those hours.

Derpwagon > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 12:06

0

To an extent I agree, but I also firmly believe in right tool for the right application. Commuting in traffic in your sports car is like trying to drive a nail with a banana. Wildly ineffective. Likewise, I don’t want to take my truck on the race track, or on a spirited drive through winding mountain roads.

Sitting in traffic in heated or air conditioned seats depending on weather, with a good sound system, isolated from noise isn’t so bad. It’s comfortable quiet ‘me’ time. Sitting in traffic in my Supra kinda sucks, so I’ll take that for the spirited drive instead. 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 12:39

1

This is why I’m a firm believer in not DD’ing your fun car. It makes it less special and the last thing you want to do when you have a weekend free is to drive it.

I was rear-ended in the bug a few years ago and had to use my miata as my primary car. It was fun for about 4 days then just started noticing all the things I modified to make it more fun, really sucking during the commute. I needed some time away before I really enjoyed driving it again. I never want that to happen with the Ferrari. Every time I drive that car, I want it to be an event. So far so good in that department.

And if weekends have too much traffic, try leaving early and beating every to the fun areas. It’s always a struggle to have a 5:00am alarm on a Saturday, but it’s worth it every time.

fintail > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 13:03

0

10-15 minutes by car or 45+ minutes by bus, I know what I want.

What we really need is more working from home, but micromanagers don’t want to risk their own often redundant positions by allowing it.

facw > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 13:08

1

This is of course largely true because we’ve neglected public transport and planned our growth poorly. The former can certainly be improved. The latter you can improve going forward, but it doesn’t help much with existing areas that have already been planned around the car.

facw > For Sweden 01/09/2020 at 13:09

1

It could!

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 13:30

0

Commuting period sucks. I recently ditched driving for the train. Costs me more, isn’t any faster, but at least I can be a vegetable for an hour while I sit stand there. I usually get a seat on the way home....

Chuckles > facw 01/09/2020 at 13:36

0

Public transportation also just makes more sense in densely populated areas. But the vast majority of land in the US will never be densely populated. Even if a lot of people live in cities, a lot do not. It ’s hard to plan public transportation in small towns where there aren’t a lot of people that need it.

facw > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 13:44

1

Right, but most people don’t live in small towns. People live in the cities and suburbs, so making sure they have good options is where you’ll see the most impact.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 14:14

1

Sounds like Salt Lake when I lived there. Spent a number of years using buses exclusively and a car was legitimately the only practical way to get around that city.

Where I live now sucks because it’s on the outskirts of the metro, but other than that it’s really pretty good relative to the nightmare traffic.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 01/09/2020 at 14:23

0

That’s the only downside. My commute is 45 min by bus or 25 with no traffic by car . As it gets closer to rush hour (when I’m likely to be driving) , it goes to 35-40 min by car and the bus peaks out around 50-5 5 min . The only reason I drive now is to be able to go home earlier than the earliest bus out to my town, since it only does commuter hours. The extra commute time is something like 20-30 min per day.

Bus time is also marginally productive thanks to my smart phone . Would be very productive if there were desks on the buses, though. Can’t do either when driving...

HammerheadFistpunch > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/09/2020 at 14:29

0

I’m least productive in the morning so no help there in the way in and the red line at 5 is standing room only. again no help there. plus I'm paranoid about leaving my car at the park and ride all day. coworker just had their window smashed in last night

Chuckles > facw 01/09/2020 at 14:40

0

The part that I struggle with is that both of these statements are true:

“Most people don’t live in small towns.”

“A lot of people live in small towns.”

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 15:34

0

This heavily relies on what you do with that time. Gained 5 hours back is great if you use that time to run a side business or exercise. Gained 5 hours to watch Netflix (let’s be honest this is the majority) is not a valid reason to make a blanket, “ time is money”.

Chuckles > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 01/09/2020 at 15:38

0

5 hours spent relaxing and doing nothing is still valid. Recreation is valid, even if that means watching Netflix.  My time has intrinsic value even if I’m not using that time to make something for a profit or hitting the gym.

I didn’t say “time is money” I said “time has value.” Big difference.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > E90M3 01/09/2020 at 15:59

0

Well yeah its the same reason why hot hatches make such good choices too. Anything that is “reasonably comfortable and gets better than single digit mpg” is a commuting appliance by some defnitions lol. 

AestheticsInMotion > For Sweden 01/09/2020 at 18:20

1

This is the best take

SmugAardvark > Wheelerguy 01/09/2020 at 18:55

0

This, to me, is the highlight of owning two cars. I drive my Cube to work everyday because it is a Cube. It isn’t supposed to be fun. It isn’t supposed to be flat out in every turn. It isn’t supposed to be fast in any realistic automotive sense. It’s supposed to be practical. And it is practical. Practically practical, if uninspiring.

But then when I’m not going to or from work, and I want to enjoy being behind the wheel, I have the Corvette. Because I’m not driving it every day, and I’m not spending 30-40 minutes daily in traffic on the interstate, I can truly enjoy it.

But of course, that is only my case. And because taking public transit to work for me would involve taking a bus, then a light rail, then another bus. Plus it would take over twice as long. If I moved back downtown, and it would be a short walk followed by a single bus to take the place of my daily commute, I would certainly consider it.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Chuckles 01/09/2020 at 22:31

0

I wasn’t saying you said it. I was adding on to your point that there are some criteria that need to be validated before you can use it as a blanket truth.