"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
12/01/2016 at 16:20 • Filed to: Car Buying
2
38|
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
12/01/2016 at 16:20 • Filed to: Car Buying | 2
| 38 |
As is our nature, there is an intrinsic need to create sweeping generalizations for things that are difficult to define. Today I’m going to give you my generalizations for the three ways in which cars impact our lives and how we prioritize their attributes. To be blunt, you either want a
Toy
, need an
Appliance
, or are curious about
Technology
. Whichever has your priority will shape what car you seek out, but allow me to add some definition to what those terms mean in this context:
Toy
:
Engagement and Enjoyment.
Appliance
:
Reliability and Responsibility.
Technology
:
Innovation and Imagination.
I’ll reiterate this sentence, “ you either want a Toy , need an Appliance , or are curious about Technology .”
In other words, you don’t need engagement or enjoyment from your car! But most people want those attributes, and if you’re an enthusiast then you will argue that you need these attributes. Congratulations, your first priority is a product that can give you the experiences that come from a Toy!
If you don’t need your vehicle to be reliable because it doesn’t have any responsibilities outside of fulfilling a craving for British Racing Green then you may want to aim for an Aston Martin Vantage for $35,000 instead of that base model Buick LaCrosse. However, if you’re curious about all the awesome features, connectivity, and new designs coming from Buick then the LaCrosse is going to be the Technology show piece you’re looking for.
Imagine you’re buying a toaster:
Technology, when you buy a toaster because you’re curious about the way it toasts toast!
Appliance, when you buy a toaster because you need your toast toasted!
Toy, when you buy a toaster because you want the experience of toasting toast!
In this way, any appliance can be a toy in other circumstances and even something lacking “technology” could become Technology if it does something a certain way (wanting a car purely because of the way the doors operate).
When you look at things in this light you begin to understand how Lexus, Land Rover, and Lamborghini owners can rave about their experiences with the cars even if they are being used the same way. Imagine each one on the track, off-roading, or sitting in traffic and you’ll notice that you view each car differently.
So ask yourself what attributes you’re wanting, needing, and are interested in. Priotize them, then ask yourself whether or not the vehicle is going to satisfy the criteria and is the price worth it for a Toy, Appliance, or Technology?
Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:25 |
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The way I evaluate cars:
1. Toy
2. Tech
3. Appliance
Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:27 |
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Toy and Appliance rolled into one, screw technology.
Hence I drive a small V8 truck with cave-levels of equipment.
EL_ULY
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:28 |
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Trick question. EVERY single car is a soulless appliance and EVERY single car can a toy. Nobody can change my mind on this :]
Down with auto enthusiasts!
HOON everything!!!!!!
Decay buys too many beaters
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:28 |
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The way I evaluate cars
1. Toy
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2. Technology
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3. Appliance
Honeybunchesofgoats
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:28 |
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Toy, appliance, technology. I want as little technology as possible. I don’t want any screens in my cars, and I want buttons for everything. I want buttons for things that no one would ever need to use.
bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 16:30 |
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you see, its the other way around for me.
I have my bikes for the toy. nothing can come close to 50* lean in the twistys. so why bother?
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:33 |
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Your appliance analogy would be better if it was about washing machines
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Wobbles the Mind
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
12/01/2016 at 16:35 |
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That’s one of my favorite posts of all time, now I need to go find it again.
Nauraushaun
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:37 |
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Why does that Lotus have DODGE written on the side of it lol.
My MR2 is all about toy. But it’s all I’ve got, so it fills the appliance hole where need be.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 16:39 |
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I have bikes and cars as toys :)
Once you have enough, you don’t need anything reliable or boring at all. My Most “appliance” car is the E39 540i.
Tripper
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:41 |
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I never have to worry about the Appliance or Technology categories. If I don’t enjoy the driving experience it I won’t drive it. Just ask the 2013 Jetta that I owned for the longest 10 months of my life.
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bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 16:42 |
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hehe, its too much to insure manyvehicles on ontario (they wanted almost 7 grand a year for my SV when I got it at 17 with one speeding ticket. what. the. fuck)
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Wobbles the Mind
> Nauraushaun
12/01/2016 at 16:44 |
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That’s the Dodge EV / Dodge Circuit EV. It’s pretty much a Tesla Roadster but from Dodge.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2011-dodge-circuit-ev-review
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:45 |
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I actually just tracked it down for a fellow Opponaut today (in response to him saying being an auto enthusiast was like being a dude that’s into Dungeons and Dragons).
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> EL_ULY
12/01/2016 at 16:46 |
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Isn’t the truest auto enthusiast enthusiastic about every automobile?
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 16:47 |
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Oh god O.o
I pay less than $2k for 8 vehicles and 2 drivers.
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bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 16:52 |
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screw you. my parents pay 2300...for a 07 IS 250 for a middle aged woman.
yes, insurance in ontario is mind-numbingly expensive.
Die-Trying
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 16:52 |
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i evaluate my vehicles a bit differently.
there is,
transportation, its only job is to take you to places (work) and back, as reliably or as cheaply as possible.(sometimes not the same thing)
work vehicle. its only job is to do whatever you do for work. might be pull a 30' gooseneck trailer, might be haul all your electrical tools and supplies in the dry. might be a mechanic service truck, with all the tools and compressors. BUT so long as the work truck is able to do the work, it is doing ITS job, doesnt need to be economical.
then there is the fun car, the ONLY thing that car has to do, is be fun. whatever fun for you happens to be. whether that is going around corners fast/sideways, scraping over speed bumps, be a loud radio, drive over mud/rocks. so long as it is fun it has done its job.
those are my three subsets of what a car/truck falls into........
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 16:54 |
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When I added the SV it was $70/year. I was under 25, I had speeding tickets and crashes...
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bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 16:55 |
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where do you live again? looking for a room-mate?
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 16:56 |
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Oregon, land of no sales tax and $40 per year registration! :)
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Die-Trying
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/01/2016 at 17:01 |
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he said what?..............
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Die-Trying
12/01/2016 at 17:07 |
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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/car-culture-1787876192
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bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 17:07 |
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does it snow? any good twistys around?
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Tripper
> Die-Trying
12/01/2016 at 17:07 |
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I said this.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 17:12 |
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No snow, yes twisties
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bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 17:13 |
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really, you dont get snow up there?
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 17:17 |
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I’ve lived here 6 years, it has snowed twice, less than two inches both times.
However the mountains an hour east of the city have snow and skiing year round :)
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bob and john
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/01/2016 at 17:21 |
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hmm. interesting. How warm are the summers?
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Die-Trying
> Tripper
12/01/2016 at 17:21 |
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it makes a good bit of sense, when in context.
i just remember the d&d kids as the scrawny pale pasty kids that looked like they hadnt gotten enough sunlight, while us car “enthusiasts” were the greasy armed, burnt skinned(welding and rubbing knuckles on hot exhaust), broken fingered guys.
i’m glad that i have been able to broaden my view of what enthusiasts are........
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Decay buys too many beaters
> bob and john
12/01/2016 at 17:24 |
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‘dat pacific ocean climate
Winters are rarely below freezing
Summers are rarely above 30C or so.
Low humidity too.
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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/01/2016 at 17:27 |
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Despite many friends playing, I’ve never played dungeons and dragons.
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Tripper
> Die-Trying
12/01/2016 at 17:27 |
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I dunno anything about dungeons and dragons other than that it is played by nerds, and that it’s very detailed. Only the players fully understand those details, and it is far less mainstream than football. As is enthusiasm for cars.
DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 17:48 |
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This is why I love my Integra. It checks all the boxes, for me at least. Obviously it checks the toy and appliance one so I won’t talk about that.
About the tech, it’s low tech by today’s standards and I think even for it’s time it wasn’t advanced (interior/convenience wise, y’all can argue about the B18)
But the entire reason I bought it was that my ‘92 Civic didn’t have A/C, which was fine in the PNW. However that wouldn’t fly after my move back to Texas (starting tomarrow!) and EG A/C parts are scarce in junkyards. So I sold the Civic and got the Teggy which got me A/C, cruise control, and a head unit with an aux jack!
So in a ways, at least in my situation, the tech was the strongest point of the car. Despite it being the weakest one from an objective point of view.
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Nauraushaun
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 18:17 |
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I see. That’s kind of cool really. They borrowed a snazzy looking car.
I’ll point out that the Tesla roadster did have its own styling.
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Die-Trying
> Tripper
12/01/2016 at 18:27 |
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this seems like a good setup for six degrees of separation.......
G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
> Wobbles the Mind
12/01/2016 at 20:01 |
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I’m sort-of into the wedge between Toy and Appliance. More interesting and enjoyable than a 2006 Hyundai Sonata, but more practical and reliable than a 1985 Nissan 300ZX Turbo. Since it’s a lot easier to turn something more applianced biased into a toy than something toy based into an appliance, I tend to fall a little more towards the right on that spectrum. I know that one car rarely fits all, but when insurance on two cars would be over $6k a year, sometimes you have to find that happy medium between dreaming and being.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
12/01/2016 at 22:44 |
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I feel like it was a little before my time, probably just because one of my older brothers played it some.