mmarshall

Ridiculous? Not IMO. I've been to a lot of places myself, and, being from a military family, spent a lot of my youth traveling and living in different countries. I've all driven all over the Eastern U.S., both alone and with family. You see a lot of the same things (not everything, of course) I saw with Google's street-level function.

Anyhow, back to the thread-topic.......priorities when buying a vehicle. I look for driving comfort, reasonable quality/reliability, affordable price, nice interior, and suitability to my driving style, which, in my case, is now something small and maneuverable, higher off the ground, and easy to drive and park. That's why I chose an Encore GX...it fit all of those criteria better than anything else currently in the U.S. market.

SW17LS

Stuff is just stuff, you are cheating yourself of real life experiences. Seeing the musical acts for instance that I have seen live are great memories, there is no replacement to seeing and feeling live music...certainly not a recording of music on however incredible a stereo. Being amongst people is part of the experience. I have seen musicians perform that you can't see anymore because they're dead or no longer performing, etc.

I would rather listen to live music from a no name band in some bar than recorded music on that $120k stereo lol

You realize what you describe is an experience right? Thats not a thing...the car is a means by which you can have experiences but the real joy is in the experiences.

If you truly believe you get the same experience from Google earth that you get experiencing a place yourself I think thats really sad, and I feel sorry for you.

mmarshall

I've seen a lot of places from BOTH behind the wheel, and the same place in Google-View, so I have a basis for comparison. And, Thank You, but you don't have to feel sorry for me....I lead a relatively contented life, subject, of course, to the physical limitations of my age...I'm not a 20-year-old.

SW17LS

Sorry, looking at pictures somebody else took on a screen will never be a replacement for experiencing something for yourself. Its one thing to be unable to travel (I know people who can't walk at all who travel and people 100 years old who travel, so can't is relative) but another thing to pretend travel has no benefit because you can look at pictures.

mmarshall

Well, OK...perhaps one place I've been, several times, is impressive on Google-screen, but, in some ways, nothing can compare with actually driving it....the famous Uniontown, PA Summit Mountain descent on U.S. 40 down the west face of Chestnut Ridge....which I've spoken of a number of times. 3.5 miles at a more or less continuous 10% grade. The Sandstone Mountain grade in WV is longer, but nowhere near as steep. The sheer continuous steepness of it, the beautiful view of the city below at the Point-Lookout just below the Summit is an experience. The first time I drove it alone (18 years old, on the way to Ohio from D.C) I white-knuckled it and tightly gripped the wheel every foot of the way down, in second gear of the three-on-the-tree transmission to save the brakes...my blood pressure must have doubled in those three miles. You can't really duplicate that kind of apprehension from a Google-shot or video.

SW17LS

You need to see more places lol

RNM GS3

Your point is taken. But i still feel its a limited poll and doesn’t specify if they polled folks buying New or Used cars and what income level they are at.

I think the time period when the poll was taken also played a part in fuel efficiency ranking so high.

RNM GS3

I understand young people worrying about a few hundred bucks but if you’re in your 30s and older, it’s not a huge deal. If you want to talk crazy expenses then try raising a few kids lol - summer camp, sports, clothes, food etc. My gas expense is probably one of the last things I worry about.

I think car insurance costs have been much more significant in last 2 years and have probably really hurt lower income folks badly.

AJT123

Took the words right out of my mouth. Let's add a good V8 that we don't care doesn't do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds to round it out.

LS430 is like a fancy bordello inside with all the wood and leather hahaha. There's chrome in there too. It is just such an old car now, but man they did them right.

SW17LS

Again, you are totally out of touch. Those crazy expenses you mention are a big reason why $200-$300 a month is a huge amount of money to the vast majority of families. Most families can not begin to afford sending their kids to camp for example, buy clothes for their kids at Walmart and in secondhand stores. 20% of American families are on welfare. Middle class families are stretched financially like never before, and $200 a month is a huge amount of money to save for a family.

Gas expense is one of the last things you worry about because you are rich. Most people worry about every expense and fuel is one of their biggest expenses outside of their housing and their food.