Behind the Scenes @ Chrysler Dealers

[beth h]

I heard an analysis on the radio last night. I think I was listening to Marketplace. The analyst suggested that GM et al. are probably not going to be around 10 or 20 years from now. But the bailout will allow people to transition out of the the business slowly, hopefully preventing an utter catastrophe.

How many people, given the "option" of transitioning slowly out of the way of life the car industry helps to feed, would choose to change? I don't have the same level of faith as the government I guess. Change of this sort will eventually have to be forced -- and enforced -- in order to take hold.

[Tuckervill]

true these boys are not the average American drivers per se. I understand technology not model names of cars.

I think their mindset is average among MEN, but not our entire society. The fact that they have big or fast cars just means they have the means to do so, more than the average guy. I don't like being brushed with that broad swipe of us being a consumerist society. Many of us are not, and many of us are young people, too.

Two things I was reminded of. I recently rented a Ford Escape for 2 weeks because my Element got wrecked and was in the body shop. The Escape has a mpg indicator and you can monitor the way you drive and how it affects the gas mileage. Through my normal driving, I raised the average mpg from 19.8 to 22.3 over 981 miles that I had it. I don't do jackrabbit stops or scream up to stop lights. I imagine that the first 1,000 miles on that car were driven by people who don't care how much gas they're burning. I drive the way I do BECAUSE I care about how much gas I buy.

My husband drives a Ford F150 extended cab, and the reason he does is because, at 6'7" and legs like a giraffe, he fits in so few cars comfortably. There are literally health issues with his hips because of his height, and so it is very important that he be comfortable when driving. Even still, he drives without his shoes on anything longer than 20 minutes, so he can have that extra inch of legroom. I WISH it was a 4WD because we do use the truck for everything yard and camping related, and 4WD is handy in certain situations.

Another thing: Since gas prices went so far down, people just went back to their old habits again. I know I started driving "to town" more often, whereas before I was very careful about combining trips.

Karen

[shootingstar]

I think their mindset is average among MEN, but not our entire society. The fact that they have big or fast cars just means they have the means to do so, more than the average guy. I don't like being brushed with that broad swipe of us being a consumerist society. Many of us are not, and many of us are young people, too.

No doubt you try to be less consumerist. Wouldn't take remarks too personally.

And frugality is relative. I benchmark my frugality (even my university student years as most frugal), against my parents where mother washed plastic bags and hung them on laundry line outdoors to re-use them several times.

They raised 5 children in 1 bedroom apartment in southern ontario before scraping money for lst house when child #6 was still in momma's womb. Gettin' way too crowded. I still have memories of looking at our backyard after we moved into rundown house (price was a steal)..overgrown with weeds and beer bottles from former occupants.

I know that many TE members still can't believe that I have been car-free for huge chunks of life..no wonder: Being car-free is a tad pale compared to other frugalities.