What do you drive?

Kari Chisholm FacebookTwitterWebsite

According to the New York Times, a market research firm (CNW Consulting) in Bandon, Oregon has recently completed a study about the partisan leanings of owners of various sorts of cars. Combined with research by another firm, the Times reports...

Buyers of American cars tend to be Republican - except, for some reason, those who buy Pontiacs, who tend to be Democrats. Foreign-brand compact cars are usually bought by Democrats - but not Mini Coopers, which are bought by almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. ...

Porsche owners identified themselves as Republican more often than owners of any other cars, with 59 percent calling themselves Republicans, 27 percent Democrats and the rest either calling themselves independents or declining to answer. Jaguars and Land Rovers also registered as very "Republican" vehicles.

Volvos were the most "Democratic" cars, by 44 to 32 percent, followed by Subarus and Hyundais. But although a lot of old Volvos on the road are driven by Democrats, the customers in Volvo showrooms no longer fit the old stereotype.

So, what do you drive?

As for me, I drive a beat-up 1982 Volvo and my wife Carrie drives a Honda CRV. Our next car will be the hybrid Honda CRV.

  • Chris (unverified)
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    I drive a gas guzzling 2003 Ford Expedition....but I'm a timber guy, what do you expect? A Volvo doesn't really suit my line of work. I guess neither my "rig" nor my career are stereotypical of my politics. My wife drives a much more sensible 2003 Toyota Corolla.

    The Volvos and Subarus certainly weren't any big surprise. It's kind of fun though to see research that supports the intuition (even though the intuition probably would have been incorrect about me).

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    This liberal dem transportation activist drives a Geo Metro (when I'm not on foot or on transit). How does that fit the model? Prior car was a Grand Am. I guess that fits a bit better...

  • Trey (unverified)
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    I drive a yellow 1983 Nissan Pickup decorated with 33 left-wing bumperstickers affixed to various portions of it (few are on the bumpers). Before that I had a Mazda Pickup. The last time I owned an American-made vehicle was in 1980 and that wasn't by choice.

  • Chris Woo (unverified)
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    1992 Nissan Maxima SE with worn fuel injectors and and a bum rear speaker (still managed to get it up to 120mph north of Medford a few months back). Looking to pick up a Volvo S40 in Sweden this fall. Does that mean my party affiliation will automatically change from "NP" to "D?"

    PS- Kari, unless you need a mini-ute, check out the upcoming Nissan Altima hybrid. It's rumored to get the same mileage as the Prius (bigger, faster, and more manly too - not that that's a problem for you).

  • Chuck Butcher (unverified)
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    As a NE OR Dem PCP I may not fit the profile well, in some sort of order, '62 ChevyII (very fast), '74 K5, 78K20 (4x4-3/4T), '78 Nova, '04 Chevy SSR, '88 Pace Arrow 36'. I drag race, shoot competively, hunt, fish, read a lot, listen to the blues, and am a construction contractor. Oddly enough, I believe in an even shake for the little guy, social equality, keeping the govt out of my personal life and a whole host of Progressive platforms, all enforced by the Second Ammendment. If you read my profile minus the politcal rant you'd swear I was a dyed in the wool right winger. It might pay to think about that...

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    Trey reminds me of my old car.... What the College Republicans at USC derided as the 'Liberal-Mobile'. It was 1995, and my car was a 1974 Toyota Corona covered in several dozen lefty bumper stickers. Used to get all kinds of rightie hate mail under the windshield wiper.

    And Chuck, a couple of years ago, I drove around a '67 Barracuda for a while. Cleaned it up, sold it on eBay for four times what I paid for it. 'Twas a beauty.

    Guess I have a thing for ancient cars.

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    Wow, who knew driving a 1966 Volvo had such great progresive street cred? Adding to my commie-leftie profile: I live 8,000 miles from my car and only use it twice a year on visits home.

  • todd fahrner (unverified)
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    My family drives a human-electric hybrid with 1500 mpg energy equivalent. It doesn't have any green/lefty stickers on it.

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    We have the three-kid car problem. It's either an SUV, a bigger SUV or a minivan. So we bought a used Dodge Caravan. It drives like a giant marshmallow on wheels. Every time I get in it, I absolutely loathe myself.

    The good news is that when I put a ding in it or the kids spill something inside, I just laugh. If the thing catches on fire while parked outside my house I'm going to throw a party.

  • Steve Bucknum (unverified)
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    Well, pragmatic is the core of the Central Oregon experience. As a real estate appraiser in a relatively rural area, I have to have a vehicle that will go through the winter snows and ice, and the spring mud. It has have the capacity to haul not only myself, but some equipment and at times other people. It has to look good enough that when I drive up to someone's door they don't lock themselves in and call the police. I average 2,000 miles a month.

    So, I have variously driven a 1985 Subaru wagon (too light weight), a 1995 Jeep Cherokee (gas hog, but the interior was nice, especially those seat warmers when it was 15 degrees out), and finally for the last couple of years a 1998 Subaru Forester. My latest Subaru gets 25 to 30 mpg, has enough space, and is comfortable enough to drive to Spray or Fossil when I need to. The full time 4-wheel drive (versus the part time on the two prior vehicles), keeps me a degree safer when you hit those icy patches. It rides a little too low to the ground, I high centered on snow last May up in the Ochoco's.

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    Interesting post--my wife and I are considering trading in our 8-year-old Civic on a new car. We're torn between a station wagon and a hybrid. Hybrid prices have come way down, but for some reason, the cars are really small. There aren't any wagons out yet. Wagons, on the other hand, are far more handy for the single-car household, but only two (that I have found and can afford) get anywhere near decent mileage--the Toyota Matrix and the diesel Jetta wagon.

    Also of note: if you plan to buy a hybrid anytime soon, you're eligible for a $2,000 tax incentive if you buy in 2005. In 2006 it drops to $500 and zip thereafter.

    Of course, tax breaks on Hummers (more than ten times the value of hybrid breaks) remain solidly in effect, reflecting the actual values of the "healthy forests" and "clean skies" Party.

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    Jeff, it's my understanding that the entire Honda fleet is going to be hybrid within the next couple of years -- probably won't be soon enough to get you your tax credit, but the hybrid mini-SUVs and wagons are coming.

    On another note, anybody out there driving with biofuel just yet?

    And on yet another note, I'll point everyone to the General Motors blog - where they've got executives mixing it up in the comments with folks. The most blog-friendly Fortune 500 company yet.

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    Am I the only Democrat who drives a Saturn? While I live east of the mountains (recently moved to Bend from La Grande), I have never owned a four-wheel drive. I drive an awful lot, and in a lot of bad weather, but figure having four-wheel drive would just invite trouble.

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    I recently made the transition from a dearly-loved, gas-guzzling, pedestrian-stomping, hybrid-crushing Land Rover Discovery to .... a Volvo S40.

    I dig the Volvo, 'tis sporty and speedy and fun around the corners, and I feel like a good liberal. But deep in my heart of hearts, I really want a Hummer.

    Shortly after I bought the Volvo, I received a phone call inviting me to participate in a focus group. Hmmm. Cool. So I showed up at 7 on a weeknight in a nondescript building with twelve other people and was handed a sandwich and a soda and shown a seat. Around a conference table, we looked to the facilitator, who sat direcly beneath a large one-way mirror (is it one-way or two-way? whichever one you can see through from the other side).

    Madame faciltator asked about our car buying experiences, and then about our cars generally, maintenance, advertising, etc. Eventually, it became clear that the sponsors of the focus group were the Rasmussen BMW folks. Yes, I wanted a BMW but I couldn't imagine driving it to my hippie music fests. Anyway. I mentioned that the folks behind the mirror might want to work on some political marketing since we're in Portland and BMW's have a reputation as a Republican kind of car. 3 minutes passed. Phone rang, and facilitator was called away. Heavens, it seems that the good people from Rasmussen took offense at the partisanship of their product, and they sent the facilitator out to explain to me that just as many Democrats as Republicans drive BMW's because BMW's are a great value for any political stripe and if I would care to see the statistics they did in fact have the research to prove it. So there you go.

  • Eric (unverified)
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    What I drive:

    2000 Toyota Tacoma pickup made by the UAW in Riverside, California. It has salmon plates and a canopy with a rack for bikes, a canoe and lumber. It's more vehicle than I usually need. But I work occasionally in construction and spend as much time as possible in remote areas.

    The stickers on it: Jobs with Justice UN flag (a big hit in Grant County) European-style oval 'OR' with an Oregon flag Timbers Army JPII's "If you want peace work for justice."

    How I usually get around in Portland:

    My feet. Tri-Met. A circa-1990 Specialized Rockhopper.

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    I don't drive. My brief experiences attempting to learn demonstrated only that I can't handle the mental and physical multitasking required. Unfortuntely, here in Portland, I'm constantly having to deal with people behind the wheel who weren't as self-aware as I was, but should have been.

  • Peter Drake (unverified)
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    My wife and I both take buses to work, but when we have to drive, we have a Honda Civic Hybrid. Current stickers: "I love Go" and "Proud of my Green Party values".

    We would have preferred an American-made hybrid (seems like a waste of resources to ship the car across the Pacific), but there weren't any at the time. Amusingly, some of the first American hybrids were ... hybrid SUVs. Weight seems to be a huge factor in efficiency; the conventional Civic gets mileage almost as good as the hybrid.

  • Peter Drake (unverified)
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    My wife and I both take buses to work, but when we have to drive, we have a Honda Civic Hybrid. Current stickers: "I love Go" and "Proud of my Green Party values".

    We would have preferred an American-made hybrid (seems like a waste of resources to ship the car across the Pacific), but there weren't any at the time. Amusingly, some of the first American hybrids were ... hybrid SUVs. Weight seems to be a huge factor in efficiency; the conventional Civic gets mileage almost as good as the hybrid.

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    A few years ago I donated my older model BMW 5 series to NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon (for their auction) and am now a proud owner of a 2001 Honda Insight.

    I'm pretty hard on it- it's missing one of the tire flaps as I write this- and is developing a Mad Max sort of look that I dig.

    To Jeff: the first Toyota hybrids weren't so hot (and kind of looked like pocket protectors on wheels) but the later versions are pretty cool- and have a lot more space inside than appears. I love my Honda, but the Toyota drives like a much more solid car.

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    Also, to Anne: I've always thought of BMWs as more for lawyers (lean D) and Mercedes as more for doctors (lean R)...

  • Jon (unverified)
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    Also of note: if you plan to buy a hybrid anytime soon, you're eligible for a $2,000 tax incentive if you buy in 2005. In 2006 it drops to $500 and zip thereafter.

    Thats a Federal tax break, doesnt the State still ding you $2000 for a hybrid when you register?

    As for me, I am an Independent, and Conservative for the most part. I have a 1991 VW Jetta and a 1997 Ford Expedition. However, I work downtown so I take MAX to work. My wife drives the Ford to work (she doesnt like manual transmissions.)

    We owned a Dodge Caravan for a while, but seriously, it didnt get any better mileage than the Expedition. We have three kids to haul around, but as soon as the oldest is off to college in a year, we are getting something smaller.

  • Sid (unverified)
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    The husband and I share a 13 yr. old Volvo station wagon. We live close in so he walks to work downtown. He's not a citizen, but if he were he'd be a member of the Green Party (but would have voted for Kerry.) I belong to the Democratic wing of the Dems, so I guess we fit the profile.

    We also have a bumper sticker that says "May the coolest minds prevail"

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    Interesting question since I just decided to get out from under a car payment and to get a car with a little character (that I actually own). :-)

    I'm a card-carrying Dem - not too moderate, not so far left I fall off the edge of the spectrum. And up until last week I had a 2001 Ford Focus - German made, I believe, American branding. It was alright - 30MPG. Your average cookie-cutter late model mid-sized car. It had no character.

    I now have a 1981 Toyota Tercel SR-5 Liftback. It's in beautiful condition and has extremely low miles for its age (plus it's a Toyota, so I figure I've got a good couple hundred thousand to go on it). The cutest little thing you've ever seen. When I get the few things fixed I need to fix, I should get 35-40 MPG. I've named her Bonnie. Now if I can just figure out why it doesn't like starting cold, she'd be perfect.

  • iggi (unverified)
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    i'm with b!X...i don't drive, though not because i can't. i'm surprised so many here drive and so few take public transportation -- we have a great public transportation system (though arguably not as good as San Fran).

    granted, and as Jeff might attest, i do tend to carpool when i have the opportunity, but i don't feel bad about it.

  • David Wright (unverified)
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    Huh... well, what the hell...

    My first car, purchased when I was a young registered Dem, was a used '88 Nissan Pulsar.

    My second (and current) car, purchased when I was an older, more affluent registered Rep, was a new '97 Ford Exploder. So I reckon the stereotype fits there.

    However, I never put bumper stickers on my vehicles, and certainly never would get a political bumper sticker. Hey, if y'all can be smug about your "green" stickers, I can be smug about trying to avoid the bumper-sticker mentality in politics! <nobr> ;-)</nobr> (Yes, I wish my fellow Republicans would do the same...)

    I've got different financial priorities than getting a new car right now, but boy have I got it bad for the new Mustang convertible... other than that, I'd be inclined to get a sporty foreign car.

    And I second Charlie's analysis about BMW lawyers vs. Mercedes doctors...

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    we have a great public transportation system (though arguably not as good as San Fran)

    Well, we're catching up with SF on one count: Late buses causing 2 (or sometimes 3) to show up almost at the same time.

    It was the one part of pubtrans in SF that drove me insane.

  • Elizabeth Cage (unverified)
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    As the sticker on our gate says "This is a Car-free household -- www.newtowncarshare.info" -- a great program which we're really happy with. We sign up and use a car when needed -- it's usually a Toyota Echo. We first heard about car share programs when I picked up a brochure for the one that operates in Seattle (and I think Portland) when we visited in 2003. No one else here using such a program?

    Otherwise my husband commutes to work on a Malvern Star bicycle and I ride a Schwinn with a Peter Garrett for Kingsford Smith sticker soon to be joined by Phil Angelides for Governor one.

    We take the bus and train as well.

  • Steve Bucknum (unverified)
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    My other car is a 1987 Turbo charged Sprint that we purchased as a new car. It has 211,000 miles on it, and still gets over 40 mpg. It has a 3 Cyc. motor, and with the turbo charger can outrun any car going up a hill. Yes, it is small, but wow can it go.

    When this was a new car, it often got 50 mpg. For the type of driving I have done, this car outperforms most of the new hybrids. So, why don't they make them like this anymore?

    Wayne Kinney - when I find you in the ditch you spin out into, I will gladly pull you out!

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    Portland has CarShare.

    And yes, late busses mean they have to bunch. Once you get a little behind, you take more time at each stop, as more people are there waiting, and you have to stop more often to let people off, as there are more people on your bus, and the faster you go the behinder you get.

    Meanwhile, the bus behind you is picking up fewer people, stopping less often, and catching up.

    Not much you can do to catch up time except drive by waiting customers, which isn't exactly good PR. Of course, some cities have busses that can synchronize traffic lights, so they get right-of-way and can make up time.

  • MJ Binkmeister (unverified)
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    I drive an Excursion, so I have something big enough to tow my Hummer.

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    Or, actually, it's called FlexCar here.

    click here

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    Note to Steve: I've lived in the rural West for most of my adult life, but I was raised in rural New England, where they have real winters. Never needed it there, either. The only time I've had trouble was when I was a property appraiser in Lake County, and that was with dirt, now snow. I had a four-wheel drive pickup to use, and if you has listened to my boss, I was always getting it stuck or tipped into a ditch or lost or something. I wrecked tires, a tie rod, an oil pan and several batteries (if you drive too steep to the side, the battery falls off its perch). All that in a four-wheel drive rig.

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    I drive a 2001 VW Jetta with a "Proud to be a Democrat" sticker.

    I wish I was sporting a hybrid :-(

  • Steve Bucknum (unverified)
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    Wayne - I didn't say I'd pull you out of the ditch when it was snowing! We know all about real mud over here on the East side!

    (For you west siders that don't know what Wayne and I are going on about - the kind of mud that develops when ground has been frozen, then thawed, and frozen again is deep, sticky, and deceptively looks like solid earth until you drive on it.)

    It's not just your Saturn that would cause me to stop and help, I'd pull any Democrat out any day, and a few Republicans too.

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    It's not just your Saturn that would cause me to stop and help, I'd pull any Democrat out any day, and a few Republicans too.

    For some reason that reminds me... today I was driving up Pacific Hwy and this guy in a classic car (didn't pay attention to make/model - I think it was an Olds. But I'm sure it was heavy) was obviously having some trouble. I have some serious paying it forward to do these days so I pulled into the closest parking lot and went back to offer a hand. When I got closer I saw he had a baby in the car. I know from experience it's friggin' hard to steer and push at the same time - even in the lightest of cars. He wouldn't let me help. Insisted that he was fine. I mean, yeah, I was gonna push him to the gas station wearing a suit and 4" boot heels but I coulda done it. lol. It really wasn't that far.

    When I finally said "Um, alright then," and went back to my car and started to drive away, I passed him sitting in his on the side of the road not yet to the gas station.

    Was that a male pride thing or a stupidity thing? Not to steer us too far off track, I'm just curious.

    Oh and Wayne, I'd hate to find that battery thing out the hard way. lol. I bet that makes quite a sound.

  • Chris Woo (unverified)
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    CC- Your story strikes me as a little funny, and not just because of the brushing off you received from the motorist. Usually when people break down/run out of gas it's not during a quick run to the store or to drop off a DVD . . . concientious parents also know that babies with modern carseats and old cars with old seatbelts aren't terribly compatible and create a safety risk. Maybe I'm overly suspicious or maybe I was raised around too many cops, but you might want to call that one in to the Beaverton or Hillsboro PD just to be on the safe side.

  • Dan (unverified)
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    "The Saab is a Democratic car..."

    That's my vehicle of choice, when I do choose to drive. They're great cars...or at least they used to be, before GM stripped them of much of the unique engineering features that made them such wonderful cars. I have a 1994 9000 Aero, best Saab ever made and the last "real" one.

    What's surprising to me in reading the responses here is that Subarus aren't being discussed more. They seem to come with factory-installed left-wing bumper stickers, which is just fine with me, thanks. I read somewhere that Oregon is in the top three states for Subaru sales.

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    The wife drives an '04 Civic Hybrid. Plenty of room and gets 43+ for the regular commute and 49+ on a trip to BC last summer. 1 litre engine with battery backup. Not nearly as sophisticated as the new Prius but costs about $6,000 less.

    I need a pickup for my work, and I really want a hybrid, but the only "truck like" hybrid out there right now is the small Ford SUV. I bought rare a 2000 Dakota with a 4 cylinder engine and I'm hoping that by the time it wears out there will be a decent mid sized hybrid pickup on the market.

    Gas prices will probably rise above $3.00 per gallon and stay there going forward. Penciling out the cost efficiency of a hybrid looks a lot better with higher gas prices.........

  • Tom Civiletti (unverified)
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    We drive a couple of Mazdas, but the pickup is actually a Ford.

  • pdx (unverified)
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    '82 Toyota Pickup '85 Volvo 242 Turbo '89 Toyota Van 4WD '85 Saab 900 Turbo '95 Toyota 4Runner 4WD

    I lived on Mt Hood for a year- have to have the 4WD even now when I am in the backwoods on a mushroom hunt. Although I miss the 31mpg and Turbo of the cute lil Saab. I'm hoping by this time in 10 years there will be a hybrid 4WD for me.

    According to post, my car choices make me seen like a dyed in the wool Dem; I'm not. Have been in the Independent side of things quite a few times.

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    This discussion reminds me of my MassPirg canvassing days on Cape Cod. If you saw a Volvo in the driveway you knew they would give you a donation, and most likely renew or sign up for a new membership. VW's were also good bets. Some canvassers could rank the likelihood of a household giving based on the car in the driveway. All I can remember is that Volvos were up there near 100%.

    I drive a Subaru Baja but most days walk to work or/and take the bus or Max.

  • Tenskwatawa (unverified)
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    I and my teen-aged son drive his sister's '85 Civic Si while she's in college in Massachusetts, or the '86 Mercedes 190E I came by accidently, so to speak. I was ever anti-Mercedes, (Cadillac, Lincoln, New Yorker, etc. -- what my dad, who my mom confided was known when he courted her around the Sandhills as 'wild hell on wheels,' used to disparage as cars that drove "like trying to herd a piece of liver down the road," when his preference was "to get 'er head up and tail a'raisin'"), and I have owned cars, I don't know six or ten, from my grandad's sturdy '54 Chevy to '60s Mopar muscle (K.Falls to PDX airport and back, say 650 miles, out at midnight back at 8:30 am, including search time to 'meet your party at a white courtesy telephone'), to '80s VW Rabbit to '90s Dodge Caravan and Ford Taurus to now, 5 years and 6 digits up the odometer, I'd name the Mercedes as best all around, where I don't count safety and I don't count looks, I want to feel the road, (however subjective that is, I know it when I have it), I want clear 360 degree visibility and cockpit analog gauges showing the status of every volume temperature pressure and rate wear and wire on the unit, (American Graffiti-era slang for car, as in "nice li'l unit you got there"), I want power-to-weight just right, I want dependability that it can go as long as I can, and comfort is nice if it's there.

    Honda has OSU Parking Permit and Kill Your TV stickers from previous owner, Mercedes is immaculate; I have convulsions restraining my tire-valve-core-puller Fist-of-Death in any parking lot where W'04 marks a dead meat SUV, (and sure as sugar say it "shovey"); hang up your politics and drive.

    Cars I love to drive: VW, BMW, some Hondas Pontiacs Subarus, no Corvettes Porsches Jaguars. I haven't tried them all, but I've driven a bunch and in 45 states, in Europe, and on the left-hand side. Best 'average' drivers are (prepare to spit-take) L.A. and Boston -- L.A. I guess you're either quick or dead, and Boston they don't paint lane stripes so all travel is by negotiation with every driver around you to decide whether it's one lane or two, or three; one-way or two-way, or three. And there are no signs, the college kids stole them. As for owners matching models, the car industry recently set a statistical record in 90+ percent of all owners of one particular car are in one particular demographic: PT Cruiser owners/drivers are women, more than 9 out of 10. Check it and see.

    Me and my cars: I don't need no stinkin' airbags, no stinkin' GPS, no stinkin' keyless entry, no stinkin' idiot lights. CB radio is nice, and if you don't know, you don't know. Always in the trunk, an 'Oregon tradition': shovel, ax, tire chains, tow chain, jerry can, water jug, oil, tools besides lug wrench, jack, and spare, flares and fire extinguisher are nice, first aid kit, blanket. If you hit a deer, or livestock, double back and bleed the damn thing, don't leave it injured. Bus your roadkill; if it's along your frontage, bury it. Stop and assist roadside -- solitary break-downs, dangerous debris, road damage; pick up hitchhikers. Lest you break down, lose load, drive in a sinkhole, or have to hitchhike. This is s.o.p. in real Oregon, (Washington, Canada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada). Don't stop in Idaho, don't enter California, if you drive down into the stinkin' Willamette Valley all bets are off, no help, abandon hope.

    I don't trust any vehicle or repair until I have wrenched screwed welded tightened torqued or tested every connection, by my own hand, by my own touch, or watched who did. No you can't work on my vehicle, let alone am I gonna pay you to. At the gas station, I'll wash the windshield, I'll check the oil, I'll check the tires; attendants pay attention to the gas.

    Know the weather where you are and where you're going, three days back and a day ahead. Heed every forecast that comes to you, and have your own figured out and add it in.

    Bring back the basic rule: Drive like a mistake can kill you.

    I reckon these cars are my last ones. Because earth's oil is running out, very soon. I didn't own a car for ten years when I lived in New York and Boston, and got around fine. Portland has good public transit, I ride it when I'm there, I'm living just out of range just now. I think I'd like to get a bike, recumbent, maybe with a basket/trailer for groceries and sundry. I rode a motorcycle for two years, (not counting as a kid going everywhere on one to do farming). I think I'd like a Vespa now, or a motortrike, and a Segway. What I really want is an electric car, I imagine it as a golf cart on steroids -- sizes for two or three or four, plus their junk, weathertight 'inflated clear bubble' styling, mucho electric everything: heater, a/c, super sounds, full-spectrum communications bandwidth point-to-point worldwide, hands-off autopilot if I want to eat or read, light duty off-road capabilities, amphibious is interesting. Future private travel vehicles under 300 mile range, under 1000 lbs, under 50 mph, (sounds like a bike); other travel needs by other arrangement.

    Please, please, please stop the killing -- more every month than on 9/11. 50,000 a year, which is the American threshhold number for one degree of separation -- you know one, or you know which of your friends knows one, or if you see the obituary in the paper you recognize the name and know who it is, you're acquainted. (I call it the Vietnam number: 56,000 war fatalities, everybody knew at least one personally. Everybody. It's how you know Liars is lying that 75,000 guns a year are drawn and prevent a crime: because you never personally knew or heard about any one of them, nevermind one every year. If there are 50,000 in any group of people in the U.S. -- pilots, stamp collectors, Dodge Viper owners -- you either know one of them or know who does.) Please, Motor City designers, please stop the killing. I lose a friend every year, and five more injured and hospitalized. Alcohol has nothing to do with more than half of them. Mass times velocity has everything to do with every one of them, like the woman off the bridge. Less weight, less speed, more life. Phase in the future. The automobile is dead, long live the automobile.

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