Check. That. Out. Seriously, who wouldn't want to be seen driving around town in that thing right over there? It is one hot automobile--well at least in the summer anyways, because the air conditioning doesn't work. Why, you might ask, would a person want to drive a car like this? What kind of utility might a person gain from driving a car with the moniker "The Piece" and lives up to it's name?
I got this idea for a blog from Morgan's blog about buying a new car. Several times throughout my high school career, I have considered buying a new car, or at least a newer used car, but instead, I chose to keep The Piece.
Here's why:
Let's say I go to a car dealership and find a car I like. Let's say it's a 2000 and it's going to cost me $4000, minus $1000 for a trade in. I take it to a mechanic that I trust, who checks it out and says that it's perfectly safe. I go to the bank, get a loan for the remaining $3000, and I'm now driving a much nicer car, and I'm happy and safer, right?
Not necessarily. This car has been in my family since 1991. It was my grandma's car, then it got passed to my mom and now it's mine. I know everywhere it's been, because I've been in it. It's never been out of Illinois and Wisconsin, except for one trip out for a nice dinner in Indiana when I was five. I know pretty much every problem that's gone wrong with it, how it was cared for (hey Mom! Thanks for not changing the oil for two years!), I know what every little switch does and I can operate them all without even looking at them. I know how to move the seat so it won't fly all the way back when you're driving. There are no surprises with The Piece, unless something goes wrong.
Now, imagine I buy this newer car, the 2000. I don't know where its' been. I don't know what's happened to it. The mechanic says it's safe, but how do I really know for sure? Perhaps it's a better car. Perhaps it has leather seats, a CD player and gets better gas mileage. You would think that the gas mileage would be worth the trade in alone, right?
But I like my car, and so I'm keeping it, and all the memories that go with it.
Now I'm going to make my econ point: this story shows why it will take a long time for cars in general to become more fuel efficient. Let's say that a car is produced that gets 50 mpg. People like me are not going to trade in their cars for a new one--they can't afford it. The cars are going to go to the people that can afford new cars. Any change in American's fuel consumption habits is going to take a long time. Meanwhile, I've given up on paying for gas, and I bought a bicycle to ride to work this summer (after not owning one for about a decade)
2 comments:
I enjoy the fact that you mention other elements that affect utility in addition to money. Also, since you can't and don't want to buy a new, more fuel-efficient car, you have decided to bike more. if other people in a similar situation choose to do the same, then the nation's fuel consumption will go down, in theory...sorry, i just felt like playing devil's advocate on that one. i think that the gas-guzzling American lifestyle is going to take a while to change since most of us are pretty lazy. that's the main problem
we also like to complain. other parts of the world have been paying much more than us for gas for years...but yet, we are the ones freaking out about it.
also, if people held on to their cars longer, there would be a lot less cars sitting in junk yards, leaking who knows what into the environment.
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