Hacker News Reader

Comment by meken | Hacker News Reader

Getting a nice car.

I’m prone to depression if I stay in the house too long.

Having a nice car means when I roll out of bed in the morning, I’m able to head straight to a nice, comfortable, private, warm space and start listening to meaningful podcasts, audiobooks, get breakfast, head to the gym, and get a consistent good start on the day.

I’m not sure if I can go back to city living at this point if it means giving up a car.

View on HN

In contrast I hate driving cars. I feel like it’s my least favorite tool. I have a nice car, I’ve driven even nicer cars in different styles and hated them all. Driving requires so much of my attention I feel like it’s invasive. In addition I feel like I have to sit relatively still and use my muscles in very particular way. It’s a trap for my mind in body, and an experience I don’t find pleasant.

I am an American and will go out of my way to use any other mode of transportation, even at the expense of time or money. Sometime’s it’s just unavoidable.

Interesting.

Yup, if that was my experience, I would hate driving cars as well.

I’m able to drive pretty much on autopilot. Plus, I don’t feel I’m wasting time listening to podcasts/audiobooks because I’m “doing something/headed somewhere”.

I’ve driven almost 20k miles in the past 3.5 months.

I’m about to do something similar, but it’s getting a car that I’m going to put a bed in the back of and drive cross country to a new job, which will also involve driving around and camping as part of it.

I’m all excited over the stuff I want to get. A little solar panel with a battery, good camping stove and coffee percolator, and lots of good audiobooks and podcasts :)

That things gonna be my ticket to anywhere, lol.

> I’ve driven almost 20k miles in the past 3.5 months.

Wow. I drive everyday, but this is a lot of driving. You're looking at nearly 70,000 miles/year at that rate. Out of curiosity, what requires you to drive this much? And is it worth the tens of thousands of dollars you need to spend per year on fuel and car maintenance to do that (on top of the time commitment it is to drive that much)?

Haha.

I bought my car in San Diego and drove across the country to Florida. I recently did a trip up to NY/VT and back (to FL).

I do smaller, random weekend trips. I drove to Jacksonville and back this weekend. I do often drive around the Tampa area, for fun.

Regarding gas, thanks for reminding me to do the calculation, heh.

Is it worth it? I'll do the calculation and get back to you :)

I left my job in November, so I don't view it as a commitment. I just drive for fun.

To be a safe driver your eyes need to be constantly focused on the road, and even 15 seconds looks away can cause significant problem. Maybe you need less mental attention then I use, but it physically requires a lot of attention.

I agree, I can't wait for autonomous vehicles. I actually want to walk to get in shape. I like to think about abstract problems so driving can be difficult in those situations as automatic as it is.

I find some of that attention neccessary for enjoyment. The joy of going fast, rowing your own gears, etc

All of this + the fact that they are a huge financial burden (depreciation, insurance, repairs, fuel), AND probably the most dangerous activity you do on a regular basis.

We have one, we use it, I have even enjoyed the few road trips, but I absolutely hate them.

> Driving requires so much of my attention I feel like it’s invasive.

Weirdly, this is why I like driving. The more attention needed (e.g. snow driving, offroad driving), the more I seem to enjoy it. It's kind of meditative, in a way; on the one hand, it forces me to backburner a lot of lingering thoughts, and on the other hand, that backburnering gives 'em time to "cook" (so to speak) and accumulate new insights to be stumbled upon as soon as they become front and center again.

Just adding that I also hate driving cars. Thanks for your comment - I always feel it is something very strange about me.

What do you mean by nice: new/clean or expensive?

Mm just something that you are comfortable in and feels good to be in.

I got a 2018 Camry XSE, so it's got nice comfy leather seats.

Arguably the best thing is having CarPlay. Such a nice UI for listening to podcasts/audio books, texting, calling.

So you go places by yourself? or with others? How do find so many podcasts/content to listen to. Also do you ever get out at your destinations besides hotels? I'd love to know more about this. I love driving but I find I have no where to go. I'd love to chat

Reply on news.ycombinator.com