Cars: stewardship&practicality

[purplesunshine]

I am a single person with a dog 300 miles from my parents…so I do alot of driving

I drive a 4-door sedan…Chevy malibu. It’s 11 years old.

While it is in for repairs I got a free rental. They tried to give me a Mitsubiti eclipse and everyone acted as if I should be bending over and kissing the ground because it was such a “hot” sports car. When I said I hated it they told me that rental companies couldn’t give me a ferrari.

But I hated it becuase it was gulping gas and drove funny and was so low to the ground I must of been 8 inches off the pavement. I HATED IT.

Now they have me in a Ford Focus. I LOVE it. Actually better than my mailbu It’s roomy, high off the ground, the back window is enourmous and the mirrors are great.

I will probably look into one when my car dies…It’s 11yrs old…I’m praying for 4-5 more years but I’m not betting my life on it.

But I talked to someone who said that it’s very selfish of me to want a 4 door car, even if the gas mileage is good. That on a daily basis I don’t need that much space. Thing is I LIKE my space. My trunk is perpetually half filled with camping gear during the summer so I can literally take off whenever I want…and I do. I have cheap inflatable boats so I can stop off at the pond for a couple hours on the way home from work…and I do that, too. I have the ability to help friends move or move stuff myself…like things for work or for my apartment.

I don’t think I would ever like a smaller car. If forced to I could deal with a 2-door but it’d have to have a cavernous trunk.

Is it really bad stewartship?

 

[Irishmom2]

Now they have me in a Ford Focus. I LOVE it. Actually better than my mailbu It’s roomy, high off the ground, the back window is enourmous and the mirrors are great.

I will probably look into one when my car dies…It’s 11yrs old…I’m praying for 4-5 more years but I’m not betting my life on it.

But I talked to someone who said that it’s very selfish of me to want a 4 door car, even if the gas mileage is good. That on a daily basis I don’t need that much space. Thing is I LIKE my space. My trunk is perpetually half filled with camping gear during the summer so I can literally take off whenever I want…and I do. I have cheap inflatable boats so I can stop off at the pond for a couple hours on the way home from work…and I do that, too. I have the ability to help friends move or move stuff myself…like things for work or for my apartment.

Is it really bad stewartship?

I am not sure why someone would say this to you. A Focus is not a particularly large car to begin with…If it would work for you, what’s it to them? Who are they to judge what you do on a day to day basis and tell you what you need or don’t need?

When the time is right for you, get whatever works for you as you seem to know what you need without anyone else’s (name removed by moderator)ut!

This is not a case of bad stewardship. Not at all.

 

[1ke]

No.

Don’t be scrupulous.

 

[JRKH]

I am a single person with a dog 300 miles from my parents…so I do alot of driving

I drive a 4-door sedan…Chevy malibu. It’s 11 years old.

While it is in for repairs I got a free rental. They tried to give me a Mitsubiti eclipse and everyone acted as if I should be bending over and kissing the ground because it was such a “hot” sports car. When I said I hated it they told me that rental companies couldn’t give me a ferrari.

But I hated it becuase it was gulping gas and drove funny and was so low to the ground I must of been 8 inches off the pavement. I HATED IT.

Now they have me in a Ford Focus. I LOVE it. Actually better than my mailbu It’s roomy, high off the ground, the back window is enourmous and the mirrors are great.

I will probably look into one when my car dies…It’s 11yrs old…I’m praying for 4-5 more years but I’m not betting my life on it.

But I talked to someone who said that it’s very selfish of me to want a 4 door car, even if the gas mileage is good. That on a daily basis I don’t need that much space. Thing is I LIKE my space. My trunk is perpetually half filled with camping gear during the summer so I can literally take off whenever I want…and I do. I have cheap inflatable boats so I can stop off at the pond for a couple hours on the way home from work…and I do that, too. I have the ability to help friends move or move stuff myself…like things for work or for my apartment.

I don’t think I would ever like a smaller car. If forced to I could deal with a 2-door but it’d have to have a cavernous trunk.

Is it really bad stewartship?

No it is not bad stewardship.
It sounds as though you make your decisions based on sound principles of economy and comfort rather than on more emotional things. You seek to by what is the most practical car for how you drive and how you live.

Peace
James

 

[St_Francis]

I am a single person with a dog 300 miles from my parents…so I do alot of driving

I drive a 4-door sedan…Chevy malibu. It’s 11 years old…

I think you are doing great–you have a car that you are comfortable with, and you are better able to help your friends and use it for that purpose–that is great! You have to look at things from a wholistic standpoint, not just from one standpoint.

And this is something few consider: if you are at all thinking you might be called to marriage, I would say it is *good *stewardship, because you will have a car which is much more practical for married life instead of a “sexy” car which you will have to replace when you have children, which is a really bad time to replace a car if you can possibly avoid it!

 

[Nec5]

Yes, 4 door cars are very selfish. How dare you want easy access to your entire car. Do not listen to that person who said you were selfish. He or she has…issues.

 

[rick43235]

But I talked to someone who said that it’s very selfish of me to want a 4 door car, even if the gas mileage is good. That on a daily basis I don’t need that much space.

I don’t get it. Do they think you’ll be taking up space that someone else could be using?

 

[manualman]

Someone has accused you of being selfish and excessively indulgent for thinking of buying a 4 cylinder compact economy car when your current car goes? Seriously?

That person has control issues or a bad case of scrupulosity. Does this person attempt to control any other life choices you make?

Focus is a great car, with fairly good gas mileage. The older ZX5 stick shift hatchback versions are quite a lot of fun to drive, too.

 

[purplesunshine]

It’s from people at work. I’m in an EXTREMELY liberal area with EXTREMLY liberal opinions. There are a ton of those little two-door death traps around, and a fleet of hybrids.

I have a 6 cylinder which gives me enough power to get onto on-ramps and up hills.

If they had their way people would only have those zippy little cars. They think the world’s survival depends on us and we’re doomed becasue of all the selfish people like me who insist on having a 4-door sedan when I’m one person.

There’s also a anti-pet group.
Why have a dog when you can pay goverment funded drug companies to keep your heart rate down?

At any rate this just got to me because i AM only one person and I wonder what my responsibility to my fellow man is.

 

[Nec5]

Our fault. We should have looked at your location. New England.

 

[manualman]

I might just get a Hummer H1 poster to put on my work cubicle wall if I were you.

They ARE attempting to manipulate and control you. The number of doors a car has has no impact on its mpgs. A Focus gets almost no worse mileage than a 2 door Toyota Yaris.

Ignore them and trust me instead: you must learn to drive stick shift. Automatics are from Satan. Resist the devil, drive a stick!

Hybrids are cool technology, but so far are only for those rich enough to spend all that extra money on slightly reducing their oil use. A Focus will save you more money in the long run than a Prius, even if gas goes back to $4/gallon. Besides, hybrids don’t come in stick shift. Death to the hybrids!

If you REALLY want to bite back, ask them how much their battery pack weighs. Ask them if they’ve ever seen a nickel mine (nickel is crucial in the battery). Ask them if they are aware that every pound of pure nickel used creates at least 1,000 pounds of toxic mining tailings that are usually dumped in a big ugly pile next to the mine site. See if they still look so smug after that.

 

[purplesunshine]

worst part is is that I’m truly coveting a convertiable. Even though I’m in New England. My friend opened my eyes to them and I can’t imagine how I could drive without it. It’s SO liberating.

I don’t know much about cars. Just key turn car go…so I feel bad when people tell me I’m not doing something right.

 

[Rence]

It’s from people at work. I’m in an EXTREMELY liberal area with EXTREMLY liberal opinions. There are a ton of those little two-door death traps around, and a fleet of hybrids.

I have a 6 cylinder which gives me enough power to get onto on-ramps and up hills.

If they had their way people would only have those zippy little cars. They think the world’s survival depends on us and we’re doomed becasue of all the selfish people like me who insist on having a 4-door sedan when I’m one person.

There’s also a anti-pet group.
Why have a dog when you can pay goverment funded drug companies to keep your heart rate down?

At any rate this just got to me because i AM only one person and I wonder what my responsibility to my fellow man is.

I can squish all four of my large dogs into the back of my Taurus
And I think those zippy little cars are dangerous. They end up being squished like accordians. You’ll just have to trade it in for a more practical car when you get married. I had a Focus once, it’s a great and reliable little car with good mileage. You’ll enjoy it when the time comes that you need to replace your car from driving it into the ground

 

[manualman]

In a winter climate like that, consider a power moonroof instead of convertable. Keeps the heat better in winter, runs quieter on the highway and you need more than a pocketknife to break into it.

 

[Kindness]

If you get good mpg and it’s practical for you then with four doors it’s also much more comfortable when friends want to carpool. There is nothing worse than trying to get in (and out) of the back of a hatchback when pregnant. I’m sure elderly people and those with a bit more weight find it just as uncomfortable.

I think it is an-non issue. Instead I think you should wax lyrical about how you can’t wait to have at least seven kids eventually and have them foaming at the mouth.

 

[choy]

from a car fanatic:

a lower car has better handling. although the visibility would be limited. i remember when i changed from a Civic to a RAV4, you can see further down the road. but of course, with the RAV4 i can’t corner as fast as on a Civic

it would all depend on your driving style

 

[purplesunshine]

If you get good mpg and it’s practical for you then with four doors it’s also much more comfortable when friends want to carpool. There is nothing worse than trying to get in (and out) of the back of a hatchback when pregnant. I’m sure elderly people and those with a bit more weight find it just as uncomfortable.

I think it is an-non issue. Instead I think you should wax lyrical about how you can’t wait to have at least seven kids eventually and have them foaming at the mouth.

lol you should see them foam at the idea of a stay at home mom!!! Oppression at it’s worst!!!

 

[AHapka]

But I talked to someone who said that it’s very selfish of me to want a 4 door car, even if the gas mileage is good. That on a daily basis I don’t need that much space.

Well, with some people only their way is the right way. I once brought a used Audi A4 for 24K, and my boss was giving me a really hard time about having so much money I could buy an Audi.

I then asked him how much his brand new Chevy pickup cost. His answer: 42K. He got really quiet when I told him what I spent…

I’d find out what he/she drives and compare the space, too…might very well be less then they have, and that’d be really funny.