What kind of vehicle do you drive?

Astronomer · 05-14-2010, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayleigh.

Did you drive in NZ?

Nah, I didn't have a car, and everything was so close that I just caught public transport. I borrowed my flatmate's cars a couple of times but not really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

Oh damn! That sucks!

Yeah! It actually happened in March... it's a financial write-off but I still haven't decided whether to get the insurance pay out or just keep driving it.

Burning Down · 05-14-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Walk you lazy sods! I have managed to get to 38 years old with a family and no car and still get around and yes I know America is bigger than a wizards sleeve, I was pertaining to the Brits. I'm sure both Right Track and Urban don't drive either.

I actually walk more than I drive, and because I live in the city, sometimes it's easier to get wherever you're going if you take public transit. Especially in this freakin' city

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Which reminds me: children up through several years of age should stay in rear-racing childseats, not just for the first year or so. If you have kids, look this up!!

It's different here. The government goes by weight and then age. Every car seat that you buy in this province has a weight limit, so if your kid is too heavy for that seat, you'll need to buy a bigger seat (usually the booster seat). Newborns and infants need to be in a rear-facing seat of course, but when they get too big for the seat it becomes unsafe and the law requires them to be in a forward-facing booster seat. My mom runs a small, private daycare from our house so that's how I know all this. If she wants to take them out she needs to have the right seats of course. Here's the website: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/saf...t/choose.shtml

Thinking back on my previous posts, I must be the only girl who wants nice wheels on her car. That's usually something that guys want!

Astronomer · 05-14-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Walk you lazy sods! I have managed to get to 38 years old with a family and no car and still get around and yes I know America is bigger than a wizards sleeve, I was pertaining to the Brits. I'm sure both Right Track and Urban don't drive either.

If I walked to my university it would probably take me about 8-10 hours. If I walked to where I used to work it would take me 2 hours. If I walked to the shops to get milk it would take me half an hour each way. Melbourne is so spread out (it's called the urban sprawl, apparently) that without a car you would be seriously screwed. Unless you live in the city center... which not many people do now.

Guybrush · 05-14-2010, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Ha ha! I always get excited when I see someone in the same car, too! Your yellow volkswagon reminds me that when I was 18 with my parents in Berlin, they bought an old, used, orange Volkswagon. I was humiliated because I was then so fashion-conscious, and I refused to drive it. Now I'd think, "Yeay! A bright orange Volkswagen! Can you get any safer than that?"

I now drive a deep red 2009 Honda Civic, which replaces an old Honda Accord from the 1990s. Here it is:

I like the Civic a lot. I didn't *want* to buy a new car, but with a young child I had several reasons for purchasing one. Winters here are awfully cold for walking. Public transport always requires at least a 15 minute walk to get to the bus. Finally, I wanted a new car with improved air bags, side curtains, and overall safety so my child would hopefully be safer.

Which reminds me: children up through several years of age should stay in rear-racing childseats, not just for the first year or so. If you have kids, look this up!!

It is slightly embarassing perhaps, but I love that car. In the summers, I love to just drive around in the yellow polo listening to music. A couple of years ago, me and my friends bought these water spray guns and drove around drivebying kids, cows and dogs who were tied outside their homes. Ahh, the freedom it represents ..

Although it's not a "super-manly" vehicle, that has it's benefits sometimes. I once drove it into a steep ditch so that the wheels were hangin' in the air. It was no problem pushing it out, though. Yay for light cars.

I like your car! At least it's more impressive than the polo. I think child safety is really important and perhaps a priority I will be making as well in a few years time. I guess an alternative (and american?) way to keep your child safe is to get a really big car? On that note, me and my GF kinda want a Toyota Hilux after watching the Top Gear guys drive one to the north pole. Very impressive!

They also set fire to one, crushed it with a crushing ball, dropped a trailer (camping wagon) on it, washed it out to sea only to find it half buried in sand when the tide went out, put it on top of a building demolished with explosives .. when they dug it out of the rubble, they could still start it.

Respect!

jackhammer · 05-14-2010, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lateralus

If I walked to my university it would probably take me about 8-10 hours. If I walked to where I used to work it would take me 2 hours. If I walked to the shops to get milk it would take me half an hour each way. Melbourne is so spread out (it's called the urban sprawl, apparently) that without a car you would be seriously screwed. Unless you live in the city center... which not many people do now.

England is tiny. Please forgive me?

Astronomer · 05-14-2010, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

England is tiny. Please forgive me?

I guess I can do that

So I'm not a lazy sod?

VEGANGELICA · 05-15-2010, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burning Down

It's different here. The government goes by weight and then age. Every car seat that you buy in this province has a weight limit, so if your kid is too heavy for that seat, you'll need to buy a bigger seat (usually the booster seat). Newborns and infants need to be in a rear-facing seat of course, but when they get too big for the seat it becomes unsafe and the law requires them to be in a forward-facing booster seat. My mom runs a small, private daycare from our house so that's how I know all this. If she wants to take them out she needs to have the right seats of course. Here's the website: Safe & Secure: Choosing the right car seat for your child

The part in bold is what car safety experts have rethought, Burning Down, such that the new recommendation is to use rear-racing seats for older children up through age 2 and even longer:

Quote:

Babies and toddlers should ride facing backward.

That's the simple message coming from car safety experts these days, who say the common practice of turning babies around at their first birthday is dangerous.

New research shows children are much safer riding facing backward until at least age 2, and some experts say the longer the better. Researchers narrowed the numbers to look only at children between the ages of 1 and 2. In this group, the kids in rear-facing seats were five times less likely to be seriously injured in a crash.

Physicians say the best thing is to buy a convertible car seat and keep children facing the rear until they reach the height and weight limit of those seats.

Rethinking car seat safety | News | The Bulletin

And now, on to our cow-squirter:

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

It is slightly embarassing perhaps, but I love that car. In the summers, I love to just drive around in the yellow polo listening to music. A couple of years ago, me and my friends bought these water spray guns and drove around drivebying kids, cows and dogs who were tied outside their homes. Ahh, the freedom it represents ..

Cows tied outside homes?!? Is this common where you live, Tore? I thought you lived in a city when you weren't out on the tundra! Well, regardless, I'm now imagining you and friends with your squirt guns in your yellow Volkswagen looking like the people in this commericial, which uses one of my favorite songs (TRIO--Da Da Da).

"Volkswagen...it fits your life...or your complete lack thereof." Ha ha!

Guybrush · 05-15-2010, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Cows tied outside homes?!? Is this common where you live, Tore? I thought you lived in a city when you weren't out on the tundra! Well, regardless, I'm now imagining you and friends with your squirt guns in your yellow Volkswagen looking like the people in this commericial, which uses one of my favorite songs (TRIO--Da Da Da).

"Volkswagen...it fits your life...or your complete lack thereof." Ha ha!

Well, the cows weren't tied actually .. and neither was one of the dogs which came running after the car! I'm either real far north or real far south in Norway .. There's no in-between

Up there, there's not a lot of road. Only 46 kilometres or so total. It's more fun driving around the mountainous hillscapes in the south. If you don't want to go swimming in the sea, there are a dozen freshwater lakes and some really nice rivers a car trip only 5~30 minutes away!

I love summers.

VEGANGELICA · 05-15-2010, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

Well, the cows weren't tied actually .. and neither was one of the dogs which came running after the car! I'm either real far north or real far south in Norway .. There's no in-between

Up there, there's not a lot of road. Only 46 kilometres or so total. It's more fun driving around the mountainous hillscapes in the south. If you don't want to go swimming in the sea, there are a dozen freshwater lakes and some really nice rivers a car trip only 5~30 minutes away!

I love summers.

Sounds lovely! I've actually been up in some grassy and wooded mountain area in Norway, staying with a family in their summer cabin. There was an out house. I wandered around a grassy hill nearby. I started to feel very alone. No roads anywhere!

Ah...about the cows. I see I misunderstood what you wrote: "Me and my friends bought these water spray guns and drove around drivebying kids, cows and dogs who were tied outside their homes." I thought you meant the cows were tied outside their homes, too...and I even wondered about what you people do to your kids up there! Put them on leashes, tied outside their homes?

You see kids on leashes in airports sometimes, so I thought maybe this is some new Norwegian daycare thing to prevent kids from leaving the property!

nylonsmile · 05-16-2010, 10:39 PM

Exact year and color and everything...... I've had it for a year now and never had any problems..... I'm in love.

05-16-2010, 10:39 PM	#50 (permalink)
nylonsmile Groupie Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: paper street Posts: 43	Exact year and color and everything...... I've had it for a year now and never had any problems..... I'm in love.