For me, I have both.

The focus for day to day running around and longer trips and the bronco for pulling a trailer, or moving anything I couldn't fit into the focus, or camping, hunting and general off road running.

I love em both, and for different reasons. I actually sold the SC focus because it wasn't practical at all. Running 94oct in an ecconomy car that wasn't that comfortable to drive because of the stiff suspension didn't make any sense to me after a while.

*and I realize I don't live in Texas* but its very similar here....

 

You are not ignorant. WE ARE.

I have lived in Texas my whole life and currently live in the Dallas area. I commute from one of the outlying suburds into downtown Dallas every day. My trip is 27 miles each way. My route is mainly on the highway that goes right through the middle of town as opposed to any lesser traveled roads. The number of giant SUVs and giant Trucks that are on the road with me every morning and parked in the lots downtown is ridiculous. Added to that is the fact that there seems to be a positive correlation between large vehicles and aggressive driving and the annoyance is maximized. Those factors would certainly cause me to hesitate to buy any vehicle smaller than a focus. As safety imiprovements continue to be made I would consider smaller cars considering my commute and the price of gas.

Here is the problem: in terms of interior room ther are plenty of station wagons, mini-vans and crossovers that could do the job for most people but, unfortunately, there is a huge group of people that see giant trucks and SUVs as status symbols. In addition, many people that I know/have known will drive the biggest truck that they can afford ON THE OFF CHANCE THAT ONCE A YEAR THEY WILL NEED IT'S CAPIBILITIES. That is flat out arrogant and idiotic. I carry lumber in the focus sedan all the time and if I need to move big stuff I rent that truck at Lowe's for 25 stinking bucks.

Lastly is something that applies to everyone I think, not just Texans: our expectations of performance while towing. People seem to think that unless they can tow 5000lbs at 80 miles an hour that the ****ing world will end. There are plenty of reasonably sized vehicles that can tow a pretty large load and get reasonable mileage. They just can't pass everyone on the road while doing it.

Rant off. Damnit.

Edit: Our car lots carry all the same stuff as lots in any other region. There is plenty of money here so there is not shortage of choices when it comes to vehicles.

 

I'd rather have a small car here.

The roads are too curvy to enjoy in a friggen truck, the city is too crowded to navigate with a large vehicle, and my commute is only 10 miles both ways to work....

I couldn't justify having a large vehicle here....

dave.

 

Most people can't justify it, yet they still buy them.

 

I'd rather have a small car here.

The roads are too curvy to enjoy in a friggen truck, the city is too crowded to navigate with a large vehicle, and my commute is only 10 miles both ways to work....

I couldn't justify having a large vehicle here....

dave.

But you are not actually FROM San Antonio are you?

My 5' 6" brother has an F150 extra cab and so does his 17 year old son. Just to drive to school and to work.

Oh, and I have no idea what you mean about the roads. I have driven trucks all over that town at one time or another.

 

I have lived here for 19 years. Most people ask me why I dont own a truck...ie. my brother, my stepdad...both truck owners.

A lot of the new car lots (american especially) are really just new truck lots...its kind of sad really.

You would think that with the horrid gas prices and lack of GOOD mass transit...we would all be driving small cars aside from the people that need trucks.

But no.

As a whole...we are too stupid to make the right choice in an automobile. We want what we want...and we want it big.

I love my xB...I loved my focus. But those cars are so small compared to what takes up 80% of the road.

 

But you are not actually FROM San Antonio are you?

My 5' 6" brother has an F150 extra cab and so does his 17 year old son. Just to drive to school and to work.

Oh, and I have no idea what you mean about the roads. I have driven trucks all over that town at one time or another.

No, I'm not from SA.

I should clarify what I mean by the roads are too curvy....

I'm only a few miles away from the hill country and where all the FUN! roads are. I get stuck behind trucks all the time when I go out for cruises....and the trucks can't even seem to make the speed limit on most of the roads.

Second, downtown is a mess in a large vehicle....especially on a weekend......

dave

 

What the hell are you doing downtown on a weekend?

 

I wonder how this compares to CT?

 

:lol: :lol:

 

I wonder how this compares to CT?

I'm sure we will soon know.

 

Too many here justify the vehicle they need by the 1% to 5% of the time they need it.
One of the ladies I work with had a Tahoe and drove it by herself at least 35 miles each way to work. Her justification for having it was her two boys played sports.
With gas prices just below $3/gal she got rid of it and bought a VW Bug. Funny her boys still play sports and she still is able to get them where they need to be.

 

the only things I notice are that I can't ever see past the vehicle in front of me, and the left lane is always blocked. :rant:

I HATE trucks and SUVs. Im so glad Im a euro specialist. I dont have to deal with the ultra mega ton dualy trucks like the rest of the techs. (strangely, they dont seem to mind working on things that barely fit in the door and are too big for the lift.

 

Having lived for almost half my life in Texas (DFW metro and outlying areas) I can say there are plenty of large cars/trucks/*UVs. That being said, I can honestly say I've seen more lifted trucks and generally large vehicles since moving to Norcal.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out why this is. Yeah, there are mountains nearby, but, with a set of chains, my Focus can handle those roads just fine.

All of probably 2% of the population work in agriculture, so I doubt all the lifted and super-uber-ultra-whamodyne-extended-everything trucks I've seen are farm trucks.

I think it's just a pop culture thing. You have some of these crossover nu-country/twatrock stars that are glorifying being a ******* (despite the fact that it's a decrepit existence), and a lot of these people see big trucks as a status symbol. The bigger the better....

 

I wonder how this compares to CT?

Gee I wonder WHO you could be referring too…

OK now where is Duc? :lol:

and if you really want to know
we are 44th in the country per person and 40th as a state (ignoring size/population)

 

And you did not think you would get buy with that short of an response from me did you?!…

[cliffnote]
Lots of snotty upper class people think it is beneath them to even be seen in a pickup truck, only working class even considers them. Also our tax structure discourages $$$ cars. Pickup truck registration is based on weight, and then there is a sales tax, and then there is a yearly property tax on vehicles just like a house. Factor in the environmental stigma of a big truck and it is something you almost never see except for actually doing work. Even trades people here tend to drive things like sprinter vans instead of pickup trucks if they need to hall cargo.[/cliff note]

[long version]
Even with that current ranking there is a big push to go even greener. City’s are pushing for LEED certification to be mandated by law, requiring living roofs on new structures, instituting better more energy efficient public transit systems (electric light rail in dense regions) etc… AS I posted before there is new tax incentives for NO tax on a car that gets over 40mpg (regardless of how it does that, hybrid, diesel, etc…)

My aunts apartment complex (income restricted) has been on an energy effect blitz. The power company has been paying to replace all light bulbs with compact fluorescents, install more insulation in the buildings etc… Over the last year almost everyone has started using compact florescent light bulbs instead of the old fashion ones. I have not been to one building or house does not have at least some compact fluorescents.

Vehicle wise people buy SUV’s still, but they tend to be a bit smaller than what I have seen people in the south buy. Also a pick up truck is really only popular/ a status symbol with the working class/blue collar workers, and even then it is not a universal thing, and many of those people are also into motorcycles that they use ad a DD instead of the truck. I work at a car dealer and one of the owners is ridiculed because he drive a pickup truck. I have seen general contractors, and construction workers here that drive mini coopers and that is perfectly normal. Lifted truck for mudding in the more urban parts of the state are pretty much non-existent. I have seen more imported EU market smarts on the public roads than I have seen lifted pickup trucks with mud tires. Again that said, SUV’s are fair game for the upper class. AT work the biggest selling cars right now have to be the XC-90 and CX-9’s. (its also winter so AWD is what everyone buys right now) One more thing that hurts pickup trucks is in CT SUV’s are “passenger cars” but pickup trucks are not. There registration is based on weight. The bigger your truck, they higher your registration cost is.
Don’t forget gas is also more $ in CT than in Texas, right now I have seen $3.99 a gallon for premium at quit a few stations.

As for electric power, Texas has HUGE homes, and they have almost all coal power. CT has smaller average size houses from what I understand, and we also use cleaner power sources (when it comes to the air) like nuclear power. [/long version]



SO where is duc now?! Lol


Anyway few questions I also thought of for Texas.
What is a typical commute?
What is the average home size?
What is the stigma against small cars most Texans have?
What is the current gas prices in Texas?
Also what are the taxes like there?

 

there are plenty of car lots here. i live right by I-35 and theres about 10 car lots along a 2 mile stretch of highway. my friends dont give me any crap about my car mostly cause i bought the car while i was still in high school and none of my friends have trucks. ive lived in san antonio my whole live and to be honest its just cool to own a truck. when i was in the market for a car in 2002, my choices were between a new zx3 and a used 2000 f-150. i got the zx3 because i really wouldnt be able to swing the truck payments. ive repeatedly tried to trade my car for a truck. a colorado, silverado, and even a ranger. Not that i dont like my car, its just i love a pick up.

 

Oh Jesus Christ is this a load of crock.

WHAT ARE TEXAS' MAJOR INDUSTRIES!!!!

Have you noticed that when you fly over Houston, you will fly over refineries and plants and heavy industry for 10 minutes?!?!??? The industrial heart that feeds this nation's economy.

What a ****ing joke to act like this is based on pickup trucks when there is only a tiny tiny fraction of cars on the road considering the size of the state compared to in the NE and West Coast where those ARE the major factors. And speaking of size, has anyone noticed that TEXAS IS HUGE??? You can fit Germany inside Texas, so yes, it is in fact bigger than a lot of countries, just by itself.

Oops!

 

Oops! How many Eastern states fit inside of Texas?

I wonder what happens when we combine the total output of South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania together? OOPS!

I wonder what happens if we took this away from you:

When most of the nations, cement, steel, petroleum, and other major industries come from one gigantic state that will take you more than a day just to drive from one side to another... then yes, the carbon output will be higher than Rhode Island.

OOOOPS! Its ok, I feel embarrassed enough on your behalf RP, so no need to apologize for being a clueless yankee. :what:

PS: And we wanted to secede from you pompous yanks, but you brought your armies to prevent it. So who needs who more now? Later partner. *spins six-shooter*

 

Anyway few questions I also thought of for Texas.

What is a typical commute?

(Speaking only for the DFW area)

Anywhere from 15-45 minutes. That's like asking what a typical commute is in LA. Depends on what part (Downtown/Deep Ellum, Tollway, Las Colinas/Irving, etc...) and commuting from Dallas to Ft Worth is a whole 'nother ballgame.

What is the average home size?

On par for areas of similar income. Again, it depends on where you're at. Frisco/Plano? Probably 3-5k-ish
Downtown Dallas? You're looking at small old-style homes and a lot of small apartments.
University Park/SMU (Big Money)? God only knows. It's mostly mansions, and the garages are around 2k sqft

What is the stigma against small cars most Texans have?

Why does everyone north of Tennessee talk with a thick Boston accent? Why is everyone in Connecticut a snobby old-money type with a yacht? Stereotypes suck.

What is the current gas prices in Texas?

Last time I talked to my parents, it was just <$3 for regular.

Also what are the taxes like there?

Not sure on that one.

 

I wonder how this compares to CT?

:lol: :lol:

:bow:

 

Duc, while you are right to correct some of the original premise there is no reason to blow off the discussion that results from it. There is a decided preference for big vehicles in Texas and I am betting that even if we factored in differences in population size and factored out the refineries and other polluters we would still find Texas spewing more carbon per vehicle than many other places. The thing that particularly sucks is that a lot of people are disuaded from driving small vehicles and buy bigger ones because they think it is a reasonable self defense plan TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM BIGGER VEHICLES. Given that our cities experienced most of their growth during the modern era and the fact that we are big we are super spread out. We also, since we were experiencing growth in the modern era, do not have the infrastructure for mass transit.


So Duc, while your points are accurate, they are really not anything that bears on this discussion.

 

OOOOPS! Its ok, I feel embarrassed enough on your behalf RP, so no need to apologize for being a clueless yankee. :what:

like i said we use nuclear power unlike Texas that is all coal. That makes a difference in overall pollution.

And yes the industries are quite different. The signal industry in CT that uses the most power is the casinos.

Other than that is all relatively new construction, high effect office buildings, people living close together, and available electric based public transit (with a nuclear power source)

Even if everyone went to 100mpg cars in Texas they would still be a huge polluter, it would just help reduce the pollution a bit.

Also as I said there is a stigma that allot of snobby old money types have against pick-up trucks. I never said that was MY opinion. Hell I almost bought a truck, and my next vehicle may be one. I don’t drive all that far so me driving a truck 8 miles is not the same as someone down south driving the same truck 55miles each way.

Also I would be under the group of people with a truck and motorcycle. If I buy a truck as a car, it would only be used to move stuff around, go to stores and buy stuff, and move more than one person, and in poor weather. Other than that it would be me on a bike.

 

So Duc, while your points are accurate, they are really not anything that bears on this discussion.

So the fact that in all likelihood, the pollution caused by vehicles per square mile of Texas soil is likely 1/50th of Eastern states (we don't have their constant gridlock or car density), and that Texas has overall high C02 output because of its principle industries and fact that it is the size of several Eastern states all put together has nothing to do with the discussion?

The article states that:

Texans' fondness for large, manly vehicles has helped make the Lone Star State the biggest carbon polluter in the nation.

Which is bull**** and misleading, making it sound like Texas is overall a big polluter (combining the Eastern landmass to be the size of Texas would show pollution figures OFF THE CHARTS), and that Texas vehicles are the cause of it. My comments directly refute that. So YES, it is 100% relevant to this discussion. :what:

PS: And Texas, despite its big industry, is very conscious of the environment ("don't mess with Texas"), and the coal plants are very clean. Unfortunately, carbon dioxide isn't really a "pollution" as much as a greenhouse gas emission that isn't easily avoidable no matter what catalyzers and filters and washes you use during manufacture. But guess who is pioneering underground carbon sequestration? Guess where the working plant is? Oops! Austin Geological Society... which is in.... Texas!

Go UT! :thumbup:

 

Texas also leads the country in wind power use.

That famous slogan 'Don't Mess With Texas', was started as an ad campaign to curb littering on the roadways.

Its very typical of northerners to look at Texas like it's full of steers, big 'ol trucks and uneducated cowboys. I used to be one of them. This is one of the few places left in the country where you can actually raise a family with a nice home without having to make 100K+ a year. Housing is actually affordable here.

Besides, big state=more roads to drive on. We have the Big Bend Open Road Race, The Texas Hill Country, miles and miles of highway....I don't know, sounds more like jealousy to me....