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If you’re already making an entire car to drive it one thousand miles a year then you’re better off buying a smaller one instead and hiring yeah. Or just walki

If you’re already making an entire car to drive it one thousand miles a year then you’re better off buying a smaller one instead and hiring yeah. Or just walking to get groceries.

singron 4y ago
Money is a surprisingly good proxy for energy and carbon impact. If it's cheaper to buy than rent, then it probably uses less energy too. When you rent a car, it has to sit in the rental car parking lot. They have to build the facility. An employee has to drive there to do all your paperwork and rent it to you. The rental gets fully cleaned and inspected after a day of use by another set of employees. They all have to eat to work and a lot of energy is used to produce that food. All of this and more is encapsulated in the price.
- chrisseaton 4y ago
  Not sure if you’re agreeing with me - yeah renting for such low use is both cheaper and better for the environment.
  - rootusrootus 4y ago
    Renting isn't even feasible. I couldn't even begin to tell you where I'd rent a pickup that would work for this. Supposing I found one, I'd have to make all the arrangements to retrieve it, then spend a few hours setting up the towing equipment for it, and then make all the arrangements to send it back. LOL, no. It can sit in my garage getting used every couple weeks for the next 10 years. That's what I do with trucks. They are utility vehicles.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
  - gort19 4y ago
    It’s only cheaper if his time is worth nothing.
rootusrootus 4y ago
> buying a smaller one instead Smaller than a Bolt? The HD truck is my tow pig. And please don't suggest renting one as an alternative, that is a non-starter. I'll just assume you're unfamiliar with the mechanics of towing an RV.
- chrisseaton 4y ago
  Like how do you think people tow vehicles in Europe where they don’t sell anything as large as these super-duty pickups?
  - ls15 4y ago
    Large trailers are town by large trucks in Europe too. It is not practical or safe to tow a trailer with an underpowered truck.
    - nradov 4y ago
      Europeans tow some surprisingly large trailers behind small, underpowered cars. I've seen an older BMW 3-series sedan towing a loaded double horse trailer in rural Germany. They manage this by keeping the tongue weight low to work within the limits of weak rear suspensions, which of course causes trailer sway and some really impressive crashes when things go wrong. And you'll be cursing if you get stuck behind one on a mountain road. So obviously the European approach to towing is not super smart, but when people can't obtain proper tow vehicles then they tend to make do with whatever is available.
      - ls15 4y ago
        At least in Germany, cars are rated for a maximum towing capacity. BMW X3 is a small SUV and I think it is rated for 750 kg unbraked and 2,400 kg braked (up to 12% slope) total trailer weight. A loaded braked double horse trailer is probably within these limits, so it is not underpowered. Obviously underpowered towing vehicles may be pulled out by the police for safety reasons. F350 are rare in Europe, which does not mean that they (or similar vehicles) are not available, but they are also not as practical to use as in the US.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y ago
> Or just walking to get groceries Ah, a city dweller. Let me put it this way: in the part of the country where your food comes from, walking to the store would take hours one way along two lane roads with no sidewalks.
- chrisseaton 4y ago
  > Ah, a city dweller. Nope.

If you’re already making an entire car to drive it one thousand miles a year then you’re better off buying a smaller one instead and hiring yeah. Or just walking to get groceries.

singron 4y ago

Money is a surprisingly good proxy for energy and carbon impact. If it's cheaper to buy than rent, then it probably uses less energy too. When you rent a car, it has to sit in the rental car parking lot. They have to build the facility. An employee has to drive there to do all your paperwork and rent it to you. The rental gets fully cleaned and inspected after a day of use by another set of employees. They all have to eat to work and a lot of energy is used to produce that food. All of this and more is encapsulated in the price.

chrisseaton 4y ago
Not sure if you’re agreeing with me - yeah renting for such low use is both cheaper and better for the environment.
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  Renting isn't even feasible. I couldn't even begin to tell you where I'd rent a pickup that would work for this. Supposing I found one, I'd have to make all the arrangements to retrieve it, then spend a few hours setting up the towing equipment for it, and then make all the arrangements to send it back. LOL, no. It can sit in my garage getting used every couple weeks for the next 10 years. That's what I do with trucks. They are utility vehicles.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- gort19 4y ago
  It’s only cheaper if his time is worth nothing.

rootusrootus 4y ago

> buying a smaller one instead Smaller than a Bolt? The HD truck is my tow pig. And please don't suggest renting one as an alternative, that is a non-starter. I'll just assume you're unfamiliar with the mechanics of towing an RV.

chrisseaton 4y ago
Like how do you think people tow vehicles in Europe where they don’t sell anything as large as these super-duty pickups?
- ls15 4y ago
  Large trailers are town by large trucks in Europe too. It is not practical or safe to tow a trailer with an underpowered truck.
  - nradov 4y ago
    Europeans tow some surprisingly large trailers behind small, underpowered cars. I've seen an older BMW 3-series sedan towing a loaded double horse trailer in rural Germany. They manage this by keeping the tongue weight low to work within the limits of weak rear suspensions, which of course causes trailer sway and some really impressive crashes when things go wrong. And you'll be cursing if you get stuck behind one on a mountain road. So obviously the European approach to towing is not super smart, but when people can't obtain proper tow vehicles then they tend to make do with whatever is available.
    - ls15 4y ago
      At least in Germany, cars are rated for a maximum towing capacity. BMW X3 is a small SUV and I think it is rated for 750 kg unbraked and 2,400 kg braked (up to 12% slope) total trailer weight. A loaded braked double horse trailer is probably within these limits, so it is not underpowered. Obviously underpowered towing vehicles may be pulled out by the police for safety reasons. F350 are rare in Europe, which does not mean that they (or similar vehicles) are not available, but they are also not as practical to use as in the US.

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y ago

> Or just walking to get groceries Ah, a city dweller. Let me put it this way: in the part of the country where your food comes from, walking to the store would take hours one way along two lane roads with no sidewalks.

chrisseaton 4y ago
> Ah, a city dweller. Nope.