5 ms·

From what I read it sounds like Americans repair their cars more thoroughly than Europeans. Most people I know unless they have a particularly fancy car just l

by throwaway22032 3y ago

From what I read it sounds like Americans repair their cars more thoroughly than Europeans. Most people I know unless they have a particularly fancy car just leave the little scratches, dents, dings etc and do functional repairs only. Spending thousands on a paint job is car enthusiast territory.

AnotherGoodName 3y ago
I feel there's a huge amount of status put into cars in America too. Perhaps due to extremely effective marketing.
- thanksgiving 3y ago
  There is just a lot of shaming going on even today. There's an Instagram story I just saw where some influencer was making fun of software developers showing how the apartments of typical software developers who make USD 100k, 200k, 300k, and 400k make and they were a. twin mattress on the floor, b. two twin mattresses side by side on the floor, c. full size mattress of the floor, d. full size mattress with fitted sheet on the floor. I mean ok, what's wrong with that? If someone has a mattress on the floor what does it hurt? It is made to look like organic "content" but I am positive it is boosted by some marketing firm somewhere if I saw it even though I don't follow the influencer. Point is, there are a lot of really smart people working really hard to separate Americans from their money. Full disclosure: I, too, had a mattress on the floor a few years back so maybe I am taking it too seriously.
  - dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
    My mattress is on the floor right now, but it has a fitted sheet.
  - shortcake27 3y ago
    It’s just typical consumerism. Most people in Western culture are brought up to believe you need to have stuff to be happy. Especially in America. You need to live in a big house with way more space than you need, then you need to fill that space with stuff. Then that stuff gets old so it needs to be replaced with new stuff every few years. The more this is perpetuated via mocking people who don’t have stuff, the better it is for companies who make stuff. A bed frame is the perfect example of stuff. The average western person believes this is a necessity even though it has no function. Especially the ones without storage. Yet if you sleep on the floor you will be mocked. People will scoff. “You’re an adult you need to buy a bed frame”. Why? Why would I spend money and consume resources on something that has absolutely zero benefit?
    - MrOwnPut 3y ago
      > A bed frame is the perfect example of stuff. The average western person believes this is a necessity even though it has no function. There is a function. Having sex with no bed frame or headboard is awful.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - retrac 3y ago
    Serious answer? Pests and drafts. We raise beds off floors for good reasons. I only recently learned that even headboards have a reason to exist: drafts flow down to the floor rather than over the sleeper. Sort of like my friend who feels no need for drapes. One of my stranger conversations. He thinks they're pointless entirely. But besides privacy and the fact that most people can't sleep in full sunlight, they also reduce noise and improve thermal control. Us nerdy types are often iconoclastic about convention and tradition but sometimes things are done a certain way for reasons that make good sense. And you'll be thought anywhere from odd to clueless if you decide to go against the grain. Or worse, kinda lazy. No judgement or anything. My mattress was on the floor for most of my 20s.
    - SapporoChris 3y ago
      For myself, I'd rather have a pest free home than compensate with an elevated bed. Historically headboards may have served a purpose of insulating and protecting from drafts. In a modern dwelling with adequate heating and insulation a headboard is merely decorative.
  - lotsofpulp 3y ago
    >what's wrong with that? Nothing. There is something wrong (or at least ill advised) with wasting time watching “Instagram influencer videos” if your goal is to ascertain right or wrong (or optimal or suboptimal).
  - sergiomattei 3y ago
    Maybe the content strikes a chord? I’d absolutely judge a six-figure earner with a mattress on the floor. I won’t bother you about it, but I’m judging internally if I see that.
  - dan-robertson 3y ago
    I think the joke is generally that it is the basic necessity and one would generally expect people to create a more homely environment (eg furniture for guests or eating, storage for clothes, maybe bookshelves with books or photographs or whatever). The joke is not ‘floor mattress bad’ it’s ‘no furniture nor decoration despite ample means = weird’. The thing you saw was just a derivative of the original meme which was a single mattress on the floor next to a phone charger. I don’t really think the thing you saw was really trying to get people to be more consumerist.
- cscurmudgeon 3y ago
  Also lower disposable income in Europe.
- htag 3y ago
  There's a huge amount of status put into your house too, even though there is effectively zero marketing done in the housing market. Cars are used to communicate status because: * They are expensive. For most Americans a car is in their top 5 most expensive possessions. * You can demonstrate some personality in choice. Which model, which type, which color. * They go everywhere you go. * People get a lot of utility from their car.
- samstave 3y ago
  Mercedes did a LOT of this over the decades in the US ; *'Constraint of product category availability"* - whereby you go to any other country and there were TONS CHEAP little mercedes trucks, trikes, pickups, box-trucks, desert crawlers, etc etc etc... But they dont sell those in the US, as it allows them to keep *"luxury brand"* marketing hype to sieve money from the unsuspecting US consumer market.
  - dan-robertson 3y ago
    I thought it was due to import duties?
    - samstave 3y ago
      What if mercedes "lobbied" to have those put in place for brand price bloating?
      - dan-robertson 3y ago
        That’s an absurd theory. Why would Mercedes lobby to increase the taxes they pay. They could have just put the price up and taken the difference as profit. The point of the import duties was to advantage domestic manufacturers (I think there were some general U.S. Europe trade disagreements at the time)
        samstave 3y ago
        Not Arguing WITH "Absurd Theory" -- It was just a wierd one that popped in my head - I am NOT saying I think this - just thought a fun angle... I really enjoy just playing "what-if" in every category Or you can choose not to do so, but why?
        dan-robertson 3y ago
        Usually the way one plays what-if is by coming up with a bunch of ideas and then thinking about whether they make sense or not, and then tossing out the ones that don’t make sense. Often when someone writes ‘what if X?’ What they really mean is that they think X and either think it is plainly obvious or know it is a controversial/conspiratorial theory, which is the tone I wrongly read in what you wrote. I hope you won’t be too put off from writing down your weird ideas in future.
micromacrofoot 3y ago
somewhere around 20% of cars in the US are leased, so if you don’t repair damage you end up paying for it eventually average car loan is also $40k… so there’s a good amount of emphasis of resale value too… my experience in europe is that more people drive their cars until they fall apart (maybe anecdotal)
the_optimist 3y ago
Responsibility and cost for restoring vehicles to condition is born by insurance companies. There is little-to-no governance over cost in this arrangement.
- analog31 3y ago
  Actually... the bigger insurance companies have arrangements, and even an ownership stake, in repair facilities. When I smacked a deer in my car, it got taken to a shop specified by the insurance company.
  - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
    You have the option to disregard your insurance company's recommendation: https://wilshirelawfirm.com/blog/personal-injury-law/can-i-choose-my-own-repair-shop-after-a-car-accident/ https://wilshirelawfirm.com/blog/personal-injury-law/can-i-c...
    - analog31 3y ago
      Good to know. At the time, I was like "whatever." The car was pretty smashed up.
      - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
        You can also choose which repairs to do. Years ago we got the insurance payout for hail damage and decided to only replace the hood and sunroof, taking the other $2k or so out for other expenses.
        analog31 3y ago
        Yup, that happened after the car was repaired from the deer strike. A few years later it got hail damage, the insurance company wrote us a check, and we pocketed it. The hail damage wasn't noticeable to our eyes, and the car should probably not have been on insurance in the first place.
dmbche 3y ago
Leases are a large part of the market, and the simple fact that americans drive on average double the distance as europeans (just because the country is so spread out) makes the car a large part of americans life. Obviously it's also a status symbol for many.

AnotherGoodName 3y ago

I feel there's a huge amount of status put into cars in America too. Perhaps due to extremely effective marketing.

thanksgiving 3y ago
There is just a lot of shaming going on even today. There's an Instagram story I just saw where some influencer was making fun of software developers showing how the apartments of typical software developers who make USD 100k, 200k, 300k, and 400k make and they were a. twin mattress on the floor, b. two twin mattresses side by side on the floor, c. full size mattress of the floor, d. full size mattress with fitted sheet on the floor. I mean ok, what's wrong with that? If someone has a mattress on the floor what does it hurt? It is made to look like organic "content" but I am positive it is boosted by some marketing firm somewhere if I saw it even though I don't follow the influencer. Point is, there are a lot of really smart people working really hard to separate Americans from their money. Full disclosure: I, too, had a mattress on the floor a few years back so maybe I am taking it too seriously.
- dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
  My mattress is on the floor right now, but it has a fitted sheet.
- shortcake27 3y ago
  It’s just typical consumerism. Most people in Western culture are brought up to believe you need to have stuff to be happy. Especially in America. You need to live in a big house with way more space than you need, then you need to fill that space with stuff. Then that stuff gets old so it needs to be replaced with new stuff every few years. The more this is perpetuated via mocking people who don’t have stuff, the better it is for companies who make stuff. A bed frame is the perfect example of stuff. The average western person believes this is a necessity even though it has no function. Especially the ones without storage. Yet if you sleep on the floor you will be mocked. People will scoff. “You’re an adult you need to buy a bed frame”. Why? Why would I spend money and consume resources on something that has absolutely zero benefit?
  - MrOwnPut 3y ago
    > A bed frame is the perfect example of stuff. The average western person believes this is a necessity even though it has no function. There is a function. Having sex with no bed frame or headboard is awful.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- retrac 3y ago
  Serious answer? Pests and drafts. We raise beds off floors for good reasons. I only recently learned that even headboards have a reason to exist: drafts flow down to the floor rather than over the sleeper. Sort of like my friend who feels no need for drapes. One of my stranger conversations. He thinks they're pointless entirely. But besides privacy and the fact that most people can't sleep in full sunlight, they also reduce noise and improve thermal control. Us nerdy types are often iconoclastic about convention and tradition but sometimes things are done a certain way for reasons that make good sense. And you'll be thought anywhere from odd to clueless if you decide to go against the grain. Or worse, kinda lazy. No judgement or anything. My mattress was on the floor for most of my 20s.
  - SapporoChris 3y ago
    For myself, I'd rather have a pest free home than compensate with an elevated bed. Historically headboards may have served a purpose of insulating and protecting from drafts. In a modern dwelling with adequate heating and insulation a headboard is merely decorative.
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  >what's wrong with that? Nothing. There is something wrong (or at least ill advised) with wasting time watching “Instagram influencer videos” if your goal is to ascertain right or wrong (or optimal or suboptimal).
- sergiomattei 3y ago
  Maybe the content strikes a chord? I’d absolutely judge a six-figure earner with a mattress on the floor. I won’t bother you about it, but I’m judging internally if I see that.
- dan-robertson 3y ago
  I think the joke is generally that it is the basic necessity and one would generally expect people to create a more homely environment (eg furniture for guests or eating, storage for clothes, maybe bookshelves with books or photographs or whatever). The joke is not ‘floor mattress bad’ it’s ‘no furniture nor decoration despite ample means = weird’. The thing you saw was just a derivative of the original meme which was a single mattress on the floor next to a phone charger. I don’t really think the thing you saw was really trying to get people to be more consumerist.
cscurmudgeon 3y ago
Also lower disposable income in Europe.
htag 3y ago
There's a huge amount of status put into your house too, even though there is effectively zero marketing done in the housing market. Cars are used to communicate status because: * They are expensive. For most Americans a car is in their top 5 most expensive possessions. * You can demonstrate some personality in choice. Which model, which type, which color. * They go everywhere you go. * People get a lot of utility from their car.
samstave 3y ago
Mercedes did a LOT of this over the decades in the US ; *'Constraint of product category availability"* - whereby you go to any other country and there were TONS CHEAP little mercedes trucks, trikes, pickups, box-trucks, desert crawlers, etc etc etc... But they dont sell those in the US, as it allows them to keep *"luxury brand"* marketing hype to sieve money from the unsuspecting US consumer market.
- dan-robertson 3y ago
  I thought it was due to import duties?
  - samstave 3y ago
    What if mercedes "lobbied" to have those put in place for brand price bloating?
    - dan-robertson 3y ago
      That’s an absurd theory. Why would Mercedes lobby to increase the taxes they pay. They could have just put the price up and taken the difference as profit. The point of the import duties was to advantage domestic manufacturers (I think there were some general U.S. Europe trade disagreements at the time)
      - samstave 3y ago
        Not Arguing WITH "Absurd Theory" -- It was just a wierd one that popped in my head - I am NOT saying I think this - just thought a fun angle... I really enjoy just playing "what-if" in every category Or you can choose not to do so, but why?
        dan-robertson 3y ago
        Usually the way one plays what-if is by coming up with a bunch of ideas and then thinking about whether they make sense or not, and then tossing out the ones that don’t make sense. Often when someone writes ‘what if X?’ What they really mean is that they think X and either think it is plainly obvious or know it is a controversial/conspiratorial theory, which is the tone I wrongly read in what you wrote. I hope you won’t be too put off from writing down your weird ideas in future.

micromacrofoot 3y ago

somewhere around 20% of cars in the US are leased, so if you don’t repair damage you end up paying for it eventually average car loan is also $40k… so there’s a good amount of emphasis of resale value too… my experience in europe is that more people drive their cars until they fall apart (maybe anecdotal)

the_optimist 3y ago

Responsibility and cost for restoring vehicles to condition is born by insurance companies. There is little-to-no governance over cost in this arrangement.

analog31 3y ago
Actually... the bigger insurance companies have arrangements, and even an ownership stake, in repair facilities. When I smacked a deer in my car, it got taken to a shop specified by the insurance company.
- anonymouskimmer 3y ago
  You have the option to disregard your insurance company's recommendation: https://wilshirelawfirm.com/blog/personal-injury-law/can-i-choose-my-own-repair-shop-after-a-car-accident/ https://wilshirelawfirm.com/blog/personal-injury-law/can-i-c...
  - analog31 3y ago
    Good to know. At the time, I was like "whatever." The car was pretty smashed up.
    - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
      You can also choose which repairs to do. Years ago we got the insurance payout for hail damage and decided to only replace the hood and sunroof, taking the other $2k or so out for other expenses.
      - analog31 3y ago
        Yup, that happened after the car was repaired from the deer strike. A few years later it got hail damage, the insurance company wrote us a check, and we pocketed it. The hail damage wasn't noticeable to our eyes, and the car should probably not have been on insurance in the first place.

dmbche 3y ago

Leases are a large part of the market, and the simple fact that americans drive on average double the distance as europeans (just because the country is so spread out) makes the car a large part of americans life. Obviously it's also a status symbol for many.