Depending on the driver, some have meticulously chosen their vehicle, some have gotten the best deal for four wheels and others simply drive what gets them from place-to-place in one piece.
According to IHS Automotive, there are 253 million motorized vehicles in the United States and of the roadworthy vehicles used every day, their average age is 11.4 years.
The first automobile was the 1886 Daimler and it had four wheels and a gasoline engine. Here we are 131 years later and we have basically the same thing.
You would think we'd have flying cars by now.
Couldn't engineers have designed a vehicle that was safe, fuel efficient, required little maintenance, had interchangeable parts that could be replaced with most other vehicles and, most important, had a long life on the road?
We could have all this and more, but from reasons ranging from human individuality to economics, we focus on models, makes and packages with different parts for each one.
Those in my immediate family haven't owned a foreign car. My dad was an auto worker at Chrysler in Belvidere, Illinois, and many relatives worked at the General Motors plant in Janesville. Every vehicle I have ever owned has been a United States nameplate.
That's not to say that the majority of their parts weren't made elsewhere.
I've owned cars made by Plymouth, Dodge, Mercury, Ford, GMC and Chevrolet.
My current vehicle is a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx with 121,000 miles. It's right in the average for time on the road and miles.
It's in a color of green that was in style for about five minutes.
The car averages about 27 miles per gallon and it rides nicely both in towns and on highways.
Why do I drive the Malibu Maxx? I did not want to have a car payment and I had a lump sum, so I bought the best vehicle I could afford with cash at the time.
I like my car. I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't like it.
Like most human beings, I wonder what my four-door hatchback says about me?
Probably that I'm not that interested in impressing anyone.
I don't hold the kind of vehicle a person drives against them. This is America. If you want a big truck, sports car, luxury car, etc., I say go for it and enjoy. You only have one life and you should drive a vehicle that you really like as long as it's in your means.
I think that sometimes a vehicle can say a lot about a person. It's made to be reflective of the owner - that's why there are so many of them.
What is a vehicle I'd rather have than what I drive now?
I would like a pick-up truck.
They stand tall off the road, offer protection to the passengers and give a person an opportunity to purchase furniture at estate sales and not have to question, "How am I going to get that home?"
I've found a bit of a compromise in hauling capacity with my Malibu Maxx. It is the third hatchback I've owned. I've previously owned a Pontiac Vibe and a Plymouth Horizon. All three were hatch-backs and each had its benefits.
I owned the Horizon in high school and the hatchback allowed me to sneak a friend into the Highway 51 drive-in theatre between Janesville and Beloit. We were silly teenagers and we did stupid things. I hope the statute of limitations has expired on that infraction.
I've owned two sport utility vehicles, a full-sized Ford Bronco and a smaller GMC Jimmy. Both were great vehicles that I enjoyed.
The Bronco was more vehicle than I ever needed. What a machine.
Near Hayward in the winter of 1995 one of my friends driving a full-sized truck got stuck in a ditch next to a snowmobile trail. I hooked the Bronco up to the frame of the truck with a heavy chain and pulled the truck out of the ditch. It was one of a handful of times I used the four-low gear. It impressed everybody watching, and we were right outside a tavern, so there was quite a crowd.
While the Bronco was a beast that I eventually drove into the salvage yard, the Jimmy was a better compromise and an excellent vehicle.
My Mercuries included a Topaz and a Grand Marquis. The Dodge I owned was a 1977 Diplomat. It was the "oldest" car I ever owned and it saw me through college after the Horizon's timing belt broke at road speed.
Of these, the biggest lemon has been the Malibu, which cost me $2,500 in brake work in the first two months I owned it. I think somebody passed their trouble onto me. That happens sometimes - the buyer beware.
And there have been issues with just about every vehicle I've purchased, because I've never bought a new car.
One bit of advice my dad gave me about cars is to not buy more car than you can afford. Who wants to worry about making payments while not having enough money to afford gas?
With that in mind, I enjoy seeing foreign touring cars, trucks with lift kits and American muscle cars. I love all sorts of vehicles and I enjoy car shows.
Maybe someday I will own a truck. I better buy one while I can still carry furniture around.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
According to IHS Automotive, there are 253 million motorized vehicles in the United States and of the roadworthy vehicles used every day, their average age is 11.4 years.
The first automobile was the 1886 Daimler and it had four wheels and a gasoline engine. Here we are 131 years later and we have basically the same thing.
You would think we'd have flying cars by now.
Couldn't engineers have designed a vehicle that was safe, fuel efficient, required little maintenance, had interchangeable parts that could be replaced with most other vehicles and, most important, had a long life on the road?
We could have all this and more, but from reasons ranging from human individuality to economics, we focus on models, makes and packages with different parts for each one.
Those in my immediate family haven't owned a foreign car. My dad was an auto worker at Chrysler in Belvidere, Illinois, and many relatives worked at the General Motors plant in Janesville. Every vehicle I have ever owned has been a United States nameplate.
That's not to say that the majority of their parts weren't made elsewhere.
I've owned cars made by Plymouth, Dodge, Mercury, Ford, GMC and Chevrolet.
My current vehicle is a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx with 121,000 miles. It's right in the average for time on the road and miles.
It's in a color of green that was in style for about five minutes.
The car averages about 27 miles per gallon and it rides nicely both in towns and on highways.
Why do I drive the Malibu Maxx? I did not want to have a car payment and I had a lump sum, so I bought the best vehicle I could afford with cash at the time.
I like my car. I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't like it.
Like most human beings, I wonder what my four-door hatchback says about me?
Probably that I'm not that interested in impressing anyone.
I don't hold the kind of vehicle a person drives against them. This is America. If you want a big truck, sports car, luxury car, etc., I say go for it and enjoy. You only have one life and you should drive a vehicle that you really like as long as it's in your means.
I think that sometimes a vehicle can say a lot about a person. It's made to be reflective of the owner - that's why there are so many of them.
What is a vehicle I'd rather have than what I drive now?
I would like a pick-up truck.
They stand tall off the road, offer protection to the passengers and give a person an opportunity to purchase furniture at estate sales and not have to question, "How am I going to get that home?"
I've found a bit of a compromise in hauling capacity with my Malibu Maxx. It is the third hatchback I've owned. I've previously owned a Pontiac Vibe and a Plymouth Horizon. All three were hatch-backs and each had its benefits.
I owned the Horizon in high school and the hatchback allowed me to sneak a friend into the Highway 51 drive-in theatre between Janesville and Beloit. We were silly teenagers and we did stupid things. I hope the statute of limitations has expired on that infraction.
I've owned two sport utility vehicles, a full-sized Ford Bronco and a smaller GMC Jimmy. Both were great vehicles that I enjoyed.
The Bronco was more vehicle than I ever needed. What a machine.
Near Hayward in the winter of 1995 one of my friends driving a full-sized truck got stuck in a ditch next to a snowmobile trail. I hooked the Bronco up to the frame of the truck with a heavy chain and pulled the truck out of the ditch. It was one of a handful of times I used the four-low gear. It impressed everybody watching, and we were right outside a tavern, so there was quite a crowd.
While the Bronco was a beast that I eventually drove into the salvage yard, the Jimmy was a better compromise and an excellent vehicle.
My Mercuries included a Topaz and a Grand Marquis. The Dodge I owned was a 1977 Diplomat. It was the "oldest" car I ever owned and it saw me through college after the Horizon's timing belt broke at road speed.
Of these, the biggest lemon has been the Malibu, which cost me $2,500 in brake work in the first two months I owned it. I think somebody passed their trouble onto me. That happens sometimes - the buyer beware.
And there have been issues with just about every vehicle I've purchased, because I've never bought a new car.
One bit of advice my dad gave me about cars is to not buy more car than you can afford. Who wants to worry about making payments while not having enough money to afford gas?
With that in mind, I enjoy seeing foreign touring cars, trucks with lift kits and American muscle cars. I love all sorts of vehicles and I enjoy car shows.
Maybe someday I will own a truck. I better buy one while I can still carry furniture around.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
