What time did you wake up today?

[Mark]

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to adding a car insurance bill every month but there's a lot more good that outweighs the bad for me right now.

Still wish I lived in a real city with actual public transportation. Or better yet, a walkable city.

Well, if it’s anything like Maryland, your insurance shouldn’t be *too* hateful despite being a new driver because of your age. It’ll drop significantly after you get over your provisional period if your state has one regardless. I was paying about $140 a month for two vehicles, one that still had a lien and another that was paid off. That came down from $636/mo for ONE vehicle with a lien back in 2004. However, being a new driver in a rural area compared to in a major city will save you quite a bit… rates are significantly higher in cities, which is why I had to pay so much as a new driver... Male. 18. City. “Sports” car. That’s a recipe for disaster.

 

[Kat]

Well, if it’s anything like Maryland, your insurance shouldn’t be *too* hateful despite being a new driver because of your age. It’ll drop significantly after you get over your provisional period if your state has one regardless. I was paying about $140 a month for two vehicles, one that still had a lien and another that was paid off. That came down from $636/mo for ONE vehicle with a lien back in 2004. However, being a new driver in a rural area compared to in a major city will save you quite a bit… rates are significantly higher in cities, which is why I had to pay so much as a new driver... Male. 18. City. “Sports” car. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Hmm does insurance for women shoot up around "mid life crisis" age if they have a sports car like it does for men? I hope not, I like my $50 a month insurance for my sports car.

where i am living there are three stages

1. written test
2. technical course test (driving around a course doing various manoeuvres, not on the road)
3. road test

so i'll hopefully pass the road test two weeks today

Oh, interesting. That makes a lot of sense actually, better than trapping people administering tests in the road in cars with people who possibly have no idea how to drive.

I woke up at 8 today, which isn't bad, except I was up until 2 watching the meteor shower. So sleepy. At least I got a decent nap in yesterday.

 

[Mark]

Hmm does insurance for women shoot up around "mid life crisis" age if they have a sports car like it does for men? I hope not, I like my $50 a month insurance for my sports car.

From what I remember from my female friends back then, they were averaging paying between half or as high as 2/3 of what I was paying as their monthly rate. Insurance is extremely discriminatory. Where women generally receive lower rates for comparable coverage, they’re more likely to be dropped than men for certain claims. Obviously, they’re careful not to fall into discriminatory practice lawsuits, but the premiums speak for themselves.

Similar goes for auto loans… women are more likely to get approved with the same credit rating as a man, but women are more likely to get hit with a higher interest rate despite men defaulting on those loans at a comparable or higher rate in most settings. They’ll throw ANY male with a license in a vehicle with the hopes that his dumbass thinks “vroom” instead of “I hope I don’t default”, whereas they’ll target women with fucked up interest rates hoping they’re too naive to realize they’re getting fucked over.

It’s all one big prejudicial joke that ends up fucking us as the consumer at one end of the deal or another, they’re gonna get us one way or another… whether it’s with the actual car note or the insurance.

 

[Kat]

Similar goes for auto loans… women are more likely to get approved with the same credit rating as a man, but women are more likely to get hit with a higher interest rate despite men defaulting on those loans at a comparable or higher rate in most settings.

Can confirm, the one time I bought a car through a dealership and financed it, the interest rate was abysmal even though my credit was excellent. And I bought it anyway because vroom vroom.

 

[Friel]

From what I remember from my female friends back then, they were averaging paying between half or as high as 2/3 of what I was paying as their monthly rate. Insurance is extremely discriminatory. Where women generally receive lower rates for comparable coverage, they’re more likely to be dropped than men for certain claims. Obviously, they’re careful not to fall into discriminatory practice lawsuits, but the premiums speak for themselves.

Similar goes for auto loans… women are more likely to get approved with the same credit rating as a man, but women are more likely to get hit with a higher interest rate despite men defaulting on those loans at a comparable or higher rate in most settings. They’ll throw ANY male with a license in a vehicle with the hopes that his dumbass thinks “vroom” instead of “I hope I don’t default”, whereas they’ll target women with fucked up interest rates hoping they’re too naive to realize they’re getting fucked over.

It’s all one big prejudicial joke that ends up fucking us as the consumer at one end of the deal or another, they’re gonna get us one way or another… whether it’s with the actual car note or the insurance.

In the UK/Ireland they made it illegal to discriminate between male and females when it comes to insurance pricing. So males were always priced higher, but instead of bringing males down to females level, they just bumped females up to male pricing. It worked out better for the insurance companies.

 

[Mark]

In the UK/Ireland they made it illegal to discriminate between male and females when it comes to insurance pricing. So males were always priced higher, but instead of bringing males down to females level, they just bumped females up to male pricing. It worked out better for the insurance companies.

I’m sure that the same would happen here, if they allowed it. As of now, it’s much easier for them to just rationalize it with statistics and risk assessments.

 

[Boots]

6:45-7am. Hate it.

 

[Mark]

6:45-7am. Hate it.

That’s a weird one… lotta people already awake and on the move, yet still kinda quiet on the roads.

 

[Op19]

I woke up around 530pm but I work overnights so I always wake up late in the day and stay up all night. Im at work right now actually.

 

[Mark]

I woke up around 530pm but I work overnights so I always wake up late in the day and stay up all night. Im at work right now actually.

Easily the most peaceful shift. Perfect traffic conditions.

 

[Boots]

7:22

Some truck honked loudly. Asshole.

I didn't get out of bed until 8:59 though.

 

[Nae'blis]

Got up at 6:30-ish for work

 

[Squall_Lionheart]

ok, had to wake up early and i passed the little technical car test i had to do. i hope to update in a couple weeks that i'm fully licensed

ok i gone done did passed my test. now, i just need to buy a car

 

[Kat]

ok i gone done did passed my test. now, i just need to buy a car

Congrats!! Any thoughts on what kind of car you're going to get?

 

[Squall_Lionheart]

Congrats!! Any thoughts on what kind of car you're going to get?

nah. my wife insists on getting an SUV. she's never driven much before either. we also live in a big city so, uhh..i'm not sure why she wants that. it will be a nightmare parking and generally driving down backstreets

tldr i'm not going to win. i will get whatever car my wife wants to get

 

[Boots]

8:30. It's Saturday and I only went to sleep at like 3:20. Friend is in town we got plans.

 

[Kat]

nah. my wife insists on getting an SUV. she's never driven much before either. we also live in a big city so, uhh..i'm not sure why she wants that. it will be a nightmare parking and generally driving down backstreets

tldr i'm not going to win. i will get whatever car my wife wants to get

My condolences, I can't imagine trying to drive an SUV around a city. If she wants it for the cargo space, maybe try to talk her into a hatchback instead? They can hold a lot but are still small enough to be easy to drive. A lot of people like SUVs for the aesthetic though, so you might be stuck with it.

 

[Lunar Kreskents]

nah. my wife insists on getting an SUV. she's never driven much before either. we also live in a big city so, uhh..i'm not sure why she wants that. it will be a nightmare parking and generally driving down backstreets

Maybe rent an SUV for a day so she can experience the difficulty first?

 

[Mark]

nah. my wife insists on getting an SUV. she's never driven much before either. we also live in a big city so, uhh..i'm not sure why she wants that. it will be a nightmare parking and generally driving down backstreets

tldr i'm not going to win. i will get whatever car my wife wants to get

Yeah, you better spend more for the folding mirrors, parking assist, rear cameras, etc. Big city + big truck + no large vehicle experience = uh oh.

My condolences, I can't imagine trying to drive an SUV around a city. If she wants it for the cargo space, maybe try to talk her into a hatchback instead? They can hold a lot but are still small enough to be easy to drive. A lot of people like SUVs for the aesthetic though, so you might be stuck with it.

It’s not for the inexperienced. At all. I’ve had to drive the largest non-commercial passenger vehicles on the market in the largest east coast cities, and none of them are designed to accommodate anything beyond a mid-size SUV (Explorer, Tahoe, Durango, Grand Cherokee, Passport, Highlander, etc.). Even those aren’t exactly “adequate” considering in places like NYC, DC, and Baltimore… even they straddle the lane markers with much less space than others, and the average city parking garage space or parallel parking space doesn’t comfortably fit a full-sized SUV without leaving your nose or ass exposed in a pull-in spot or minimal clearance for a parallel spot for the car at the rear or front of you.

Maybe rent an SUV for a day so she can experience the difficulty first?

I’d go for a weekend… preferably one with bad weather. The thing about people that are used to driving small RWD or FWD vehicles is that they don’t take into consideration the weight difference and body roll of a larger vehicle, and both play a major role in performance during bad weather conditions.

 

[Squall_Lionheart]

My condolences, I can't imagine trying to drive an SUV around a city. If she wants it for the cargo space, maybe try to talk her into a hatchback instead? They can hold a lot but are still small enough to be easy to drive. A lot of people like SUVs for the aesthetic though, so you might be stuck with it.

her theory is that it is "safer" than a "small" car

 

[Mark]

her theory is that it is "safer" than a "small" car

That is totally dependent on the climate, terrain, and other vehicles on the road. People that are buying vehicles based on this criteria should always go over crash test footage to get an idea how each type of vehicle responds to collisions.

 

[Kat]

her theory is that it is "safer" than a "small" car

I personally feel safer in a smaller car because it's more maneuverable, so it's easier to avoid being involved in a wreck. I've also noticed people are more considerate when I'm driving a small car. People are waaay more aggressive if you're in an SUV.

I like the idea of renting both for a weekend and comparing the experiences. And yeah, look at the actual crash data; I had a friend who got into a fender bender and it rolled his SUV. It's much better if your vehicle will stay right side up!

 

[Mark]

I personally feel safer in a smaller car because it's more maneuverable, so it's easier to avoid being involved in a wreck. I've also noticed people are more considerate when I'm driving a small car. People are waaay more aggressive if you're in an SUV.

This is a very valid point, because in certain emergent situations… having a smaller profile has a very big advantage. One specific example is a common one, and one I experienced several times. You’re driving in the center lane on the interstate… a car in the passing lane goes to shift into the center lane ahead of you, but not enough to clear your front bumper… a vehicle in the right lane, not paying attention to the passing lane ahead of you, because it has an opening at your rear is shifting into the center lane behind you, but not enough to clear your front bumper. You find yourself in a position where your only option is a hard brake, potentially causing the car at your rear to collide with you, or to accelerate and surf the center and right lanes in the brief opening ahead of you and diagonally shift into the right lane. You simply do not have the margin of error or responsiveness in a larger vehicle that you do in a smaller one.

I like the idea of renting both for a weekend and comparing the experiences. And yeah, look at the actual crash data; I had a friend who got into a fender bender and it rolled his SUV. It's much better if your vehicle will stay right side up!

SUV’s are INCREDIBLY easy to roll. Admittedly, I used to put repos destined through auctions through their paces. That’s one of the advantages of that job… you get to test drive a lot of vehicles, and being out in the middle of the night, you have the space to do it without endangering others. I used to be an adrenaline junkie when it comes to driving fast, I LOVED the evasive and defensive driving courses I had to take where I had to recover from a PIT maneuver or regain control of a vehicle in another type of way. SUV’s and trucks are not for inexperienced drivers, or insecure drivers. You have to practice with them and be confident in your ability to operate one while maintaining awareness of its strengths and weaknesses, as with any vehicle, but with a much smaller margin for error.

 

[Nebulous]

5am! Such an ungodly hour