beepsandboops posted:

I've weirdly started running into the opposite problem regularly: drivers stop their cars too far back so the intersection doesn't detect them and the signal doesn't change.

Which normally would be funny, but if I'm biking on the same street and the intersection is only designed to detect the presence of cars.......frustrating!

Why do drivers stop their cars more than a car's length away from the intersection??

Why do drivers??

Jokerpilled Drudge posted:

It's amazing how many movies and tv shows fail the bikdel test:

Has to have at least one bicycle
and it needs to be ridden by a named character

quote:

MARK WAHLBERG: Do you drive a car?
OTHER GUY: A bike. Sometimes I take the bus.
MARK WAHLBERG: Good. That's good. I like that. I can see why they put us together.

Jokerpilled Drudge posted:

It's amazing how many movies and tv shows fail the bikdel test:

Has to have at least one bicycle
and it needs to be ridden by a named character

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

Yo this is the anti-car thread, not the pro-bike thread. Stop talking your bike nonsense. Pedestrians must and should be prioritized over any one else

500excf type r posted:

Because they're on their phones

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

Yo this is the anti-car thread, not the pro-bike thread. Stop talking your bike nonsense. Pedestrians must and should be prioritized over any one else

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

Yo this is the anti-car thread, not the pro-bike thread. Stop talking your bike nonsense. Pedestrians must and should be prioritized over any one else

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

Bikers can be just as lovely as drivers but luckily they drive a slightly lighter conveyance

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

The human body isn't designed for running, cycling, or sitting in traffic. The human body is a perfectly tuned long distance destroying walking machine

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

The human body isn't designed for running, cycling, or sitting in traffic. The human body is a perfectly tuned long distance destroying walking machine

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

The human body isn't designed for running, cycling, or sitting in traffic. The human body is a perfectly tuned long distance destroying walking machine

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

The human body isn't designed for running, cycling, or sitting in traffic. The human body is a perfectly tuned long distance destroying walking machine

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

The human body isn't designed for running, cycling, or sitting in traffic. The human body is a perfectly tuned long distance destroying walking machine

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

My body was designed to fart and drink beer

ekuNNN posted:

Clark Nova posted:

I'm sure the dementia patient will relent and turn in their keys after they flunk the javascript driving video game

ekuNNN posted:

lobster shirt posted:

getting insanely pissed off just thinking about cars

El Pollo Blanco posted:

This happened in a 50kmh zone at 10am lmao

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/482001/ute-smashes-into-new-world-in-central-wellington

Ardennes posted:

It is really the US where it is really the issue where no one walks, the food is pretty garbage, and for some reason people are depressed/angry all the time.

quote:

Record numbers of car buyers now pay $1,000 monthly, but should they?
Negative equity in depreciating vehicles is a growing risk as buyers make payments over six to 10 years. 
By Gita Sitaramiah Star Tribune
January 6, 2023 — 4:07pm

As drivers increasingly opt for brand-new, tricked-out versions of vehicles, a record number are paying $1,000 or more in monthly payments.

Car shopping guide Edmunds reported this week more than 15% of consumers who financed a new vehicle at the end of last year committed to a monthly payment of $1,000 or more — potentially straining household budgets for the sake of bigger and better.

Alarmed by the trend of higher payments and loan terms that can stretch out to 10 years, financial experts blame social media posts showing off lavish splurges and a YOLO (you only live once) mentality.

"It used to be about keeping up with your neighbors, and now it's trying to keep up with everyone that's out there on social media," said Nicole Middendorf, an advisor at Prosperwell Financial in Minnetonka.

Edmunds reports that the higher payment trend is fueled by rising interest rates and buyers with an appetite for newer and bigger vehicles with all the modern upgrades. That can quickly push up prices for a Chevrolet Silverado — the most popular vehicle sold in Minnesota last year — from around $40,000 to more than $60,000.

"The $1,000 payments aren't people buying used Toyota Corollas," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com.

The trend toward higher monthly payments has been building for years. In the fourth quarter of 2020, just 6.7% of buyers had more than $1,000 in monthly payments. That rose to 10.5% of consumers in the last quarter of 2021 and 15.7% in 2022.

Buyers are passing up base models and opting for upgrades, such as advanced driving and connectivity features.

"There's so much that consumers can be addicted to if they have it in their house and they want it in their cars," said Ivan Drury, Edmunds' director of insights.

Other contributors to higher monthly payments include demand outpacing supply because of production lags and a decline in vehicle leasing with fewer incentives offered.

Tom Leonard, co-owner and president of Fury Motors, sees buyers facing less availability of the $30,000 to $45,000 options they may have leased a few years ago — and they're not interested in small cars.

"The popular vehicles, the four-wheel drives, the hybrids and crossovers — those are more expensive," he said.

At the end of last year, the average monthly payment for a new car purchase was $717 over nearly six years, with a $6,780 down payment and an average interest rate of 6.5% for a total of $40,833, according to Edmunds.

Even as gas prices drop, Edmunds reports that electric vehicles are going for top dollar. For example, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, at $57,988 on average, is higher than the brand's overall average.

Even the used vehicle market is experiencing an uptick in consumers committing to a $1,000-plus monthly payment. A record 5.4% of consumers in the fourth quarter opted for such high payments compared to 3.9% a year earlier and and 1.5% at the end of 2020.

Consumers are putting more money down on their purchases to offset rising costs, Edmunds reported. The average down payment for new and used vehicles hit record highs in the fourth quarter, climbing to $6,780 and $3,921, respectively.

Buying high, selling low?

Analysts caution that the combination of costlier vehicle financing and declining used car values could spell trouble for some consumers down the road.

About 17% of new vehicle sales with a trade-in had negative equity in the fourth quarter, according to Edmunds. The average amount owed on those upside-down loans was about $5,300, which was then rolled into the new vehicle loan amount.

The situation may be more moderated in Minnesota.

At Walser Automotive's 17 locations, Senior Director of Finance Jennifer Parsons isn't seeing a noticeable jump in loan payments, which average around $500, even for big vehicles.

"Sometimes, the national market conditions don't have the same impact here because of the high credit scores of many consumers here," Parsons said. "Minnesota has always been insulated from this because of how Minnesotans treat their money."

Financial experts advise buying with cash — or paying off a three- to five-year loan, then driving the car for several more years.

"The thing about the car payments is they're absolute budget busters. For households living paycheck to paycheck, oftentimes the culprit is sitting in the garage," McBride said. "Even higher-income households are buying higher-priced vehicles and may be in the same situation if they're financing it."

Besides paying for a depreciating asset, Middendorf of Prosperwell Financial cautions there are other risks in taking on a high vehicle payment: Turning to credit cards to pay everyday bills, not being able to save for a home down payment or to retire or, worse, feeling emboldened to take on even more debt for family trips to Disney World.

She sees her affluent clients mostly avoiding auto loans.

"Now, having said that, there were years we had 0% financing and wealthier individuals took advantage of that," Middendorf said. "Right now, you're not going to get 0% financing, so wealthier people are paying for them in cash."

sat on my keys! posted:

https://twitter.com/Naparstek/status/1611197702318206976

Fitzy Fitz posted:

Pedestrians are just people, and people have been lovely to me plenty of times

silicone thrills posted:

gently caress cars.

eXXon posted: