I've been to Dallas as well as many other big cities. Somehow Dallas stands out as having very aggresive drivers. The last time I spent much time there was well before my current hybrid mindset. I was driving a turbo sports car and would have been considered a very agressive driver where I lived at the time. I got blown off the road like I was standing still. I had to speed up to merge right in order to exit. Driving in the metroplex is a nightmare. I'd rather have a sharp stick in the eye as drive there.

Learning from past posts are we?

I don't expect you completely agree with me. What a boring world that would be. I simply challenging your stereotypes of excess vs need and tying them directly to a person ego. This is not about truck drivers. That was simple the starting point of this conversation. I will be the first to admit that our responses to one another may have offended some people. I personally have not been offended. I have simple seen this as a strong difference of opinions.

Every board I have ever been to all new members are treated suspiciously. Trust me I am not here simple to make your life hell. I am here to because I find there is a lot of good information and I want to keep up to speed on other persons experiences with the Hybrid technology. By keeping myself informed and I will be a better position to keep my purchase properly for a long time.

And I share many of those same concerns.


Personally I have found Dallas to be a wonderful place to live. Far from the rude picture you paint. From my own experience I found Denver and Boise to be far more rude and pushy. Not just on the road, but even just how people conducted themselves in the grocery stores.





I am also not a terrorist or a "prisoner of war", but I feel the what is happening at Quantonimo Bay is an abuse of justice, and have had several debates with persons regarding this issue as well.




I never felt you were targeting me. I am simply trying to get you to realize that it is very easy to sit in judgement of someone when you know nothing about them.



It is one this to say,

"I have this friend Joe who is so full of himself. He continually brags about all his purchases, and acts like a total donkey. He thinks he is Joe King of the Hill when he get's in his truck and pulls away from his 8,00 square foot home. What an egomaniac"


It is another to drive by a neighborhood, or see a person on the road and then make some generalistic comment regarding what you may think you know about them. When you make statements such as "I'm simply not into getting things way bigger than my needs to impress others or stroke my ego" The implication is that if someone buys a home larger than what they need it is because of some ego trip. Where are we to draw this line? What is to much or to big.


Here is a good example. The HiHy and Lexus R400h are near identical except for certain ammenities. Is the person who buys the Lexus instead of HiHy doing it because they are on an ego trip. Clearly the HiHy would have fit the same need.

I am simply trying to impress upon you that I feel you are to quick to characterize someone based on a few stereotypes you have formed. The issue with me is that the statments I have read a broad generalizations. Y Yes you have quantified that you aren't against those who own it for need only those who own if for unacceptable reasons? Explain to me though how you determine what is an acceptable or unacceptable reason. For instance my Grandfather was from a small southern town. He worked hard for what he had. Yet he owned a truck for no other reason than he liked driving trucks. He took a lot of pride in his truck. He even would show it off to his other friends. Yet this man man was one of the most generous persons I have ever met. He had no ego that I am aware of, but he also drove like fool. He was oblivious to that fact. He could just as easily fhave made it into your picture portolio as the person you posted a picture of. What differentiates him from the person's picture you posted?






I believe you are making my arguement for me.




No one lives in a bubble. And everyone is impacted by those around them. I agree 100%. I do however, think we as a society have become obsessed with what others do around us. It seems like a majority of the conversations I hear anymore are about how so is so is infringing on my rights or xyz is offensive. If people would spend as much time working on themselves and less time worrying about what Joe Schom does or doesn't do I think there might just be a lot less aggrevation in the world. I am sure the bone head who cut me off today in his Mustang thought I was driving just as poorly as I thought he was. Ever notice it is always the other person who was rude?

And just so you guys know. I expect you disagreement. That's what makes the world go round. I also don't see what wrong with calling each other out over those differences. Offending me is not something that happens easily. I can only think of one time I have ever been offended on the Internet and it went was far above and beyond some comment regardging me being a troll or potshot artist. Don't confuse my emotion and hard core stances with being offended.

Hondasucks/Getshocked,

We had a truce - sorry you decided to add fuel to a fire unrelated to you - tacky.

I would not be salivating at the fact I just had my IMA battery pack replaced at 94,000 miles on a 2000 Insight - a first year car that has had it's battery and related software reworked. Yes, we have both experienced IMA failure. I also had a minor O2 Sensor problem at 30,000 miles - no other problems up to 94,000 miles in my car. The difference between my 2000 Insight and your 2001 Insight:

• Three catalytic converter replacements within 96,000 miles
• Carpet rot and rust damage on a car with an aluminum body and chassis. I'll consider your snow conditions some....I'll even figure your fuel economy takes a 10-15% hit in the snowbelt.
• Transmission failure
• Mentioned at your website going 80-85mph in the mountains while in Tennessee.
• ABS brake failure
• Air Conditioning failure
• EGR valve
• Rear bearing problems
• Front Stabilizer bar bushings & links (I find this problem very interesting....)
• Other repairs listed at your website.
• Stating your Insight has a lifetime milage of 42.3mpg - very low for this car. I went from 48 to 57.5mpg over 94,000 miles. It would be 65 to 70 if my driving habits today were applied from the start. I seldom hear of Insight drivers on the net getting less than 50mpg (EPA is 66 for 2006) and almost never under 45mpg. I'll let the readers decide if your Insight simply fell apart resulting in poor fuel economy or the other way around.

Someone might see two identical twins in their 40's. One is toned, height/weight proportional - the other appears at least ten years older, chain smokes, frequents fast food places, has beer cans around his place. Am I being observant or judgemental on this second guy? Go ahead and paint me as Saturday Night Live's Church Lady for just noticing how one guy respects his health while the other abuses it.

I'm sorry you choose to reopen this can of worms. GreenHybrid gets more activity than http://www.hondasucks.ca. Also, this thread has already been Googled for posterity. I'm at a loss to understand how you think our respective Insights remotely share a similar repair history, nor understand your provocation to present the facts is helping your case that you drive a lemon. It's for others to decide, but I tend to make xcel's observations about your car treatment - sorry you elected to bring this back up.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Insight snowplow? I knew there was more to his complaining than meets the eye.

He's now posting at http://www.thecarlounge.net to get hits for his eBay Motors auction (yes, he's selling the car).

Chilly,

If there is anything redeeming about that little tangent from Mr. Hondasucks (would prefer using a more pleasant name), Insight drivers are not necessariiy model drivers.

Others here and where I live have made the same remarks about the Dallas area - if you had a good experience, that's good, but it does not mean those other accounts "never happened" or came from people that can't adjust....

I find myself in agreement with ender21's post and possibly see denial.

I find myself making a judgement everytime I spend, vote, or the activities I choose - that is not necessarily a perjoritive word. Some hear feel like the energy/environment situation is akin to the Titanic head-on towards an iceberg - the people advising a course correction were judgemental.

While I don't willfully invite disputes, it's not realistic to expect me to go into a "hear no evil, say no evil, do no evil" mode. This week hints that you are going to have serious issues with what myself and others say in the future. Believe it or not, I'm not trying to pick fights - and I really need to do other stuff....

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Thank you, I intended that my post to be informative, without attacking anybody or anyone's particular beliefs. The best way is to accept one's guilt in a humorous way...I'm glad that you got it.

Things did get awfully serious here. I appreciate your efforts just the same fernando_g...

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Whoa - there must be a missing post or two. On the topic of trucks...

I've borrowed a friends F350 (full cab) on occasion to haul material. Now, normally I try to be a very courteous driver. I'm very cautious in the truck (because it's not mine for starters ) but also a vehicle that size comes with two disadvangates: You can't see very well around it (lots of blind spots), and you can't maneuver it very well. Because of these two things, I find myself doing a lot more of, "I need to change lanes / pull out into traffic, and since I can't see all that well folks better see me - I'm in the larger vehicle you know. They better realize I can't see them all that well and react to me." I find it interesting, upon reflection, that even a normally courteous driver like myself still gets that kind of attitude just because I'm sitting in a large vehicle. I feel somehow 'entitled' - not because of my ego or some kind of power trip, but it has something to do with the size and lack of maneuverability. However a vehicle like that, combined with an ego, could certainly produce the kind of folks Delta sees a lot.

On the tangent topics: I've said before, and will maintain, we are a nation defined by excess. That's a very broad brush, but it has to come with the disclaimer that clearly not all folks fall into that category. I have friends that live in 6000 sq ft homes and drive Suburbans. They are also very generous with their time, money, and posessions. They have much, but they also give much. However, you'd never know that just standing on the curb looking at the house.

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

Don't know if this is helpful, but I don't just look at someone and make a judgement. It's seeing someone with an attitude, etc....

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated