What do EOS-users drive?

Lounge EndeavourOS pub
81

I’m more frugal than I am cool.

I bought my current car in 1998, and it continues to serve me well. In its prime, my car looked like this (not my own photo):


My car has performed without any expensive mechanical problem for 250,000 km (150,000 miles). The current problems are merely cosmetic, so I hope to drive the car for a while longer.

Here’s an explanation of my car’s cosmetic problems (and a photo to tease my story):


I live in a rural area, in the mountains. A year ago, just before the pandemic, at nighttime, my car struck a bear. (I should say that I, rather than my car, struck a bear, as I had some agency in the encounter, having been the driver.) I was driving at the legal speed limit. It was dark. Suddenly I saw ahead the reflection in my headlights of the eyes of an animal. The animal was black, so I saw only its eyes, not its body. I swerved into the opposing lane, but the corner of my car struck the animal.

In retrospect, I realize that I had struck a black bear.

Arriving home, still in shock, I wondered whether I might have killed the bear. (I would have been forever devastated if I had killed a sentient animal.) In retrospect, I considered that the bear was motionless, and bears do not ordinarily sleep on the roadway. More likely, this bear had been killed already by another vehicle. The road I was traveling when I struck the bear is trafficked by large trucks that would not have been able to maneuver as quickly as I did out of the path of an errant bear. The bear had almost certainly been killed already, before I struck it, by one of those trucks.

So my car suffered some damage. Every time I use my car, I recall that accident. I approach the driver’s door from an angle that avoids seeing the damage. When I catch a glimpse of the damage, I relive that horrible experience.

My car is fully insured, but given my car’s age, the deductible I would have to pay for the repair is more than the value of the car. So my perfectly serviceable car has a blemish that I dare not look at, and which is too expensive to repair.

This car continues to serve me well as my primary means of transportation. In a rural area that provides no public transportation, my car works perfectly well. Its imperfections are cosmetic, but they are also psychological.

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82

That really doesn’t seem like something to brag about :rofl:

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83

If it was something like a Citroen, sure! not so much for honda :sweat_smile:

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84

It’s incredible how it still works after striking a black bear! I had a mate hit a deer in a Nissan from around the same era. I’m sure his car sorta just bursted into a cloud of rust on impact! Honda surely makes fantastic cars, and awesome that you’ve kept yours for it’s entire life :smile:

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85

It depends on your fitness level and the terrain, climbing up a hill or mountain is really tough but going down or on level roads, you easily outrace a racing bike or even scooter.

They are officially called a velomobile.

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86

I would want the orange one (for visibility on the road) with the tear drop window that’s on the blue one.

Is a side car available for my wife to ride in? :confounded:

Pudge

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87

She will need her own… just don’t tell her it’s because of her weight! :duck:

Actually, given you are living in mountains, she will need to come get you with a crane equipped pickup to get you back up the hills! :grin:

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88

I don’t think I have ever seen anything like that on the roads here. How common are they where you are?

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89

My van:
OubaasMelkos

No entirely as lame as he looks. :wink:

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90

In the Netherlands :sunglasses: ?

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91

Yep, they do. Our next could’ve been one, too, but unfortunately they are littlle bit to expensive compared to our, ahem…, Hyundai i30.

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92

I hope that’s an I30N ?

:duck:

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93

Hmmmm no… :sloth:

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94

Hey I have heard that Denmark has hills too.

:wink:

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95

I wouldn’t recommend it, especially not in the area you’re living :sweat_smile:

You got me :rofl: But I have been to Germany, Belgium, France and Switzerland with it.

Even though most of the velomobile manufacturers are Dutch companies, they aren’t common over here as well. I think the hefty price also plays a part (Between 5000 and 10.000 EURO new) I got rid of a car years ago, living in The Netherlands owning a car means a lot of costs like tax, mandatory insurance, mandatory yearly check-ups, living in a city also means a parking permit and parking costs where ever you go and of course fuel.
I’m blessed living in a country with great public transport for further distances or I rent a car if I really need one.
I simply made a calculation and in my case, I’m better off riding a velomobile, no taxes, no fuel, no mandatory insurance and low-cost maintenance. (most of it I can do myself, btw) I’m sitting comfortable, shielded from the weather and I don’t have to go to the gym :grinning:

But this is the ideal situation for me, I understand that it isn’t for everyone.

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96

I don’t imagine it is optimal in the snow and ice either - if nothing else, no heater! (let alone the heated seat and steering)

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97

If I go to work by bike there a two, rather small, climbs. I call them Mont Venteux and Alpe d’Huez :mountain_biking_man: . One day I was overtaken by such a velomobile. It was really fast, so I asked myself is there only muscle or is there an “E” component involved?

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98

You get heated by your own body heat from the exercise. A slippery road is a different issue, but cars have that issue too.

Yes, there is, my current one (the black one) has E-assist, I use (well used) it a lot when I go to meetings or clients. There is a 25 km p/h (EU regulation) limit on it (it switches off automatically when you go over that speed) but when you reach that speed, you easily can reach between 35 to 45 km p/h. My highest speed is 75 km p/h but that was a proper workout.

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99

Perhaps - but less so when equipped with symmetrical all-wheel drive, and good snow tires :grin: I’d hate to try to clear the ice/snow off the windows too, without applied heat…

btw - I would guess you don't often see -25C there? (let alone a cold snap)
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100

Dutch winters aren’t like the Canadian or Scandinavian ones, but my favourite Youtuber rides one in Finland: ( you don’t have to watch the whole video)

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