YOU ARE NOT WHAT CAR YOU DRIVE.

I’ve always been obsessed with cars from a young age. To me, I saw the car as a symbol of freedom, masculinity, and happiness.

I was driving from the gym the other day, borrowing Cindy’s family’s White Prius, and I realized: this is probably the best car for most people.

Let me explain my thoughts.

First of all, a brand new Prius is pretty affordable, at around $21,000. Or you can always buy a used Prius on Craigslist. Cindy’s family’s white Prius is from 2010, but still runs like a champ.

Secondly, owning a Prius saves you time. Because the mpg is higher, you just waste less time having to refuel. And I think the benefit of having a hybrid car is that you had more freedom. You don’t need to be a slave to electrical charging stations like if you owned a Tessa or fully electric car.

Thirdly, why white? It shows dirt less than black or dark cars, and also living in California, white cars are cooler in the blistering Los Angeles sun.

Fourth, I actually think they look pretty good. The design is quite good, modern, and aggressive.

Fifth, it actually drives quite well. When you turn the car, it is sharp and precise. The ride is comfortable. Because it is automatic, you’re not going to have your left leg cramping up from driving a manual car.

Sixth, the resale value is incredible. If you ever want to ditch the Prius, and buy a Lamborghini, you can get a high resale value. And white cars have a generally higher resale value.

Seventh, because the Prius is slow, you are less likely to die in a car accident from racing. I know if I owned a Porsche, I would want to speed and race it, and I might drive off a cliff in Mulholland Drive in LA. Also, cops are less likely to pull you over and give you speeding tickets, because you’re a harmless Prius.

Conclusion

Lamborghini-Veneno-front-end

I don’t own a car. To be frank, I hate driving. I hate being stuck in traffic. I’d rather take Uber everywhere, and take naps. Or have a nice chat with the driver, and also give them money to help support them. I think riding Uber or Lyft is good for the economy, for individual drivers (because a lot of your money is going directly to the driver).

Also I’ve realized, maintaining a car is a pain in the ass. Cindy’s family’s Prius has four bald tires, you gotta waste half a day just getting the tires changed. And the oil changes, and general maintenance. All wasted time, which can be better used to create art.

I’ll probably get a car in the future, but for now I am enjoying life without a car. Less baggage and stress. When Cindy and I lived a year in Berkeley without a car, it was great. We took BART, and the bus. We read on public transport. We talked. We felt more connected with strangers in society, rather than being stuck in a little car bubble.

STREET CLUB

I also don’t like the idea of creating my self worth through what car you drive. If you live in LA, it isn’t uncommon for someone to ask you:

What car do you drive?

In LA, we value so much of our self esteem and image through the car we drive, because we’re always driving and stuck in traffic.

But shouldn’t we have our friends, family, and society to admire us for our creativity, our art, and our soul– not the tin can we drive with four wheels?

It also made me realize: a lot of us are slaves to our shitty jobs, because we hope to one day save up enough money and buy a BMW or something. At least I did.

What if we lived a life where we didn’t give a fuck about what car we drove? Or we didn’t care what clothes we wore? Or what smartphone we used? Wouldn’t we be liberated from all this materialistic capitalist bullshit?

I’m not telling you to sell your car, or buy a Prius. I’m just saying, don’t identify your self-worth with your car.

Be strong,
Eric