I'm A Car Enthusiast That is Starting to Hate Cars. Here's Why.

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It’s true. I’m a lifelong car enthusiast. I’ve owned 50 cars, I’ve restored cars, I’ve ruined cars, I’ve raced cars, I’ve done fun things in cars, I’ve done dumb things in cars. It’s why I started this channel! But I have something to admit-I’m starting to hate cars.
Today let’s talk about how owning multiple vehicles is an insanely bad idea. Let’s talk about trying to make car videos on KZbin that don’t suck. Let’s talk about why car dependency is terrible and why car enthusiasts should care about reducing traffic fatalities. Let’s talk about whether or not I should just give up and quit KZbin. You know, lots of fun lighthearted stuff. Come join me!
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Table of Contents:
0:00 Why I Loved Cars.
2:20 Owning Multiple Cars is Awful!
5:04 I Kinda Lost The Plot.
6:45 Cars Are Actually Terrible!
9:40 Real Costs of Car Ownership.
12:31 The Automaker Problem.
15:49 What Should We Do?
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Music used in this episode:
- Selected tracks by Kia Orion ( • Video )
- Selected tracks from the KZbin music library
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Clips used in this episode:
- Las Vegas stock footage provided by AndreConrad, from Pond5
- Rush hour stock footage provided by WeatherNews, from Pond5
- Brooklyn stock footage provided by slicedbread, from Pond5
- Hollywood Freeway 1, Oxford/Bristol England stock footage from Videvo
- Bike lane footage from California Dept of Consumer Affairs

[@13ccasto]

The framing of not hating cars but hating car dependency is spot on

[@pascalbruyere7108]

I actually love cars I understand and can fix. I hate those I can’t (‘hate’ might be too much). New cars are out of reach, it’s overwhelming and anxiety inducing. Unfortunately those I understand are old and pretty terrible, unsafe etc…

[@bzdirt]

@@pascalbruyere7108 that's the thing I find attractive about bikes. It looks like the tech hasn't changed much since the 50s (note the "looks like", especially compared to some cars with complex electronics and safety features)

[@castortoutnu]

​@@bzdirtand we start to have automatic electronic shifting, ABS, etc... These features are still out of reach for most people but for how much longer?

[@Strideo1]

I live in a town within easy walking distance of a train station, two grocery stores, a pharmacy, and lots of shops and restaurants. Not having to use a car if I don't want to is great and oftentimes the car just stays parked unless I'm going out of town. I wish there were more towns built like this all across America so more people could easily choose to be less dependant on cars if they wished.

[@carlgrimeseyepatch27]

Exactly my dad is a car guy so I’ve grown to love them as well but i don’t like that we are all expected to have a car when the majority of people don’t care about cars or maintenance which is really important 😂

[@Brononomous]

Finding other car guys that understand the problems of car centric infrastructure is the best

[@user-xg8yy7yl1d]

Well actually knowing how to drive its clear that there needs to be alternatives for everyone who can barely drive. Maybe after that we can have no speed limits on open highway and stuff like that. I don't want to be on the road with someone who doesn't want to be there or really have the skills to be there.

[@ambiarock590]

I've always been a car guy, and I really hate car dependency. Having numerous viable options on how you wanna get around is important and we don't have that in the US.

[@milantoth6246]

I thought I was the only one. Im so happy.

[@Littleweenaman]

yea there is a lot fo nuance in people I think its a great conversation to have

[@SubvertTheState]

I love all modes of transport. Planes, trains, automobiles, bicycles, motorcycles... I used to clock 1,000 miles a year commuting on my road bicycle and I loved it, I was in shape and it felt great. I'm a bit older now, 34, and a bit farther from where I work. So I got a Kawasaki Z125 motorcycle. I absolutely love commuting on it, and it gets 85 miles per gallon. Cycling for 15 years and starting to ride a motorcycle I can tell you, there are people who should not be behind the wheel. I've had cars pass me on the left and make a right turn right into me, and seeing a car roll forward at a stop sign as I'm cruising down the road...makes me shudder and very nervous. I honestly only drive and have a car because it's necessary for a lot of things. I wish public transit wasn't bought up and dismantled by the auto industry in the 1950s.

[@kevinproefrock4857]

Car guy here. I have found myself thinking these same things. I’m honestly tired of owning them and wish I could do simple things like go to the store or go for coffee without needing to walk on the shoulder of a freeway essentially.

[@durece100]

How about electric scooters?

[@JesusManera]

@@durece100 Or just having your house connected to nice shops & cafes by safe, walkable, tree-lined sidewalks!

[@FuckGoogle502]

@@JesusManera I personally hate cities. I grew up in the country and I loved walking outside and hearing nothing but nature. The city has closed in now, though and all I hear is people making noise. During the day, it's annoying ball park announcers or people screaming at the game and at night it's kids doing doughnuts in the parking lot.

[@cameron5980]

I felt like I was alone and crazy for thinking this. Really happy to see someone with influence put a light on this.

[@lmost]

You are _definitely_ not alone, friend. Not by a _long_ shot.

[@chl_ca]

there are numerous urban planning channels that have addressed these issues, most notably Not Just Bikes, City Nerd or City Beautiful

[@DeerBoy736]

Watch Adam Something if you want some car hate.

[@iandunsmore8091]

The rare "I'm glad influencers exist" comment. I agree btw, just being silly 🤪

[@CalaMariGold]

I absolutely love to see a car enthusiast advocate for sustainable and safer urban infrastructure and development. I'm a car enthusiast myself and always try to spread the word where I can. This is the first video I'm seeing of yours, but if this is the direction you want to go, then I'll definitely stick around.

[@ambiarock590]

I love having conversations about urban planning and how bad car dependency is. I'm not a professional city planner, so I don't fully know how to undo the damage done by auto industry lobbying and car dependent suburban sprawl but I have a couple ideas on where to start. I think that zoning laws and parking minimums are the first place a town should start, and then start to build out transit options and safe bike lanes. Shfiter made a video on how cities and towns can build "fast bike lanes" to give the public a feel for how they will be after fully implemented. He explains that cities could block a car lane or row of parking off with K-rails or cones to give the people and idea of how a bike lane would work before constructing it, and it also helps to let the emotions of the NIMBYs wear off by letting them give the bike lane a try and then seeing that traffic wont be worse without a car lane, but better since there are fewer cars on the road.

[@ldmtag]

I agree completely, except the part where he said doing car reviews is unoriginal. I mean, it is, but it doesn't change the fact that viewers would like to hear his specific opinion, not just any weirdo reading specsheet

[@echelonrank3927]

@@ambiarock590 it feels like cities are designed to make you drive around more. to go from a to b it takes half the alphabet.

[@flannel2699]

@@ldmtagperhaps the reviews could be more sustainability centric..? Cheaper options for people who love driving but want to drive less and reduce their environmental impact..? (I'm typing out loud but it could be a valid niche approach)

[@ldmtag]

@@flannel2699 back in early 2010 I ABSOLITELY ADORED Motor Authority. They had that sister site Green Car Reports, was all about everything sustainable. I read the absolute cr*p off it! But I wasn't nearly as fluent in English as I am right now, so I barely remember anything. I only remember than I knew about Tesla way before it got cool. I eyewitnessed the birth of Model S and was following substantia part of Roadster's life. A tiny cr*py car-ish Lotus thing doind 3.7 back then was pretty impressive, only the top performing 911 Turbo S and Nissan GTR exceeded those numbers. Imagine having a noname brand basically college project with similar performance to then-new LFA🤯 And than suddenly that college garage workshop makes a NORMAL CAR🤩

[@blujitsu2180]

I can’t thank you enough for bringing a critical perspective to the automotive KZbin bubble. Having run some of those same figures through my head, it’s definitely changed my perspective on car dependence. Not enough people give these things thought because things “are the way they are.” If you want to reorient the channel with an eye towards the reality of car ownership and how car enthusiasts can also coexist with a less car-dependent world, I will certainly be along for the ride.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Agreed!

[@night6724]

This guy is just jumping on the anti car bandwagon. Living in countries like the netherlands sucks to own a car and sucks for car owners. You just want people to be dependent on trains and buses

[@InsolentPro]

@@night6724 What specifically sucks about car ownership in the Netherlands? I think drivers are pretty happy there. There are far fewer cars in the road due to most people biking and using transit. Fewer drivers are distracted, because those that want to look on their phones are can take the train. Also, having driving be less of a necessity, means licensing standards are way higher, meaning drivers are more skilled. If you look at happiness rankings, think most people in general are pretty happy there. Regardless, in the US, things REALLY suck for those who don't want to drive (think disabled, old, young, and those who don't want to pay so much to get around). Why should their needs be disregarded to support those who want to own cars? If there were better transportation options, I bet the number car owners would decline substantially. Don't you want bad drivers off the road and out of your way? What are you so worried about?

[@night6724]

@@InsolentPro Living in the Netherlands nobody could drive properly and even walking I nearly got ran over so many times. The Happiness index is a complete fraud. It doesn't record happiness but how close a country is to being Scandinavia. Every dutch person I know is a miserable sack of garbage. People literally use their laptops in the cars in the Netherlands you don't know what you are talking about. And owning a car sucks because of the BS carbon tax used to pay for politician's luxury houses and cars being banned from half the city No it wouldn't. Car ownership would only decline if you make life a living hell or outright ban all cars. Even in the Netherlands car ownership is on the rise. And like I said every dutch driver is a shit driver. Seriously move to the netherlands and se how much of a piece of garbage country and culture it is. Nobody is happy and car culture is awful. You basically want me to kill himself because you don't like cars. And btw transit is slow and late in the Netherlands

[@Thinginator]

@@InsolentPro Yeah, I'm an American car enthusiast, I drive a big American gas-guzzling classic car, and I'd be happy with this being my only car, used occasionally for fun activities, if the roads were less crowded with distracted folks who don't even want to be driving. I'd love to commute by train or bus and not need a practical car - even if I still chose to drive instead, it would be a choice, not something I need to do, and that would make it fun instead of "I hope I'm not putting too much stress on this thing." I even like riding a bike, when I was briefly living in Hawaii that was all I had and it worked, but around here there are few bike lanes and so many thorny plants that pop inner tubes that it's not practical to do so. Cars can be fun. Cars should be fun. Cars should be a choice, not something you're forced into. Being anti-car-dependency isn't being anti-car. Some of the most "car-unfriendly" countries in the world are where the best cars come from!

[@claytonmansel5508]

This is the most reasonable car enthusiast I have ever heard on KZbin . I am literally a member of The War on Cars yet you’ve just earned another subscriber. KZbin’s algorithm heavily discourages reasoned nuanced takes like this so good for you for putting this out there!! 🎉

[@MacSmithVideo]

There's nothing reasonable about someone owning 13 junk cars lol

[@e1123581321345589144]

does it? I would have never found this video if not for the algorithm. I haven't even heard of this channel before today.

[@board7374]

@@MacSmithVideo That wasnt the point of the video????? 😂

[@ToyotaCamrySEv]

all the car enthusiasts i see online tend to stay away from this conversation. i’ve loved cars all my life and i always use every excuse to stay in my car, but i use public transit whenever i can and always advocate for anti autocentric development. more transit alternatives means less drivers, means more open roads. Car enthusiasts need to keep that in mind

[@Anankin12]

Cars good and fun, car dependent infrastructure and society bad. There's lot of us petrolhead who advocate for less car dependence, especially since this frees up the fun roads

[@scottfrazer4669]

I had the same realization a few years ago. Sold my car for an e-bike and haven’t looked back since. These days I’m actively fighting against car infrastructure at town meetings

[@FuckGoogle502]

For local yes, screw cars. For regional or national, depends. I think we should keep and maintain most of the vehicular infrastructure but err towards different means of travel for most occasions. You'd still have weather damage, but the roads would maintain their integrity much longer with, say, two thirds fewer cars on them. (I also grew up where you NEED a car to go buy groceries, so I get not everywhere will have public transport, but even the option to drive towards town, then park and transfer to a train would be nice for most working days.)

[@alanthefisher]

Despite what my channel is about I very much consider myself a car enthusiast. I still own a manual legacy and eventually would love to build a Volvo 240. But I agree with everything your video goes over, and it's hard to convey this to many people because it's just how they've lived and never thought about it. I find that usually car enthusiasts understand the problems better because they actually know how hard it is to wrench on cars and they understand how wasteful they can be when building one. Great video!

[@kb0x]

Oh hi Alan.

[@redknightsr69]

Future Collab video?

[@LordSandwichII]

I would never have guessed that you're a car enthusiast, but I'm so glad that you are. I would much prefer not to have to rely on my car every day so that I could focus on working on it, and maybe even (within legal limits) modifying it, without having to worry that I only have a few days to do all the work before having to put it back to together because I need to drive it.

[@ayaanjaved]

You're not a car enthusiast You're a train enthusiast!

[@silassheriff7868]

​@@ayaanjavedyou can be both indeed. The train is taking people of the road, so the lanes are more clear

[@RedEquus]

I can relate so hard. I use to be OBSESSED with cars. I would drive them in racing games, play with toy cars, draw cars, watch car movies... Then, I started driving them... On the road... With other people. Also I saw the impact they had on our environment and our society.

[@purplepenguin43]

Nothing has made me hate cars more then driving them around other people.

[@Bladeclaw00100]

@@purplepenguin43 and driving them on broken roads, bridges, and around animals that jump in front of you.

[@FerrariTeddy]

@@Bladeclaw00100sounds like Michigan

[@jackd8933]

I really appreciate the urbanist rant coming from a car KZbinr, focusing on how one can both enjoy cars as a hobby but still emphasize that making a society car dependent hurts everyone. Driving is so often romanticized and distracts from the fact that the vast majority of the time people are in a car they are commuting; they are in that car for the sole purpose of getting from point A to point B. Forcing everyone to drive everywhere makes life worse for everyone, even those behind the wheel. Thank you for bringing much needed attention to this topic.

[@NikVargaLiverpool4ever]

Just found this. I used to watch you when I was big into cars, around 4 years ago. I would consume so much car content on KZbin and talk about it with my friends. I remember specifically it was one of your videos that made me want a Ford Probe. However, around 2 years later I went to college and started to get more into urbanism and bicycling, and started realizing that I was starting to hate cars as well. Being in an environment that treated pedestrians as a priority totally changed my perspective on cars and car culture. It’s so cool to see someone from the car KZbin scene I loved have this realization and post it on KZbin.

[@JesusManera]

I find that most people who are stringently pro car dependency are so because the only environments they have experienced are ones where they need a car or where it is unpleasant to be outside a car as a pedestrian. Once people get a taste of a non car dependent lifestyle in good walkable areas, it really is hard to go back to having to get in your car things that you have become accustomed to being able to walk to, and driving short distances for local errands, shopping, dining etc just seems like a real hassle.

[@CC-qe1gq]

As a Swiss (and maybe even as a female) car enthusiast, I perfectly understand your point. I use public transport and my bike as an alternative to drive often as an alternative for daily activity and I drive as much as I can for fun

[@HPsawus]

I love cars but I hate how closed minded some car people are. They’ll totally dismiss viable solutions. I’m from England and our public transport is pretty good, been using it every day for the past 2 years. But even here, our society is so car centric that people HATE the idea of using the “peasant wagon” (buses) for getting around

[@Makaya9s]

@@notfiveo I'm really holding myself back from bursting your bubble

[@pappi8338]

​@@notfiveoI would say congratulations, but you bought a car so I'll just look at you, menacingly.

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

@@pappi8338 Cat behavior, lol. 🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛🐈

[@Petrolcarsarelife]

I love cars but I only just getting Into driving I brought a Stick shift Mazda rx-8 as my first car I moved it from time to time to stop the brakes seizing on a little slope soo soon as I pass I'm driving all over the place, there is no shame in taking public transport I just don't like sitting next to someone I don't know.

[@illhaveawtrplz]

I’ve been coming to the same realizations as you and I gotta say, it’s super refreshing to hear this coming from a car KZbinr. It sounds crazy to most people, but if we build alternative methods of transportation and fix hyper-restrictive zoning laws, driving a car will actually get BETTER. LIFE will get better, too. You earned yourself a new subscriber today, keep fighting the good fight.

[@bocahdongo7769]

Those people just afraid that they don't need V8 super fast muscular car to be a car enthusiast.

[@garthy4u]

​@@bocahdongo7769do the real gear heads actually drive those? Almost always screamed insecure to me.

[@bocahdongo7769]

@@garthy4u definitely not, but loud minority is still loud enough to gaslight other people

[@coliimusic]

​@@bocahdongo7769How does this define a real vs fake enthusiast? Genuine question

[@bocahdongo7769]

@@coliimusic it's not real or fake It's just some people just into dick measuring contest

[@edgarkazak8165]

You have great style and vibe and the points you make are great. I love urbanist videos from NotJustBikes and City Beautiful but always felt they were too far into their camp to deliver the message to a car-caring community, and you seem to be the missing link! I think some long-term collaboration is a must because the vibes really match, especially with NotJustBikes. Good luck, hope you're still at it!

[@cascadecontroller]

Yeah, I like NotJustBikes, but he can also be pretty antagonistic at times.

[@jcwms17]

Agreed. I love NJB too but it is way too much of "Amsterdam is perfect, the rest of the world sucks". I want to be in Amsterdam, but I'm not, so how can we celebrate the incremental improvements that are happening within the USA or elsewhere, and how can we expedite those, without demonizing us working to right the ship@@cascadecontroller

[@obansrinathan]

Also Hello Road has the same accent as City Beautiful so they could do a collaboration and no one would be able to tell who was speaking.

[@SkyeElectrialEng]

Less car dependency makes for better driving experiences. I love cars too but driving everywhere sucks and is unsustainable. I just found your channel and am super interested in where your content will go!

[@joshwoodward]

I didn't expect your channel to produce such a great YIMBY/urbanist video, but high five for nailing all the problems our car-centric world brings.

[@night6724]

Why don’t you acknowledge the problems with buses and trains? And urbanism sucks.

[@nayrays]

YIMBYism has been coopted by the developer community as a way to push through developments that do not benefit the community they are being built in. Urbanism is 100% great though, and @night, buses and trains are simply more mathematically efficient than personal transport automobiles. Are there problems? Yes. But those problems are easier to address than the many problems that personal automobiles have. I suggest Adam Something's channel for more info.

[@silassheriff7868]

​@@night6724buses and trains have downsides but sitting everyone in his private metal cage is madness

[@night6724]

@@silassheriff7868 my guy buses and trains are giant metal cages. Buses are just really long cars

[@silassheriff7868]

@@night6724 which can carry 90 people at once. Congestion massivly reduced

[@empirestate8791]

This is one of the best videos I've seen on this subject. It's possible to like cars while understanding the pitfalls of using automobiles for everything. Designing our cities around cars was one of the worst urban planning decisions in human history. Not everyone can afford a car or can drive, and even if you can afford a car, it's hardly a trivial expense. Expanding transit & building walkable cities will dramatically lower transportation costs while improving quality of life. I'm glad you recognize this as a car enthusiast!

[@night6724]

thanks for saying I should commit suicide

[@karlkoehler341]

And there's hope. Just visited San Diego. Someone said that the area around the Science and Space museum used to be 100% parking lot. It's less disruptive to turn car-space into people-space than tear down buildings to build a highway.

[@jeffmpvd7689]

Wondfully said! I live in a compact city that is PRRFECT for getting around by bicycle. I would love to bike more for transportation but only can do it on certain streets because many streets are too dangerous because of cars.

[@skylarcanode-rhodes9771]

Subscribed just on the fact that you're able to appreciate cars without being blinded by your "love" for them. Excited to see where your channel goes!

[@loganwashere24]

This man is orange pulled and I greatly appreciate your framing and your credentials as an enthusiast. Society (and the movement) needs people like you to help break the car-centric fog

[@krinos1]

Its not that cars are bad, its infrastructure and design of America that is bad, i love cars but i also love walking, cycling and riding trains and im glad in Europe i can do all of these

[@Mitchthemysteryman]

THANK YOU for this perspective. I am a new city planner, and it really is messed up how car-dependent our profession has made cities in the past. I have no issue with car enthusiasm, it is important though to distinguish between enthusiasm and advocating for it as a prominent form of mass transit, which is uninformed. The traffic we are seeing is ruining the freeing spirit of car ownership. I thank you for bringing this perspective, and having the awareness of the flaws of living in a car-dependent society.

[@MX-CO]

I think every city should have a race track/ drag strip for the public to be able to go p I at, give the kids a place to go beat on their cars, and raise penalties for doing it anywhere else, Heck you can use the money from fines to Fund the track!

[@bongwatercrocodile315]

​@@MX-CO fun police is going to make sure thats never going to work

[@coliimusic]

Car dependency definitely makes life harder for enthusiasts, which is hard for a lot of us to wrap our heads around

[@equalityforall1989]

Thank you so much for bringing up these topics especially our car centric society. I'm an avid cyclist and car lover. I'm a safety activist in my community and it's a constant war trying to say both cyclist have equal rights to be on the rights and pedestrians have priority. For these and so many other reasons you mentioned in this video I'm subscribing to your channel. I honestly hope no one leaves your channel so they can learn what people like you and I already know.

[@xenotiic8356]

I love cars and am also aggressively anti car dependency. This video spoke to me like nothing else! Also I spent most of my life around many of the intersections you filmed at, which helped it hit close to home for me lol

[@durece100]

You can't choose both. Do you hate cars?

[@Endermen1094]

You can have booth , relying solely on cars is bad for everyone think high traffic for everyone but you can still enjoy cars ​@@durece100

[@zeruiahwild1]

I feel what you did here is PERFECT I feel all car enthusiasts should support stuff like making less car centric planning, because it takes people who shouldn't be on the road off of it and allows everyone to enjoy the road whether in a car or otherwise, I'm certainly subscribing lol

[@rightlanehog3151]

Ethan, By KZbin standards this video is a masterpiece! It is high time we had a holistic consideration of the entire car ownership experience and the broader impacts of automobile dependency. The discussion of the alarming increase in death rates for drivers and pedestrians is overdue especially when we consider that fewer miles are being driven during the pandemic. Even though I have had a driver's license for 42 years, I have rarely needed to deal with the dehumanizing and debilitating effects of chronic exposure to the stresses of rush hour traffic. For most of my working life I have CHOSEN to take public transit and for one 7 year period, I could walk to work in 20 minutes. Is it any wonder so many workers are declining to return to the dreadful and unhealthy commuting routine? Because I don't have to drive everyday, I still generally consider my 'off-hours' driving a pleasure. I also want to commend you for the public admission that you have overindulged in accumulating such an oversized fleet. I believe your wife owns the Prius so I suggest you just keep the Scion and the made-in-California Nova. Let all the others go to a good home. Perhaps you could focus your reviews on other people's vintage cars. If you can figure out a way to review new cars that is more than a marketing exercise, go for it! 😁😁

[@RetroCarsForever]

THIS

[@CrapKerouac]

Not Just Bikes is a great KZbin channel, I think you will appreciate it if you haven't already watched it.

[@night6724]

Why don’t you acknowledge the problems with trains and buses? Why do you act like they’re perfect?

[@xxTheminemanxx]

@@night6724 Why you have to repeat the same comment man? You want attention or something? Obviously buses arent perfect (specially if they come evwry 30 min/1 hour and get stuck in traffic, which is what tends to happen in north america) and train neither (last mile problem, for example). But coming from europe and having traveled to car-centric places of the usa I would always choose to stay in europe where my commute is 15 min walking and 30 min in the train. Trains might not be perfect, but until something better is invented (not hyperloop or other tech bro disasters), trains are fucking awesome.

[@highway2heaven91]

@@xxTheminemanxxHyperloop wasn’t a bad concept, it was just way too expensive and had too much of an environmental impact.

[@IIIMDGIII]

Great job at showcasing your love for cars while also highlighting the issue with car dependence and car centric infrastructure.

[@rookstun]

It's hard to find fun in cars if you depend on them. I like pedestrian oriented design and green spaces, but I also like sim racing and Foxbody Mustangs. There is a time and place for everything, and when needs overlap with fun, the safety to call it a hobby fades.

[@RetroCarsForever]

This video really spoke to me on many levels. A well considered breath of fresh air that clearly came from the heart...Not something you see with KZbin car guys very often. I hope you can still enjoy cars and making videos, just maybe with a more minimalist approach! And hey, invitation is still open if you ever want to review my C4.

[@tonywellington7854]

take him up on it ethan !

[@night6724]

This guy is jumping on a bandwagon

[@este_marco]

@@night6724 idk your situation to think that way but he's not

[@florkgagga]

So inspiring.

[@pedalingprimemover]

I grew up in a car-dependent place, bought my first car at age 15, spent many years wrenching on cars, swapping engines, axles, etc. This inspired me to become a mechanical engineer, and even ended up working at Ford for a while. After realizing how inefficient and harmful cars were while commuting to college, it took me another decade to become fully car-independent. I never want to go back, and I hope our infrastructure keeps evolving to make it possible for many more to free themselves from the chains of car dependency.

[@daniellarson3068]

You impressed me with your comment. You had a lot of your life invested in cars. If guys like you want to see change from the car-centric thing, then it will happen. It seems like a lot of areas could be retrofitted for better bike access. These new electric bikes add a whole new level of potential convenience. Maybe, parking lots could be smaller.

[@MrDikbalg]

Lol nice AI story

[@tubbs2132]

Goddamn man, commuting to and from college via bus is what made me realize I need to go to any lengths to avoid public transportation. I got hassled by so many tweakers. But if you're gonna get off the road and make more room for me, go for it

[@AudioBiker707]

This is one of the most relatable videos I’ve seen. I’m a lifelong enthusiast but I sold my newest vehicles, got down to one nice, fun, 21 year old BMW, moved to a city, and bought a commuter bike. The older I get the more I “hate” cars too…..mainly due to the cost of vehicles since the mid 2010s along with the infrastructural/environmental impacts. Would love to see your channel progress in the direction mentioned!

[@peteheald2352]

Thanks for saying this! As a fellow gear head, I have found myself in the same transition- cars suck. The marketing we are sold of wide open roads looks great, but I find myself mostly sitting in traffic and being completely paranoid that the idiot in the giant truck who's too busy texting is going to kill me. Hating cars is seen as being un-American. And yet we should be able to both love cars and love being able to walk places, and not constantly worry about having our friends and family be killed or maimed. Not to mention the true cost of ownership!

[@p.informatico1320]

Ethan. Let them go... Create a list with the types of cars you want to have, and have only one of them. One sports car, one off road car, one family car... you can even check a few boxes with only one car... and only buy when one or more of the boxes is unchecked after selling one car. I'm sure most of us would hate to see the Probe GT go, but it doesn't make sense anymore, and neither the wrangler, or the grand am... Beeing european, and living on a small towns most of my life, I can hardly relate with the situation you describe. I have several cafes and bars within less than 1 Km., and also four supermarkets, a few clothes stores, bookshops, and more... even in more country areas, they usually have a small bar than also acts as a small drugstore, if there isn't one nearby. We usually look with envy at the americans 8 lanes driveway, but I never thought than the reason for that kind of roads is a car-centric society...

[@EmyrDerfel]

This is a great way to get into "N + 1". I have my full suspension mtb, singlespeed mtb fatbike polo bike cheap fixie velodrome race bike pub/shop bike flatbar road/gravel bike jump bike plus a few projects And they would all fit in my van at the same time.

[@sudmuck]

That why I plan to limit my fleet to 4 vehicles. An off-roader/hauler, a small fuel efficient daily driver, a ridiculous & fun sports car, & an occasional shitbox project car.

[@Thinginator]

In my experience, your relationship with a particular car is exponentially better the fewer cars you own. I only own one car - a 1966 Thunderbird - and I have made so many memories with it because I use it for everything. It runs reliably for me because it just has to work, and there can be no procrastinating on fixing it right the first time. All my car budget goes into the one car, so there's no being spread thin. I don't drive it every day because I don't have to, but when I do need to drive my own car, it's my T-bird, so every fond driving memory I have is with that one car, therefore that one car is special and irreplaceable. No other car will have the sentimental value my Thunderbird holds for me, because I have no other car. KZbin car culture glamorizes "shiny new object syndrome" and car collecting, and the impression it gives me is that every car KZbinr has automotive ADHD. No commitment, no lasting bond, none of what actually makes the car experience meaningful and individual cars emotionally significant, just bouncing from new car to new car in pursuit of clicks. It's an unhealthy and unrealistic image of what car enthusiasm can and should be. I for one think this channel's original goal of telling stories with cars and focusing on the social and emotional aspect of them was a noble goal, even if it wouldn't pay well at first. I for one would love to see more of that in automotive KZbin. The most fun people to talk to at car shows are the people who have owned their car either since they first got their license or for decades, and committed to it, and have stories to tell. The guy with the '55 Chevy sedan who bought it when it was new and has driven and maintained it ever since... the 30-something with a '79 Camaro he built with his dad and still cherishes... the Miata some kid got as his first car and turned into an autocross racer while wrenching with friends... Cars with stories attached. Cars that are in a collection usually have boring stories, or were only bought because previous owners made interesting stories with it, but the collector hasn't driven it enough to make their own stories because they have too many cars to drive. At the end of the day, what makes cars special and noteworthy and not just inanimate objects, tools, toys, appliances, or status symbols is the stories and memories created in them - that's where the emotional quality of cars comes from, and why we love them so much. I wish modern culture remembered that more often.

[@MrOiram46]

You can even do one better and have all the cars you want in diecast models, much more affordable than having all of the real ones.

[@lsswappedcessna]

@@Thinginator Yeah people don't realize how reliable classics can be if they're actually taken care of and driven. There just isn't much on them to break, and proper maintenance keeps the big things from breaking!

[@bactanite]

I like this channel, and what is being said here about the downsides of car dependency is 100% true. The car companies in recent years are risking the lives of anyone who doesn't drive a monster truck, and that is evil. Therefore, it may be a good idea to sell all the trucks and SUVs and concentrate on vehicles that are not obnoxious such as two door coupes, sedans, and sports cars such as the 944.

[@mcsomeone2681]

Nothing makes me more mad than being pulled over for something stupid and trivial and I get passed by some huge lifted monster truck thats obviously illegally modded

[@lsswappedcessna]

@@mcsomeone2681 fucking bro dozers dude, they do all that shit to them and it makes the truck LESS useful in the end. Don't even get me started on stretched tires on trucks.

[@guitarcrazy02]

​@@mcsomeone2681pulled over for loud exhaust as a pack of straight piped Harleys go by.

[@thatguyalex2835]

Same. Every car on the road nowadays seems to be an SUV or one of their variants. At this point, it would be better to live in a Sky City 1000 (A 3300 foot tall, 1989 Japanese self-contained city concept, sadly never built) compared to a traditional American city with stroads and SUVs.

[@LOG1CDS1GN]

​@@guitarcrazy02eh. loud pipes *do* save lives tho.

[@reilandeubank]

This video was exactly what I was hoping for when I clicked. I’ve never seen your videos before but I feel the exact same way. I always have and always will love working on, watching; and driving cars, but car dependency has become too much and it genuinely makes so many people’s lives worse and no one seems to notice

[@atakanpolat5127]

I feel this video. Additionally not having to use a car for transport can allow us to invest in cars that are less practical but more fun and exciting.

[@trashrabbit69]

Oh man, I felt this video so hard. More and more often I've come to loathe cars not for what they are, but what they aren't now that car-centric reality has taken hold. Having to make everything be a car trip, from groceries to leisure to family gatherings... it turns the whole joy and experience of getting behind the wheel and having a blast become so much more soulless. It starts to meld in with the chores, becoming one itself whether its finding a local racetrack, scheduling for the event, having to put the $$$ in for it to be worth it. Getting stuck in traffic, dealing with people who give not even a microscopic level of shit about cars as a machine compared to you (and it shows with most people's driving and maintenance) and becoming bogged down in the clockwork of daily life takes everything out of it. Whenever I take my daily on a windy backroad blast I have to SAVOR every last second because I know I won't have the time the space nor the general ability to experience it again for a long while. If half of the things we all have to do could be done by train, bus, or bike trip it would make the driving so much more memorable. Not to mention better roads, less traffic, less anxiety driving on less stroads and more genuine roads that can really be used as places for any enthusiast to stretch their muscles and enjoy a good ride.

[@jaydub5515]

I love your Radwood collection, and seeing the quirky collection you go through, but I must admit it's sad seeing your sub number below 50k. You deserve more of a platform. I ain't leaving

[@DaveSchrenk]

This

[@DiegoMagengo]

Your take on car dependency culture in North America was extremely refreshing and I really appreciated your honesty. It’s the elephant in the car content creator KZbin room, but you are the first to recognize the inherent problems with cities built with car scaled infrastructure instead of human sized infrastructure. You can appreciate the automobile and it’s history while also admitting that it’s probably not the best thing to live with, and I think you explained that extremely well! Good job!

[@Mik3J]

I've been a car enthusiast for years, I love cars. But have recently bought an e-bike to get around on, and use my cars mostly on the weekend for adventures and long trips. I love it, it's a great way to enjoy my city but also enjoy my cars more because they're just for fun and not for traffic. I enjoy my daily commute more on my bike, and I enjoy my weekend trips in my car more because they're special and fun. Spot on, carcentricity needs to end. There are other ways to get around and we need to prioritize them too.

[@AaronBaucom]

I think reviewing new cars in a critical light is a great idea for the future of this channel. It feels like there is a general perception that shiny new EVs or semi-autonomous vehicles are the future without an appreciation of the ways in which they perpetuate the same underlying problems that cars have caused for decades, as you discussed in this video.

[@mexicanspec]

You make a lot of good point Ethan. I guess I am lucky Mexico towns were not built around the car. Within a block of my house I can buy whatever I need to survive for the week with stores on every block for different things and this is a residential neighborhood. Your point of the new technology in cars is also a good one. Nobody needs to be entertained when they are driving. Nobody needs a car to tell you that you are too close to the center line. You should pay attention to all of that yourself. $47,000 on average for a new car is outrageous. I wonder where the car industry will go with fewer people being able to afford their products.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

I have to agree about all that tech crap. Myself, I want another simple compact truck, with a 4 cylinder and a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. Air Conditioning is mandatory in all of the Southern US, and a simple manual HVAC will do the job fine. My one extravagance would be a stereo with SiriusXM.

[@theroamingsavage8813]

You asked for an idea: Fly to Switzerland, get a 30 day tourist visa, live in a Airbnb. Experience the carless and public transport way of life. Come back to US. You will never be the same again. Its like u came back to the Matrix and cant unsee everything u saw, and will realize how absolute backwards we have it in the US.

[@amusingarts]

I'm so glad I found you. You are great at expressing how I have felt for the past 5 years. Your story is probably similar to mine; grew up in So. Cal. in the 60's and 70's. We drove everywhere, the family often had 5 cars or more. I spent 12 years restoring the last car I owned. It was going to be the forever car for my retirement. Then my wife and I visited a 500 year old town in Mexico, (where we now live). On our second visit I knew this was no place for a classic. The streets are often rock and dirt, the streets are narrow having been designed for donkey carts, and the speed limit is 12 mph. So I sold ALL my tools, the BMW, and the Plymouth before the move. Now, 3 years later, I can't believe all the time my wife and I wasted commuting. She drove from Santa Monica to Glendale 5 days a week, an hour each way. Doing the math that's 10 hours a week or 40 hour a month spent in an isolation pod alone with only a radio or CD changer for company. What a waste of time, even in a Vanden Plas. Today everything we need is within a 14-20 Minute walk of our home. I walk one block and turn the corner, I have my butcher, cell provider, chicken store, flower vendor, machine shop, sandwich shops, the bus station, appliance repair shop, and dentist. All within a short walk. So now rather than sitting on our asses in a car we walk everywhere, 12-15 miles week, I'm so much healthier I find it hard to believe. When I go to the states, I cringe at the noise and speed of cars, to be outside near a road or major street is just so noisy and obnoxious. Look at where you had the Grand Am parked. Huge parking lots of asphalt that are often larger than the mall itself. Wouldn't it make more sense to tear up the asphalt and build housing . This way the clients are within a short walk, and much more likely to become regular customers. How much housing could you build on America's parking lots I wonder.

[@blond-in-blue]

I’m a sports car enthusiast who feels exactly the same way. I love racing, off-roading, and having a fun time in a fast vehicle. But when it comes to commuter vehicles, I’ve noticed that they’re increasingly designed to be more deadly, and the consequences are very visible. I heavily support giving vehicles a more critical eye rather than “check out this awesome 12” display you can distract yourself with while running over someone’s child” but also want to bring the focus that forcing everyone to drive vehicles has been a total detriment to people’s enjoyment of vehicles as well as the safety of everyone on or near the roads. We need a major change.

[@night6724]

I hate trains. It’s a piece of shit

[@SammyJD13]

Found this video on my Twitter feed which is mostly filled with posts about making cities more bike and pedestrian friendly ☺️ thanks for sharing these important things about our car centric society, especially given your background as a car enthusiast. Very fascinating how technology has made us so disconnected resulting in distracted driving. Hopefully more people will realize how cars have become more dangerous than good in our hectic lives.

[@Euchouston]

I too grew up loving everything about cars. In the last 4-5 years I have grown to really not like them at all and I didn't understand why. You have articulated this quite well. I am really into micro mobility lately and have fallen in love with electric unicycles: I still get the thrill of the wheel, but I negate the fuel cost and motor vehicle maintenance, insurance etc. Good to know other car guys are feeling this. Well done!

[@camelusdromedarius3789]

At first, I was willing to accept that being for or against car-dependent infrastructure could simply be a matter of opinion until I learned that it is bankrupting American cities, that it's not just environmentally unsustainable, but financially, economically unsustainable as well. That was the turning point for me.

[@spacedoutorca4550]

When I was finally able to drive, at first it seemed like freedom. But very quickly, the soul crushing reality set in of how car centrism has not only ruined our cities as a whole, but also how it had withheld a vibrant and independent childhood from me. When cities are built for cars, then that leaves a good amount of people out. Children, disabled, elderly, the poor, etc. True freedom does not take away the freedoms of others. True freedom is equitable, not locked behind a paywall, and doesn't ruin lives. Car centrism isn't freedom. It's fauxdom. I'm so glad that it seems a lot of car enthusiasts are realising this too. Making cities more equitable isn't at the expense of anyone-- its for everyone's benefit. Thank you so much for this video. I know you signalled that you might be quitting KZbin, but I'd suggest maybe continuing with some urbanism type videos? I think you did an excellent job here, and would love to see more. Also, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend checking out the channel "Not Just Bikes".

[@night6724]

Not just bikes is a horrible human being. And equitable is not a real world you don't know what it means. When I lived in amsterdam i had no freedom and everything sucked ass. I wanted to kill myself. You need to grow up

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Besides children, disabled, elderly, the poor being left out when cities are built for cars. Also people with poor vision, not just elderly and people taking certain medicine and people that are just too stressed to drive safely or had a bad accident and cannot drive anymore, these groups also being left out when cities are Just built for cars.

[@brentlucke8713]

Happy to see this from a car channel! As a fellow car guy and urbanist (who bikes to work almost every day and for as many errands as possible), I think those in both communities need to speak up more. Looking forward to the future of the channel!

[@ambiarock590]

Car enthusiasts rise up against car dependency! I bought myself an ebike this year and that has been my daily driver. Ebikes can really fill in the gap caused by suburban sprawl in car dependent areas. People seem to think that electric cars are the future of transit, but I think ebikes should be the future of transit until we get more transit options and start making real progress on urbanization. Urbanizing is going to be a long journey but we must go for it if we dont wanna live on a planet that would cook us alive. The Netherlands is regarded as the cycling capital of the world, but they didn't make that change overnight, they did it over decades starting in the 80s. Change takes time and we must be persistent!

[@petkogeorgiev2103]

Thank you so much for making this video! You're the only car reviewer/car guy that I've ever heard openly say all of this. Most of them seem so focused on the good/fun side of cars that they just outright ignore the fact that they're bad for people, the environment, the economy and are just not fun 99% of the time.

[@VrKx]

I feel insanely hypocritical for loving cars and wanting to work on and build them for a living but also acknowledging that cars and car based infrastructure is not sustainable. Great vid

[@jedi22300]

I think this was a really well written script that really shows that just because we love cars, doesn't mean we want to live in car dependent cities. Great video!

[@michaelwhite9375]

Ethan, I've been struggling with these same issues for years and I've made a lot of progress towards what I consider a healthier automotive lifestyle. In the years before the pandemic I used transit to get to work about 95% of the time and now I work from home. I'm hardly ever in rush hour traffic. Watching you as well as knowing some friends who have fleets of cars helped me realize that's not the lifestyle for me. So I have two cars: one daily, one specialty. As a concerned citizen and a car enthusiast I still get cognitive dissonance from time-to-time, but my own experience, plus what you've discussed here shows me there is a way forward.

[@zizkazenit7885]

I’m really happy for you that you’ve made this realization! I think most car guys hate cars without knowing it. They’re always complaining about gas prices, traffic, red lights, other drivers, traffic cops, their car(s) not working, their cars not being nice enough, other people’s cars that they don’t like, and on and on and on. You can stop at any time

[@crisp_like_dylan]

Making reviews of new cars that take into account the hidden costs of buying the car (simply all the amazing points you made in this video) sounds like a great idea that has a lot of value. It would also give you the opportunity to spotlight cars/companies that are fighting against the bigger, more aggressive car arms race and things like that.

[@BuffaloPhil529]

I too am a car enthusiast who both loves and hates cars. Similar to you, I grew up reading car magazines and drawing my own car designs. After some car-free time in college and a semester abroad in one of the most bicycle-friendly places on earth, I decided I wanted to dedicate my career to addressing US car dependency. I plan public transit for work and I don't have a commute, but I love to drive my '91 Lotus Elan on weekends. Having moved to Greater Los Angeles a year ago I've found that car culture is a great avenue to making friends, and I've embraced that. I do believe it's possible to create a balanced car enthusiast lifestyle. Selling most of your fleet should help. Judging by all the positive comments here, there must be a KZbin niche for the critical car enthusiast. Living in LA, there's a wealth of potential content based around other peoples' cars. You can review mine if you want! I'm looking forward to following your journey.

[@hendider876.4]

I think a great factor of me having fun with my old merc is that it isnt my daily bc I can walk/bike/take the train to most places I want to go, which leaves the car mostly for things I do bc I enjoy it

[@rebeldown771]

Been having random small creators come across my feed, and your video popped up. I'm pretty anti-car in favor or more walkable and livable cities, and it's refreshing to see car enthusiasts recognize this problem.

[@nurbsivonsirup1416]

I like to say cars are like free roaming pets. Having a handful per neighbourhood is fine and can actually be beneficial. Having thousands is a menace and a public health risk. One of the reasons I'm a train guy (and ships and aeroplanes) is, that you don't have thousands of them everywhere you look and go in a city. That means seeing a freight train go by once a day actually gets me excited (even though I live in Germany, where our trains are much less spectactular than the miles-long behemoths of North America). Even more so, when the local vintage plane club takes their JU52 to the skies. Hearing the constant drone of the nearby three (!) motorways is just ... exhausting.

[@lihtan]

I appreciate that you've made this video. I've come to a similar conclusion myself. I used enjoy working on cars, and participating in motorsports. Breaking parts starts getting expensive. I've also noticed over time that modern vehicles are no where as easy to work on as the ones produced in the '90s (or earlier). I started hating cars when I was trying to pull a starter from a FWD V6, and I spent something like 4 hours trying to pop a tie rod, for the only reason so that I could articulate my arm to reach the starter mounting bolts. Absolute nightmare. A number of years ago I went through a period where something like three vehicles in a row were stolen from me. The last one that got stolen was filled with my contracting tools, which also instantly terminated my line of work. At the time I was doing a side gig of bicycle restoration. This began a process of entering a fully bicycle-centric lifestyle. I started working as a professional bike mechanic. As much fun as I used to have with motorsports, it actually caused my physical health to decline. I find much more enjoyable to challenge myself to new limits with my bike. These days, even though I have a car. I try to drive it as little as possible. It's become an appliance to me now. No one makes any new cars that really appeal to me. The vehicle I enjoyed when I was younger are now expensive vintage cars, with impossible to find parts. The way automobiles have shaped urban design is a very important issue. I'm happy to see car enthusiasts recognizing this. There is a time and a place for cars, but dense urban centers certainly aren't. If better infrastructure was available for alternatives, we would actually see less congestion on the roads! There are channels such as 'Not Just Bikes' and 'Shifter' that explore these topics of urbanism in more detail. I think a good direction for your channel would be to explore this issue further, and look into ways drivers can be more considerate to other road user, as well as petition the auto industry away from the expensive, complicated and oversized vehicles they make now.

[@18_rabbit]

yep! same here and i'm in the US in a city. The U.S. gvt reg's caused mfr's to oversize the cuv/suv's and pickuptrucks over the years to the point there are no longer practical small trucks that most ppl would want and need. The american nonsystem stupidity has been the most counterproductve CO2 increasing thing over the past 20 years and it's preposterous. Add that to fact we dn't have diesel use and the CO2 use has been probably at least 40% worse in those Utes and trucks than it needed to be. Over 20-30 yrs, that was a LOT of uncessary co2. The math on that is staggering, due to teh size of teh US mkt and distance driven per year of those utes cars and pickuptrucks

[@NickDelDuca]

As a reformed shitbox collector this video absolutely nails my view on cars. I've also gone all in on trains. I think every US state needs to start building a robust highspeed rail network. There's literally no good reason that there's not highspeed rail in every state connecting all of the major cities. At this point driving is so ruined for me from the necessity and horrible experiences that I don't think I could even get any enjoyment out of an open road like I would have 10 years ago. Maybe if trains get built and the roads are less congested and the people driving actually want to be driving it might start to get fun again.

[@janvanhoyk8375]

Massive respect to not just emotionally rejecting anything which points to the fact that car dependency and car prioritization is bad, as most self-described "car people" would do! What you said at 9:55 is especially true... Cars =/= freedom. You are a great ambassador for the many people who refuse to look at the issue rationally and just emotionally defend car dominance/dependency.

[@hilosky]

The best thing about "urbanism" is it is actually in car enthusiasts best interests. A bike lane is 100s of cars off the road. Trains and trams can carry 600 people; that's like 300+ cars no longer in YOUR way.

[@ChrisPetersMr]

You are on the right path by adding a critical eye to the vehicles you review and their impact on the world around them.

[@night6724]

but trains and bikes are perfect?

[@wallaceman105]

Hearing an auto-enthusiast perspective on urban planning and the issues with car dependancy would be pretty interesting. Who knows, maybe you'll end up being able to collab with Not Just Bikes or Alan Fisher!

[@Will-cs3yb]

I was obsessed with cars from 15-19y/o and from 19-21y/o I started to become interested in bikes. This no doubt is correlated with the fact that I go to college close to a city and grew up in a rural/suburban area. I am now prioritizing bike-ability in where I choose to live… something that my 16y/o self would not be able to comprehend. In the next few years my goal is to take all essential trips/commute by bike and have a Miata/986/Z3 or something similar for recreation and traveling distances too far to bike. Thx for listening to my rant lol.

[@TimmyReilly]

DUDE YOU ROCK... you've got a new subscriber. Stoked the conversation about cars is changing to joy instead of dependency.

[@b0bbytrucktricks]

This video is refreshing. I wish North America had better biking and mass transit. Don't stress yourself out and let those cars go!

[@rightlanehog3151]

Set the cars free, if they come back ............

[@karlkoehler341]

North America has great biking, I'd say second to none .. if you are doing it for recreation. Actually integrating bikes into everyday life is where we fall short.

[@b0bbytrucktricks]

@@karlkoehler341 replies like a female dog, defensive at 1 year old comment.....

[@robertspadaro4329]

I'm all for this change, Ethan. I'm also all for you culling a lot of your collection. In terms of this hobby, I'm blessed that by nature I'm very single-minded and like to focus maximum attention to only one thing at a time. I have my dream car already ('79 Trans Am), and that's all I need - otherwise, just my daily beater car. It gets expensive and overwhelming owning a lot of cars unless you are like, super affluent. It's a shame the new car reviews are what generate the most views and revenue for you. That's the same thing that Doug DeMuro discovered on his channel, and I can see the resentment in both his eyes and your's in knowing that people don't pay as much attention to your videos showcasing the old or obscure cars. I subscribed to your channel because of all the obscure 80's cars you owned and were searching for, so I do hope that you'll still post content to that effect on occasion. I was waiting for you to eventually post a video about nabbing a Subaru XT. Lol Regardless, me as well as many other subscribers are in full support of you scaling down for your mental health, and the holistic approach you're bringing to the table is an often ignored aspect of car culture. At the end of the day, these are dangerous machines that have had positive and negative effects on society as well as the ecosystem, and it's our duty as actual enthusiasts to teach and spread the facts about not only all the good things about what we love, but also the bad. Keep it up, Ethan!!

[@MegaLokopo]

One of the best things an individual can do is simply to car pool as much as possible. A single trip makes a huge difference in many ways.

[@absolutelycitron1580]

This is such a mood. I recently found not just bikes channel and am hella orange pilled now but I love driving, I love hot rods and I love the rumble of like a 454 big block engine or 383 small block engine and now I just feel like we need to put it all away and really move towards something that works for everyone. Especially people who are broke, don't like driving and are disabled

[@jakelannetti3128]

I’ve had very similar thoughts, although not as thorough and well put together as yours. Sometimes I sit around at a light and see all these cars and I think how weird it is that this is so normal, to have an isolated form of transportation, when so many of us might be heading in generally the same direction. It’s also remarkable that you can live your entire life barely moving under your own body’s power, and how that doesn’t seem healthy. Not to mention when you drive through a beautiful landscape, the lines of cars just detract from the potential beauty of it all, not to mention they are so incredibly harmful to that natural beauty. I’m glad I’m not the only one who really likes cars, but is incredibly critical of their affect on society in the way that we utilize them.

[@thedpsemporiumofdrumtracks5648]

Start riding a motorcycle, you're in the movie instead of watching it regarding landscapes. I'll take that vehicle over a bicycle any day.

[@Robert_Byland]

Lifelong gearhead here. I finally quit wrenching and racing, and started riding bicycles and doing tricks... a much more satisfying hobby, with much less guilt, and now I'm in MUCH better shape! 💪 Buy your summery was fantastic - you know that you need to use your channel to make a difference... that's cool bro!

[@asatrv]

Guilt?

[@ranterraver5959]

Welcome to the light side bro! Your talking appoints are spot on, glad you made this video and confronted these realities for us!

[@kevinproefrock4857]

I just watched a video about how EPA regulations actually encourage larger vehicles. It has to do with a ratio between wheel base & track width to minimum miles per gallon.

[@Saintbow]

I truly feel your pain. Growing up, we always had to perform emergency repairs on our cars. My DD when I was 16 was a 1969 bug. I do wish i had some of my old cars back, but I don't miss the weekly breakdown. I do miss my VW's...

[@connoransberry6335]

Been a big follower of the urbanist movement since I moved back to the US after a short time living overseas. I thought I was one of a few car enthusiasts on board, but it's great knowing I'm not! I'm about it, and this will be an awesome channel direction

[@geoffharvey3672]

From lifelong car addict to eBike to bicycle enthusiast, life is now infinitely better. I have found it far more social on the bike; much more daily social interaction and great clubs and meetings to go to. I now run interesting bicycles-rare historic or vintage-and compared to classic cars, even top quality, interesting bikes are ridiculously cheap to buy and maintain and still fun to work on. I do still run a cheap car but for very few miles. I’m now reclaiming all the wasted personal time, cost and energy it takes to be a car enthusiast and really enjoying daily cycling on interesting bikes; same hobby, different mode, but much healthier and benefits everyone else due to less car use.

[@korawichbikedashcam6293]

Driving a car should be an option. One option out of many choice we deserves. When it’s become compulsory for everyone, we can never “solve” traffic because it does not make sense to begin with. you are not stuck in traffic, you are the traffic.

[@FlowStateNewOrleans]

I haven't read any other comments. I hope your audience is supportive of this. I love it. As a car enthusiast who is grappling with the absolute certainty that cars are making the planet uninhabitable for human life within the next few decades, it's a thing I've struggled with. I've cut my driving down to about 5k miles per year over the last few. I am, this week, selling my "affordable dream car", the absolute favorite object of any kind I've ever owned. I'd like to, eventually, not own a car, though that doesn't mean I won't still watch car youtube channels, maybe do things like The Porsche Experience every once in a while, etc. You gotta be able to look yourself in the mirror. That's what it's taking to keep me able to do that.

[@FlowStateNewOrleans]

And now that I am reading some comments on the video the next day, I am heartened to see so much support.

[@ajearlywine4622]

I have a couple thoughts as somebody in anti car groups, somebody that used to be a car lover, and an over all internet addicted person. 1. It would be interesting to see anti-consumer car reviews like you mentioned. Idk if that made sense. 2. E-bike reviews, especially cargo bikes. And maybe tell your story decreasing your car dependency along the way. 3. Lastly the name of your channel can be easily looked at as a safe street advocate so that’s a plus 😁 Happy to see more people waking up to this and I wish you the best, also I subscribed

[@MajimaEnterprises]

As someone who also used to be a car lover, I really feel like e-bikes are the future of personal transport.

[@DoselH]

Did you ever really love cars if you are an "ex-car lover" Not criticizing either of you but to me thats kinda being casually into cars if you can leave them that quickly. I love cars since all my life, and I wanted a drivers license since I was like 10. They were and even now that I got my license Still are something I couldn't live without, even my other hobbies are connected to cars. Photography? To take pics of cars. Gaming? Yup mostly played car games until I owned so many I got burned out. Anyways yeah I'd love to see people calling out all the anti consumer practices that car makers are doing nowdays, Frankly I don't like anything about modern cars except very few exceptions.

[@jonamcc]

I appreciate your nuance in this video. I too don’t hate cars but hate car dependency. I moved from Phoenix to Seattle a few years ago because I could tell I was wasting my life away in my car (which I generally enjoyed driving!) While Seattle is walkable and bikeable, it’s becoming very crowded and still has a high enough degree of car-prioritization from city planners such that the road crowding is becoming a problem. I frequently encounter aggressive, distracted or careless drivers that make cycling unpleasant aside from a few silo’d and limiting bike routes. The flip side is that driving here also sucks! A huge increase in traffic with too little effort too late from the city/county to provide a blow-off valve in the form of effective transit and protected bike infrastructure (I get that they are often doing the best they can with limited resources, but sometimes the decisions they make are real head-scratchers until you realize that drivers are still a huge stakeholder). That said, living somewhere where I can get by without a car 5 days a week is really refreshing and highly recommend making that change to anybody who is curious.

[@emmettrego9719]

Massive respect to you for making this video! This shows me that you're open to changing your views when necessary! And I hope you're still fighting against car centric planning and places altogether!

[@nolarobert]

When I lived in metro Atlanta, I felt this same displeasure with car ownership that you expressed. Traffic was almost always heavy and backed up. You had to drive to get to the places where you shopped, dined out, to see friends & family, etc. You placed your life in jeopardy by walking or biking in most places. Living with that many vehicles in the metro area made me realize how dirty they are for the environment. Road construction was a constant that couldn't keep up with the volume of people using the highways. I now live in a rural area and my stress levels have dropped precipitously since getting out of the Atlanta traffic. If it was that bad for me in Atlanta, I can't imagine how bad it must be for you in Las Angeles. So your evolving attitude towards cars is understandable. Life is short and you need to follow your bliss. Getting rid of the majority of the vehicles you have makes sense. They are not worth the time, frustration, and money to keep if they make you miserable. I'm sure most of your fans will continue to watch your videos to see where life takes you next. Good Luck!

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

I just moved out of Atlanta, I knew all the special back roads and never really had to deal with traffic. 🗿

[@rnyellow]

This is a GREAT video. I'm also a conflicted car guy who loves the cool ones I love but has woken up and smelled the coffee on their impacts. Truly, this is superb work, couldn't be more timely, hope it gets a wide audience

[@Janeka-xj2bv]

Great video. Reminds me of how fortunate and grateful I am for being in Europe. I really wish things got better for pedestrians and cycling in the States. Thanks for sharing

[@coastaku1954]

But to hate cars is to hate the status quo, it's to hate the world I grew up in, I can't do that

[@azaz911c]

I've lost much of my former passion for cars because new cars have been largely taken over by SUVs. To me, SUVs are pretty much all alike. I miss the variety of cars from the past, where there were a greater number of body types and international styles (i.e., German, American and Japanese cars had a distinct style). As well, in North America, it seems like the economy car market is almost completely abandoned. I used to love 'cheap and cheerful' cars like Toyota Tercels, Ford Escorts, and Chevy Cavaliers, which are now few and far between. Also 'average' family sedans with a little style or luxury, like Chryslers, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and Buicks of the 80's and 90's almost no longer exist. In the past, there was a still a little pride for the average person having one of these interesting cars, like a throwback to the 60's and 70's. (I just can't feel the same way about an anodyne vehicle like a RAV-4.) In a way, I feel this is somehow related to the decline of the 'American' (or Canadian) dream, of having a modest but nice house, a modes but nice car in the driveway, 2.2 kids and a picket fence. Now, we're like minions, all driving the same SUVs, and connected to our phones.

[@InsufficientGravitas]

At least part of the reason is that the profit margin on SUV's especially in the early days of the US SUV market were rather high (especially compared to other types of car). The marketing by car companies to capitalise on this profitability and the impression created has had an ongoing effect on how they are precived and has greatly increased their popularity.

[@JTSG15]

Great video. As someone intrigued by urbanism, what you said in this video really resonates with me. My lifestyle requires that I own a car, unfortunately. I would much rather be in a position where I can own a car with pretty much purely leisure in mind, not one car that is forced to play multiple roles.

[@Shsisofofjensjskkf]

This is my first time watching a video from your channel. I appreciate your openness about your passion for cars, yet how you’re aware of their many drawbacks. Subscribed

[@Jagi125]

You've got really a lot of things right and I'm positively surprised. I'm watching this as an european, who bikes everywhere and the safety concerns you menitoned, really resonated with my experience. I hope more car owners would be like this.

[@Taylor-dt2wd]

Fixing cars on KZbin looks easy. Until you learn it’s a mess, hardly ever easy, uncomfortable and expensive. And yes, I’ve had recent similar thoughts. I have a 1982 corvette and a rat rod. It’s freaking scary out on the road. A new Hyundai Elantra flew by me at over 90mph in a 45 today. Something to think about. I used to drive a paid of 14 focus and viewed cars as a utility. I kinda got wrapped up into the idea of how cool it would be and definitely blew a ton of money I sometimes regret.

[@JP-it9ie]

I have only 5 cars (shitboxes) and it`s way too much work and money to keep them all running. And I daily my electric scooter. So I feel you man, get rid of them.

[@reneed.1648]

The cool part of not owning a car and living in a walkable city is that any time I want to drive, I can rent basically any car I want, enjoy it, and give it back to someone else to maintain, for less than it costs to own a 2020 Camry. It’s like having an unlimited fleet that never depreciates.

[@oakblaze433]

Someone gets it!!!

[@wwrenchh]

This video is spot on! After much wrenching and building and struggling to keep my (multiple) vehicles on the road for years, I am starting to feel pretty critical of how this whole car-centric culture is playing out for us. I had to subscribe, thanks!

[@CullyRad]

You got a new subscriber here. My upbringing was much like yours, I drew futuristic cars, played with hotwheels, went to car shows, scared my parents with sudden exclamations of seeing awesome cars why driving around our suburbs. I was infatuated with cars, and like you I still love their engineering and design. But I get around my city (which is very car centric except our older parts) as much as possible without a car (Bike and Cargo ebike for the family). To me one of the often overlooked tragedy's of car only design is the drastic reduction of human interaction and in turn community building caused by being forced to use our transportation boxes for every trip. Thanks again and I'm intrigued by what this channel will turn into.

[@rabbitenjoyer6320]

I relate so hard to your perspective shift. I was a huge car nerd ever since I bought my first new car in 2017. In the years since the honeymoon phase, I've learned and realized the huge sacrifices myself and everyone else is making to accommodate cars as our country's sole mode of transit. The externalities are adding up, and the opportunity costs speak for themselves. Cheers to reducing car dependency in North America

[@EustaH]

I love cars, and love driving, but that is only because i'm almost never forced to drive anywhere. That is also the primary reason why I live in a city - It makes your car a luxury not a necessity. Grand touring with a car HELL YES! Using a car to buy a soda or few beers - UNTHINKABLE HORROR

[@ThePhosee]

I'm so thankful for bringing up this topic! This is eyeopening!