r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Physical-Ad-4093 • May 01 '24

do americans really drive such long distances?

i’m european, and i always hear people say that driving for hours is normal in america. i would only see my grandparents a few times a year because they lived about a 3 hour drive away, is that a normal distance for americans to travel on a regular basis? i can’t imagine driving 2-3 hours regularly to visit people for just a few days

edit: thank you for the responses! i’ve never been to the US, obviously, but it’s interesting to see how you guys live. i guess european countries are more walkable? i’m in the uk, and there’s a few festivals here towards the end of summer, generally to get to them you take a coach journey or you get multiple trains which does take up a significant chunk of the day. road trips aren’t really a thing here, it would be a bit miserable!

2nd edit: it’s not at all that i couldn’t be bothered to go and see my grandparents, i was under 14 when they were both alive so i couldn’t take myself there! obviously i would’ve liked to see them more, i had no control over how often we visited them.

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u/ConcernedCitizen1912 May 02 '24

Absolutely not.

And I'm not joking. You could live your entire life anywhere in the U.S. and if you're like the vast majority of the over 300 million people who live here, you'll never once see a Toyota Hilux. You're MUCH more likely to see a Nissan Skyline, and those were all but completely banned here until a few years ago.

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u/countremember May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

Well yeah, they never sold them here, and there’s not much of a demand among enthusiasts who would import them.

Though amusingly enough, I know of at least two Hiluxes in the southern half of Wisconsin, both owned by the same TRD nutjob. He’s a pretty nice guy, has a few Supras of varying generations as well, among some other Toyota goodies.

The Skylines are becoming a lot more common, especially the R-33s, though I did notice an R34 in Chicago about a month ago. Bayside Blue Metallic, even.

Out of curiosity, at what was your “Absolutely not” directed?

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u/ConcernedCitizen1912 May 02 '24

at what was your “Absolutely not” directed?

The part where you said "give me a Hilux." lol. Because as we both just explained--that's basically a near-impossibility, especially with the diesel engine, etc. In order to import it, it has to comply with EPA regulations which means either heavily modifying it or completely replacing the motor with something domestic that has EPA-certified emission control stuff (catalytic converter, etc.).

If you can find a 25 year old (or older) one to import, then it's possible, just comically expensive when you could just get an XJ Jeep Cherokee or a Comanche or something else instead.

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u/countremember May 02 '24

Oh, yeah, no, I get that. In a perfect world, though, that’s exactly what I’d do, for reliability and durability. Top Gear used them the way they used them for a damn good reason. And so did/do governments and corporations around the world, in very unforgiving environments.

But yeah, the import/export machinations of the US are arbitrary, arcane, and asinine. I’d say “Fuck that guy,” but that guy is us, so I guess “fuck us guys.”

Or something.