Worst Places To Own A Car

Xplicit

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The Pessimist's Guide to Where to Own a Car.

Let's face it: owning a car isn't the high-speed, tight-cornering nirvana that's depicted in ads. Those are "professional drivers" operating their vehicles on scenic "closed roads." Studies show that your experience is a little different. Owning a car involves money, time, and aggravation. You like your freedom, but…well, let's just say that it's not hard to see the gas tank as half-empty. So where are the worst places to own a car? Let's take a look:

The Most Expensive States for Auto Insurance
District of Columbia
New Jersey
Massachusetts
New York
Connecticut
Delaware
Nevada
Rhode Island
Louisiana
Arizona

Good drivers out there who feel that they're paying too much for the bad drivers take heed. Good drivers in New Jersey and DC are paying through the nose to cover the costs of the less careful, while bad drivers in South and North Dakota live in auto insurance heaven despite their wanton ways. That's a bit unfair to the Garden State and the Nation's Capitol-those are considered entirely urban and probably shouldn't be compared to rural states. Leaving those two alone would then give Massachusetts and New York the dubious distinction of being the most premium-heavy jurisdictions. Natives won't be surprised-all over the Union these states' streets (or at least the drivers on them) are reputed to be especially mean. When was the last time you heard of a New York cabbie pleasantly yielding the right-of-way with a wave and a smile?

The Most Expensive States for Gasoline Prices
Hawaii
Alaska
California
New York
Nevada
Oregon
Connecticut
Idaho
District of Columbia
Washington

Say that you've managed to insure your car affordably. You drive a safe car in a safe town. You've still got to fuel that monstrous SUV you've been told is necessary to go from your house to the mall, and some states are more gas-tank friendly than others. The current status of fuel prices can be accessed at AAA's fuelgaugereport.com. There, you can learn that while cruising from Atlanta to Savannah will be a $1.34-per-gallon breeze, New York, California and Nevada will drain your wallets nine dollars more per fill-up (if your tank holds an SUV-ish 25 gallons.) Don't even ask about Hawaii and Alaska.

The Most Traffic Congested Cities
Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco, CA
Denver, CO
Miami, FL
Phoenix, AZ
Chicago, IL
San Jose, CA
Washington, DC
Portland, OR
Boston, MA

And Now (drum roll, please) Annoyance #1! Americans may love driving their cars, but most folks don't like just sitting in them - especially when they're stuck in traffic. According to data collected by the Texas Transportation Institute for it's 2003 Urban Mobility study, when it comes to the Rat Race, we are running in it at ever-slower speeds with an increasing amount of company. The costs of traffic are many, but the most obvious and egregious is the cost in time. The average commuter spends over an entire workweek per year stuck in traffic!

Disheartened? By now you're probably getting ready to give up driving altogether. But wait- you might want to consider moving to a city near our northern or southern border, or a port of entry. Nine of the ten top cities for car theft are near one of these.

Cities with the highest Vehicle Theft Rates
Phoenix, AZ
Fresno, CA
Modesto, CA
Stockton-Lodi, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Miami, FL
Sacramento, CA
Oakland, CA
Seattle, WA
Tacoma, WA

If all else fails, you could leave your car to rust on four cinder blocks. Although at this point, you may be creating a whole new set of problems.
 

NODOZE

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Buffalo, NY ranks up there.

Salt, snow, cold, high taxes, crappy job market.

Ahh, my home town
 

gyacopetti

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Hey look theres my hometown, lodi california, 4th on the list of the cities with the highest car theft rate. Thats fun.
 

Xplicit

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I would've figured Texas would be in there somewhere for insurance, especially hearing about all those stories about how drivers there r reckless :uh oh: For the record, NJ Manufacturers is cheap in NJ. I pay $1,100 yearly for my 03 :beer:
 

wannacobra

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and look CT is on almost all of them er atleast the ones that concern the most money... what do they think that we are made of money over here?? i got news for ya.... we arent :shrug:
:nonono:
 

Darcsun

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Live in Denver... it's not that the roads are bad... just the people who designed the roads are complete morons. Stupidest infastructure in the country... and I've been around.
 

trplblacksnake

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damn my state isnt even on there. Makes me feel somewhat good but some ****er still stole the cobra badges off the side of my car. Why if I find out who that was I have a wrench for them.
 

05 Roush

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Originally posted by trplblacksnake
damn my state isnt even on there. Makes me feel somewhat good but some ****er still stole the cobra badges off the side of my car. Why if I find out who that was I have a wrench for them.


That's because you're in punksville. They're too stupid to steal the entire car instead of $13 worth of emblems....:nonono:
 

KDog

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I knew Hawaii would make the gas list. Cheapest around my house is $1.97 per gallon (regular/87 octane).
 

ssssnake

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Originally posted by Xplicit
I would've figured Texas would be in there somewhere for insurance, especially hearing about all those stories about how drivers there r reckless :uh oh: For the record, NJ Manufacturers is cheap in NJ. I pay $1,100 yearly for my 03 :beer:

I would have thought that too, Franco. I pay $1400-1500 a year for my insurance. And I get a cheaper rate because I don't live in Corpus Christi. That county has higher rates because of the car theft and uninsured motorists. But I can get anywhere I want in this area in about 15-20 minutes and the gas prices are fair.
 

harry gilbert

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I'm starting to consider Southeast Lower Michigan as a tough place for a car -- snow 6 months of the year and tons of road salt. Heavy, congested traffic keeps me shifting between 1st and 3rd on the daily commute. Overzealous speed enforcement with cops perched on overpasses with lasers and hiding around every bend in the road. Really crappy roads full of potholes and patches that damage tires, rims, and suspensions.

However, I recently drove down to Florida and back, and the area around Atlanta had even worse traffic.
 

nj7703

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There was 1 thing left off that list, aggrevation. I love my car and i proudly pay thru the nose for it, but the constant traffic, heavly police patrolled back roads, and just the STUPIDTY of other drivers makes driving and owning a car in NJ almost futile. Today's commute was an hr and 15 min, because of sun glare. Ohhh the sun, is that new? i better slow days an do 45 in a Fu@#in' 65 zone!! Overall due to our limited space and vast expanse of slow idiotic drivers, i woudl say the stress level of owning a car, especially in the northern 1/2 of NJ is as bad as it gets. BTW Franco your pay 1/2 of what i do in INS, did i mention i hate you?? :-D I tried to get NJ Manufacturers, but i did not qualify?? because i ride the "short bus"? :-D
 

Xplicit

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Originally posted by nj7703
BTW Franco your pay 1/2 of what i do in INS, did i mention i hate you?? :-D I tried to get NJ Manufacturers, but i did not qualify?? because i ride the "short bus"? :-D
You'll hate me even more when i tell u i'm going on that Hooters cruise at 12pm today. What's that u said before..hmm, OH YEA, u said, "Something magical happens when you combine COLD AIR and Hooters." Don't worry bro, they'll be in good hands ;-) :D j/k :p
 

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