Austin Texas, refreshing lack of pick ups.

Just got back from a long weekend in Austin for a friends daughters wedding and catching up with some old friends who moved there about 7 years ago from SE Mi.  Given that Pick ups are known as the official car of Texas, I was delighted to see how few there were in Austin.  Seriously in the Metro area I swear that there are magnitudes fewer pick ups per capita than in SE Mich.  just an example, I was at a stop light with three lanes and a right turn lane, four lanes total.  We were had at least 3-4 cars ahead of us in every lane, 14 or 15 vehicles visible ahead of us.  Other than the Hyundai Tucson we rented and one Merc GLA every other car was an honest to goodness car, not a cross over, SUV let alone a pickup.  It was so refreshing.  It was so so nice to not constantly be in a sea of full size SUVs and Pick ups. It seems like the vast vast majority of people in the city are choosing sensible sized vehicles that are way way smaller than other metro areas.  I can't comment on anything past about a 15 mile radius from the city center though.

Ade, you're my boy and all, but I have to ask the question: Why do you care what other people drive?

Observations and fun.  Especially since the 'perception' is that everyone in Texas drives pick ups.  I was shocked at how few pick ups and large vehicles I saw in general.  There is a frequent cry on her for the safety and efficiency of smaller, lower CG, more maneuverable vehicles.  I saw that in practice in a place I expected the opposite.  I do feel I had an interesting observation that runs contrary to expectations though.  I'd actually like to hear comments from those in, around and close to Austin.

You are right, I should have titled it 'Refreshing lack of large vehicles in Austin'  Any mods want to save me from my douchey title?

Dr Hess is known for trumpeting Toyota's, I'm known for my, shall we say, lack of enthusiasm for trucks.  We all bring our own personal tastes to the forum, sometimes reasonably, some times as jerks sometimes in humor and sometimes a combination.

Note, I only mentioned Dr Hess as he was the first strong opinion that came to mind.

Austin is the California of Texas, so I can't say I'm shocked that they do unTexas like things.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

Their pickups are at home. Believe me, everyone has a truck and most of the people you see in Austin city center are commuters. 

In reply to yupididit :

Is it safe to assume that registering and insuring vehicles is irrelatively cheap in Texas then?  I think a secondary commuter vehicle is quite an undertaking for many people here in Michigan.  A winter beater is one thing, but an extra commuter car is another.  This excludes enthusiasts obviously, we are more likely to have multiple vehicles just because.  I'm talking the average Joe and Josephine.

Adrian_Thompson said:

Observations and fun.  Especially since the 'perception' is that everyone in Texas drives pick ups.  I was shocked at how few pick ups and large vehicles I saw in general.  There is a frequent cry on her for the safety and efficiency of smaller, lower CG, more maneuverable vehicles.  I saw that in practice in a place I expected the opposite.  I do feel I had an interesting observation that runs contrary to expectations though.  I'd actually like to hear comments from those in, around and close to Austin.

You are right, I should have titled it 'Refreshing lack of large vehicles in Austin'  Any mods want to save me from my douchey title?

Dr Hess is known for trumpeting Toyota's, I'm known for my, shall we say, lack of enthusiasm for trucks.  We all bring our own personal tastes to the forum, sometimes reasonably, some times as jerks sometimes in humor and sometimes a combination.

 

Note, I only mentioned Dr Hess as he was the first strong opinion that came to mind.

Fair enough, I'd just hate to see this turn into another "I hate people that drive XXX" thread. It's happened before.

I know several people here in central GA that commute 40-50 miles each way from a rural area and have both a commuter car and a full size truck. Registration for anything around here is $20/year (you pay taxes once when you buy) and insurance is cheap. Most of them have a 5-10 year old truck and a similar age small import car. When the trucks get 13mpg and the imports are dirt cheap, it starts to make sense as the commute miles climb.

I've driven in Austin about a decade ago, and I drive a full size truck here now. No way I'd drive it all the time in Austin. I think it's as much about traffic and space as it is about the actual vehicle.

In reply to ultraclyde :

Ho-ly carp, that's cheap.  Annual tags are based on the original purchase price of the vehicle.  My 20 year old Boxster is still over $200 a year and insurance is legendarily expensive in Michigan.  Two have more than one vehicle per driver needs either enthusiasm or significant funds here.  It's funny that from around now until thanksgiving there are a ton of Florida plates here as the snowbirds all title and insure their cars in Florida to save bookoo bucks.  

Adrian_Thompson said:

In reply to ultraclyde :

Ho-ly carp, that's cheap.  Annual tags are based on the original purchase price of the vehicle.  My 20 year old Boxster is still over $200 a year and insurance is legendarily expensive in Michigan.  Two have more than one vehicle per driver needs either enthusiasm or significant funds here.  It's funny that from around now until thanksgiving there are a ton of Florida plates here as the snowbirds all title and insure their cars in Florida to save bookoo bucks.  

Yup. My parents looked into titling their cars in Michigan. Nope! Illinois (ILLINOIS!) is cheaper. By far. Boats and trailers are registered in Michigan, cars and trucks in Illinois.

I have family that have lived in Austin for 30+ years. Stereotypical Austin-ites.

I have family that have lived in Dallas for 30+ years. Stereotypical Dallas-ians.

They seem like they're from different planets, let alone the same state. The Dallas-ians are much more of the Texan stereotype than the Austin-ites. I may be way off base here, but it doesn't surprise me to hear that Austin is less saturated with trucks than expected considering the people that are drawn there.

Grizz said:

Austin is the California of Texas, so I can't say I'm shocked that they do unTexas like things.

Thank you!  Couldn't have said it better myself!

Austin is pretty dense. I'm noticing that as density ramps up, people just don't like driving large vehicles in urban area. They are a pain. 

I wonder if its just a case where Michigan is losing density and therefore there is more room to navigate your large vehicle during daily errands. 

Living in AZ, we've got lots of trucks, but I still hate driving my truck in my urban traffic. 

It's no wonder the Subaru Crosstrek is flying off dealer lots. It's masculine enough that dudes don't mind driving it, it's small, efficient, cheaper than a Prius, with good ground clearance.  In terms of new vehicles, its almost perfect for the urban environment. 

pheller said:

I wonder if its just a case where Michigan is losing density and therefore there is more room to navigate your large vehicle during daily errands. 

Cheap gas, terrible roads, and company discounts are why there are so many pickups in Michigan, IMO.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

Insurance is high on trucks here but other than that vehicle registration is absolutely cheap. 

pheller said:

It's no wonder the Subaru Crosstrek is flying off dealer lots. It's masculine enough that dudes don't mind driving it, it's small, efficient, cheaper than a Prius, with good ground clearance.  In terms of new vehicles, its almost perfect for the urban environment. 

You totally lucked into a vehicle that is right at the top of out interest list there.  We will be trying out a Crosstrek soon for SWMBO.

As mentioned before, Austin is far different than the rest of Texas.

In many ways that are more complex than just truck ownership.

Adrian_Thompson said:

In reply to ultraclyde :

Ho-ly carp, that's cheap.  Annual tags are based on the original purchase price of the vehicle.  My 20 year old Boxster is still over $200 a year and insurance is legendarily expensive in Michigan.  Two have more than one vehicle per driver needs either enthusiasm or significant funds here.  It's funny that from around now until thanksgiving there are a ton of Florida plates here as the snowbirds all title and insure their cars in Florida to save bookoo bucks.  

It's a recent change for us. We always paid ad valorem taxes based on some gov't derived VEHICLE value every year. Then, in 2014 they changed the laws. Now you pay the tax once the first time you register it and after that every year it's $20 per normal vehicle, or $12 per trailer. The funny thing is my '05 Mustang, now the oldest car I have, is still $80 or better every year because it was bought under the old system. 

I'm sure they actually make more money this way somehow or they wouldn't have changed it. The value on a brand new car is pretty obvious, but for used cars they have some gov't list that decides value. For newer cars this allows the state to charge more (I suspect) and to get it up front because the buyer can finance it with the car purchase. It also means they already have their revenue even if you total the new car. On older cars it means the state gets its money in one shot instead of having to chase down the deadbeats each year just to get a portion of it.

But yeah, all in all, the DMV here is a piece of cake comparatively. Also, no smog inspections outside metro Atlanta.

Cooter said:

As mentioned before, Austin is far different than the rest of Texas.

In many ways that are more complex than just truck ownership.

Pretty much this. Probably the least Texan part of Texas. Come to Fort Worth or somewhere more West and you'll see more trucks than you can count.