Buick brake lights are too low

[u/DifferentCoyote4562]

Not my pictures, but saw this car today. The brake lights are definitely not where you'd expect them and annoyingly low

[u/Dadskander]

It's because laws in the US around cars are primarily focused on cars, not "Sport Utility Vehicles" which are used as a means to circumvent many regulations and fuel economy standards. The issue here isn't just taillight height, it's that every other car is so high up compared to 30-40 years ago that now these lights look like they should be against regulation.

Instead, I feel like we really should bring back cars. They're far more fuel efficient, have better bumper to bumper crash alignment regulations, and handle better in most on-road situations (many SUVs are tippy and/or fail the moose test).

Its wild to me that my 1996 Honda Accord was a 2.2L full size sedan with a 4-speed auto transmission that regularly got 32mpg; yet a brand new CR-V from 2026 (after 30 years of improvements!) has a 1.5L engine and CV-T transmission gets only 33mpg.

After 30 years, we should be seeing far better fuel economy than a standard vehicle from the 1990s

[u/Emotional_News108 → u/Dadskander]

I’m fighting tooth and nail to keep my car. I’ve had mostly sedans. One compact truck, an S10, one SUV, a Grand Cherokee from the 90s, and I ended up back at compact or midsize sedans. They’re fine.

My wife wants a third row SUV but doesn’t want it to be hers and isn’t interested in driving a bigger vehicle. So the obvious answer is to eventually trade my normally sized, relatively efficient sedan for a behemoth. Which means she’ll take her Subaru Outback to the airport and I’ll drive around the bigger one. Which I don’t need. Or want.

It’s especially annoying because I like a particular type of car, because I enjoy driving. I spent very little money on it. It’s ten years old and has 105k miles on it. Somehow, it wasn’t a worthwhile purchase simply because it’s a goddamned Cadillac and it’s a crime to like that. Imagine if I got another one and drove it for another ten years….what a goddamned nightmare!

[u/theoriginalmofocus → u/Emotional_News108]

I like a sedan too. Had an 08 charger i inherited from my wife that i just now replaced with a 23 same silver base model and everything. I dont like crossovers and we have an Explorer already. My kids are like almost adult sized already so i needed the larger car but still decent mpg.

[u/AdeptInspection4868 → u/theoriginalmofocus]

Bring back the minivan!

Like honestly, I'm so sick of the look of crossovers/suvs. They manage to look both noisy and bland. Everyone wants the same white/grey/black chunky monster. So boring.

[u/Dadskander → u/AdeptInspection4868]

Minivans and wagons baby, totally need to come back!

[u/Emotional_News108 → u/theoriginalmofocus]

I went from a Mazda3 to an ATS and I don’t think I’d want anything bigger than a CT5 if I do get a newer vehicle. My older two kids are in boosters, and since I only have three they can all fit in the back seat. Their hockey gear fits. I don’t see the need for more for the sake of more.

The hell if it is that we used to have a third car, an Explorer that her company leased her, and she basically hated driving it. It’s very…okay. We never used the third row. It doesn’t have appreciably more cargo room than her Outback. The whole exercise seems silly. At this point I’m about to be obstinate and hold out for a goddamned Escalade.

[u/OwnPhilosopher3081 → u/Emotional_News108]

We got extremely lucky when we bought our van. My wife wasn't certain on being a van mom but after she drove our sienna she fell in love. It was used as we cant afford a 60,000$ new vehicle but its been 4 years and 40k miles since purchase and very minimal maintenance aside from standard stuff with its age. Im still driving my 09 impala meanwhile mom's got the nicer ride. Wish I still had my 88 olds I had also inherited from her parents but the fuel system went to shit and was way too expensive to fix myself even.

[u/RepetitiveTorpedoUse → u/Emotional_News108]

A Cadillac is considered relatively efficient now? Also why is it her choice to get a bigger car if it isn’t hers? Why does she want one but also not want one?

[u/Emotional_News108 → u/RepetitiveTorpedoUse]

30+ mpg on the highway isn’t so bad, yeah. It’s relatively efficient for what it is. And it’s her choice because she’s weird about money and makes most of it, and doesn’t value vehicles the way I do. Or at least that’s sort of how she sees it. So for her it’s about broad utility; she’d rather have it and not need it, and I should be okay with it since it would be for “everyone” but there’s no reason it couldn’t be her responsibility. In any case she won’t give ground on it and it’s really not worth a fight, so I’m sure I’ll eventually end up with something I don’t want. Even though I’m the only one who cares what I drive. She only cares what she doesn’t drive and doesn’t complain about long drives to the airport in a Cadillac so meh. If we get something newer she can take her Outback down to the airport every time.

[u/Competitive_Ad_2823 → u/Emotional_News108]

I have a sedan. For the 3 days a year that I need a large vehicle, I just rent one.