by Lori Straus

A couple of years ago, I interviewed a young man who had just begun working at his family’s used car dealership after he finished university and a year or so at an OEM dealership. His underlying philosophy about selling was that he understood how important a car was to each of his customers. Have you thought about how important your car is to you?

Cars Get You to Work

In bygone days, if you lived in a city, you had to live near your place of employment. Without an automobile, you could only travel on foot or by bicycle. Some families owned a horse and buggy, but not everyone earned that kind of income.

These days, a car removes the barriers distance raised. Your workplace may be across town or in a neighbouring city, but a car gets you there quickly.

Cars Let You Travel Far

A horse walks at about 6 km/h without cargo. At that speed, it would take me about 20 hours to reach my aunt and uncle in Toronto if a horse could travel that far in one day. However, most horses can only cover about 32 km in one day, depending on the horse’s fitness levels, which means I would need three or four days to reach TO.

Or, my family and I can hop in a car and reach Toronto in about an hour, depending on traffic.

Cars Function as Shelters for Camping

Whether overlanding or camping at a campsite, with the proper equipment, you can use your car or truck as a comfortable shelter for your adventure. When you’re ready to go, just throw everything back inside and head off to your next destination, no towing required.

Cars Open up Opportunities for Families

Although many parental social media feeds overflow with jokes about how often parents drive their kids around, truth be told, without a car, the kids wouldn’t have as many opportunities to learn new things. If my parents didn’t have cars, I wouldn’t have had so many years of wonderful competitive dance experiences.

Cars Offer Flexibility

Every household has a different lifestyle, and owning a car or truck lets everyone live as they need to. Do you frequently carry a lot with you that you can’t physically schlepp on your own? Is the weather unfriendly for walking with your young children to your destination? Does your job require a lot of time on the road?

Whenever you want to leave your home, your car is waiting for you.

The Impact of Cars on Society

The horseless carriage and its widespread use have changed society. Our increased mobility gives us so many more opportunities and we can answer the call to adventure and discovery. Who knew that one day, a family could feasibly traverse Canada by car in about two weeks?

Sounds more exciting than a few round trips to Toronto by horse.