One thing that is crazy different in France vs. America are the cars. In America usually if you are stuck at a stop light you won’t see two of the same cars. They might be the same brand but the chance that they are the same brand, the same model, same color and same year is pretty rare. When I arrived in France I noticed it was almost completely the opposite. Most cars look pretty similar. The three brands you usually see on the streets are Renault, Citroën, and Peugeot.
Tell me those do not look the same. Sometimes I’ll be getting a ride from my friend and he’s like, “yea I’ll meet you at the car mine’s the grey Renault”. And all I can this is, “um dude that doesn’t help, which one?!”
I’m not the biggest cars person, but I do know that American cars are pretty well-known and there are tons! Since Léo has been here he has pointed out every Mustang, Corvette, Dodge, BMW, Chevrolet or other famous car that he has seen. He is super stoked on all the cars. It’s funny to see his eyes light up when we drive anywhere and he sees all the different cars.
One lame thing about the cars in America though is that most of the cars are automatic. Some people would say that it’s better because it’s easier, but most would say that manual is faster, you have more control and it’s just better overall. Also my friends and I think it’s way more attractive when a guy drives stick… I mean wow.
I personally don’t drive stick but I wish I did. I tried to learn but it was an epic fail. Props to anyone who does drive manual.
It definitely feels like cars are a part of American culture more than the French culture. Instead of being for show it seems like cars are used more just for practical purposes due to the fact that most are manual and most look similar. Of course, I’m not saying there are no nice cars in France. Trust me I’ve seen some nice ones. It’s just not as common.