SUV'S suck?

Just about every day. It's a family vehicle...

And no we don't want another minivan. Ten years of one is enough.

Candidone1, Do you suppose wealthy people would choose to drive a ford focus? How about a Kia? Obviously not. Why is that you suppose? Is because they can afford to drive what ever they choose? Not because they need a status symbol, but because they can and they do.

The statement above

Quote:

"If the wealthy need status symbols, or if people in fact think as you do--that the unwealthy have "SUV-envy"--then it makes the purchase of such an item an even more shallow endeavor."

comes off very much like the type of statement a nearly homeless hippie would say as they see a Humvee drive by while sharing a bottle of thunderbird with their friends...

McGentrix wrote:

Candidone1, Do you suppose wealthy people would choose to drive a ford focus? How about a Kia? Obviously not. Why is that you suppose? Is because they can afford to drive what ever they choose? Not because they need a status symbol, but because they can and they do.

"...because they can and they do" with respect to the purchase and ownership of a massive SUV exemplifies the rationale that so many of us loathe...rich and poor. I have the money (or I can pretend I have the money) so I will do with it as I please...damn the environment.

McGentrix wrote:

The statement above

Quote:

"If the wealthy need status symbols, or if people in fact think as you do--that the unwealthy have "SUV-envy"--then it makes the purchase of such an item an even more shallow endeavor."

comes off very much like the type of statement a nearly homeless hippie would say as they see a Humvee drive by while sharing a bottle of thunderbird with their friends...

...I guess if you see that as a relevant or fair comparison, I'm not going to argue with you.
But I think you're off base.
Way off base.

A very wise man once told me: "nothing says jackass quite like a humvee".

No, you're wrong about this one, McG.

Nothing DOES say Jackass like a Humvee. There are two types of people who buy them; women with more money than they know what to do with, and men with small penises.

Hell, they aren't even competent offroad vehicles (the H2 at least). Make whatever argument you want about why people have the right to get one, it doesn't change the fact that they both wasted their money and our environment by doing so, and that=jackass.

Cycloptichorn

You're right about them not being very capable off-road vehicles. You'd be much better off with a Dodge 4x4, or even a Mercedes or BMW SUV.

Here's a pic. The guy bent over is none other than Ted Nugent, wondering how to un-stuck the H2 someone let him drive. Never loan your truck to Uncle Ted.

I fully agree that people should be able to drive whatever they choose. But we should stop shielding them from the consequences of their choices (i.e. forcing gas prices down) and for heavens sake stop incentivizing poor choices.

Let the gas prices climb and people will start demanding better fuel efficiency of their auto makers.

If the government wold only hold SUV's in the "car" category for emissions standards, instead of the with the "trucks" (where lower emissions standards were instituted to help poor farmers, and assist them in using purple gas, and other farm grade fuels), then the problem would be solved.

If the government wold only hold SUV's in the "car" category for emissions standards, instead of the with the "trucks" (where lower emissions standards were instituted to help poor farmers, and assist them in using purple gas, and other farm grade fuels), then the problem would be solved.

Interesting trends:
When technology advancements brought about significant increases in car fuel efficiency in the 80s-90s, we Americans did not take advantage of that to reduce our oil dependency. Rather, we saw the advent of the SUV and other larger vehicles, a trend that absorbed whatever progress the new technology could have made towards reduced foreign oil dependence. Similarly, when home heating prices dropped, we simply built bigger homes--the average sq ft of a new home nearly doubled from the 1960s to the 1990s. I find this interesting, and a bit depressing.

Hybrid vehicles may finally be a step forward that achieves public acceptance. I'm still waiting, though, to see what happens when the first generation of Prius'/etc. age to the point where they need the battery replaced. I've heard that the maintenance cost of this procedure is on the order of ~$7000, only a select few dealerships can do the work, and it's not on warranty. (Maybe just a rumor started by the SUV fans?) If true, that could erode public enthusiasm pretty quickly.