Why now's the time to buy an SUV

[homesick_american 1]

I hate SUV's but banning them is too much. People should have the right to blow away their money if they want to.

I disagree in this case. I don't really care if stupid people waste their money, but this habit of SUV driving is costing everyone, NOT just SUV owners. Expensive SUV-flavored wrecks raise everyones' insurance premiums. SUV-style gas guzzling helps raise the cost of gasoline for everyone, including people not even in the United States. SUV emissions are worse per mile than other cars, so they pollute the air faster contributing to increased healthcare costs for all and sometimes triggering punishing fines to municipalities which are levied by the government and paid for by...that's right...you, the taxpayer.

SUV drivers' selfish consumption affects us all, and I hate SUVs. I will always hate them, and there is no justification for them. None.

[Ban Hammer 13,109]

I hate SUV's but banning them is too much. People should have the right to blow away their money if they want to.

I disagree in this case. I don't really care if stupid people waste their money, but this habit of SUV driving is costing everyone, NOT just SUV owners. Expensive SUV-flavored wrecks raise everyones' insurance premiums. SUV-style gas guzzling helps raise the cost of gasoline for everyone, including people not even in the United States. SUV emissions are worse per mile than other cars, so they pollute the air faster contributing to increased healthcare costs for all and sometimes triggering punishing fines to municipalities which are levied by the government and paid for by...that's right...you, the taxpayer.

SUV drivers' selfish consumption affects us all, and I hate SUVs. I will always hate them, and there is no justification for them. None.

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

[homesick_american 1]

I hate SUV's but banning them is too much. People should have the right to blow away their money if they want to.

I disagree in this case. I don't really care if stupid people waste their money, but this habit of SUV driving is costing everyone, NOT just SUV owners. Expensive SUV-flavored wrecks raise everyones' insurance premiums. SUV-style gas guzzling helps raise the cost of gasoline for everyone, including people not even in the United States. SUV emissions are worse per mile than other cars, so they pollute the air faster contributing to increased healthcare costs for all and sometimes triggering punishing fines to municipalities which are levied by the government and paid for by...that's right...you, the taxpayer.

SUV drivers' selfish consumption affects us all, and I hate SUVs. I will always hate them, and there is no justification for them. None.

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

A pickup isn't an SUV. A pickup is a pickup, and I didn't say a thing about those.

[mrsushi66 0]

I was watching learning channel special that discussed marketing and such. You can thank the auto industry for our want of the LARGE SUV, every time the government tried to push for better gas mileage the auto industry put out ads that would picture a larger vehicle crushing a smaller car. The caption was yes we can build more fuel efficient cars but at what cost. Now what self respecting mother or father who saw that advert would not feel just a bit compelled to buy an armored tank to save their children?

Also the fuel economy standards the US government put into place always got repealed at the last minute and the big 3 were never fined for not meeting them. The one year that Chrysler actually met the government fuel economy standards set by the US government they were not rewarded WORSE yet the other AUTO makers were not punished for not making it. Poor Lee, he busted his butt and proved the economy standards could be met and not cost the automakes a ton of profit and was abandoned by the US government.

Paul

Edited September 20, 2006 by mrsushi66

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I'm not jealous of people who own SUVs. I actually pity them because they're wasting money needlessly on an unsafe car. I'm also a little angry at them because their cars (and often their driving habits) pose a disproportionate danger to OTHER cars on the road in addition to burning gas more quickly, raising demand and helping to raise prices for everyone else.

Jealous? LOL...I might envy an actual luxury car, but an SUV? Hell to the no. I think they're ridiculous and pathetic.

So angry.... you have to be jealous with all that hate raging inside you.

[Ban Hammer 13,109]

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

A pickup isn't an SUV. A pickup is a pickup, and I didn't say a thing about those.

how about an excursion? co worker has one of those, of course they have a 12,000 pound trailer they haul behind it.

[I'm Gone 60]

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

If a person has a real need for an SUV then sure they should buy one, but why does a person in Miami or LA need a 4 wheel drive vehicle and no one needs a freakin Hummer unless it from their wife or girlfriend. LOL

[Ban Hammer 13,109]

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

If a person has a real need for an SUV then sure they should buy one, but why does a person in Miami or LA need a 4 wheel drive vehicle and no one needs a freakin Hummer unless it from their wife or girlfriend. LOL

[Cristy 4]

Just bought a new Pathfinder.

[homesick_american 1]

I'm not jealous of people who own SUVs. I actually pity them because they're wasting money needlessly on an unsafe car. I'm also a little angry at them because their cars (and often their driving habits) pose a disproportionate danger to OTHER cars on the road in addition to burning gas more quickly, raising demand and helping to raise prices for everyone else.

Jealous? LOL...I might envy an actual luxury car, but an SUV? Hell to the no. I think they're ridiculous and pathetic.

So angry.... you have to be jealous with all that hate raging inside you.

Nope; again, you are confusing jealousy with pity.

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

A pickup isn't an SUV. A pickup is a pickup, and I didn't say a thing about those.

how about an excursion? co worker has one of those, of course they have a 12,000 pound trailer they haul behind it.

You don't need an Excursion to haul a 12,000 pound trailer...so I wouldn't have good things to say, no. Nobody NEEDS an SUV. If you must haul a 12,0000 pound trailer, there are vehicles that are much better suited to the job and waste less gas in daily usage than a Ford Excursion.

so those with trailers need to just suck it up? as i have a flatbed trailer which i pull with my pickup (max weight of trailer is 7,000 pounds) and i don't believe a car can handle that, what do you offer as an alternative?

If a person has a real need for an SUV then sure they should buy one, but why does a person in Miami or LA need a 4 wheel drive vehicle and no one needs a freakin Hummer unless it from their wife or girlfriend. LOL

I don't think there is a person in America today who could reasonably say "I need an SUV" because for every excuse they give, there is a vehicle that is more suitable.

1.) "I need space for my kids." Get a minivan. Many minivans get better gas mileage than their SUV counterparts of similar chassis size. Ditto with sedans, and they have a more luxurious ride than SUVs. My dad's Crown Vic gets 27 mpg highway. Sh!tty mileage, but better than the average SUV.

2.) "I haul lots of stuff for work since I repair motorcycles/mow lawns/pour concrete driveways/etc." Get a pickup truck or a van. They're easier to load/unload.

3.) "I need a safe car for my family." An SUV is no safer, statistically, than the average car due to the rollover risk. The safest car on the road is the itty bitty Honda Civic. That's what you'd buy if you loved your kids more than having a status symbol. Kidding.

4.) "I live somewhere rugged and need 4 wheel drive." There are 4x drive vehicles available that are not SUVs and that get much better gas mileage. Again, not an excuse.

5.) "I haul a trailer." Pickup trucks usually have better torque than SUVs and while many pickup trucks have obscenely poor gas mileage, many are better on average than an SUV. In actuality, you don't really need an SUV to haul a trailer anyway; if you only do it occasionally, you're better off financially renting a powerful truck to do the hauling than you are owning a vehicle capable of hauling something that heavy.

I don't believe there is any such thing as a 'real need' for an SUV. Just made-up needs.

[Ban Hammer 13,109]

You don't need an Excursion to haul a 12,000 pound trailer...so I wouldn't have good things to say, no. Nobody NEEDS an SUV. If you must haul a 12,0000 pound trailer, there are vehicles that are much better suited to the job and waste less gas in daily usage than a Ford Excursion.

ok, what then can haul a 12,000 pound trailer?

[PlatyPius 5]

I've never owned, nor will I ever own, a SUV. I drive a pickup (Toyota Tacoma) and a 1988 Volvo 240DL. When Sian gets here, I'll probably start looking for something a little newer in the "family" catagory. Sian likes small cars. I like small to medium cars. Personally, I'd like to have a little bit newer of a Volvo, or an Audi Quattro. Jetta TDI would do, also. I have to admit that I really do like the tiny cars like the Chevy (Daewoo) Aveo, Suzuki Aerio, and Honda Fit. I'd never own a "Fit" though, just because the name is stupid. I like the Scions, too.

I just saw that the VW Rabbit is back, as well. I'd be very interested in that.

[homesick_american 1]

You don't need an Excursion to haul a 12,000 pound trailer...so I wouldn't have good things to say, no. Nobody NEEDS an SUV. If you must haul a 12,0000 pound trailer, there are vehicles that are much better suited to the job and waste less gas in daily usage than a Ford Excursion.

ok, what then can haul a 12,000 pound trailer?

Plenty of other vehicles. Excusions are the biggest gas-wasting pieces of ####### Ford ever produced.

[Fuzzness 2]

I hate SUV's but banning them is too much. People should have the right to blow away their money if they want to.

I disagree in this case. I don't really care if stupid people waste their money, but this habit of SUV driving is costing everyone, NOT just SUV owners. Expensive SUV-flavored wrecks raise everyones' insurance premiums. SUV-style gas guzzling helps raise the cost of gasoline for everyone, including people not even in the United States. SUV emissions are worse per mile than other cars, so they pollute the air faster contributing to increased healthcare costs for all and sometimes triggering punishing fines to municipalities which are levied by the government and paid for by...that's right...you, the taxpayer.

SUV drivers' selfish consumption affects us all, and I hate SUVs. I will always hate them, and there is no justification for them. None.

sorry, that's just paranoid bullshit

[homesick_american 1]

I hate SUV's but banning them is too much. People should have the right to blow away their money if they want to.

I disagree in this case. I don't really care if stupid people waste their money, but this habit of SUV driving is costing everyone, NOT just SUV owners. Expensive SUV-flavored wrecks raise everyones' insurance premiums. SUV-style gas guzzling helps raise the cost of gasoline for everyone, including people not even in the United States. SUV emissions are worse per mile than other cars, so they pollute the air faster contributing to increased healthcare costs for all and sometimes triggering punishing fines to municipalities which are levied by the government and paid for by...that's right...you, the taxpayer.

SUV drivers' selfish consumption affects us all, and I hate SUVs. I will always hate them, and there is no justification for them. None.

sorry, that's just paranoid bullshit

*shrug* Watch me care. It's not bullshit, but I'm not about to waste my time convincing you otherwise. All we have to do is wait and see.