I'd wager that saving fuel is not one of the "specific needs" for most of those who buy these hogs, because their fuel cost is being heavily subsidized. Of course, reducing emissions is never a need worth considering for these debt-laden suburbanites. Furthermore, those vehicles that bear the FlexFuel badge, such as the one I rented, also get extra subsidization in several other ways. Strangely, one would be hard pressed to find a gas station in any major metroplexes (where the majority of these monsters are driven) that have E85 Ethanol. Since my taxes help pay for all these subsidies, I have every RIGHT to criticize the judgment of those who support these products.
I'd go a step further .... if i tried 'em ... I'm probably like crank ... whiffles ... acid ... hash oil ... bennies ... etc. But cost wise and health wise, and knowing one's weakness ... one chooses to avoid temptation. Despite so many reports showing roll over dangers, it is NOT strange that folks continue on they way they do. Heck ... people take on the drug junk above ... so what would you expect? Much easier to reach the SUV choice as a rational conclusion. We gave up our 2 SUV's shortly after watching twin towers jumpers make their final decision. We choose to waste less gas ... even if it inconveniences our drive style ... so we do what little we can.
Started to type an anti-SUV tirade but can't be bothered. In England gas is heading north of $7 a (US) gallon so if you consider an SUV in any way appropriate day-to-day transport, you are either insane or unspeakably vulgar. End of...
It's also not uncommon to see heavy- duty steel grille guards mounted on these already heavy vehicles. I often wonder how many are used for actual offroading purposes. I've a feeling many, if not most, never see nothing worse than bumper to bumper traffic on a city highway. Perhaps they provide their owners with an extra sense of power and security when tailgating slower cars.
For those who like reading The Onion: New Toyota SUV Holds Eight Passengers And Their SUVs | The Onion - America's Finest News Source Tom
Perhaps "vanity" wasn't the right word .... I was thinking "image" of "prestigue" ...... Don't we all know people that brag about how much they paid for a vehicle. That is so foreign to most of us, we would be more more likely to brag about what a great deal we negotiated. Thank.
no not at all. but isnt it funny that people come to a website STRICTLY dedicated to talking about specific car and lifestyle, thinking it would be fair and balanced?? the beauty of the web is social networking sites with a few exceptions of the monsterous like Facebook, are ALL INTOLERANT of people coming there to express opinions counter to the purpose of the site. i believe...then again i believe that the people above would not be falling all over themselves to sell those vehicles every time gas went up a quarter which seems to be a great majority of people driving large inefficient vehicles. let me guess....catching your breath and couldnt think of a joke to insert here?? we "do gooders" dont have to do anything like that. we just raise the price of gas to a point that the customers would not be able to afford to participate at which time the industries involved will be smart enough to evolve or die. yep, that "smart enough" clause otta get em!!
I'll wager that for my region, 'want' far exceeds 'need'. May I borrow that phrase? It concisely expresses my greatest concern. Their exemptions from passenger car safety standards seriously irked me long before anything else about them. These exemptions are paid with the blood of thousands of people every year. I don't care as much about the extra deaths inside the SUVs and trucks, as most of them made their own choices. It is the extra deaths outside these rigs, of people who were not parties to the choice of an exempted vehicle, that most bother me. It is really bad when a crash that should have been a non-fatal car-car crash is turned into a car-SUV fatality, then the SUV apologists use the (unnecessary) death inside the car as 'proof' that SUVs are safer. This makes me furious.
In spite of their poor rearview visibility, large SUVs don't come equipped with a standard rearview camera. As a result, many children have been accidentally killed by them each year, oftentimes by their own parents. These horrific statistics notwithstanding, our blinder-than-bat legislators are more "concerned" about hybrids being too quiet!!!
A recent survey of Prius drivers indicate that they don't like SUVs, especially when being drafted by one at 1 meter +/- 15 microns off their rear bumper while they drive the speed limit in the slow lane. Further, overwhelmingly, these Prius drivers felt a sick sense of "go ahead and cut off your nose in spite of your face" when the aformentioned SUV floors the accelerator to wing around the Prius knowing that such an expression of anger cost, on average, $0.72.
How did you see me on my commute this morning?! That impatient guy only made about 30 yards and 2 seconds out of it, too.
I have a feeling those impatient people just ike to complain..... first it's having to get up early every morning to go to work... then it's those darn Prius people clogging up their commute... then it's their boss who can't appreciate anything they do.... then it's the fill up on the way home and how much it costs.... then it's the speeding ticket they got trying to go around a Prius.... Well....it's gotta be SOMEBODY's fault! haha!
It's so awesome owning this car at times like this. I wanna see gas prices skyrocket. Let the SUV/truck owners pay $200 a tank. They made their bed and they will lay in it.
I don't want to see gas prices skyrocket, which will hurt the tepid economic recovery. There has to be a better way to discourage consumers from buying these inefficient vehicles.
Other than that it's what analysts say, how will a skyrocket of gas prices hurt the economic recovery. Hm?
so u rather we continue to undermine our economy by sending a half trillion annually to foreign countries? why do u think our economy is tepid to begin with? mostly its because we have not paid the true value for transportation EVER! so we have taken that money and spent it every which way but sensibly. we spend more money on the "thought" of making money by real estate investments that were escalating beyond reality, but then again, it was a good idea or stocks which did the same or hedge funds, or whatever....all of it based on making money by assuming we could spend ever higher and higher prices for this stuff and why not?? we were paying waaaay less than face value for everything else... very good question
The economy is dependent on consumer spending. And consumer spending depends on the availability of goods and services. If gas prices go up, the cost of goods and services goes up. The consumer will be hesitant to spend when goods are expensive. That affects the production of goods and that in turn affects GDP. Any individual with a basic knowledge of economics knows that. To put is short, it is called supply and demand.
As for borrowing the phrase, go for it! Your concerns are exactly that of mine. The problem with these buyers of monstrosity class SUVs when there's no actual need is it's all about "me, me, me". To hell w/the consequences to the environment, our dependence on a non-renewable resource most of which we import and the safety of other drivers. This is assuming they even realize it... The other thing that I'll add on that's succinct is that someone else here ages ago stated, these people don't see/are incapable of seeing the connection between driving SUVs and national security. I'd qualify that w/full-sized and not all SUVs.
