Posted on 07/30/2008 7:46:30 AM PDT by SmithL
one could only hope they go away. maybe then they’ll go back to making functional SUVs. yeah, i need the bigger engine, lower gearing and heavy duty tow package.. but why does that mean i need a/c, power everything, 8 speakers, leather, heated seats, chrome wheels, sunroof, heated mirrors, nav systems, keyless entry and $20,000 worth of other crap?
its all nice, but i just need something that’ll hold the family and tow my trailers.
and don’t even get me started on how they butchered the jeep line.
for later
And for all their bitching, it was the liberals and CAFE that made the SUV what it is today, by killing the full-sized stationwagon. Had they not done that, the minivan era never would have happened, and consequently neither would the large SUV phenomenon.
The SUV was a fad brought on by baby boomers & yuppies who didn’t want a mini-van or station wagon because that would make them look like dull suburban people. With Cheap gas, home-equity lines of credit, leasing and a used market SUVs became the Fad of the 1990’s.
The SUV will go back to being a niche product like the convertible, purchased by people who will actually take the thing off-road (and the prices and add-ons will go down in price).
Personally, SUV’s never made any sense. You had less passenger and storage space than a mini-van, more difficult to get into and it handled like a boat.
I was recently accosted by SUV critic who sneered about how expensive gas was and did I still like my SUV. I said I bought it for my daughter because it is a safe vehicle so gas price can’t change that. He looked dumb founded.
I want an H3 when I pay off my truck, but I still have to convince hubby, he wants me to get another GMC truck on our "five year rotation plan"...he gets the hand-me-down truck and we sell his old truck to recoup the down payment for the new one, that is how it works for us. He said "What if you need to haul something?" I told him, "Well, I could use YOUR truck and I would LET YOU drive MY Hummer for a day". Somehow, he wasn't amused.
Not a chance.
The liberals can't stand America and American exceptionalism.
"Let's not the rest of the world catch up with us; let's make Americans suffer while calling them selfish and immature and unrefined."
Those folks in San Fran haven’t stopped hallucinating since the 1960’s.
Yup, my standard response is that they can drive a clown car if they want, but my family’s safety is worth alot more than a few bucks worth of gas. That usually shuts them up.
Mo'ford is too busy gloating to realize that these vehicles are not disposable unibody, front-wheel-drive junk. They *last* with a moderate amount of maintenance.
I am delighted to own a Ford Explorer, the object of Mark's irrational hatred. Betcha I can keep it on the road longer than Morford can survive the health risks associated with his, er, "lifestyle".
I would agree with all but the A/C (but then, I live in TX where it’s a necessity).
I’d love to see a manual-transmission suburban again.
Yeah people thought big ol gas hogs were dead during the 70s gas crunch too. And they were for about 15 years, then the SUV hit the scene. Eventually gas will be cheap again or will be replaced by something cheap, and when you get right down to it Americans like their vehicles big and roomie with lots of doo-dads.
When they have to make up facts for their arguments, its time to tell them to shut up until they know what they're talking about. The SUV has been around for many years before this writer's knowledge of history. The SUV has been a major mode of travel in rural America longer than I have been alive (almost 50 years).
This writer doesn't know what the heck he is talking about. The SUV in some fashion will always exist because there is a need.
Obama eluded to that when speaking to the House Dem Caucus yesterday:
“We are in a historic time” “extraordinary opportunity...the American people are hurting” “because of gas prices, jobs being lost, health care unaffordable and they can't figure out how to finance a college education”
“because the American people are having such a difficult time...anxious about the future, this is one of those moments where BIG CHANGE CAN HAPPEN.”
its not as much of an issue with me- i’m in MI. i’ve used mine maybe half a dozen times in the last 2 years. besides, i spend most of the summer on a bike.
i’ll admit tho, its a nice convenience, especially when i have the kids with me. or if i need to be on the phone.
Morford is a perfect example of someone who has been buggered too hard and too often. What a smug a$$.
I just took delivery of my new Cadillac Escalade ESV two days ago. What a ride! 403HP, 6-speed trans, magnetic-shock suspension!
Go ahead...some of you gloat. Tell me about how much money I’ll spend on fuel. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. (The irony is that Cadillac almost paid me to buy it they cut such a screaming deal.)
The greatest pleasure I’m deriving from this ‘truck’ is looking at the smarmy, sanctimonious, and morally preening expressions on the faces of the Prius drivers as I blow past them in black and chrome.
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