Do you own a SUV?

[JohnBoy45]

I don't own a SUV and never will because of the gas costs.

Here is some news about SUV's below,

Poll: 8 in 10 Want Drivers to Drop SUVs.

Pew Research Center - http://www.people-press.org

<font color="red">EDIT - removed copywrited material please use the link feature instead of copying said material in your post </font>

 

[bczoom]

Not wanting to kill your thread so I won't elaborate but where do they get the people that vote in these things? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I couldn't find this particular poll on the site you provided but really wanted to know the source so I can see who's twisting/spinning this stuff.

 

[sneaky_pete]

Eight out of ten people did not raise seven children and try to find a vehicle that would hold them all! However, I do agree that they have somehow become a status symbol /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif and that lots of people who have no real need for them drive one anyway. Welcome to America, the land of the free. The market will sort them out soon enough; no need for mandatory anything in my opinion.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="blue">
I don't own a SUV and never will because of the gas costs.

Here is some news about SUV's below,

Poll: 8 in 10 Want Drivers to Drop SUVs.
</font>


Yup, I own 3 of them. Just purchased a new one a few weeks ago. I don't really give a rat's butt what 8 in 10 other drivers think. And while I do worry about fuel prices, I've found that many of the large cars get about the same fuel economy as a typical SUV. The same old lady who wants me to give up my SUV is driving around in her Crown Victoria and getting 2 or 3 miles per gallon worse fuel economy that I get. And the tree hugger who wants to ban my SUV and force me into a pedal powered car doesn't realize that pedal power won't haul a trailer loaded with bulding supplies, or a tractor. I need to accomidate people in a comfortable setting for my business, I suppose I could trade in my SUVs for something like a Town Car, a Caddy DTS, or a 7-series BMW, but I choose to have luxury SUVs instead and my gas mileage is roughly the same . . . but the simpletons who answer those silly survey's don't look at cars with modest gas mileage, they look at big shiny SUVs and they make an easy target to pick on.

The lovely Mrs_Bob is a high school teacher, soccer coach, volleyball coach and hauls teaching materials and sporting goods, and often part of the team with her on a constant basis, she could do that in a van, but as we live miles from town and it snows here, she'd have a pretty rough time making it out of the driveway some winter days without the benefit of 4wd.

Personally I wish my SUVs got 87 miles per gallon & did zero-to-60 in 3.2 seconds, but what I want and what I NEED are often 2 different things.

Simplistic polls ask leading questions and prove nothing.

It is really easy to ask other people to give up all sorts of things, but the practical solutions are often not as simplistic as newspaper polls.

 

[YanmarFever]

So you dont like suv's heh /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

My daughter was hit by a drunk lady in an suv who ran a red light at 55 mph. Her honda rice rocket folded like an acordian and shes lucky to be alive. The lady in the suv, not a scratch.
What does my daughter drive now ? A very large SUV. lesson learned. When your life or security is at stake people will pay to be safe, not only on the street but also their homes.
Ernie

 

[texbaylea]

Terry43

I own 2 Suburbans and a heavy duty diesel pickup. I started driving pickups back in 1967 after back surgery for one reason, the upright seat and larger size of the driver's area. I could not drive a standard sedan or sports car without hurting within a few minutes. The second Suburban I just bought, a clean 2002 model. We are able to limit our driving since we are both retired so the gasoline cost delta is not a factor.

We do our energy conservation buy not trading cars every few years. Our older Suburban is a 1990 model with 125K miles and beginning to be unreliable. My pickup is a 1993 model with 150K miles and it is now needing some top end work. I will keep the older Suburban until the pickup is back on the road.

I think that energy exploration should be emphasised over scenic conservation.

I also think we should build more nuclear plants. Having been a radiation safety professional I do not understand the irrational fears people have about things nuclear. Most of it is ignorance.

I have opinions on the other matters also but this is enough for now.

MHO

Vernon

 

[BB_TX]

My wife has a full size SUV. Bought it after our son and his wife had 3 children so we can all ride together on frequent excursions.

Poll takers can selectively choose people by location, socio-economic background, ethnic origin, etc. to get the results they want to support their cause.

The poll on nuclear energy is always interesting. Our company works in the power industry. There are 103 nuclear plants operating in 31 states that generate 20% of the nation's electricity. These have been operating 30+ years, but not many people know it. All they know of is 3 mile island, Chernobyl, and nuclear bombs. There have been many explosions in conventional fossil fuel fired power plants, but only one incident in a US nuclear plant. Obviously the consequences of a nuclear plant problem can be more severe, but tighter rules make it a safe and much cleaner alternative than fossil fuel.

 

[YanmarFever]

Was you poll taken at a bicycle shop? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RobertN]

No, but we have two trucks. One is the work truck, the other doubles as a work truck/family truck.

What bothers me, and has since before the $3.00/gal prices, is how poor of mileage we get. All of the manufacturers have new engines in the last couple of years. We get more power, more features, better emmissions, but still not much of a change in mileage over the last 20-30 years.

I don't think it is just the SUV; it is how the SUV is configured and the options it has. A bigger engine, more options that weigh more and affect mileage...

With all the technology available today, there must be ways to better mileage, even with what we have for vehicles.

What did the vehicles that we replaced get for mileage. Before the SUV was so popluar, we had vans, station wagons like the Country Squire and such. A vehicle type was replaced, but the effort towards better mileage was not.

It seems across the board too. Mike(GSXR1100) and I talked in a thread about motorcycle mileage, and I noted that I get 50mpg on my Harley, he gets about 40mpg from his Suzuki. Why can't our bikes get double that? Mine is a lighter weight model in the Harley lineup, and as a sport bike his is pretty light too.

 

[slowrev]

SUV= Status Upgrade Vehicle.

Dunno if I own one or not, I have a 90 Subaru 4WD wagon. Some seem to call anything like that an SUV. course mine gets 34 mpg /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It was paid for years ago so I can spend more money on fun stuff like tractors /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Of course I admit to being a bit strange and unamerican. I have no debt except my remaining mortgage on the farm, and really like it that way.
Ben