SUV Haters

[Anonymous]

PP-Great Post!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to choose between a Suburban and an Escalade? Which one is less obnoxious?

Seriously, which one has more room inside for my three kids and all our gear?

I've decided on the Suburban!

Escalades look great though!

[Anonymous]

I have an SUV. Loved my sedan, love our small hybrid SUV, but had to be able to carry more than 5 people, 3 of them too small for a booster seat, and had a set of requirements in terms of features. So I have a gas-powered, mid-size SUV. Not my first choice - I'll downsize as soon as all 3 are in booster seats - but a very practical decision. I'm not sorry.

However, I drive it about once or twice a week and put about 400 miles a month on it. I'd go crazy if I had to drive that thing every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think anything wasteful is selfish. It's one thing if you have a large family, and a station wagon or sedan just won't do-an SUV might be the only answer and practical. But I know several people who have SUVs purely for image-it's not the vehicle so much I hate, it's the reasons why people drive them. I am looking forward to gas going over $4 a gallon-we don't care, we can afford it. My commute through Old Town will definitely be easier!

Goodness, I think most people who have SUVs can AFFORD gas at $4 a gallon. It's the people in the Saturns and used Hondas that will be forced to stay home more. Will you enjoy seeing those sorts of people struggling on their long commutes to work to support their families?

Glad you can afford gas, but maybe instead of wishing bad things to others, you might try thinking about the real economic impact of higher gas prices in this area.

I beg to differ. All I hear when gas prices go up is how much it costs to fill up an SUV! I hear it all the time!!! And how they can't afford them if gas prices go up. I drive a Honda, and we could afford for me to be driving a Mercedes-but I chose to not to and be kind to the environment. I guarentee-when gas is over $4 a gallon-you will see less and less SUVs. SUVs have 40 gallon gas tanks, and gas $4 a gallon makes it $160 a fill up! You mean you're telling that people in Hondas and Saturns pay that much in gas when they fill up? Do the math.

Fon't bank on it. I just got back from London where gas is twice as expensive and there are SUVs everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Just curious for those who have posted here and elsewhere on DCUM about prices in Europe... isn't gas listed in Liters and not gallons there? It's not an apples to apples comparison, I think.

[Anonymous]

We have an SUV, but we're outdoorsy - we go camping during the summer and skiing during the winter. The SUV is helpful, because of the better handling in mountainous roads (our sedan could not make the trip) and we can haul all our gear in one car, plus passengers. The alternative would be to take 2 cars, which seems more wasteful to me.

[Anonymous]

Other than for camping, just curious how much stuff you need to haul around with you to require driving a Suburban or Escalade-size SUVs? A stroller, diaper bag, what more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious for those who have posted here and elsewhere on DCUM about prices in Europe... isn't gas listed in Liters and not gallons there? It's not an apples to apples comparison, I think.

The prices are listed in liters, but they are not listed as $6.00 a liter. You have to convert Liters into gallons, and then Pounds, or Euros into dollars. With the conversions, comparisons can be made fairly and accurately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other than for camping, just curious how much stuff you need to haul around with you to require driving a Suburban or Escalade-size SUVs? A stroller, diaper bag, what more?

No I don't need a Suburban size SUV. My SUV is no bigger than a mini-van (outside dimensions), but I need the 4-wheel drive. I have tried going up icy or muddy mountainous roads, and we barely made it.

[Anonymous]

I guess when SUV's are brought up in conversation, I envision Suburbans and Expeditions and the really oversized SUVs that seem so destructive and wasteful, with only one person in the whole monstrosity of a vehicle.

[Anonymous]

Regarding SUV safety -- I thought that there was increased danger of rollover accidents. Is this no longer the case?
if not, what SUVs have very high safety ratings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But I also love my SUV and don't give a hoot what anyone else thinks.

And there it is, ladies and gentlemen: a fantastic summary of why I'm less likely to give the driver of an SUV the benefit of the doubt. Whether they're cutting me off, driving whilr talking on a cell phone, or parking in the "compact" spaces, we can pretty much assume they "don't give a hoot" how their actions impact the rest of us.

Funny use of the phrase, too. Who was the owl who encouraged us to "give a hoot; don't pollute"?

[Anonymous]

Apologies for the bad formatting and typos in the previous post - perils of pumping and typing.

[Anonymous]

I have a ton of friends with big SUVs. They are all great people. However, I would not buy one myself b/c of the environmental impact, cost of gas, and b/c I only have 1 child and feel my family of 3 does not need such a huge vehicle. I would go so far as to say I do hate SUVs, but I don't hate the drivers. Hopefully the SUV drivers are being more environmentally conscious in other areas of their lives. But maybe I am just naive...

[Anonymous]

I think most of the SUV haters are in the city where it isn't practical to have one anyway. I can be snotty about the bugaboo stroller since it isn't practical in the burbs to get in and out of the car. Maybe if I still lived in DC, I would be into one, who knows..who cares.

I don't drive one because I can't deal with big cars but dear hubby has a mid sized one. He was in an accident, a subruban rear ended him and I'm glad he was in his SUV and not my car. I would love to be higher up when it rains but again I probably could never park it. On weekends, we always drive the SUV much easier for groceries and we don't have to deal with delivery charges since we have a big cargo space.