Anonymous
Post 02/15/2023 06:35     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Spin off from the thread about the mom who doesn't want to be friends with other moms who drive SUVs. That thread got bogged down in other things, but so many of the responses on that thread were about justifying driving an SUV that I think it merits it's own thread.

An SUV is the least environmentally friendly choice you can make. Yes, even a hybrid SUV. If you can afford a hybrid SUV, you could also afford a hybrid sedan or station wagon. You should look critically at the size, weight, and fuel efficiency of every car you buy (if you must buy a car). SUVs are worse on all fronts. Don't buy SUVs.

SUVs are also significantly more dangerous to the general public than smaller vehicles. SUVs are more likely to kill pedestrians and cyclists because they suck the person under the vehicle and crush them.

People will argue that they buy an SUV because it's safer for them to drive in. And on it's surface, this seems reasonable. In a collision, being in the heavier, larger vehicle is always safer. But ask yourself where that ends. If you buy a Rav 4 so that you are safer in a collision with a Camry, then what do you do when everyone has Ran 4s? Buy a Tahoe? Where does this end? Does buying an SUV really keep you safer, or does it just up the ante for what safety in a vehicle looks like, forcing everyone to buy larger and larger vehicles for "safety"?

Alternatively, if you have to buy a car (and really ask if you have to, maybe you don't need a car, or maybe you don't need two cars for your family, maybe there are ways to get away with less of these), buy the smallest safe car you can reasonable fit your family in. Then try to dive it as little as possible.

Ok, you can all yell at me and tell me how much you love your SUVs now.


Quit telling other people how to spend their money. I love my SUVs because (1) I love to off-road, try that in a hybrid sedan, (2) I prefer a manual transmission and hate sports cars; (3) when the weather is nice, I can take the top and doors off.


You drive a MAGA car?


No, I drive a Jeep. Fighting fascists since 1941.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2023 06:34     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn't read the whole thread but I 98% agree with you, OP. I have always driven 2-door sedans with hatchbacks, including now. But the other 2% of me is seriously considering a small SUV for my next car because of my knee problems, so I can step or climb in rather than bend and twist my knee. Old age is rough. Does anyone know if they make SUV in standard shift?


What if you simply upgraded to a four dour sedan or small wagon (I recommend a Subaru Impreza, which is also available as a hybrid) rather than going all the way to SUV? I have really bad knees and our Impreza is very comfy to drive and I never feel cramped in there.

I don't know about standard shift though. I think it's just increasingly hard to find new cars that come as a standard at this point.


My Jeeps are all manuals. Not sure there are any others left that offer the option.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2023 06:19     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Spin off from the thread about the mom who doesn't want to be friends with other moms who drive SUVs. That thread got bogged down in other things, but so many of the responses on that thread were about justifying driving an SUV that I think it merits it's own thread.

An SUV is the least environmentally friendly choice you can make. Yes, even a hybrid SUV. If you can afford a hybrid SUV, you could also afford a hybrid sedan or station wagon. You should look critically at the size, weight, and fuel efficiency of every car you buy (if you must buy a car). SUVs are worse on all fronts. Don't buy SUVs.

SUVs are also significantly more dangerous to the general public than smaller vehicles. SUVs are more likely to kill pedestrians and cyclists because they suck the person under the vehicle and crush them.

People will argue that they buy an SUV because it's safer for them to drive in. And on it's surface, this seems reasonable. In a collision, being in the heavier, larger vehicle is always safer. But ask yourself where that ends. If you buy a Rav 4 so that you are safer in a collision with a Camry, then what do you do when everyone has Ran 4s? Buy a Tahoe? Where does this end? Does buying an SUV really keep you safer, or does it just up the ante for what safety in a vehicle looks like, forcing everyone to buy larger and larger vehicles for "safety"?

Alternatively, if you have to buy a car (and really ask if you have to, maybe you don't need a car, or maybe you don't need two cars for your family, maybe there are ways to get away with less of these), buy the smallest safe car you can reasonable fit your family in. Then try to dive it as little as possible.

Ok, you can all yell at me and tell me how much you love your SUVs now.


Quit telling other people how to spend their money. I love my SUVs because (1) I love to off-road, try that in a hybrid sedan, (2) I prefer a manual transmission and hate sports cars; (3) when the weather is nice, I can take the top and doors off.


You drive a MAGA car?
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2023 06:16     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:Spin off from the thread about the mom who doesn't want to be friends with other moms who drive SUVs. That thread got bogged down in other things, but so many of the responses on that thread were about justifying driving an SUV that I think it merits it's own thread.

An SUV is the least environmentally friendly choice you can make. Yes, even a hybrid SUV. If you can afford a hybrid SUV, you could also afford a hybrid sedan or station wagon. You should look critically at the size, weight, and fuel efficiency of every car you buy (if you must buy a car). SUVs are worse on all fronts. Don't buy SUVs.

SUVs are also significantly more dangerous to the general public than smaller vehicles. SUVs are more likely to kill pedestrians and cyclists because they suck the person under the vehicle and crush them.

People will argue that they buy an SUV because it's safer for them to drive in. And on it's surface, this seems reasonable. In a collision, being in the heavier, larger vehicle is always safer. But ask yourself where that ends. If you buy a Rav 4 so that you are safer in a collision with a Camry, then what do you do when everyone has Ran 4s? Buy a Tahoe? Where does this end? Does buying an SUV really keep you safer, or does it just up the ante for what safety in a vehicle looks like, forcing everyone to buy larger and larger vehicles for "safety"?

Alternatively, if you have to buy a car (and really ask if you have to, maybe you don't need a car, or maybe you don't need two cars for your family, maybe there are ways to get away with less of these), buy the smallest safe car you can reasonable fit your family in. Then try to dive it as little as possible.

Ok, you can all yell at me and tell me how much you love your SUVs now.


Quit telling other people how to spend their money. I love my SUVs because (1) I love to off-road, try that in a hybrid sedan, (2) I prefer a manual transmission and hate sports cars; (3) when the weather is nice, I can take the top and doors off.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2023 05:57     Subject: Re:S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Too late.
Anonymous
Post 02/15/2023 05:54     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn't read the whole thread but I 98% agree with you, OP. I have always driven 2-door sedans with hatchbacks, including now. But the other 2% of me is seriously considering a small SUV for my next car because of my knee problems, so I can step or climb in rather than bend and twist my knee. Old age is rough. Does anyone know if they make SUV in standard shift?


What if you simply upgraded to a four dour sedan or small wagon (I recommend a Subaru Impreza, which is also available as a hybrid) rather than going all the way to SUV? I have really bad knees and our Impreza is very comfy to drive and I never feel cramped in there.

I don't know about standard shift though. I think it's just increasingly hard to find new cars that come as a standard at this point.


I'm PP. I don't feel cramped once in the car, but getting into the car has made my knee problems worse. I would be open to a different sedan if it's considerably higher than my current Honda Civic. I have never owned an automatic car so that would be a big change but I guess I can't always have everything I want.


Automatic might be a good option anyway if you have knee problems.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 23:07     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What vehicle can hold 3 large dogs in crates, 2 kids, and 2 adults besides an suv or minivan? I would love a smaller car but it just doesn’t work. Are vans as horrible to you as suvs?


What other vehicle can accommodate 14 bags of groceries, a parakeet, two children, a guy we're giving a ride to the airport, and a coffin? I don't have a choice!


Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 19:15     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn't read the whole thread but I 98% agree with you, OP. I have always driven 2-door sedans with hatchbacks, including now. But the other 2% of me is seriously considering a small SUV for my next car because of my knee problems, so I can step or climb in rather than bend and twist my knee. Old age is rough. Does anyone know if they make SUV in standard shift?


What if you simply upgraded to a four dour sedan or small wagon (I recommend a Subaru Impreza, which is also available as a hybrid) rather than going all the way to SUV? I have really bad knees and our Impreza is very comfy to drive and I never feel cramped in there.

I don't know about standard shift though. I think it's just increasingly hard to find new cars that come as a standard at this point.


I'm PP. I don't feel cramped once in the car, but getting into the car has made my knee problems worse. I would be open to a different sedan if it's considerably higher than my current Honda Civic. I have never owned an automatic car so that would be a big change but I guess I can't always have everything I want.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 19:09     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What vehicle can hold 3 large dogs in crates, 2 kids, and 2 adults besides an suv or minivan? I would love a smaller car but it just doesn’t work. Are vans as horrible to you as suvs?


I would love a smaller car, but I've made a bunch of choices that necessitate a giant car. What can be done?!


Oops sorry, let me go back 10 years in time and not have my kids. And BRB, putting down my dogs.

You don’t actually care about people’s vehicles, you want everyone to live a life with 1 kid and no pets. Sorry, not reality.


So when you were adopting your third dog, did you at any point think "huh I wonder if this will impact things like what car we can drive, where we can live, etc.?" No one is asking you to go back in time but saying "I would love a smaller car" is disingenuous when you've made a bunch of choices that would make that impossible. You obviously would not love a smaller car. You have structured your life so that you have no other options.

People who value a small carbon footprint purposefully make choices to make that possible. They have fewer kids. They choose to live in small homes near work rather than bigger homes further away. They deal with inconveniences. Because they value the small carbon footprint. But for a lot of people, making more environmental choices is like a theoretical want, not an actual value. Like "yes it would be great if I could make the environmental choice while making absolutely no compromises or adjustments to my life." That's meaningless. You simply want to be able to SAY you care about the environment without actually having to DO anything about it.


We got the 2nd and 3rd dog when my sister died and we inherited dog #2 and #3. Guess I could have dropped them at the shelter?

The point is, YOU DON'T KNOW people's lives. You just like to judge.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 19:06     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:Would be nice not to be so judgy. My family has SUVs because my sister’s wheelchair does not fit in a sedan. I am not driving her around all the time, but I do sometimes, and it’s a nightmare if we only had sedans.


This is a perfectly good reason to get a larger vehicle. But most people driving SUVs are not transporting someone with mobility issues. They just want a big car. If only peopel who really needed large vehicles got them, they'd be maybe 10-15% of the market, instead of 50%+ like they are now. For most people, it's about status, convenience, wanting to feel more imposing on the rode. Most people do not have a family member in a wheelchair.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 19:04     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn't read the whole thread but I 98% agree with you, OP. I have always driven 2-door sedans with hatchbacks, including now. But the other 2% of me is seriously considering a small SUV for my next car because of my knee problems, so I can step or climb in rather than bend and twist my knee. Old age is rough. Does anyone know if they make SUV in standard shift?


What if you simply upgraded to a four dour sedan or small wagon (I recommend a Subaru Impreza, which is also available as a hybrid) rather than going all the way to SUV? I have really bad knees and our Impreza is very comfy to drive and I never feel cramped in there.

I don't know about standard shift though. I think it's just increasingly hard to find new cars that come as a standard at this point.


You could get an Impreza with manual transmission at least as of last July if you wanted them lowest trim level. I didn't get one but it was an option at the dealer.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 19:02     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:I didn't read the whole thread but I 98% agree with you, OP. I have always driven 2-door sedans with hatchbacks, including now. But the other 2% of me is seriously considering a small SUV for my next car because of my knee problems, so I can step or climb in rather than bend and twist my knee. Old age is rough. Does anyone know if they make SUV in standard shift?


What if you simply upgraded to a four dour sedan or small wagon (I recommend a Subaru Impreza, which is also available as a hybrid) rather than going all the way to SUV? I have really bad knees and our Impreza is very comfy to drive and I never feel cramped in there.

I don't know about standard shift though. I think it's just increasingly hard to find new cars that come as a standard at this point.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 19:00     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What vehicle can hold 3 large dogs in crates, 2 kids, and 2 adults besides an suv or minivan? I would love a smaller car but it just doesn’t work. Are vans as horrible to you as suvs?


I would love a smaller car, but I've made a bunch of choices that necessitate a giant car. What can be done?!


Oops sorry, let me go back 10 years in time and not have my kids. And BRB, putting down my dogs.

You don’t actually care about people’s vehicles, you want everyone to live a life with 1 kid and no pets. Sorry, not reality.


So when you were adopting your third dog, did you at any point think "huh I wonder if this will impact things like what car we can drive, where we can live, etc.?" No one is asking you to go back in time but saying "I would love a smaller car" is disingenuous when you've made a bunch of choices that would make that impossible. You obviously would not love a smaller car. You have structured your life so that you have no other options.

People who value a small carbon footprint purposefully make choices to make that possible. They have fewer kids. They choose to live in small homes near work rather than bigger homes further away. They deal with inconveniences. Because they value the small carbon footprint. But for a lot of people, making more environmental choices is like a theoretical want, not an actual value. Like "yes it would be great if I could make the environmental choice while making absolutely no compromises or adjustments to my life." That's meaningless. You simply want to be able to SAY you care about the environment without actually having to DO anything about it.
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 18:59     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
I didn't read the whole thread but I 98% agree with you, OP. I have always driven 2-door sedans with hatchbacks, including now. But the other 2% of me is seriously considering a small SUV for my next car because of my knee problems, so I can step or climb in rather than bend and twist my knee. Old age is rough. Does anyone know if they make SUV in standard shift?
Anonymous
Post 02/14/2023 17:47     Subject: S/O SUVs are a bad environmental choice, plus they are more dangerous. Don't buy SUVs.
Would be nice not to be so judgy. My family has SUVs because my sister’s wheelchair does not fit in a sedan. I am not driving her around all the time, but I do sometimes, and it’s a nightmare if we only had sedans.