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When I was a kid, my parents had a '73 Nova, 2 door no less, then when we became a 2-car family, my mom got an '83 Chevy Celebrity. Dad, mom, 3 kids, we fit fine, fought, but fit fine. Hell, the Nova was replaced with a Pontiac T-1000 (basically a Chevette), and when the other car was in the shop, we all shoehorned into that. I can even remember an instance where we had to borrow my uncle's 70 VW beetle!
Now my wife an I have an Impala & a Town & Country. We 'needed' the van I'm sure. Only plus I really see is we can tow the camper without having to borrow my fathers jeep.
My Husband's co-worker grew up in italy , anyway they had a fiat Mille-cento. Very small car and used to squeeze 6 people into it on the way to the beach. It's like one of those clown cars. LOL
It comes down to needs, wants and personal choices.
SUV is to raising kids ... as fine china is to serving good pizza... , i.e. somewhat irrelevant.
SUV is a want and a personal choice, not a need. Even indoor plumbing is not a need per se. But there are some perks of civilization that we all embrace .
The SUV-kids connection is really something very suburban.
I grew up in a city and went everywhere by walking, biking or public transportation. Since I was/am the opposite of a soccer mom, my poor kids had to find creative solutions in the suburban setting. They turned out OK.
It's an amusing sight to see young moms balancing 2-3 kids plus an umbrella on a bicycle in Japan. I was very impressed. That's an extreme.
We did a cross-country road trip some years ago, with teenagers, in a mid-size sedan... I thought, we may kill each other...considering the time spent together in the small space. But turned out to be one of the best and most memorable trips.
I think is important to have the freedom to choose whatever suits you best. What we actually need is amazingly little.
I don't disagree with any of that. But I still like the convenience of a larger vehicle.
There were no seatbelt laws when we were kids. Nor car seat laws. Try to fit 3 kids who are required to be in car seats, booster seats, or some combo thereof in the backseat of a Camry, Accord, etc and see how well it goes.
There were no seatbelt laws when we were kids. Nor car seat laws. Try to fit 3 kids who are required to be in car seats, booster seats, or some combo thereof in the backseat of a Camry, Accord, etc and see how well it goes.
It's not impossible but only with certain types of car seats and even then you're probably not getting the seats in correctly.
Could all of these car seat laws actually be the work of the evil auto industry?
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Based on what the OP asked I would have to say street parking and those who let their leaves go everywhere before they even consider raking. As for the car stories I remember no seat belts and sitting on the hot vinal seat in the back of a 69 Impala without a/c! My kids would have mutinied but we suffered in silence.. For todays drivers the best I ever heard was buy a car that meets your daily needs, why buy a tank if you only need the room for vacation or visitors. It's far easier to rent when needed we do it rather than drive a van all the time, beside I like my pick-em-up truck...
People who speed on residential streets. Speed limit is 30 not 60mph! Also jerk drivers who nearly run me off the road if I am out walking my dog/ running/ biking with my kid.
I can't stand that either. Many a time I turn onto my street and some jackwad (and for some reason they are always in a pickup truck) rides up my bumper expecting me to speed up. What if there were kids or people walking pets around?
One of these days I should just slam on my brakes. I may damage my car but guess who'll be paying for it?
It's not impossible but only with certain types of car seats and even then you're probably not getting the seats in correctly.
Could all of these car seat laws actually be the work of the evil auto industry?
Well, indirectly, if you consider the fact that the advent of airbags put the kibosh on people putting their baby's car seat in the front seat. Airbags are deadly for babies and kids (and short passengers) as a few unfortunate souls found out. I remember my oldest nieces and nephews riding around in the front seat as soon as they came home from the hospital.
If you really want to know State Farm and CHOP did a years-long study of the effectiveness of car seats in autos, starting in the late 1990s. THose of us who worked for the Farm back then had to help collect the data. I think it was over the course of 3-5 years in 14 states. The data has led to the knowledge that is used to make car seats and laws that govern their use today.
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It comes down to needs, wants and personal choices.
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