Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When the wife's 2007 Durango 4x4 5.7 Limited dies (currently has 106k miles, bullet proof so far), I'll replace it with a 15+ Yukon Denali XL. Gotta wait for them to get below $40K, so have a few years. Might be interested in the new Expedition with EcoBoost. The Explorer Sport also interests me, just wish it had HIDs for a $50K car. I hear in stock form they have a lot of torque steer when going WOT, AWD doesn't kick in fast enough.
You don't think safety is important? I (and probably the majority of drivers) would disagree with you. Vision is essential in the safe operation of a vehicle. Anything I can do to enhance mine is worthwhile. Also, I don't buy new $40000+ SUVs. My three ranged in price from $7000-$15000. I don't ever buy new cars; too much depreciation to be a good investment in my view.
Cars now are extremely safe. I don't think the "safety difference" (I don't think there is one with the increased rollover probability) is worth paying 50-100% more in purchase price, tire / wheel size, more frequent brake replacement, etc. and horrid gas mileage over the life of the vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks
That all depends on your use of your vehicle. My husband uses his vehicle for his work. Hauling that kind of weight isn't unusual at all for him.
Work is a different animal. But then it clasifies as a work vehicle and can be treated as such on your taxes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merc63
I noticed you didn't respond to my response to you. Smart. Because your argument doesn't hold water for everyone and you ought to know it.
I drive a hatchback PHEV every day to work and for errand running around town. But I use the Suburban for towing and carrying large items, like the sofa and loveseat i recently purchased. Won't fit in any hatchback I know, nor will any hatchback I know tow my 30 ft travel trailer. And a pickup is no more economical than the Suburban, and less practical for carrying people when I need to carry people AND stuff.
My argument is pretty straightforward. The situations where people actually "need" SUVs are too few to justify their huge price difference over a standard car or hatch. Those rare occasions can be served by investing in a roof rack, hitch, trailor, or renting an SUV for $50 on the day you need that extra utility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD
We go to Vermont almost every weekend in the winter. You try fitting 5 pairs of ski boots, 5 pairs of skis, and enough clothes for 5 people to wear 3 layers each per day into a hatchback. My family spends the summer at the beach, which means I have to transport a summer's worth of stuff for 5 people out there. That's not just all the clothes for 5 people, but 5 bicycles, guitars, computers, and all the other stuff that they use. I often plant large bushes and small trees, which need dirt and mulch, and compost. This wouldn't fit in a hatchback. I use it enough that I don't want to be hassled with a trailer or a roof rack.
Then there is the ground clearance issue. I sometimes need to drive in very deep snow. How am I going to do that in a hatchback? An SUV combines the best of both a hatchback and a pickup.
They can be useful in certain situations. My main argument was that the insane cost premium of an SUV won't justify the limited use for most people. You would be surprised what a car or hatchback can fit with a roof rack, hitch and small trailer. Like I said, financially it is usually worth just renting the SUV for the day.
EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not speaking for all people... SUV's make sense for certain lifestyles (namely heavy towing, off road, etc). However, the average driver of an SUV in this country doesn't use the extra utility enough to justify the purchase from a sound financial analysis.
Last edited by Opin_Yunated; 05-12-2014 at 02:08 PM..
My argument is pretty straightforward. The situations where people actually "need" SUVs are too few to justify their huge price difference over a standard car or hatch. Those rare occasions can be served by investing in a roof rack, hitch, trailor, or renting an SUV for $50 on the day you need that extra utility.
Simply put, you're wrong. With the SUV owned, I can use it at any time, don't have to rent anything and deal with the hassles of renting (credit card deposits, making sure the rental agency has one, etc. And at $70-100 a day for an SUV rental, I can OWN mine for less per month than renting one every time I need it during the month). I can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood in it one weekend and go towing my 30 ft travel trailer the next, for less cost than renting one ONCE.
Quote:
They can be useful in certain situations. My main argument was that the insane cost premium of an SUV won't justify the limited use for most people. You would be surprised what a car or hatchback can fit with a roof rack, hitch and small trailer. Like I said, financially it is usually worth just renting the SUV for the day.
No, it's not.
And again, MY Suburban only cost me $6500. THat's not an "insane cost premium" and in fact it makes no sense NOT to own it.
My argument is pretty straightforward. The situations where people actually "need" SUVs are too few to justify their huge price difference over a standard car or hatch.
The cars I like cost as much as my Edge (which as I've said, I consider a car anyway). When we bought the Edge there was a black Taurus SHO on the floor that cost the same as the Edge we bought. Hard choice.
Now driving: Chevy Equinox, 100,000 miles over 6 years, trouble free, really like it.
Next vehicle: AWD Audi A3 Cabriolet OR 2015 4 wd Chevrolet Colorado (new midsize truck) OR 2015 Jeep Renegade (baby jeep) OR 2015 Chevy Trax AWD (baby SUV). I want a convertible, and I want AWD. So I'm buying that Audi or settling for something else on the list.
No hatchback has the cargo room of any large SUV. In fact, when you take out the third row, you have almost double the cargo space of most hatchbacks. Hatchbacks lack the ground clearance of an SUV too.
This.
This is why I drive a 5.7L Jeep instead of a WRX STi.
I've owned at least 2 vehicles for most of my life. In college I had my 93 mustang steeda, an 84 F150 raised with huge 51s that i used for doing side jobs and hauling my drag bikes down to Englishtown. After college I had an old suburban and a corolla. Then a maxima and a little Ranger 4x4. When I got married I had a 06 Denali, the horrible looking but still running strong corolla, my Acura Legend Show car and three motorcycles. Now divorced and rebuilding from the bottom up I have a 2002 Yukon, my hyundai commuter car and my Yamaha Turbo Warrior drag bike.
As much of a city boy as I was (Elizabeth NJ) I have always found use and need for a truck. <$100 month for liability Insurance and $60-70/year for registration is MUCH cheaper than renting vehicles every few weeks for my needs.
I wouldn't mind consolidating to a shortbed crewcab as a DD if I didn't do over 100 miles a day commuting. But for now I like 30mpg for work. If the current Yukon ever dies I'll be looking for another but XL (suburban) as a replacement.
While im sure these little wannabe trucks (Escape, Rav4, RX, CRV, SanteFe, X3, X5, Tiguan, etc little SUVs) serve their purpose, such as someone wanting the room of a hatchback but with 4x4, I will always need/want more than what they can handle. I over loaded my little ranger so many times I had to replace the suspension twice in the 4 years I had it.
If you never haul things on a regular basis. If you never go on trails or true "off roading" (the gravel road at the state park once a year doesn't count). If you've never gotten stuck in mud/snow/ruts deep enough to swallow small children, ON PURPOSE. If you never have a need to pack a box truck worth of stuff with you when you go away for 2 months at a time....maybe you don't need a truck or suv. Thats fine, you do what you need to do to make your life better.....me, I need a truck in my life.
I want the Acura MDX (2014+), and I'll probably buy one in 2018 when I'm done with school. Acura's adaptive cruise control w/ stop-n-go is probably one of the best on the market. I actually prefer the RDX, but it doesn't have ACC. Hopefully, when I'm done with school, Acura will add the ACC feature to the RDX's.
ETA: I also like the MB's GLK and the VW Touareg. My dream SUV is the Porsche Cayenne.
If you currently own an SUV do you expect to eventually replace it with a car or another truck type vehicle?
As much as I hate paying for gas, I can't imagine myself going back to a car and definately not a van.
I might be willing to consider a small 4x4 pickup truck though.
Inspite of all SUV bashing that goes on they are really quite practical for some lifestyles.
I drive to somewhat remote offroad areas fairly often and its nice to drive something that can easily handle that.
The only real downside I have encountered is the fuel consumption.
I would never not own an SUV.
Too useful.
My cars get worse gas mileage than my SUV.
What does an SUV do that a hatchback or pick up truck doesn't do better?
Hatchbacks have the same cargo room and better fuel economy, pick up trucks have more utility, power, and towing capacity.
SUV has a back seat and was less expensive and more fuel-efficient than a comparable pickup, and had the ground clearance and towing capacity I needed but a hatchback would not provide.
So yeah. Benefits of both in one vehicle with one car payment and one insurance payment. Pretty simple decision, that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
