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I currently drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee which I bought new in 2005. Since it only has 56,000 miles on it I will be holding on to it for a while longer. When it does come time to replace it there is a good chance I will get another Grand Cherokee. However now that I live somewhere that does not get much winter I could consider a smaller SUV or AWD vehicle.
Bought a Dodge Journey back in 2010. Can't wait for it to be paid off! I hate the thing! It's so damn uncomfortable for long trips. I am planning on upgrading to a Chevy Tahoe or Suburban. We want to get a camper so I will need something that can tow. We also need a lot more space. Dog crates take up quite a bit of room. We also bring half of our belongings with us on vacation when we rent cabins/houses. The roof rack can only hold so much. The huge SUV will be great for trips to Depot and Lowe's as well.
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.
A Taurus SHO is twice the cost of a standard Taurus. Thank you for proving my point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
I would never not own an SUV.
Too useful.
My cars get worse gas mileage than my SUV.
Cars do not get worse gas mileage than your SUV, unless you consider a Prius V an SUV. Cars will always get better fuel economy than SUV's due to height and weight. This is physics.
Last edited by Opin_Yunated; 05-13-2014 at 03:16 PM..
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.
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.
No, I'm right. I'm basing my argument on logic and math, not first person anecdotes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostnip
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.
My argument was never that SUVs have no benefit... my argument was the benefits that an SUV has over a hatchback or pick up are too few and too rare to justify the cost for an overwhelming amount of Americans. I'd wager 9 out of 10 Americans never need to use the "ground clearance" of an SUV on a consistent basis. How often does the average American family drive off-road? Don't worry I'll wait.
Cars and hatchbacks have a backseat also. They fit five passengers plus cargo.
I live in the snowbelt and I'm the first to tell anyone that SUV's height is is a complete waste of money. Off-road use is the only benefit. Most vehicles simply never leave roads.
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.
Work is a different animal. But then it clasifies as a work vehicle and can be treated as such on your taxes.
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.
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.
You realize that although you may not be speaking for "all people", you are speaking for a whole lot of people, most of whom don't share your values. Don't get me wrong, they don't share my values either. Values are very personal and subjective. You might think the comfort of first class air travel justifies the extra cost, while another person might not. I might think that indoor plumbing is worth the extra cost while you might be fine with a outhouse. As I said, I use my SUV to the fullest many times per year, but even if I only used it occasionally it may still be worth it to ME.
I don't have a problem with the statements you are making. I have a problem with the way you are phrasing them. You seem to be under the impression that everyone shares your values, and if they don't, they should.
Cars do not get worse gas mileage than your SUV, unless you consider a Prius V an SUV. Cars will always get better fuel economy than SUV's due to height and weight. This is physics.
Ha. Go look up the specs on a Dodge Viper or a Bentley Turbo R for gas mileage and tell me that cars always get better gas mileage than SUVs!
There are plenty of large engined, heavy cars that get far worse gas mileage than an SUV.
You realize that although you may not be speaking for "all people", you are speaking for a whole lot of people, most of whom don't share your values. Don't get me wrong, they don't share my values either. Values are very personal and subjective. You might think the comfort of first class air travel justifies the extra cost, while another person might not. I might think that indoor plumbing is worth the extra cost while you might be fine with a outhouse. As I said, I use my SUV to the fullest many times per year, but even if I only used it occasionally it may still be worth it to ME.
I don't have a problem with the statements you are making. I have a problem with the way you are phrasing them. You seem to be under the impression that everyone shares your values, and if they don't, they should.
No, I'm not under the impression everyone shares my values. Quite the contrary. I'm speaking from an analytical standpoint. The most efficient practical vehicle to buy is a compact sedan or wagon / hatchback. Most Americans simply don't use their vehicles for anything other than basic errands and personal commuting. I don't even own a basic compact car myself, to prove your point. I can acknowledge that practicality is not what people are after when making vehicle purchases. Most Americans are flat out wasting their money buying SUVs. There is very little that an SUV does that a hatchback doesn't do better. People just get amnesia and forget that cars / hatchbacks can tow additional items with a trailer in the rare cases that the "extra cargo room" is needed.
How many times is your SUV actually full? What is the percentage of trips? Anyone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr
Ha. Go look up the specs on a Dodge Viper or a Bentley Turbo R for gas mileage and tell me that cars always get better gas mileage than SUVs!
There are plenty of large engined, heavy cars that get far worse gas mileage than an SUV.
Read a physics book, then compare a car and SUV with the same engine. Every automaker has a sedan and SUV sharing one of their engines. The sedan always wins in the fuel economy comparison.
No, I'm not under the impression everyone shares my values. Quite the contrary. I'm speaking from an analytical standpoint. The most efficient practical vehicle to buy is a compact sedan or wagon / hatchback. Most Americans simply don't use their vehicles for anything other than basic errands and personal commuting. I don't even own a basic compact car myself, to prove your point. I can acknowledge that practicality is not what people are after when making vehicle purchases. Most Americans are flat out wasting their money buying SUVs. There is very little that an SUV does that a hatchback doesn't do better. People just get amnesia and forget that cars / hatchbacks can tow additional items with a trailer in the rare cases that the "extra cargo room" is needed.
How many times is your SUV actually full? What is the percentage of trips? Anyone?
20ish. More if you consider both directions of a trip as separate times. Enough for me to gladly pay the extra money to not have to deal with trailers and roof racks.
You are wrong about snow. Have you ever been called to work at 3AM during a bad snowstorm before the roads have been plowed? I have. My wife's car would never make it. I don't know what you do for a living, but I can't afford to NOT be able to get there. Someone's life literally depends on it, so even though it may only happen once a year or so, that one time means everything.
Read a physics book, then compare a car and SUV with the same engine. Every automaker has a sedan and SUV sharing one of their engines. The sedan always wins in the fuel economy comparison.
is right.
Come back in 2016 when Bentley produces an SUV, or when Dodge decides to stick their V10 Viper engine into an SUV. So far, neither has happened.
A Taurus SHO is twice the cost of a standard Taurus. Thank you for proving my point.
As my Edge was considerably more expensive than a standard Edge.
Lookie here; you do what you want with your dough and I'll do what I want with mine. You can keep your school marmish, neo-Puritanical, self righteous finger wagging to yourself.
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