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I drive over to Trader Joe's or get some coffee at Starbucks I see a good amount of hybrids, mini cars, and compacts.
When I drove down to Walmart or swing by McDonalds all I see is big SUVs, trucks, and more big cars.
I was looking over at a woman in an Escalade and her 3 kids sitting inside arguing with no seat belts on. Forget how her kids are behaving, I was thinking about her $80+ fuel fill-ups. I can't even imagine spending over $100/month on gas for my Prius.
What did you use to determine the net worth of the people that you see at a starbucks of a mcdonalds? I don't drink anything that you could get at a Starbucks. I don't even drink the household cleaner that many of you call Coke that you can find at a Mc Donalds. We don't shop at Trader Joes because I have yet to see anything I can get there that I can't get somewhere else cheaper. Does that mean I am poor? No it means I like retaining my money. We make into the 6 figures and plan on keeping as much of our money as we can. I am currently driving a 2003 Chevy Astro Van that is paid off. It does like to drink fuel though. Still it is much cheaper to keep driving it then to have a car payment. We plan on paying cash for our next truck, a Honda Pilot that my wife wants.
Here is my take on Hybrids. They cost a lot of money, are not good for the environment, and do not have a lot of value. If you want a car with a lower carbon footprint then buy a big truck.
A ford bronco was also a F-150 with 2 rows of back seats were the bed of the pickup would be, and you could remove the top if you wanted to.
I get what you are saying but a Ford Bronco only had one bench seat in the back. It was not as long as a full size truck. The body of the Bronco was not devided with a cab and bed like a F series truck was.
I drive over to Trader Joe's or get some coffee at Starbucks I see a good amount of hybrids, mini cars, and compacts.
When I drove down to Walmart or swing by McDonalds all I see is big SUVs, trucks, and more big cars.
I was looking over at a woman in an Escalade and her 3 kids sitting inside arguing with no seat belts on. Forget how her kids are behaving, I was thinking about her $80+ fuel fill-ups. I can't even imagine spending over $100/month on gas for my Prius.
For one thing, rich folks don't need SUV's because they don't have as many kids as poor people, or they can afford small hybrids because their kids are grown up now.
For another, why do you assume a woman with misbehaving kids is poor because she drives a gas-guzzling Escalade? You should look up the price of an Escalade.
No you put the cattle in a livestock trailer and tow the trailer with you expedition you can get a tow package because it's on a pickup chaise. Because its a F-150 with a top and seats were the bed is on a pickup truck. Dodge made the Ramcharger and the 3/4 ton pickup truck on the same line. Check your facts on how the SUV evolved. A ford bronco was also a F-150 with 2 rows of back seats were the bed of the pickup would be, and you could remove the top if you wanted to.
How would that work with firewood? Which is my second business. I'm not dragging a trailer on jeep trails. If I wanted an "SUV" that bad I'd put on a camper shell but I don't so it's a truck to throw stuff into the back without worry of getting carpet dirty.
I had an Expedition and towing with it got scary, wheelbase is too short and you can't stuff much firewood in it. If people don't have room for trailer do they just park it on the street? My go to vehicle is a 1 ton truck. It sits in the driveway until I need it as I ride my tri-bike to work on a 1.8 mile commute. I bet I spend less that most people do on fuel with a 4 popper.
Its the same reason poor people aren't economical in other ways, they can't afford it
Ok, I can buy an extra-large bottle of Tide, at XXXcents/oz. It might last a couple of months. But someone just getting by, check-to-check, can't afford to buy a giant bottle of Tide when that's a huge percentage of their money. So, they buy the smallest/cheapest bottle available, and....it just goes on. Also, many poor don't have adequate transportation, and must walk or take the bus, they buy the items they can carry, not necessarily the cheapest for the long run.
So, a fuel-efficient car probably costs more to begin with. Large, gas guzzlers are not the most desirable, so, sell cheaper as used cars. We just bought a used car, a Honda Accord, which is in excellent condition and great on gas. There are cheaper cars on CL, but they aren't as efficient. For us, the extra few hundred dollars was no problem, but for someone without much, perhaps all they can afford is a clunker, which beats taking the bus.
I drive over to Trader Joe's or get some coffee at Starbucks I see a good amount of hybrids, mini cars, and compacts.
When I drove down to Walmart or swing by McDonalds all I see is big SUVs, trucks, and more big cars.
I was looking over at a woman in an Escalade and her 3 kids sitting inside arguing with no seat belts on. Forget how her kids are behaving, I was thinking about her $80+ fuel fill-ups. I can't even imagine spending over $100/month on gas for my Prius.
I can't even imagine myself owning a Prius
Why do rich people shop at Walmart when they have plenty of money? Why do rich people shop at thrift stores? Why why why why
Yep my Tahoe takes about $65-90 to fill the 30 gallon tank. I think i can fit a Prius in the back come to think of it and tow like 10 of them
I drive over to Trader Joe's or get some coffee at Starbucks I see a good amount of hybrids, mini cars, and compacts.
When I drove down to Walmart or swing by McDonalds all I see is big SUVs, trucks, and more big cars.
I was looking over at a woman in an Escalade and her 3 kids sitting inside arguing with no seat belts on. Forget how her kids are behaving, I was thinking about her $80+ fuel fill-ups. I can't even imagine spending over $100/month on gas for my Prius.
I am not poor, but let me say this. I cannot even imagine putting my family into a Prius from a safety standpoint. That is especially true with so many large SUV's and trucks on the road.
That said, hybrids are typically more expensive in up front costs. Depending on how much extra you paid for them, and their respective fuel efficiency, I have read reports that it could take 10 years just to break even compared with other smaller cars.
Lastly, you drive what you can afford. Clearly those of us pumping $100+ per fill up in a large truck/SUV can afford it.
I have one of the biggest on the road, and need it for transporting large numbers of people, cargo, towing capacity, etc. I also like it because I am 6' 7" and would feel like sardine in a puny Prius.
Its the same reason poor people aren't economical in other ways, they can't afford it
Ok, I can buy an extra-large bottle of Tide, at XXXcents/oz. It might last a couple of months. But someone just getting by, check-to-check, can't afford to buy a giant bottle of Tide when that's a huge percentage of their money. So, they buy the smallest/cheapest bottle available, and....it just goes on. Also, many poor don't have adequate transportation, and must walk or take the bus, they buy the items they can carry, not necessarily the cheapest for the long run.
So, a fuel-efficient car probably costs more to begin with. Large, gas guzzlers are not the most desirable, so, sell cheaper as used cars. We just bought a used car, a Honda Accord, which is in excellent condition and great on gas. There are cheaper cars on CL, but they aren't as efficient. For us, the extra few hundred dollars was no problem, but for someone without much, perhaps all they can afford is a clunker, which beats taking the bus.
I think I'm pretty poor because I can't afford Tide at all. I buy Awesome from the 99centsOnly Store.
The bargain used vehicles are the ones with poor gas mileage. Insurance on these beasts is usually cheaper too. You buy what you can afford. People who can always scrape up $20 for gas don't necessarily have 5K extra to buy a car that gets a few more MPG. Because I'm poor, I don't drive all that much, but the price of the vehicle and it's projected remaining lifespan is more important to me than MPG. I'm happy to have a car!
You can never safely assume anything about a person based on the car they drive. I have known many people who were pretty well off and chose to drive clunkmobiles. After all how smart is it to spend 35K on something that will be worth 5K in 10 years? If it's still running at all... I lived in Minnesota for years where people routinely garage their real cars over the Winter and drive a 'beater' during the snowy months. For several years I worked in a 'bad' part of Houston. There were times when we would see cars being stolen in our parking lot. Maybe the cops would show up and maybe not. I knew my car was safe. I drove a '63 Rambler, 3 speed on the column. Even if someone wanted to steal it, they probably didn't know how to drive it!
There are all sorts of reasons why people drive what they drive!
I graduated from college in 1979, and needed a car after I got a job. This was during the second gas crisis. Economical used cars were simply not available. The lots were full of large gas guzzlers. My first car was a 1975 Chevrolet Impala. The small block Chevrolets of that era had camshaft wear problems. I got 8 mpg in town, 14 mpg on the highway.
After I got a better job and moved back home for 6 years, I was able to pay cash for new cars. I bought subcompacts which got good mileage. Now I own a Toyota Tacoma 4 cylinder 4WD. It gets 17-21 mpg, which is still a lot better than the Impala. In this land of winter after horrible winter of unrelenting snow and bitter cold, the 4WD is well worth the extra gas.
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