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My SUV has one great advantage, it's paid for. In many models a hybrid will cost you at least $10,000 dollars more. How many miles will you have to drive before you break even?
My wife will never get rid of her new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Its seats are more comfortable for her than any others and she just can't stand to get down low enough to get into the small cars. I also love riding in it, when she is driving and she won't let me drive it. She gets 20 mpg and makes me drive a 1999 Chevrolet Lumina that only gets 30 mpg. She won't even ride in the car because the seats aren't comfortable to her.
My SUV has one great advantage, it's paid for. In many models a hybrid will cost you at least $10,000 dollars more. How many miles will you have to drive before you break even?
It really depends on which model you get and when you got it. I have two hybrids (one is an SUV, the other a sedan). They were more expensive at the dealer than their non-hybrid variant. But once the IRS handed me my hybrid tax credit checks, the SUV was only $1500 more than the non-hybrid, and the sedan was actually cheaper!
Add on the state benefits, it helps. I like that I can drive in HOV lanes even when I'm the only driver. This lets me fly by the traffic during rush hour.
The only thing remaining is the hope that hybrids hold their resell value better... only time will tell.
My wife will never get rid of her new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Its seats are more comfortable for her than any others and she just can't stand to get down low enough to get into the small cars. I also love riding in it, when she is driving and she won't let me drive it. She gets 20 mpg and makes me drive a 1999 Chevrolet Lumina that only gets 30 mpg. She won't even ride in the car because the seats aren't comfortable to her.
Nope, I guess we won't be trading that one soon.
I like the JGC also, and may get one in the future. Had one before I bought the Lexus in '03. Can't stand the look of the Prius and similar-looking hybrids.
Would you class a Land Rover Discovery as an SUV? If so, it’s not practical for me to get rid of it. If you think your fuel prices are high, just look at the UK, but that’s irrelevant.
I can’t fit all the things I carry in an ordinary car, a normal car gets wrecked by the bad roads we have, plus, on the whole, it is a lot safer to travel in. It will probably last twice as long, if not longer than a normal car, so I class it as environmentally friendly on that count.
My car is paid for. It's a 2003 Chevy Malibu. Driving in the city I average 22 with AC and 24 without AC. On the highway I can get about 33 MPG. My wife drives a 2007 Chrysler Sebring with 2.4L engine. She averages 24 mpg city and well over 30 on the highway. We just plan our trips more wisely. Try using your cruise control locked in at the posted speed limit as much as possible, ensure your tires are properly inflated to vehicle recommendations (usually located inside the door frame or in owners' manual), avoid hard acceleration (pretend there's an egg between your foot and gas peddle), take your foot off the gas early to coast a ways before a stop sign or stop light, and plan your errands route with the errand's first stop the one furthest from home. You can also follow UPS's example and not make any left turns when running errands. Avoid drive thru banking and restaurants. There's a device you can install in your newer computer controlled vehicle called a scangage. There's other devices like it. It will tell you your real time MPG instead of your average MPG. The advantage of seeing your real time MPG is you can adjust your driving style to maximize your average MPG.
Makes you wonder how our parents managed without all the "stuff"
Simple, they either had a car with a huge trunk or they had a station wagon. I hope station wagons will become more popular with families again. There are some very nice looking wagons out there made by Audi and Acura.
So you are telling me that its the GOP and Bush writing legislation requiring car companies to make box cars that you'll get crushed in if you get hit in an accident?
CAFE regulations were signed into law in 1975. So unless you're telling us that Ford wasn't a Republican ...
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Originally Posted by chielgirl
My friend loves her Fit. She said she fit 4 toilets in it (I didn't ask for details!).
LOL! I hauled a sofa and and end table in a Ford Escort, and an oversized wing chair and its ottoman home in a Honda Civic.
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Originally Posted by desertdetroiter
Again, SUV's and Pickups being used for utility purposes is a MAJOR exception. They are "pick up the kids and groceries" vehicles for the most part.
My neighbor uses hers to drive four blocks to work.
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Originally Posted by evilnewbie
Lame, lumbering, and pathetic?? Apparently you never driven an SUV...
Oh, but I have. I dunno about lame and pathetic, but lumbering definitely so. "Nimble" is not their middle name.
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Originally Posted by pghquest
Wrong.. I can fit 9 full bins of mail in the back of an Explorer with the 3rd row seats up
No problem for my Mazda 3 hatchback! Neither would your plywood example pose a problem.
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Originally Posted by pghquest
Backup this claim.. Give me ONE scenario where a SUV driver and a Prias driver are in the same accident, and the prias driver ends up safer.. JUST ONE..
Easy. The SUV is more likely to roll over than the Prius.
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Originally Posted by Jaggy001
Makes you wonder how our parents managed without all the "stuff"
We managed just fine! We had a mid-size sedan, and with Mom, Dad, two kids, and our luggage, gifts for family members, and the occasional cousin, we had room to spare.
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Originally Posted by pghquest
Cell phones, laptops, car seats, car dvd players, psp's, GPS systems, ebook readers etc.
None of that takes up enough room to justify an SUV ...
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None of that takes up enough room to justify an SUV ...
