Do you drive a large SUV? Why?

[UdoKier]

Poll question: Do you drive a large SUV? Why?

Do you drive a large SUV? Why?

[last1standing]

1. I chose "other" because while I drive a Hyundai Tiburon....

I bought my wife the Hyundai Sante Fe. It's a small SUV with good mileage and it's been very useful in hauling the supplies we need to fix up our house, driving our nieces around, and getting around during the worst of the snow days here in Michigan.

I can't say that I regret either choice as we use my small car for driving around town and for my my generally long commutes for work. We use the Sante Fe for the reasons stated above and for her very short commute to work. It's worked out very well for us.

[UdoKier]

2. I did qualify LARGE SUV.

I've seen some smaller SUV's that were not so high and looked like they might get 25 mpg highway.

Personally, I would prefer the minivans for space. I just don't care for the high position.

[last1standing]

3. I notice the qualifier. That's why I voted "other".

But I've noticed some people don't get the distintion between a Sante Fe and a Hummer. It's all good. :)

[slackmaster]

4. Medium-size SUV

It's just big enough to fit a clothes dryer in the back (which it will probably be doing this weekend). :eyes:

[PowerToThePeople]

5. Other

I drive an old Triumph Spitfire, not realy a "normal" car.

[DRoseDARs]

6. Yes, because of weather... (If Ford Explorers count as "Large")

Reno, Nevada does get snow in the winter, and this season we've received a great deal more snow than we typically get. I need the 4-wheel drive for what little extra control it gives on snow/ice (one still needs to take it slow and easy in wet conditions; never fall into the trap of believing 4x4's have super-duper abilities) and also the clearance from the bottom of the vehicle to the top of what snow has fallen. Few things worse than bottoming-out your vehicle and getting stuck, much worse than simply getting a wheel stuck.

[Billy Ruffian]

16. Two rules of 4 wheel drive

1. 4 wheel drive only goes better. It doesn't stop better.
2. The better your 4 wheel drive, the further out you get stuck

No 4x4 here. 13 yr old minivan (198,000 miles, and going strong) 2.5 yr old sedan. 5 yr old civic for the offspring

[UdoKier]

25. Yes, there is a real reason in suburban south Florida too.

Since most of the suburbs west of US-1 in Dade and Broward counties are basically flat, drained swampland, there is a tendency for many neighborhoods to flood with up to a foot of water whenever there is a torrential rain, so an SUV would be advisable there (but personally, I'd rather just live where it doesn't flood.

[BrainRants]

7. If Jeep is a large SUVm yes. Green Bay gets snow.

4x4 helps wife and kids stay mobile during winter months, and we often head north to find more snow (you warm state folks probably think that's crazy, I agree!) Sometimes front wheel drive just isn't enough.

[Kukesa]

21. We tow a boat with our 1996 Jeep. n/t

[Scout]

37. we love our 1998 Grand Cherokee

bought it used in 2001. Haul stuff, big dogs, go camping with lots of stuff and dogs, will be hauling a canoe/kayak on top when we get one this summer, go "up north" Michigan to the cabin for more snow fun....

does this count as large SUV? I don't think so... and I don't like minivans... even before I had the jeep I didn't care for minivans.

[BrainRants]

54. We have an anti-minivan clause in our marriage!

We have a 2000 Grand Cherokee, love it in the snow! Have had it off road a few times (just to say we did) and it's a great SUV!

Although the new Dodge Magnum has me lookin' at station wagons again!
http://www.dodge.com/magnum/

[mhr]

8. Bought And Paid For - Purchased It To Tow A Trailer

No reason to spend ever more resources for an automobile when this one is still serviceable.

[Historic NY]

15. Me too and mine is 5yrs old........I use it more during the winter thou...

00-GMC has more than enough room to haul my crap too.

[mhr]

29. 98 Isuzu Rodeo Here - It Still Runds Well - No Reason To Waste

Resources another vehicle.

I will consume less oil driving it for the remainder of its life than the embedded oil from manufacturing of a new purchase.

[midnight armadillo]

39. This is a key point

I will consume less oil driving it for the remainder of its life than the
embedded oil from manufacturing of a new purchase.


This is something that's not considered often enough - driving someone else's old car is much more environmentally friendly than going out and buying a new hybrid.

Both our cars are used. One Subaru wagon ('98, 106k miles), and a 2001 Saab 9-5 wagon, 55k miles. I plan on 300k miles on the saab.

[mhr]

58. Yes, Buying Used Is Environmentally Friendly

The embedded energy used during manufacturing is much greater than the fuel cost to operate the vehicle over its useful life.

[jdots]

9. We had a huge sloburban for years as a work truck

It got about 15 m.p.g. if you drove like an old putz but was full of tools,gear.art stuff,p.a.gear and could hold 7 adults to shlep to peace marches. Most suburbans i see are driven by one mommy on a cell phone holding a designer water bottle and a big mac going to yoga class.Why the pimped out 24 inch rims & tires and loud exhaust systems ? because they voted for a pig turd.

[doodadem]

47. Yes--I drive a big truck by necessity

I drive a one ton Chevy dually truck. We have a ranch up in rural Sierra Nevadas, and need to haul hay, shavings/bedding, all kinds of things. Also haul a horse trailer on occasion. Couldn't do without it.
However, my office is in my home, so no commute. The dually goes to town (40 miles away), maybe once a week, for supplies. And it actually gets decent gas mileage--22-26 mpg on the highway.

[Swamp Rat]

10. Nope: Bike, car (40 mpg), and streetcar (trolley) in that order.

[orpupilofnature57]

11. Other:I drive a KIA, a small car, hoping to give the false impression

I have a large penis.

[Tim4319]

13. LOL.....

......That's a little T.M.I.!

[orpupilofnature57]

14. Sorry, i was trying to be under pretentious, bad joke

[scarlet_owl]

12. No. There is absolutely no reason for me to have one.

My footprints on this earth are big enough.

[hollowdweller]

17. I drive a Nissan 4cyl truck and my wife 4cyl Focus we have a 8cyl F150

We use to haul livestock, hay and gravel. After my Subaru went belly up I was driving the F150 every day to work (40 miles one way) but felt so guilty about it I bought the Nissan. I use it to haul stuff too. It gets good mileage and is 4wd, which we need sometimes here.

[American Tragedy]

18. No, but I do understand that some people genuinely need them.

I know individuals who use them for navigating terrain, for carpooling, for carrying heavy freight, etc.

I'm not so ignorant as to generalize all people who own them as being freepers.

[WillowTree]

19. Nope

I just don't like 'em.

I also don't need one.

[BiggJawn]

20. A little bitty Ford Ranger.

I can haul a yard of mulch, or 3 bicycles, or a couch, or a whole day's worth of yard sale finds.....
And it gets miles-per-gallons, not gallons-per-mile like the H-2 Penis Augmentor.

[Bunny]

22. Yet another *justify your vehicle* thread.

Yawn...

[Walt Starr]

50. Yep, justify your vehicle, house, the restaurant you eat at, the store you

shop at.

And when you boil it all down, it's just so much bullshit for making somebody feel "hgolier than thou" just like the fundie freepers do.

:eyes:

It pisses me off, too. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to rant it out.

[Bunny]

56. Gets kinda old, doesn't it?

The holier than thou crowd weighs in again. What always makes me chuckle is how people who respond feel that they have to justify what they drive. Why? :shrug:

[Walt Starr]

51. Yep, justify your vehicle, house, the restaurant you eat at, the store you

shop at.

And when you boil it all down, it's just so much bullshit for making somebody feel "hgolier than thou" just like the fundie freepers do.

:eyes:

It pisses me off, too. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to rant it out.

[parkia00]

23. Other

Have a 2004 Ford Ranger with a 2.5l turbo diesel engine. Really need it to carry stuff in the back to and from work sites. Can't really do that in a car!

[alexisfree]

33. funny advertisement....

lol....so this are the tranquilizers!!!!!! 10 pills 8 times a day ?

[infusionman]

24. I am a home health Nurse...

Sometimes I have to traverse some goat trails to get to my destinations.

In Winter, the 4X4 helps in all the snow.

I drive a jeep Cherokee when I have to. Otherwise I drive a Neon...Gets great gas mileage.

[sadiesworld]

40. We have the exact same combo...

a Jeep Cherokee and a Neon. Does your Neon give you fits? Ours always has some light going on or the speedometer crapping out. Yet it seems to run fine. Of course, we bought it used (1997 w/ 37K miles!) last year for next-to-nothing so I don't have much room to complain.

[infusionman]

71. My Neon is...

A loaded 2002 with a sun roof, 4CD changer with 6 stereo speakers etc. My wife calls it "The Chic Car!"

I don't have any problems with it yet I have 44K miles on it.

The Jeep has 93K on it. I had it since 2000. It is a reliable vehicle, but sometimes it hesitates and backfires. I use it only during the winter mostly and then for short drives around my neighborhoods.

We also have a very good Chrysler minivan we use to haul the youth group around.

[One_Life_To_Give]

26. 6000Lb Trailer

I didn't see pulling a 6000lb trailer on dirt roads listed.

Also is a Pickup a SUV or Not. (I hear arguments both ways.)

[jmowreader]

35. A pickup is not an SUV

Pickups come from the factory with open beds. SUVs come with enclosed beds.

[flvegan]

27. I drive an Escalade.

I need one because my 24" spinning rims won't fit on a Prius.

Kidding, of course.

[gpandas]

28. get a star n/t

[rbnyc]

30. Guilty, tho we don't use it often, generally use public trans.

I have panic attacks in small cars, even tho I know I'm not only not safer, but make the roads less safe for others by riding (I don't drive) in our SUV. I simply cannot get into a short car. I will go into shock. It's really that bad.

But we usually only use the SUV to transport musical equipment, or to occasionally go to grandma and grandpa's house.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. a) It was all we could afford (second-hand deal) b) we do have crappy

weather here in the winter c) it is NOT our main vehicle but the one we use for the whole family, which isn't often d) I don't drive at this point so it sits in the yard a lot.

----------------------------------------------------------
Save our country one town, county, and state at a time!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm#why

[mtnsnake]

32. Large SUV's are simply womens pickup trucks. Go w/a Forester instead!

We just bought our 2nd Suburu Forester yesterday, a small all-wheel drive vehicle...or tiny SUV, if you will. We loved everything about our first Forester, which we owned for 7 years, that we got another one. We need all-wheel drive up here in northern NY. While the Forester is small by SUV standards, it's safe and it's economical as vehicles like this go. Personally I think large SUV's are a waste. My wife drives the Forester most of the time, and I drive a pickup.

[alexisfree]

34. very guilty..navigator....

do to family size....need to put about 6-7 people....

[Mountainman]

36. We have a F150 4x4 and a Explorer

I had to drive on narrow twisting mountain roads to get to work today because our road was washed out when the creek over flowed. We pull a horse trailer and have a dirt road for a driveway.

We use to have a VW sedan but could not drive in the mountains safely with all the falling rocks and flooded roads.

Even though it is not practical for us to have a small sedan I don't give a damn about who drives a SUV and why.

It is just stupid bigotry that makes these anti SUV threads popular I think.

You could have a small car and burn more gas than someone with a SUV. It is not the size that matters but how much gas you use.

I also have a motorcycle that I ride when I can and it gets around 50 mpg.

[mike_c]

38. 1997 six cylinder four wheel drive Jeep Cherokee....

I drive it because I regularly need 4WD for remote country access. That said, I generally commute by bus or bicycle, and the Jeep Cherokee is not in the same gas-guzzling league as a Ford Expedition or even a full sized pickup truck.

[Walt Starr]

41. Saturn Vue

Better mileage than most cars on teh road, yet is an SUV.

[Frangible]

42. Other

I drive a Hummer H2 cause I wanted something with poor fuel economy that promotes global warming... it's too damn cold in Montana!

No, seriously, I have a lame 11 year old minivan, and can't afford to replace it. And yes, it looks dorky.

[The empressof all]

43. Yes

We live and work in the suburban/country. We use it for our business and need a lot of room to transport stuff around. We also tow a boat with it on occasion.

[GumboYaYa]

44. I ride a scooter.

My gas bill is less than $1.00 per week. I don't pay personal property tax or license fees. My scooter is insured on my homeowners policy for no additional cost.

[Susang]

74. Rock on, I ride a scooter too!

:yourock:

Though the laws where you live must be different than in Illinois, as my scoot must be fully licensed and insured as a vehicle for me to ride it on any city street.

Either way, my scoot gets between 80-100mpg and requires little maintainence, which I (or my husband) do.

[GumboYaYa]

76. WooHoo!

Shout out to a fellow scooter rider! there aren't many of us around.

I'm in St. Louis, Missouri. As long as your scooter is 50ccs or less, no liocense is required.

[Susang]

77. Mine's 49 1/2 ccs, but still must be licensed

I'm okay with that, the license isn't that much. I just wish the taxes were based on the weight of the vehicle, since that's how much wear and tear its going to inflict on the road.

"Four wheels bad! Two wheels good!"

[GumboYaYa]

79. I love my scooter.

Sometimes the ride to and from work is the best part of my day. I notice what is going on around me so much more on my scooter. You have to be aware just to be safe, but the side benefit is that you see so much more about the community around you.

I got the scooter for fuel efficiency, but now would recommend getting one to others just for the fun.

[Susang]

80. I'm a huge scooter advocate

I don't understand why they haven't taken off more here. I've had mine for about three years, but scoots really just started proliferating on the streets of Chicago this past summer. With the traffic congestion and pollution (mine's a four stroke, of course), they just seem logical.

Next step is convincing Ford to give me a one of their Smart cars to drive around Chicago, for publicity purposes, of course! ;-) I sold so many scoots just by being "that chick on the scooter" and talking them up, that I'm sure if they gave me one of those cute cars, I could do the same for their sales, if they ever actually decide to market them in the US.

[GumboYaYa]

81. Hey, that's a cool car.

On some of these ten degree days it would be nice to have a little protection from the elements. That is probably the only time I pine for being inside a car insead of on my scooter.

I can point to four scooters that I have sold just from friends and acquantences seeing how much I enjoy mine. I live in an urban area and can get around town faster on my scooter than anyone in a car can. My stomping grounds in St. Louis is a place called the Loop where there are two lanes for traffic but parking occupies one-half of one lane. I can fit my scooter in the left over space, but a car can not fit there. I laugh at the cars stuck in traffic as I zip past them.

WooHoo! I'm always so happy to meet someone else who understands how great it is to ride a scooter instead of being stuck in a car.

[Kingshakabobo]

45. I own a large SUV.

A couple months ago, it got tagged with one of those fake "tickets" and keyed. The ticket said something like "congratulations for polluting the environment" bla bla bla.

I guess the asshole coward wasn't interested in hearing how I use the vehicle. I guess he/she wasn't interested that I use it for work(I rehab houses) as well as volunteer work. It comes in handy delivering groceries to shut-ins in the winter.

I have a sense of humor though. I was thinking of getting a license plate that says something like "OIL PIG" but that would mean more time in the paint shop I'm sure. I guess I'm stubborn that way and don't like to be judged by nit wits who don't know me.

I get a big kick out of hypocrites when they try to give me shit about my "truck". It's not that hard to "pull someones file" and point out their hypocrisy if you know them.

[latteromden]

46. Yes - we DO live in Minnesota (snow and ice and all that) & can't afford

to get anything else - we want a hybrid, but there's NO way we could afford one right now, even if it would save us money in the long run.

The Bush economy just goes in circles, eh? You can't earn money to save money. We've been trying to get a more environmentally-friendly car, but it's not happenin'.

[xraygrrl]

66. Another Minnesotan

I live in the country down a quarter mile long driveway and I would not be able to get to work some days if it was not for my Explorer. I work in healthcare and there is no shortage of sick people. If I don't make it in for my shift then everybody works short or somebody works a double. Not a good situation. I wish I had a Subaru, but the nearest dealership is more than 60 miles away. Not too practical when you need service and work full time. Right now I can't afford a hybrid no matter how much I drool over them. One kid in college and another one going in another year....I will probably drive the Explorer for at least 5 more years. Sigh.

[Squatch]

48. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Honda Civic

I commute in the Honda. I bought the Jeep because I really liked the way it handles. Very comfortable interior with a power sunroof and Infinity sound system. Very capable offroads.

It was either the Jeep or a 4Runner, but I have always been a Jeep person, hence my decision.

[unpossibles]

49. I have a small truck, a vespa (80 mpg) and a bike. n/t

[Petrushka]

52. What's a "normal car"? . . .

Voted "other".

Other = 1988 Pontiac Safari station wagon that gets an average of 35 mpg

Is that a "normal car"? LOL

[UdoKier]

62. I guess so.

I meant regular passenger cars, non- BIG suvs are okay too.

[AngryOldDem]

53. Chose "Other"

Can't afford it, and wouldn't want one if I could.

My husband is driving my old 1988 Chevy Nova. Not being frugal, just poor.

[Historic NY]

55. I should have added.....that my SUV is 5yrs old but I use it sparingly..

mainly for hauling camping stuff, or towing a trailer. I do have 3 other vehicles 2-73 Plymouths & a 47 Chevy that I drive from Apr to Nov. The one Plymouth which I saved from being crushed gets the best mileage of them all. So I've kinda re-cycled some other cars. This time of the year here its my 4wd SUV, I've only owned them since 85 and usually keep them quite a while.

[malmapus]

57. God I wish I could answer mass transit

When I lived in San Francisco I rarely drove my car...lol had to turn it on once a week just to make sure it ran still.

Now living in So. Cal where mass transit sucks, have to drive everywhere...but will NEVER own a SUV

[Piperay]

59. Yes, I have one

a Range Rover I use it for freeway driving because I was hit and run on the freeway and almost killed. I have a Chevy Corsica (that runs forever on a tank of gas) that I use 95% of the time and I save the SUV pig for the freeway.

[DemGirl7]

60. I don't, but my brother in law drives one...

he loves it...he goes insane if anything happens to it...also he is kinda of a Repuke, and a Bush voter...ewwwwww.

[eek MD]

61. I drive a minivan

dang company vehicles....... :\ ....

[UdoKier]

65. Funny thing is, I've rented both minivans and SUVs...

And found the minivans to be roomier and easier to drive. I really don't get the SUV obsession. Sometimes I wonder if people buy them just to piss people like me off.

[Greylyn58]

63. I drive a 1996 Saturn SL1

and I love my car.

[LWolf]

64. Is a 4cyl 4wd toyota truck a large SUV?

I have 2 of them. One is 10 years old, has 225,000 miles on it, and still runs great. I transferred it to my youngest son last September, so I'm not driving it any more.

The other is a new Tacoma, which I got in September, making it possible for me to pass the old one on.

They've done every thing I've ever asked them to do, which includes hauling hay, rocks, topsoil, furniture, crossing dry sandy creekbeds, driving in floods and snow and ice, pulling a small flatbed, camping, hauling trash, dragging a whole outbuilding and other large items when doing cleanup work.... all personal projects, since I'm a grandma and an elementary school teacher by day.

The only thing I haven't asked my 'yotas to do is pull my horse trailer. I'd need a big truck for that. Since I don't have one, I have to get people who do to haul horses for me when necessary.

[UdoKier]

68. doesn't sound large.

I was thinking Explorers, Suburbans, Escalades...

[LWolf]

75. Not me.

I love my little truck.

I should have a big truck, to haul my horses. Two years ago, I was left scrambling to find someone with a 3/4 ton truck and a trailer hitch when wildfires put us on evacuation alert; all the people I knew who could haul horses were already hauling their own.

Still, my little truck does everything else a lot more efficiently, and I can't afford to keep a 2nd truck for emergencies.

I keep looking forward to the day when full-sized trucks and tractors come as hybrids or some other cleaner, thriftier choice.

[Unforgiven]

67. Good God

how many times are we gonna hear this? And yes I drive a heavy gas guzzling SUV and we love it for hauling people and anything else we can cram in it for union meetings and other tasks.
And if and when they can offer me an SUV with an alternative fuel power plant.

I'll be driving one.

OBTW
I didn't vote because your choices suck.

[Squatch]

69. I'm with you.

[Hardrada]

73. Nobody else admits to driving these

But I like vintage Lincoln Town Cars. My current one is a 1994 model with not much mileage for its age. I use them for work cars. I used to drive a VW Superbeetle (1974) for years but finally needed something bigger. I had the last functioning VW Beetle in town. Every time I get around to posting something the thread has always gone to the second page.

[vixengrl]

70. I don't have one--but my parents have a Ford Explorer.

And they have reason. My father is 6'3" with arthritis and finds it difficult to manuever his way into smaller vehicles with no headroom. Also, he's had to drive his elderly parents to doctors' appointments and so forth a lot, and because of their age, they need a roomier vehicle to get in and out of--it's slightly hard for them to step up--but way easier for them to bend or turn around in a roomier vehicle. The "gas-guzzling" aspect is very much minimized because Dad's retired, and usually he just takes his small truck for errands. And my folks talk about getting rid of it. I myself complain when I see SUV's on the road--especially if they seem driven by people with the mentality that they can either drive it just like a smaller car (allowing no stopping distance in wet weather--tailgating, slotracing) or parking too bloody close to my little Honda Civic in the parking lot. But I can see where the "Suburban Assault Vehicle" as a friend of mine calls it, can come in handy.

[Ilsa]

72. The spouse thing applies, but more specifically, I think it has

something to do with his member, but I don't get it.

[woodsprite]

78. Drive a minivan

and very seldom does it go out with less than 4-6 people in it. We carpool to work, church, school and evening activites. We do have a 1993 Chevy Silverado 3500 strictly for towing our fifth wheel trailer. Looks like that will be replaced by the end of this year. Hopefully newer models will get better mileage. The only reason we went so big was it was available when we needed it and it was the right price. It's driven way less than 1000 miles per year.

[sistersofmercy]

82. Other-Yes, I drive a large SUV b/c I'm a liberal and PRO-CHOICE!

Get it! I love my SUV! You drive a prius, good for you! Personal choices are just that.

[GumboYaYa]

84. Hey SOM, how are things with you.

I spoke to Marvin yesterday. Are you still with those guys?

Let's have lunch again soon.

[no_to_war_economy]

83. you all need to read

mark morford

" Truth is, small, nimble passenger cars may not survive a head-on collision with a Freightliner quite as well as your bigass Navigator, dude, but they do a hell of a lot better avoiding it in the first place. Which is why rates of serious accidents and incidents of death are actually lower for smaller cars than almost any lurching monster truck on the road. "


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/01/07/notes010705.DTL