SUVs

I have 4 kids and the choices to be able to carry them and their stuff is pretty limited. Throw in the ability to tow and the selection diminish further. Most 6/7 seat vans and smaller suv's do not have the ability to carry much if anything behind the last row of seats. My neighbor with 3 kids can't go grocery shopping with her kids in the Caravan because here is no where to put the "stuff". My 01 Suburban is also garagable.

I agree the Suv's are the new sation wagon. We had them as kids. I still remember bouncing between the rear facing 3rd seat and the back seat. It's still amazes me that many of us survived our childhood.

Larry

 

We've made countless cross-country trips in our 2000 Dodge Caravan with my two parents and my 3 brothers and sisters. (6 of us all together) and we've never had a cargo room problem. And we can pull the boat, or a trailer with 2,500 pounds of pumpkin on them. And that's with a 3.4L and it's still running strong never had a problem. I can't imagine what ford's 4.2L van can do. There are better alternatives to SUVs in MOST cases. In all honesty, 80-90% of the time I see SUVs it is one person driving to get groceries or something. There is no reason for it. And if you fill up the SUV I'd like to see you have more cargo room than our caravan... The excursions don't even have enough room for a gallon of milk back there.

 

I have a '31 Ford Model "A" coupe. The guy I bought it from said when he was a baby his parents used to lay him on the package tray up by the back window while they were driving.

You're right - it's amazing we're still around.

K

 

There is NO DOUBT that there is a use for the SUVs. And no doubt that most of the people on here that have one, really need one.

The thing that is troublesome is the people that have no NEED for an SUV and they have not just one, but two of them. Example: A youngish couple, with no kids and no hobby or activities that would require anything like an SUV, but they have two of them. This is very common, and very disturbing.

Yes, this is a FREE country. And yes, people can drive whatever they want to. What's disturbing is that someone would choose to drive something that they have NO USE for--with no other reason than it makes them look cool. I just don't understand that.

For MOST, the SUV is nothing more than a status symbol. Unfortunately, this kind of phenomonon is nothing new here in the U.S.A. SUVs are meerely the most recent and visible form of "EVIL" going around right now.

 

Raw nerve #2 -

Just wanted to follow up in case this is a "veiled shot" at my family size:

Because we live in the country (sorry, Mike C.) we have lots of room for cars, animals and kids. We found through some mutual friends that there is a great need for foster and adoptive families of "multiples" (twins, triplets, etc). To be brief let me just say that if one starts adopting triplets and twins one's family gets big in a hurry. The twins (10 months old) were found in a filthy hotel room with their crack addicted birth mother. We couldn't very well send them back to that, now could we?

My point remains the same: you can't just look at what people drive, or how big their family is, or where they live and make rash generalizations without knowing the rest of the story. If I can get you stop and think before making these kinds of statements then my work here is complete. I take it you are a young man and hopefully I can save you some embarrasment in the future (and if you are not embarrassed, you should be).

By the way, I don't think you are paying for my babies' food. If you are I haven't been getting the checks.

K

 

Now Adam, do you really NEED a '72 Skylark with a 455?

Just kidding, but I did want to point out the irony in your statement :laugh:

Ok, time for some comic relief:

I was on a road trip with the Corvette group one time. My host was a fellow named Jim Ingle, who is a (somewhat) famous Corvette development engineer since the mid 70's. Well, the thing about Corvettes is, since there are only two seats, you can get into some pretty serious and personal conversations. After we had been riding around all day Jim got pretty quiet and finally said "you know, I'm kind of jealous of you truck guys.."

I said "Jim, why would you say that?"

He replied "...because people NEED trucks. People don't really NEED Corvettes."

I appreciated his thoughts but I will point out he is still in the Corvette development group.

K

 

Keith,

Again, there is no doubt that there is a need for SUVs and Tucks. And no, people don't need Corvettes (or 72 Skylarks) but they are typically for recreation and/or hobby purposes. And I have no problem with Trucks and SUVs that are used accordingly...even if only to transport a bunch of Kiddos. :TU:

The problem is the number of people that have "Gas Guzzlers" as their primary means of transportation when they have absolutely no need for such a vehicle. uzzled: :shock: o No: :spank: :blast: ou:

I currently have no need for any kind of truck/SUV so my daily driver is a Honda which gets 35-40 mpg. At some point in the future I will require a Truck/SUV, but until then...I'll stick with the Honda. :TU:

 

I never said that there weren't people with uses for SUVs that should have them. I never made any comments about you family, you took what I was saying incorrectly. I was referring to the people who come in and buy food with food stamps and eat better than my parents family because we actually have to work our way through lives. They are the same people who have three 12" subs in their trunk and a nice newer car who are making babies as fast as possible because they get more money. I think it's great that you adopt/provide foster care for children, it's actually something I think might be a possibility for me in the future. And if I lived out in the country and needed something to get around on icy roads I'd probably have something 4WD too. You took my comments to personally, I was making a general comment, not one directed at you, therefore, I'm not embarassed. I gave some examples of people earlier. A couple with serveral kids has every place to buy an SUV. But when people continually chose to drive the "Hummer" to get a groceries by themselves instead of something more practical there is a problem.

Keith if you came in with your SUV and all of your family there is no way I'd even think twice about the fact that you're driving it, because there is a necessity, and I'm being totally honest. I'm sorry I used the word "you" in my post, I was just using it as a replacment for "people".

Like everyone said before, even if everyone drove something fuel efficient the problems wouldn't change overnight, but the lifestyle we're moving in the direction of is not one of renewal but more of a slash-and-burn mentality.

 

Here's an idea that'll surely ruffle some feathers.........offer a discount on gas to people who drive smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. If you really don't care that you are funding terrorism when it costs you over $60 to fill your gas guzzling 3 ton war wagon then you deserve to pay more! And if it's any consolation I'll fall into that category each time I fill up the Buick.

 

I laugh every time I hear that someone bought a hybrid car to save on fuel and they ended up getting taxed for every mile they drive it. The government gets their money back one way or another in the end.

 

Just to set the record straight......don't bully me with your 3 ton baheemith (spelling?).......I'll bet my Caravan will stay standing on all 4 wheels long after yours rolls over......and your insurance rates will go up just as much as mine will if you take me to task. SO BEWARE!!! p

I'll take my 3 ton behemoth with 9200 lbs of trailer and Buick on it and play chicken with ya! When towing I usually drive at least 85 to 90 on the interstates and take up much of the road because the trailer is swaying so bad. I have only knocked one soccer Mom off the road so far and yes she was driving a Dodge Caravan! :laugh:

My insurance will not go up as I have none! Who needs it? It's just another expense, right?

For my consalation, there is no need in buying a small foreign car when I have to buy foreign gas now. One way or the other we are helping the trerrorist.

Boy is this fun or what! :laugh:

 

No need in letting the gas prices or what anyone else says about what I drive get under my skin.

I just drive a lot less miles. No more running to Lowes or Food Lion for just one or a few items. I make my trips count more now.

Have fun folks! I am. :laugh:

 

Amen! :beer You took the words right out of my mouth. I do the exact same thing, adjust your driving habits accordingly and not do so much unnecessary running around. I get so sick of the farmers around here with their Powerstroke diesels and they let them sit there and idle for 30 minutes while they're gabbing at the coffee shop and what not. :error:

 

Even though gas prices are high and whatnot, the media and every conservative show on the useage of gas says to use it wisely and don't waste it, I don't know if this is considered wasting, but I don't really use my car but only for the sole purpose of cruisin' around just for the heck of it, and yes I fill up my car every 2 weeks so I guess im not giving a care. p I seen a lot of old cars cruisin' around as well since the weather has gotten better, just as much if not even more classics crusin than last year at this time. Seen at least an average of 6 or more classics in the past 6 days each day. :3gears: And the average of Suv's driving around hasn't changed a bit too.

 

Havent they been driving smaller more fuel efficient cars in Europe for years and their gas prices have and still are quite a bit higher than ours o No: The recent rise in gas prices has more to do with greed within OPEC and the gas companies as it does with supply.

I have had an SUV of some type in my driveway for the past 10 years. It has 4WD and it gets marginal gas mileage, but I know my wife and 2 kids are safer in it than I am in my Chevy Cavalier I know this for a fact because my cousin was hit broadside by an 18 wheeler while driving her Explorer and she and both her kids (1 year old and 3 year old) came out of it with minor scratches. I don't think the outcome would have been the same had she been driving my Cavalier :eek2: No, she was not putting on make-up, talking on the cell phone or yelling at the kids, the tractor trailer ran the red light on a blind corner, she did not see it coming until it was too late....

Are SUV's necessary? Not for everyone. For my family, yes, and it is not a status symbol for me....That is what my Buick is for :TU:

 

As long as I don't see them with their hoods up at the cruises and shows I suppose I can live with them.........and besides, I have someone to sympathsize with me over the high price of gas! :ball: Just show the rest of us some respect on the road.......that's a reasonable request ain't it? ou:

 

Sorry 'bout that -

Think of it as a pre-emptive strike; I'm a bit touchy because I do hear that sometimes (like every time someone asks how many kids I have).

Nonetheless, in a strange twist of fate, I turned in my company owned Suburban yesterday and my new, randomly assigned vehicle IS.................
......a Buick Rendezvous. Funny huh?

At least now I can post on V8Buick.com in good concience (for the next 90 days, anyway).

K

 

Sorry to open this back up but I did some checking on the H2:

Doors are steel. The front end is SMC (sheet molded composite), like a Freightliner or Mack truck, which is what enables the clamshell hood/fender assembly. Cab and front of dash are carryover from the Suburban/Tahoe and it is sitting on a shortened 3/4 ton Suburban frame.

- For what it's worth -