I own a Chevy Blazer. Not a big SUV, but an SUV. I don't like the fact that the SUV craze caused GM to put all their efforts into trucks and neglect their car programs, and that basically killed the F-body. I don't like that at all.

But what I hate even more is somebody else telling me what I can and can't buy and drive. I am for vehicle choice. THere are all kinds of left wing groups mounting PR campains against SUVs. THere is one called What Would Jesus Drive, and it is a bunch of nutcase ministers trying to make the case that SUV's are sinful because they pollute and use too much gas. (not knocking religion, my Dad is a preacher). I find it stupifying that anybody can draw a line and say all this kind of vehicle is sinful and all others are OK. Large farm pickups and vans get crappy mileage too...are those evil? What about musclecars? Heck, a Chevy Tracker is better on the environment than a Crown Vic..so does it count as sinful?

These folks are allied with all the enviroment nuts who are against the SUV as well. These guys are turning the SUV into a vehicle with a mind of its own. Pay attention to the news, when an SUV is in an accident, they don't even talk about a driver...its as if the SUV has a mind of its own.

And all you guys that hate SUVs are unwittingly playing right into their hands. What you have to understand is it all won't end at the SUV. Once they kill the SUV, they are coming for our performance cars next. So be careful what you wish for.

I for one don't want any group that claims to be for the public good, or any government restricting my right to buy one of those vehicles if I chose. Lets do reasonable things to make them safer and more efficient, but please don't get sucked into all this anti SUV stuff just because you are bitter over the death of the Fbody.

 

Good call, as long as SUVs are around no one will pick on performance cars for not getting as good a milage as regular family cars or 0-60 in 10sec eco-crap. Plus all these trucks/SUV will drive down the R&D cost of Car V8s. Do you really think dodge would have made the Hemi if it wasn't for the Ram.

 

Can you say "safety at the expense of others"?

 

Very true!

Quote:

They are penalized by having a greater number of rollovers, completely offsetting any safety (i.e. size) advantage vs. cars.

By "explicitly" penalized I meant the government enforcing different traffic laws on different types of passenger vehicles. I don't think that's right, I don't think it would help bring accident rates down, but I do think it would drive up confusion. What if you own one of those crossover vehicles? Which speed do you have to drive if you own a Cadillac SRX or a PT Cruiser? Remember, DC inexplicably got the government to classify the Neon-based PT as a truck.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, I'm 30 years old, my fiance and I make almost the same amount of money each year, combined we earn at least 200K/year (not including bonuses). I live in the Bay Area, so that is by no means a high salary, but I can afford a lot more than you think I can. And no, I wasn't born to rich parents, but my advanced education does pay (until all the good jobs are transfered to other cheaper locations).

I drive an '01 T/A and a '91 T/A, so yes, people can attack my car as a polluter and wasteful with fuel. And they'd be right. But you're missing my main point. If you come to my house and point a gun at my head to threaten me, what will you do. People drive SUVs for exactly that reason, to threaten and intimidate in my daily commutes, which is stop and go the whole way. Vehicles can be used as weapons just like guns can, and if you drive in CA, you hear a story every couple of weeks about people doing just that.

As for being fair, when I see an SUV in Lake Tahoe, I don't feel the same way about why they chose their vehicle. Most trucks and vans are used to transport tools/gear/people. That makes sense, but how many drive offroad with their SUVs?

 

we should get those people off the road then... not the vehicles...

 

this is what i feel, A: yes i agree that getting a lisence is a joke in this country, i missed 3 on my test. one fo poinjting to the rear defroster instead of the front and for not accelerating enough. i was allowed 15. I think that all the tests need to be harder and training better.
and to the people think that it would encroach on peoples freedome by being punished by having to drive slower, a there are already speedlimits like that. true they are for big delivery trucks or semis, but same idea. Plus im not saying banning them.
Another thing: why should i be punished because i decided to get a car and not be one of the millions of millions of people who bought an suv? i cant see around them, i hate it when i park and when i come back to my car there are two big *** suv's on either side of my ccar and i cant see cars in the lane until im already 2/3s out. How is that safe? and it would be my fault if i hit the person, even tho i couldnt see and wouldnt be able to see no matter what. Why should I be punished.
Plus, another thing, if ur worried about a lot of people driving sports cars instead, that probably wouldnt happen because most people wanted the size of the suv and the roominess of it. they would probably go for a sedan or station wagon. plus even if they do get sports cars that would probably still be better because SUV DRIVERS DRIVE THEIR SUVS LIKE SPORTS CARS ALREADY! they dont realize how much more unsafe they are than a small and nimble corvette that can out perform it by a long shot.

To sum it up, im not saying banning them, i think that their are too many of them on the roads right now. and no i am not an environmentalist hippy liberal, i am a very patriotic conservative. I do not care about the small amount of mileage they get. i would have no problem with them if people go off roading with them or haul a bunch of stuff with them, that is fine that is using them for what they are made for. But if somone gets an SUV just for the sake of getting an suv when a sedan or wagon could do them just as well is when i have a problem. I do not want to be punished for driving a car, because i like good handeling and performance and someone else in an suv who doesnt know about safe distances behind people, etc and drives like a bat out of hell in a vehicle not made to do so makes me suffer for it. why should i have to pay for that?

 

i HATE SUV's!!!!! most of their drivers are the most inconsiderate people on the road IMO!!!

 

That is the equivilant of saying:

"I hate Camaro's! Most of their drivers are mullet wearing stoners who are the most inconsiderate people on the road, IMO"

 

DAMN STRAIGHT

 

What you just said, can be altered and be said about sports cars too..

Do you really want to limit the public's choices and freedom of what kind of vehicle they buy?

 

I drive an SUV...a big one at that...and I like it

 

If you're a "patriotic" person, what ever happened to the most "patriotic" right of the freedom of choice! You act as if the SUV's are some evil creation that the car makers conjured up and is luring the unintelligent public into buying these creations!

The PUBLIC DEMAND is what is driving the huge influx of SUV's on the road, and the auto makers are simply RESPONDING to that demand!. If the public at large wanted cars, they would buy them!

Remember, the SUV is really just an evolution of the station wagon as a family hauler. The trend started with station wagons, then to minivans, and now has moved to SUV's as the choice for families. What makes SUV's so popular is that they perform the same function as minivans, but 1) dont have the "mommy mobile" image of minivans, and 2) are in general much more apt to handle incliment weather.

If people choose suv's for image, or for kid hauling, or for straight off-roading it's their personal choice , and they should not be criticized for it. How would you feel if I said that the only reason men buy fast sports cars is to compensate for INADEQUACIES on certain parts of their bodies! And therefore are deemed un-necessary and should be banned.

It seems to me that the basis of your argument was the fact that you don't like SUV's, not the fact that they are, by nature, unsafe or a detriment to society.

P.S. How do you feel about the new PORCHE cayenne????

 

Eh, you can argue that.. In incliment weather, do you really want a bigger, heavier, taller vehicle? I guess trucks and SUV's have an advantage if you need massive ground clearance, and they would probably have better all season tires on..

Also, you do feel safer in a SUV though simply cause you are encased in a 5000+ lbs of steel... at the expense of others..

I can't stand driving a truck around in the rain with an open diff out back.. ugh..

 

The philosophical argument attacking SUVs is often absurd. An inanimate object (like an SUV) can neither be good or evil because it does not have the moral ability to choose. Only a person has the moral ability to choose so it would be more advantageous to challenge people and their decisions instead of attacking a car.

Its just funny when the moral-relativist will argue that there is no absolute moral right or wrong (they ironically think there are absolutely no absolutes I guess?), yet they attack particular inanimate objects as being evil (guns, SUVs, large homes, and etc).

I guess when ones world-view has become so jaded by shades of gray it easier to attack inanimate objects that cant fight back :-D