RE: One more bank gone.
How come its always the greedy banks fault what about the borrower dont they have any blame for getting loans they cant afford, i mean didnt they read the forms they put there signature on.I am not saying the banks dont take some blame but to me greedy people living above their means is the problem,you borrowed it now pay it back.
RE: Another great article on oil prices
Just like i thought were getting screwed as always,just makes me sick how the little guy always gets the shaft will others get rich.
RE: Bio Diesel
Oh one more thing will happen,the fumes will make you hungry.lol
Have a friend that makes his own bio fuel and the first time i was around his truck i thought their was a barbaque going on.
RE: SUV Extinction
...
Well said Keith, I couldn't agree more.
Just the other day I ran into a great example of this. For those who don't know, my neighborhood has had more than it's fair share of rain this year and some serious flooding has been going on. On my way home from work last one of the streets on my neighborhood was run over with maybe 6 inches of water.
Now I'll be honest, normally I would have just driven right thru that little water as I know how deep I can get with the Subaru before I have a problem. But local law had ribboned off the area are directed traffic through a parking lot around the flood water and back onto the street. They had dumped some gravel by the curb to form a ramp for cars to get up off the road, cross a strip of grass, proceed onto the parking lot, cross a strip of grass again, and drive down another gravel ramp back onto the road.
I was following a Yukon AND an Expedition. I was laughing my a$$ off when these ladies proceeded to climb the gravel ramp and leave the roadway. They were moving at a snails pace and panicking each time a wheel started up the ramp. It was like they were rock-crawling in the Mojave dessert. These are trucks that could have easily driven over the curb WITHOUT the gravel ramp's assistance (heck the Subaru can do that!) and yet these people were freaking out about leaving the roadway. At one point I thought about getting out and offering to spot for them!
It made me laugh simply because I know that the vast majority of SUVs are NOT used for RVing (like so many on this forum). They never leave the road, never pull a trailer and NEVER get muddy. Either one of those SUVs could have driven through 6 inches of standing water without even getting the windshield wet, but people just don't have a clue what these vehicles are really designed for or capable of.
THOSE are the vehicles I can't wait to see leave the roadways forever. As I said before, I'm not targeting people who need their truck. I recognize that often it's the right vehicle for the job. I just can't stand to see the wasteful consumption of a non-renewable resource just because someone wants to sit up high and feel safe (even though they in truth ARE NOT).
People who bought SUVs to use as sedans or minivans have no one but themselves to blame for the cost of gas today. They were willing to trade mileage for image 5 years ago, and now must live with the consequences. It's funny too me also that a 2002 Dodge Durango now cost less on the used car market than a 2002 Toyota Corolla. I just saw that last weekend at a corner car lot by my house.
Well first of all just because the women you saw were scared going over a curb is point less and has nothing to do with the vehicle just a nervous driver.The other point is just because someone doesn't go out off roading to thrash there 40,000 dollar suv doesn't mean it does not meet their needs.
We use ours for towing,family transportation(7 kids),grocery getting and dump hauling and anything else we can think of,oh also in the snow.
Suv's did not create high gas prices,and their is no shortage at least i haven't seen any station run out just corporate greed.There are lots of other facters for high oil, plastic for one plus all the other petroleum products to many to list.
RE: SUV Extinction
I see no reason for it to be wrong no matter what a person does with their suv,if they can afford a Escalade then so what thats their choice for a vehicle its not hurting anybody just because they can afford it and the gas.So whats next trashing people that drive bmw or jaguars or is it jealousy because they have it and you dont.Live and let live were all different with views and needs.
RE: SUV Extinction
Maybe we should all drive the same vehicle and all live in goverment housing and get our food in goverment stores and outlaw any thing that might be unsafe to someone, wont life be grand in the new world.
They already tried that. It was called "The Soviet Union". It didn't work...
My thinking exactly:)
RE: SUV Extinction
Maybe we should all drive the same vehicle and all live in goverment housing and get our food in goverment stores and outlaw any thing that might be unsafe to someone, wont life be grand in the new world.
RE: SUV Extinction
Man thanks guys someone finally seeing it the way i do, not necessarily the right way for everyone but it works for me.God bless America
RE: SUV Extinction
Thats why this is america freedom to choose.Yes, you are right freedom to choose is certainly what America is all about.
But, as I'm sure you will agree, freedom to do anything doesn't automatically mean no consequences from that choice. I can burn a flag if I want, but I better be ready for a black eye and fat lip when a veteran sees me doing it.
Likewise, you are free to drive a locomotive if you want. Plenty of pulling power, lots of cargo capacity, handling and braking not so great but since when does that matter right?
Americans use more oil than nearly every other civilized country. Source The only countries using more oil than us per capita are the middle eastern countries that produce most of it. Our dependence on foreign oil is largely based on the fact we use about twice as much as we need on average. If we rethought our choice of vehicle to use as a daily driver, we could significantly reduce our need to do business with outside sources (who hate us by the way) and that's just the beginning. We already talked about the danger to others on the roadways, it's a fact that getting hit by a 7000 SUV is GOING to hurt someone a lot more than a 3500 pound Camry.
Trucks have their place, no doubt. If someone needs a vehicle like this for work, towing, hauling...etc. then by all means get one. It's less dangerous in most cases then trying to haul a yard of gravel home in that Camry. But lets be honest, fewer than 5% of SUV owners actually use these vehicle for these duties. Most use them the same as a minivan.
So choosing to drive a vehicle that can't get 20mpg with the wind at it's back, and is likely to kill SOMEONE in an accident, is still within your rights. But you have to then accept that you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Don't get grumpy at others when the sneer at your SUV.
Its your opinion and thats your right,opinions are like rearends everyone has one, oh i also work in the lumber industry, i guess i am just a all around bad guy.:D
RE: SUV Extinction
Well i guess will agree to disagree we could go on for ever on this.We use our suburban for the family car and tv,its what works for us the best as i have 7 kids.I drive the neon to work to save gas not because i like it but because my wallet does.For those that drive suv's more power to you the same for those that like the cross overs or what ever you want to call them.Thats why this is america freedom to choose.
RE: SUV Extinction
hey,I drive a 8 mpg gas guzzling pig too...why? to tow a 12000 lb trailer.If I could tow it with a 4 cyl. toyota I would.I just cant see choosing to do so to pick up milk eggs and taxi kids around,just my opinion.Today they are making the big boys with federal regulated bumper hieghts which is good.
Oh so its ok when you tow with a gas guzzling pig then you must be a risk to everyone else.I drive what we have because it fits our need and last time i check we still have that freedom!
RE: SUV Extinction
the soccer mom false sense of security.....fact:suv's the most dangerous things you can drive..a car will not roll 10x when turns to fast or brushed along a curb..so they drive something that puts us at danger as well as them.the 8000 lb suv takes twice as long to stop, the list goes on,
Well i bet if we hit head on i come out ahead.
OH i forgot i have never rolled over either.:)
RE: SUV Extinction
I guess some of you must make great money because i cant just run out and buy a smaller vehicle and keep the burb parked for towing only so right now the gas is still cheaper than a new car payment and higher insurance.The burb is paid for.
RE: SUV Extinction
Would you rather have your wife in a Civic or an Excursion at that time of the night?I'll take the Civic in most cases. In the Civic my wife would stand a chance of NOT GETTING INTO the accident. Civics handle like go-karts and stop like you tossed an anchor out. Accident avoidance and driving skill trump heavy metal.Glad I took the big rig because the second the deer bounced off the front bumper at 55 mph...Again, isn't there are least a possibility that if you were paying attention, saw the dear in the ditch, and were able to react in a timely manner with precision accuracy, that you wouldn't have hit anything? I've had deer jump out in front of me several times while driving small cars like my Subaru, and to date I've hit only one, a glancing blow that did moderate damage. At that time i was driving a Nissan Pulsar sports car, being able to nearly stop and swerve kept the accident minimal. Had I plowed into it with a full size truck at 55mph I would have been wearing it. In the country where I live deer are everywhere and most of the time I see them and react accordingly, something I doubt a vehicle like an Excursion would always be able to manage. Think about it.
What about other drivers that are not paying attention that could hit you,and dont tell me you can avoid anything because accidents happen every day.I for one prefer my wife and kids in my suburban.You are right, I can't do anything about the other bad drivers EXCEPT HOPE that they don't drive EXCURSIONS! Driving a large SUV for it's false sense of safety is akin to saying everyone else's life is worth less than mine. All you are doing is trading the near certain death of one of your victims for the potential slight advantage it gives you in a crash.
I dont think i said everyone else's life is worthless so dont put words in my mouth.I guess its your choice to run around in a small car but as long as i have a choice i will put my family in the suburban.Oh as a previous post said minivans have great saftey ratings which are true but i bet not as good if hit by a bigger vehicle.I owned a minivan but we out grew it so the suburban fits our need better, and just so you dont think i care about gas i drive a little neon to work.
RE: SUV Extinction
Would you rather have your wife in a Civic or an Excursion at that time of the night?I'll take the Civic in most cases. In the Civic my wife would stand a chance of NOT GETTING INTO the accident. Civics handle like go-karts and stop like you tossed an anchor out. Accident avoidance and driving skill trump heavy metal.Glad I took the big rig because the second the deer bounced off the front bumper at 55 mph...Again, isn't there are least a possibility that if you were paying attention, saw the dear in the ditch, and were able to react in a timely manner with precision accuracy, that you wouldn't have hit anything? I've had deer jump out in front of me several times while driving small cars like my Subaru, and to date I've hit only one, a glancing blow that did moderate damage. At that time i was driving a Nissan Pulsar sports car, being able to nearly stop and swerve kept the accident minimal. Had I plowed into it with a full size truck at 55mph I would have been wearing it. In the country where I live deer are everywhere and most of the time I see them and react accordingly, something I doubt a vehicle like an Excursion would always be able to manage. Think about it.
What about other drivers that are not paying attention that could hit you,and dont tell me you can avoid anything because accidents happen every day.I for one prefer my wife and kids in my suburban.
RE: SUV Extinction
The thing that gets me is you know they can make good hp with good mpg but it all goes back to the almighty buck, why change when they can still sell and make tons of money by doing very little to increase mpg.There is lots of technologies out to make it happen.
RE: SUV Extinction
There will still be some 'real' SUVs and agree, most will be smaller 'car'
derivatives....aka...CUVs (crossover utility vehicles). Really monocoque (unibody)
derived, instead of truck frame derived.
..What I find funny with those cross-over vehicles is....its as if we've come 'full circle'. :)
Back in the day, if you had a large family, you owned a big station wagon (we had one of those when I was a kid, loved it). Later on, once station wagons were 'killed' by CAFE and other things, minivans and SUVs became the family vehicle of choice.
Now, several years later, everyone finally figures out that SUVs are a waste and very impractical unless you need its utility. And, minivans just are not 'cool' enough. Soooo, automakers 'marry' the two together to try to appease everyone, and we get these crossover vehicles.
Gee, what do these crossover vehicles look a whole lot like?! Yep, the good ol' station wagons your parents had many years ago!! Haha, its like it took all these years, for us to finally figure out that just maybe the ol' wagons weren't such a bad idea after all. :)
Oh, and I agree 100% with this statement:
in the near future, we will only see SUV's and Pickups owned for RV towing and work purposes. Like it was before the SUV craze erupted.
Yep, pretty soon, fuel costs are going to put an end to people buying these big purpose-built SUVs, unless they have a need for their utility. The days of people driving these things just to 'look cool', are thankfully coming to an end.
why does it matter what anyones reason is for driving a suv.This is america i thought land of the free.
RE: truck convoy protest
I bet if all the trucking companys got together and stopped for a week or two something might happen,because if you bought it a truck brought it.
RE: truck convoy protest
I was listening to an analyst on CNBC yesterday. He was talking about the rising cost of fuel. He stated that by next year we will be longing for the good old days of $4.00 a gallon. He was hinting that we will be paying around $10.00 to $15.00 a gallon in the near future.
If that happens the economy will be in a depression no one could afford gas private citizens or company's.
