You Don't Need that SUV!!!

[2.2 Straight six]

Everyone wants to whine about what other people have. so what if they have a huge car/truck that gets 15mpg. if they want it, let them have it. i'm so tired of this "nanny state" culture where everyone wants to point the finger, gudge and tell everyone else what they can and can't have.

My boss has a Range Rover Sport Supercharged. she drives it from her house to the shop. which is literally a 5 minute walk. mildly ridiculous, but so what? do i care? no.

Does my mum need a 4.2-litre Jaguar for the driving she does? no. but she wants it. and she can have it.

I want a Ford F-250 6-litre turbo diesel. do i need it? no, i want it. and my freedom dictate that i can have it. so if anyone has a problem with that, tough.

Contrary to popular belief, "gas guzzlers" do not cause global warming, will not kill our kids and won't bring the world to an end either.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by 2.2 Straight six

Everyone wants to whine about what other people have. so what if they have a huge car/truck that gets 15mpg. if they want it, let them have it.

Not everyone whines about what others have that they want, you have to admit. Some have other reasons to whine, complain, kvetch, bitch, whatever term you put to it.

There is a vast difference between what you WANT and what you NEED. I think the SUV (actually, aren't they just redesigned station wagons, hmmm?) is 90% of the time used as a status symbol for those that are lacking in the self confidence or penile size department, or both. At least that's the way it is here -- you almost never see one towing, off roading, or hauling a lot of people or equipment. Oh, there's the exception of a family traveling or a tradesman or such, but mostly it's just this teeny woman/girl driving by herself, twirling her hair and talking on the cell phone while she applies makeup. (Hyperbole for humor and to make the point)

But...since we're on the interweb and we haven't heard from the author as to whether they are stress reliefing because they think these people don't need them, or because they want one and are jealous, and the title of the thread is, "You Don't Need That SUV!" then I go with bitching because the people they've seen don't need it...and just have it for the status reasons.

[Hungrycat7]

That is all I meant when I originally posted this! If you need an SUV then I have no problem with it! If you need a big truck I have no problem with that! I am sick of people thinking "the bigger the car I drive the cooler I am." It just does not make up for anything! It is just one giant ego trip!

[J-Ri]

It pisses me off too. I have a big truck for when I need it, but I have driven it less than 3 times this year for a total of less than 100 miles. The rest of the time I drive a 4-cyl car that gets 32 MPG. I have always thought that global warming was a bunch of crap (http://www.firesociety.com/article/24204/), but it doesn't take much smarts to realize that if millions of unnecesary SUVs and pickups are taken off the roads, gas prices will go down. I'm by no means rich, nor am I poor, so it really doesn't hurt me if I'm paying 50 cents per gallon (or whatever it would be) more than if we had no SUVs, but when you're driving behind a guy in a suit driving an SUV who passes the Geo Metro in front of him that has 5 people in it, it really makes you think "someone really needs a kick in the nuts".

[2.2 Straight six]

i want an F-250. it will go off-road, it will haul stuff, it will be used for work.

could i get by without one? yes. do i essentially need it? no.

i want one. it's not an ego thing, it's not a compensation thing. it's not to make me seem cooler. it's because i like them. same reason i'd like a Range Rover Sport. i like big cars/trucks. it's not even about feeling more protected or anything. i just like them.

but whether someone else needs an SUV is none of your business. so what if they don't? i live in London, and 95% of the SUVs around here are mothers driving the school run. the vast majority of them can't drive these cars. of all the ones i've seen on my travels around the city, apart from friends, i've only seen two that actually go off-road.

we can live on bread and water. we like having more. it's as simple as that.

[Hungrycat7]

Hey I am just throwing my opinion out there! I say if there is a chance you will use that large vehicle then great! Go out and buy one! But if you owned that F-250 or the Range Rover plus a smaller car like the Volkswagon would you always drive the bigger one?

[YogsVR4]

Cool, more people telling other people what they need. They sound like good little communists.

[Hungrycat7]

Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!

[thrasher]

Most people who drive SUV's, at least up here in Minnesota, commute daily by themselves. I rarely ever see them being used for anything other than commuting, or even with multiple passengers in tow. And the SUV commuters also seem to be the same people who are now complaining about gas prices. Cracks me up like nothing else...just a bunch of good old fashioned morons.

[drunken monkey]

those who own and run the big vehicles have the right to do so, whether or not they need to. Every aspect of having one of those comes at a cost. They consume more fuel which the owners invariably accept and pay for. If it is excessive for their purposes, what matter is it because after all, they are paying for the excess.

Let's change the subject matter.

Who needs a 400+BHP, 180+ MPH coupe?
MPG the issue?
Let's ban RX8s.
Too much CO2?
Let's ban everything pre 2002 with an engine bigger than 1.4 litres.
Let's also make it illegal for a car to more than two empty seats when-ever it is driven. Let's also GPS link all cars so that all short journeys that last less than 10 minutes are tolled.

[Hungrycat7]

Well I certainly agree with all of your points. But let's just eliminate all the unused SUVs to start. Don't want to bite off more than we can chew!!!

[speediva]

My personal favorite is buying an SUV for your incompetent twit of a teenage child because "they'll be safer". Thanks, I'll die because you couldn't be bothered to teach your child to drive responsibly in a reasonably-sized vehicle.

Living in Suburbian HELL, I see daily commuters in their gargantuan SUVs and just shake my head. Yes, I have an oversized wagon of a car - and when I bought it I was fearing for my life when driving on redneck, backcountry roads in my compact sedan with no airbags. If anything would have happened between my lil sedan and the mega-lifted pickup trucks it was abundantly clear I would cease existence in a flash... but at least the trucks were out in the country driving on largely unpaved roads or towing farm equipment/supplies.

[Hungrycat7]

Originally Posted by speediva

My personal favorite is buying an SUV for your incompetent twit of a teenage child because "they'll be safer". Thanks, I'll die because you couldn't be bothered to teach your child to drive responsibly in a reasonably-sized vehicle.

Living in Suburbian HELL, I see daily commuters in their gargantuan SUVs and just shake my head. Yes, I have an oversized wagon of a car - and when I bought it I was fearing for my life when driving on redneck, backcountry roads in my compact sedan with no airbags. If anything would have happened between my lil sedan and the mega-lifted pickup trucks it was abundantly clear I would cease existence in a flash... but at least the trucks were out in the country driving on largely unpaved roads or towing farm equipment/supplies.

I agree. . . . Nothing like having to cut one of your children out of a rolled over SUV!!!

Oh by the way. . . . GO BROWNS!!!!

[thrasher]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

those who own and run the big vehicles have the right to do so, whether or not they need to. Every aspect of having one of those comes at a cost. They consume more fuel which the owners invariably accept and pay for. If it is excessive for their purposes, what matter is it because after all, they are paying for the excess.

Let's change the subject matter.

Who needs a 400+BHP, 180+ MPH coupe?
MPG the issue?
Let's ban RX8s.
Too much CO2?
Let's ban everything pre 2002 with an engine bigger than 1.4 litres.
Let's also make it illegal for a car to more than two empty seats when-ever it is driven. Let's also GPS link all cars so that all short journeys that last less than 10 minutes are tolled.

Poor gas mileage is not the only drawback for SUV's. They are very dangerous for other drivers on the road due to their weight, they are dangerous to occupants because of their high center of gravity, they block lines of sight because of their massive size, and they put significantly greater stresses on our already taxed transportation infrastucture, again because of their weight. There is no logical defense for owning a SUV, and people who attempt to do so are grabbing at straws. It's akin to what Lincoln said about alcohol...SUV's may have many defenders, but no defense.

Do people have the right to own SUV's in spite of all of those things? Well, that's a matter of debate. But living in a "free" society does not mean that you necessarily have the right to be socially irresponsible.

[Hungrycat7]

Very well said!!! It is always a little nerve racking looking in your rear view and seeing a massive Excursion flying up on your ass!!! One of those would have no problem plowing straight through a coupe!