what is the appeal of SUVs ?

[JI7]

what gets people to buy things they may not really want or need ?

do they feel they are part of the club now or something ?

i know a lot of people who drive them and want to tell them why i don't like them without feeling like i'm lecturing them or annoying them which will just have the opposite results of what i'm trying to do.

[Atman]

1. What is the appeal of this thread?

Not enough flame wars to go around today?

How many millions of words have we wasted on this one?

[triguy46]

27. Just needing a chance to be sanctimonious?

And before you jump me, please know I've NEVER voted for a repug in my long life, and supported McCarthy and voted for Mcgovern, (a very very small club that). Loosen up your blinders just a little, we need a big tent here, not a small one. Is our value to the revolution based on our vehicle?

[rzemanfl]

2. Plenty of flat space on the back for yer Jesus fish and "moral

values" stickers. If it has a spare tire on the back ya kin get a cool American Eagle cover fer it that sez "God Bless America."

[JI7]

7. but it's also people who aren't right wingers

i can somewhat understand the ignorant right wing assholish types as we already know they have something lacking and feel the need to make up for it in certain ways.

but not all SUV people are like that. what is their reason for wanting these cars.

[NorCalDem]

17. I had a Jeep

and took it off-roading and to three consecutive "Camp Jeeps."

I'm ultra-progressive, but I used my SUV as intended. Now that I moved to the Bay Area however, I wished I had bought a Prius

It's just that I can't afford a new car, so I'm stuck with what I got. So don't hate me for it

[JI7]

24. i can understand that

i live in the city also and that's probably what is really annoying me. people buy these things and they don't really need them here. they aren't ones they have had for a while also. they buy them while here and new.

it just seems like EVERYONE i know has one. i know many people without cars. but of those who do have cars it seems there are more or equal numbers with SUVs. and that just seems like too much in a place like Los Angeles.

[PatrioticLeftie]

9. Not to mention a whole myriad of other cliches that they don't believe in

[valerief]

3. Some people are minibus aka suv people

[Straight Shooter]

4. Sense of safety, security, protection against other large vehicles.

I've heard that reason, that many people buy SUV's because, well, there are so many SUV's on the road. In a collision with an SUV, the occupants of the smaller vehicle tend to suffer more injuries, greater injuries.

Kind of a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of SUV-buying.

[adnelson60087]

5. When I ask, this is what I hear....

1. They are safer than cars.

2. I like lots of space.

3. They are just SO comfortable.

4. I like being "high up"

5. We're big people and like a big car

Yup, they love America....

[TankLV]

84. Can't argue with peoples' EMOTIONS!

I agree with almost every single one of those items (except for #5) - but my LOGIC takes over when it comes time to actually OWN one - I don't.

These vehicles appeal to the EMOTIONS, not INTELLECT.

I purposely HATE any type of BMW just because almost everybody just LOVED them beginning in the 80's.

Go figure.

[emulatorloo]

6. I don't have one, but here is what I gather from those that do

1. Up high in traffic you can see everything going around you better (imagine wearing stilts in a crowded room) Some how this makes you feel you have more control over the situation.

2. All the extra metal and stuff makes you feel more secure if you were to have an accident.

3. You can stuff a lot of kids and things into one without feeling like the dork you would be if you had a mini-van.

4. If the roads get bad, you have 4WD.

[JI7]

15. ok, that makes some sense

i was talking to this woman who said both her kids have SUVs and they don't understand how she can drive her little car. she said they feel uncomfortable driving smaller cars ever since the SUVs.

i do wonder how many of these people are aware of the environmental problems they cause.

[Kickin_Donkey]

63. For me, it's just the opposite ...

For the first 10 years I drove a car (1978-88; this was before they were called SUVs), my vehicle was a huge Ford Bronco. I felt like I was driving a battleship around.

Now I drive normal-sized cars (Volvo, Lexus, etc.). After having driven a big 4WD, it's so EASY to drive a sedan or compact. I can maneuver it tight spaces, park in almost any parking slot with no problem, and I don't feel as if my car is hanging out all over the place. I actually feel freer.

The SUV's high sight lines are no big deal; it feels better driving with a lower center of gravity.

Just my 2 cents.

[BringEmOn]

8. Overcompensation for a less than adequate manhood and waning

libido.

[baldguy]

11. Small penises

[Vektor]

34. That's why I have one. My tiny penis.

Being a female, it is REALLY SMALL.

[lutefisk]

36. OK, that's funny. I needed a laugh...

...and people need to lighten up a bit!

[Vektor]

43. Hahahaha...

I couldn't help but think, "man, that poster is right! I have an SUV and my penis is more like a tiny vestigial nub!"

You should have seen the look on the car dealer's face when I entered the showroom, exposed my poor excuse for a member, and said "what can you sell me that would make THIS look big?"

[TankLV]

85. Oh god! I almost spit my coffee out on the screen!

Thanks for the best laugh of the morning so far!

God bless you!

[Nobody]

105. That's great! I love that response!

I am so sick of the assumption that big penis equals good and small penis/no penis equals bad.

[triguy46]

29. Oh good grief. Save it for the freepers. n/t

[BringEmOn]

35. As they say....if the shoe fits....

[FloridaPat]

10. Sport part makes owner an adventureous person image. The bigger

and more powerful the car/suv the more powerful etc the person is. All ego image.

[titoresque]

12. My daughter was watching VH1

yesterday and I caught a bit of the show. Celebrities and their vehicles. I got so pissed! It's ridiculous!
Ahhhhnold ownes no less than 5 Hummers and another all terrain vehicle....I can't remember the name, it's a military UGLY damn thing that's supposed to put the Hummer to shame.
Ashton Kutcher ownes some huge semi looking truck on steroids that gets 8 miles to the gallon.

[tuvor]

13. If you bring up the topic, you'll be seen as lecturing.

No way around that.

(If you've ever been "witnessed" to, you'll know what I mean.)

[JI7]

28. yeah, that's one of the problems i have

because i really want them to see the problems with these vehicles and how they don't really need them. but i know a lot of them will just be thinking "leave me the fuck alone , i don't want to hear your leftist ranting". and of course some of them will also enjoy the spite they get in driving them.

[NMDemDist2]

14. I own a coffee shop/snack bar in Phoenix. I sometimes have to pull

a trailer large enough to haul the entire espresso cart and never a week goes by that I don't have to haul big boxes of cups or candy or chips or water or energy drinks or whatever around in what is often 110 degrees.

so I have one for hauling in a climate controlled environment (ever seen a chocolate bar after 10 minutes in the Arizona sun?)

Hubby and I commute together and when we can, we drive the small fuel efficient car, but the SUV gets plenty of work every single week.

I did trade in the V-8 two years ago for a more efficient V-6 (20 MPG freeway, fully loaded with the A/C blowing) but there are days I can BARELY fit every thing in the SUV as it is. and I'd love to just get a big car instead, but it just can't handle the weight of multiples of 20 oz soda cases or energy drinks or cases of liter waters

I push those darn shocks to the limits regularly.

That's why I have one!

[maxsolomon]

16. POWER

flamebait.

i have one & i use it to go skiing & to trailheads on poor quality gravel roads. i've been places i couldn't have been without an SUV. maybe with a subaru. i've hauled 4 people & a dog on camping vacations. i've moved a kid to college. i've hauled load after load of concrete to the recycling station. i do not have a white one. i do not have one with 20" rims. it is not "pimped". it is 10 years old. it has a 150000 miles & its on its second engine & tranny.

i would get a ford escape hybrid but i cannot afford a new car. many are in the same boat; we're stuck with them. plus that hybrid is a ford, which means its is a POS.

it doesn't make me feel manly or safe, & i don't get off on being "up high". i have never owned a car that did that.

[NMDemDist2]

21. hear hear on the Ford thing! GMC all the way (my second car is a Subaru)

now the car wars begin

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. Here's my take on it

My husband and I bought an SUV in 1989. We were coming up to Akransas from Texas and going into some pretty rugged places where 4WD was necessary. The model we got was considered one of the safest and fit our price range. We still have it, and it is well used. We have used it to haul wood from places without roads, to get in and out of our land, which in the winter is often otherwise impossible to do except to walk out. We don't use it much now, except in these extreme situations.

Now, as to why people buy things they don't need. I've been there, done that. I had an emptiness inside, a longing for something I couldn't quite put my finger on. So I'd go to the mall and buy stuff, and, for a moment or two, feel content. But the newness wore off relatively quickly, and I would be back with my feeling of emptiness.

What happened to me was discovering something in my life that filled that emptiness and made me content. It had nothing to do with money or materialism-a good thing, as I gave up my well-paying job and the habit of going to the mall. And now I have what, to me, is true riches-a group of people who know and care about me, and friends who really know me to the core of my soul. My journey to this place is not one that everyone will take, or even want to take; each person has their own way to go in life. I just hope that all here find their way to obtain the peace and contentment that I have.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NMDemDist2]

26. what a wonderful story

blessings! sounds like you've already got them

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

45. and may peace and blessings

come your way as well.

[begin_within]

19. People feel safer in them, you sit "above" other traffic.

[triguy46]

22. I owned one until last friday, now a Honda Civic...

Yes, I took a bath on the trade in but at least it was paid for.

Real simple for us, I had a daughter playing club volleyball, and we hauled her and teammates across the midwest for tournaments year round. Two adults plus two 18 year old girls both 6'0" tall plus a ball bag, plus all their gear, plus a cooler for food/drinks during the tournament just didn't add up in a civic or scion. In fact we were marginal in a ford explorer sport a "small" SUV.

The upside? Full ride scholarship, and 48 hours of 4.0 after one year.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

23. Good question. Here are my answers.

My husband drives a big Ford Van. I don't drive, but we ride together to work. We are LARGE people. He is six foot three, I am five foot seven. We are both... um... horizontally challenged. (overweight) We don't fit easily in smaller cars. My son in law has a Camaro and I personally can't get in or out of it.

We are on the road ninety minutes a day and we appreciate the comfort of having enough room.

Another issue for us is family trips. We have family in NJ and live in FL. We periodically all pile in and go there: me, husband, daughter, son in law, two grandchildren and unmarried son and his fiance.

And yet another reason. We own a Christmas tree farm and haul a lot of equipment around.

We also use the van for camping. In addition, my husband is a ham radio operator and we do hurricane relief and weather condition reporting.

Finally, we travel one of the worst winding, hilly roads in this area, one known for dozens of head ons each year. We share it with kids from the local high school. We want a big motor in front of us and we want to be higher up off the ground for better vision of the road.

That's our reasons for driving large cars. We have had small cars before (Volvo, VW) and this is WAY better for us.

[radwriter0555]

60. Check out the Scion mini-van. My pals who are 6'5 bought it for the head

room and leg room.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

64. I will take a look at that

comfort is my main concern. When you spend so much of your day in a car you don't want to feel like a sardine!

[radwriter0555]

81. The legroom, headroom and space was GREAT. I still got 10 foot lengths

of lumber in there, NO Problem! Full sized appliances, etc. I never, ever lacked for hauling room at all. It felt completely safe, room and comfortable.

[Arugula Latte]

89. A question for you, TallahasseeGrannie (off subject)

I was surprised to read that you have a X-mas tree farm in Florida. Do conifers grow well there? (I never pictured those trees coming out of that part of the world, but, hey, I live in Oregon now ... )

[napi21]

25. My ex-DIL HAD TO HAVE ONE! Talked my son into buying her

and Expedition. SHE had to have one because all the other mothers who were ANYBODY had one!!!

She decided, 2 years later that she didn't want to be married anymore, and took the SUV and the payment book with her. Last month, she finally realized she couldn't afford to fill up the damn tank, she traded it in on a new station wagon.

With her, it was all status!

[TankLV]

86. That's exactly why I hate BMW's and Accura's, etc.

Because all the phoney status seekers just GOT to have one.

And they all look alike.

There is NO emotional appeal to them at all.

I run the opposite way FAST!

[Atman]

30. Next time you're at an intersection, check out a Toyota Avalon

Bigger than half the SUV's on the road. Oh, but it's a Toyota! Sorry.

SUV is a fucking meaningless term. If you mean Hummers and Escalades, say so. A Hyundai Sante Fe or Suziki Vitara or Rav4 or Honda whatever are all considerably smaller than a full-size passenger car.

Bullshit on this SUV shit.

[Vektor]

31. There are a few good uses for them.

If you own property that 4WD requires access, they really can come in handy. If you have a job, animals, or a hobby that requires a lot of hauling space, but you want the things you are hauling to have protection from the elements (thus canceling out a pickup truck) they also are very good for that, as well as towing a boat or trailer. My husband plays drums in a couple of bands, we have mountain property that gets snowed in a lot, we have two large dogs, (and four cats, all rescued from the pound) and I do a lot of landscaping (tree planting!)/home improvement so we actually do have an SUV, and we really need it.

I also carpool and help a lot of friends who need a big vehicle for hauling, towing, and moving. I offer assistance to a lot of people I know in many ways and also bring large boxes of donated items once a month to a local charity organization's thrift store, and to our local humane society. I feel I use my SUV for good rather than harm, and my husband and I donate a pretty substantial amount to environmental causes, plus we recycle fervently, and use many eco-friendly products. We buy only organic produce from a local farm, and are for the most part, VERY environmentally conscious in many ways. Our only folly? Yes, we have a larger vehicle.


We bought a Toyota because they are the one automotive manufacturer that BuyBlue.org identifies as a Democratic donor, and their environmental policies are quite good.

I feel that just because someone drives an SUV it doesn't make them an environmental rapist. You have to look at the big picture. What do they use the vehicle for, and what else are they doing in life to contribute to the better good?

[baldguy]

42. Yes, but there's a difference

between this:




and this:

[Vektor]

48. HAHAHA! Yes, there certainly is!

I actually have this:



NOT this:



I really do like my Toyota. It's larger than average, though not ridiculous. I have also managed to keep the mileage a lot lower than typical.

[TankLV]

88. Now I LIKE that one on the bottom! Whew!

But not for $250,000 smakers of a price tag!

Hubba Hubba Hubba!

I can feel my penis and testicles shrinking out of sight as I write this!

Everybody should drive a tractor trailer truck!

[Digit]

32. I like the Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav4, but they are both 4 cylinders

All wheel drive
Sit up high and SEE (I am 4'11")
Safer
Can transport a couple of shrubs
Gas mileage for those run 22/27

After learning this, I don't lump all SUV's together.
There are also hybrid SUV's.
Hummers though, I don't see why anyone would buy one of those gas guzzlers.

[Atman]

37. CR-Vs and RAV4's are SUV's you evil bastard!

You're responsible for destroying our country!

[LeftyMom]

33. They need the space and vans aren't cool?

A woman on another message board I frequent tried to justify her purchase of a rather large SUV, a Tahoe I think (that name cracks me up, 'cause if you actually drive around Tahoe the most common vehicles up there appear to be little Subarus) because she's not a minivan person- they make her feel like a mom (paraphrase.) Now she IS a mom, but she only has two small kids and lives in a flat state so why does she think she needs such a big car?

My best friend drives an Expedition. She really needs the space, towing capacity and off-road capability. She really looked around for something smaller and more efficient but without getting two separate vehicles and getting hosed on insurance she couldn't do everything she needed with anything smaller. She agrees that buying one if you don't need it is just stupid.

[nradisic]

38. Large families?

My wife and I have triplets and a dog. Try putting everyone and everything when going away for a weekend (forget about vacation) into a Prius. I'd love a big SUV with a hybrid engine, three rows, and lots of storage, but since they ain't making one yet, I'm afraid I'll have to live with my gas guzzler. Some of us actually have a legitimate reason and use for our SUV's.

[radwriter0555]

59. Well you could just rent a large enough vehicle for the holiday and would

do well enough with a small mini-van for sclepping around town. The mini-vans today, like the Scion, are perfect for large families and economical as well.

And when you take that vacation, rent a big old honking van!



Under $15K.

[LeftyMom]

76. That's not a minivan

It only seats five, a minivan generally seats seven or eight.

Don'te get me wrong, I like the xb, but it's really more of a wagon.

[WyLoochka]

39. sports and utility

Like the name says - Sports Utility Vehicle. Packing outdoor gear is the primary appeal to me.

Versatility is key too. I recently went camping in WY & MT grizzly country where it is not only wise, but required by law to sleep in a hard-sided something. I'm not very big, so I slept comfortably in my XTerra.

[AspenRose]

40. Subaru Forrester

My main reason for getting it was the good crash test ratings. I have a baby and I wanted him to be safe.

With babies come baby crap: strollers, etc. I have space in the Forrester.

We also live in the mountains and having the all wheel drive helps when we get snowed in.

I wouldn't put a Subaru Forrester in the same category as, say, a Ford Expedition. We tried to get something modest as far as SUVs go. It almost seems like a glorified station wagon to me....

Our other vehicle is a Toyota Tercel and my husband rides his bike to work, so he only uses the Tercel when he has to go out of town or something.

[EST]

41. Some good and interesting reasons on this thread.

I have a twenty year old 4wd pickup that doesn't travel a thousand miles a year and, when it does travel, it is usually carrying a loud that is well justified.
The reason for hummers in civilian life is the same reason, for the most part, that we have the tradition of manicured lawns--conspicuous consumption-- I am so rich that I can have a piece of ground that needs serve no useful purpose.

[buzzard]

44. Some cars are too small for tall drivers, my husband needed to get

a new vehicle last year and in all the cars he sat in his head was hitting the roof. His body is long compared to his legs and it was a real problem. He ended up getting another SUV which was not really what he wanted. With the amount of gas they use he said next time he would see if you could have the seats made lower.

[H2O Man]

46. Doctors recommended

that I drive one due to injuries sustained in an auto accident, and substantial surgery on my back. I'm disabled, and can't get up & down into my wife's car. I never had one before my accident. I drive very little, and my vehicle gets better gas mileage than plenty of cars. (My Dodge Omni did get better mileage.)

[Applan]

47. "Safer" is a myth

According to the excellent book by Keith Bradsher, "High and Mighty, SUVs the Worlds Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way", occupant death rate in an SUV is 6% higher than for a car. Due mainly to their tendency to roll over.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

66. I'm going to get that book and read it

I have been aware of the roll over potential, especially in Explorers and Jeeps. Also extended vans, often filled up with Sunday School people. Not good! My son is a paramedic and won't drive a small car. He tells me in his experience (which of course might not match the statistics) that the only time he sees fatalities in trucks and big SUVs are if the people are not wearing seatbelts.

Our van is 12 years old and has 200 K miles on it. Lately we have been renting Lincolns to go north and they are very comfortable. I would think they are safe because they have side curtains.

I recently saw a safety thing on TV about small cards and side collisions. Yikes. The ones with side curtains did ok, though.

Another issue around here in Tallahssee is very winding hilly roads. A lot of people don't realize that North Florida is far from flat. We have a whole LOT of teenagers here in great big pick up trucks and they drive like idiots, crossing over the line on the curves, etc. Right now if I have to hit one, I want a big truck.

[LeftyMom]

75. Lincolns are really safe

My Dad finally got a Town Car last year after wanting one for as long as I can remember and only a few months after he got it he was rearended at a stoplight by somebody going very fast. His car was smashed so badly the trunk was where the back seat should be, all four tires were flattened, the airbags deployed and he walked away without a scratch.

He went out and bought another just like it the same day.

Previously he had a Mercury Grand Marquis, which I think is mostly the same car but without the leather and other interior upgrades. That saved his ass in a bad accident too.

The safest vehicles in collisions are large cars and minivans. Basicly larger is safer up until about 3000 lbs, after that size doesn't improve collision performance to as large a degree. Beside airbags, things to look for safety-wise are headrests that adjust high enough for your tallest passengers (the top of your headrest whould be at or above the tips of your ears) and three point seatbelts for all passengers. In vans and large SUVs the farther the 3rd row seat is from the back hatch the better, because those seats are vulnerable in a rear-end collision.

[KittyWampus]

49. The Design Was Specifically Done To Appeal To Our Reptilian Impulse

the fenders/grill work look like clenched teeth, the wheel wells look like clenched fists, the height is a fuck you to other drivers.

I SAW and HEARD one of the designers... it's a perfect example of black magic. They know the psychology of imagery/shapes etc.

I am NOT making this up.

[KittyWampus]

50. Article: Was Freud A Mini Van Or SUV- Marketing IS Black Magic

From NYTimes

Was Freud a Minivan or S.U.V. Kind of Guy?
By KEITH BRADSHER

DETROIT, July 16 -- Of all the mysteries facing automakers in recent years, few have been so engrossing as how families choose between minivans and sport utility vehicles.

snip

Yet a growing body of research by automakers is finding that buyers of these two kinds of vehicles are very different psychologically. Sport utility buyers tend to be more restless, more sybaritic, less social people who are "self-oriented," to use the automakers' words, and who have strong conscious or subconscious fears of crime. Minivan buyers tend to be more self-confident and more "other-oriented" -- more involved with family, friends and their communities.

snip

While the psychological research is closely guarded by the automakers, executives are willing to discuss some details. For example, minivan buyers tend to be more comfortable than sport utility buyers with being married; sport utility buyers are more commonly concerned with still feeling sexy, and like the idea that they could use their vehicles to start dating again, said David P. Bostwick, DaimlerChrysler's director of market research.

snip

Both groups of car buyers say they want to be "in control" in a vehicle, yet mean completely different things by this, the research found.

"Minivan people want to be in control in terms of safety, being able to park and maneuver in traffic, being able to get elderly people in and out," Mr. Schaafsma said. "S.U.V. owners want to be more like, 'I'm in control of the people around me.' " This is an important reason why seats are mounted higher in sport utilities than in minivans, he said.

Sport utility buyers are much more concerned with their vehicles' external appearance, while minivan buyers are more interested in the vehicles' interiors and practicality....

Strategic Vision, a market research company in San Diego that does a lot of work for the auto industry, has found that a greater percentage of minivan buyers than sport utility buyers are involved in their communities and families.... A greater percentage of sport utility buyers dine at fine restaurants, go to nightclubs and sporting events, and work out.

Auto Pacific Inc.... found in another large survey this spring that sport utility buyers placed a lower value than minivan buyers on showing courtesy on the road....

Mr. Bostwick said that while some sport utility buyers mention that the vehicles' sturdy appearance looks safe to them, safety during traffic accidents tends not to be the real reason they buy a vehicle. "It's not safety as the issue, it's aggressiveness....

snip

For the minivan, he said, the goal was an attractive interior that would make buyers feel as if they were once again "in the womb."
snip

Mr. Bostwick of DaimlerChrysler and other auto market researchers said they had been greatly influenced by Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, a French-born medical anthropologist who has worked as a consultant to DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors.

Dr. Rapaille looks at the intellectual, emotional and "reptilian," or instinctual, reasons why people buy consumer products. He said sport utilities are designed to be masculine and assertive, often with hoods that resemble those on 18-wheel trucks, vertical metal slats across the grilles to give the appearance of a jungle cat's teeth and flared wheel wells and fenders that suggest the bulging muscles in a clenched jaw.

Sport utilities are designed to appeal to Americans' deepest fears of violence and crime, Dr. Rapaille said. People's earliest associations with sport utilities are wartime Jeeps with machine guns mounted on the back, he explained. Sport utilities are "weapons" and "armored cars for the battlefield," he said.

Detroit advertising agencies have looked at buying the rights to make television commercials from the "Mad Max" series of movies, and inserting footage of sport utilities into movie scenes showing combat in the Australian desert by bloodthirsty, leather-clad biker gangs in masks, Dr. Rapaille said.

"The big, powerful S.U.V.'s with a message of 'don't mess with me' are going to be around for some time, because American culture is not going to change," he said.

For the record, I drive a station wagon. My family owns an Inn and has to have a car big enought to transport several people with luggage to the train station.

[Moderator]

73. cryingshame

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source
and provide a link to
the source.


Thank you.

DU Moderator

[TallahasseeGrannie]

67. This is fascinating

but I would think that would turn me off rather than attract me because I don't like scary reptiles! (have a couple of six footers in the pond behind my house and they are not my friends)

But I am sure a whole lot of strange stuff goes on in the minds of product designers and advertisers.

[TankLV]

90. It's calle "emotional appeal".

Without an emotional connection, over half the things we buy would just sit in their boxes/warehouses.

[triguy46]

51. Hey! Lets start ta thread where we argue with each other...

and insult each other!! This is fun!!! I'm sure the freepers enjoy it too!!!

As Pat Buchanan said of the Dems in 68, "How can they unite a country when they can't unite their own party?"

We're supposed to on the same side here, lets leave the intolerance and bigotry to the experts.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

65. Actually I thought we were being pretty civil!

[TankLV]

91. Yeah - I think this thread is actually going pretty nicely.

Big surprise.

To each his own.

All have valid reasons.

This is that way discussion should run.

Kudos to all who have participated.

[tamtam]

52. I have a pathfinder

My husband purchased it after I wrecked my beloved neon. I almost died in that car and my husband became ultra paranoid about our vehicles after that.

I have a neighbor who owns an Excursion. The thing is she is a single mom with one child. One day (out of curiosity) I asked her why she purchased such a hugh SUV. She said "everyone has one now" This was last year and just yesterday she told me she is having a hard time paying for gas.

I'm not going to pretend that my pathfinder is not doing damage to the environment. I've done my research and I know my vehicle is doing damage. Unfortunately I'm stuck with it until next year; I have my eye on a Forrester.

I know my mid-size SUV is not doing as much damage as my neighbors Excursion but in my eyes it doesn't make it right FOR ME to own one . I know I could have something similar to my pathfinder that does far less damage. Every person that owns an SUV have their reasons for owning one. I just hope more people are doing research before they buy. Nowadays, you can purchase a vehicle with all the SUV perks without all the damage to mother earth.

[leftofthedial]

53. "Mine is bigger than yours."

"If we have a wreck, you and all your kids are gonna die, but I won't."

"Fuck Saddam and all them oil-rich sand n----rs."

"If I don't live like an arrogant, gluttonous pig, the terrists win."

"All the better to show you my 'W' sticker with, my dear."

[OneBlueSky]

54. compensating for small penises . . . n/t

.

[JVS]

55. Seriously, I think a lot of it has to do with a lack of large sedan/wagons

that are affordable.

A family of 4 or, God forbid, 5 is not going to be able to travel more than the shortest distances comfortably in a honda civic, or even an accord.

Large sedans and wagons got better mileage than SUVs, but because of federally mandated milage goals for cars, they were phased out. Initially they were replaced by minivans which took the new small front wheel drive platforms like the K car and went the only direction they could go for space: up. The plymouth voyager (the archetype for minivans) was built on the K car platform and in order to fit people into it, a more upright seating arrangement was adopted. The problem was that minivans displayed about the same amount of aesthetic appeal as old K-mart suits. A lot of people did like the higher ride and more upright seating posture though, which could be duplicated by driving a truck. Truck platforms were not subject to consumption regulations as tough as to which cars were subject, so manufactures realized that they could replace the old large sedan/wagon with station wagons built on truck platforms for a similar price to what the large family sedan had once cost. That's what an SUV is.

[cynatnite]

56. SUV's are a fad for most and will soon pass...

For some, not all that many, it is a matter of necessity. Some people do buy what they need and no more than that.

Unfortunately, most buy more than what they need and to show how well off they are by sporting the latest fad. The fad is starting to pass in favor of better gas mileage and hopefully for more environmentally safe vehicles.

on edit: Hummers are just obscene vehicles to show off with for 99% of the drivers. I hate those vehicles and they should never have hit the street. They should have stayed in the military where they belong.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

69. I agree with this

here in Tallahassee the folks that consider themselves the creme de la creme all belong to the Junior League. (the women, that is) For years they drove Mercedes and other status car. Then suddenly every single one of them had a Suburban. All of them. Dad's a banker, mom stays home with one or two kids. I think that is just a trend.

I will personally buy anything that is safe and roomy and can seat six or seven. If they can do that with low gas mileage, I will be thrilled.

I agree the hummer is just way too military for me and is probably related to penis envy.

[Must_B_Free]

57. crash protection

Don't feel as safe in a smaller vehicle and lower to the ground. Don't have 4WD on either of my SUVs.

[cynatnite]

58. Europeans don't have that fear it seems...

I lived in Germany for a few years and did quite a bit of traveling. In that entire time I only saw three accidents. They drive small compact cars for the most part.

[RiDuvessa]

61. I would say

That the small European car has more to do with the teeny-tiny narrow roads and high gas prices then anything else. They have had to pay $4 a gallon for years because of taxes.

I live in Sicily right now, and they have accidents all the time. The small European cars are definitely less safe then the American cars.

[cynatnite]

62. I wasn't saying they were safer...

The smaller cars do much better in mileage and fuel prices are higher there. It always seemed to me Europeans didn't have the same fear as many Americans when it came to vehicles. That's what I believed.

I went to Italy once and got to only stay a couple of days. Guess that explains why I didn't see any accidents

[NNN0LHI]

68. My wife and I like to eat food and stay warm during winter

Nearest grocery store is about a 20 mile round trip from where we live. I have had to make that same trip to purchase gas for my generator to keep my blower motor on my furnace turning when we have lost electricity for up to a week after heavy ice storms. I have had to drive down roads that look like I was driving though a tunnel made of snow with drifts on the side of the road in the farm fields that were several feet higher than my 4 wheel drive vehicle. Cars don't work around here when heavy snow hits. Believe me some people actually need them. A 4-wheel drive pickup would suffice but they get no better gas mileage as my SUV gets. And I don't trade that fucker off every spring for summer and buy another in the fall for winter either so one just might catch me driving it in the summer too. There you go.

Don

[LeftyFingerPop]

70. I prefer to drive old pieces of crap...seriously.

I feel like I am making a statement by doing this. I like an old vehicle that looks like shit but runs like a top.

I do not want to insult anyone, but my personal belief is that some people who drive these huge SUV's look utterly ridiculous in them. Some of these things are so huge, they look like the epitome of self-importance and self-indulgence. Then, when these people say they "need" these huge monstrosities....well, it cracks me up. Need them for what? To make our country more dependent on forein oil? jesus, we got along without these gas guzzlers for many years, why do we "need" them now?

Maybe I just fit the standard mold of an old Italian American...like the old joke says....How can you tell if a man is an italian American? Answer: He has $400,000 in his brokerage account and drives a black rusted 1976 Monte-Carlo and lives in a 900 square foot bungalo that has two kitchens. LOL....please do not get offended Italian Americans....for I am one of you!

[TankLV]

94. Actually that's where I'm at right now.

Everybody asks me why I don't get a new car - I am mostly incredulous at this question.

Until such time as my beater is no longer functional, or costs too much to maintain, I will then search for something else.

Until then, I am completely happy with my clunker.

Can take all three golden retrievers with me without the need to protect before or clean afterward.

Never need to wash it - I don't know how much water I've saved the community by not washing it since 1996 here in Las Vegas!

It's ceased being a tempting target for theives long ago - I can park anywhere in town and really not worry about it!

I love my 88 chevy corsica 4 cylinder!

I've got good A/C and a great stereo - what more do I need?!

[KnowerOfLogic]

102. LOL - same here. nt

[Skittles]

71. I don't know, but SUV's make me sick

and no I don't give a flying f*** if the drivers are Dems...all of the excuses - what the f*** do you think we did before those g.d. things existed???

[nashbridges]

72. I had an old Z3

and in 2003 while I was driving through the West Virginia mountains I lost control in the snow and drifted into another lane, where I was promptly hit by a Jeep Cherokee that must have been going 30 mph faster than I was.

Three things saved my life: airbags, seatbelt, luck. When both of us finally stopped, the left front wheel of the Jeep was planted firmly in my passenger seat. It went right over my car.

My wife bought the z3 before we met, but we now have a subaru and a used Infiniti G35, both with AWD. If we could afford a tank, we'd probably buy one - you don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

RAV4's get pretty good mpg, so we're looking at one of those.

[DS1]

74. Ego. If your SUV is all leather on the inside, you should admit

that it's not for the Sport, or the Utility.

The other day I saw a person open the back of their enormous Toyota Land Cruiser or whatever, and put a tiny little package in the trunk. I think it was for validation.

[IN-dem]

77. I need mine for the winter time

our repuke town does not keep our roads clean. If we get two inches of snow the whole town shuts down. Don't hate me for it I have had it for 6yrs it is paid for and I only drive it about 10 miles a week. We live in a very very small town. Four wheel drive have been around since either 1960 or 1970's. My husband works in a factory if you miss work because of the weather you will get in trouble possibly fired...they are shit heads.

[Solon]

107. Get a front wheel drive car with a manual transmission...

Much safer and better on paved roads with 2 inches or more of snow on them. I have an '89 Toyota Celica convertible, and let me say, all I see on the side of the roads are SUVs and trucks in the wintertime that think 4WD is good for going 50 MPH on the highways with 6 inches on the ground. Dumbasses all of them.

ON EDIT: Another thing to say, I have never, not once, slid on ice or water in this car, if the tires are decent, then control is no problem in the situation.

[berni_mccoy]

78. 2 kids, 2 dogs, 4WD, towing capacity, cargo space, drink cup holders

In NH, we can get 2 to 4 feet of snow at once and we often need to get out before the plows go by (rural areas). Also, we have to haul our own recycles and garbage to the dump, so you either get a tag-along trailer or you throw it in the back. It also comes in handy for a bike rack that can hold 4 bikes and lots of camping gear.

[sweetheart]

79. Why i bought an SUV.

A car needs over 6 inches of clearance and 4wd to navigate my driveway,
especially in the winter.

There is enough room for the dogs in the back seat.

I can load the car like a light pickup truck with a shell, carrying wood
bricks and construction materials.

On the farm here, i've had to use the car periodically in farm-fields,
in mud and rough ground. The 4wd is indispensible, and short of having
a tractor, a 4wd is indispensible to a light farm.

The engine is big enough to drive fast when necessary under motorway
groupthink, like when the whole M1 north of london is driving at 85mph
as an average speed for all cars.. to be in a small weak engined car
is less safe when the road calls for equality.

The car gets 24mpg about... beat me to death for it.

[LWolf]

80. Locally

most people want 4wd to deal with winter road conditions, especially those on dirt roads. So there are a lot of pickups, large and small, SUVs, and Subarus. I think we'd see more cars if more passenger cars or small station wagons came with 4wd. I've also heard that they want to be able to haul stuff in bad weather without a tarp, and they have a bunch of kids and need more seats per vehicle.

I think it's a little different in rural communities than it is in the city; of course, more people live and drive in cities, don't they?

[TankLV]

82. They look cool and they carry a lot of shit. They appeal to the emotions.

If it weren't for the lousy gas mileage and high price tag - I'd have one, too!

And I love sitting high above all the other cars! I didn't know what was on the other side of the freeways here in Las Vegas - they all have those 10-20 foot high noise walls continually along the roadways!

[PowerToThePeople]

83. S.P.S.

Small Penis Syndrome.

[Cats Against Frist]

87. SUVs piss me off, immensely

Not because of the gas wasting, mind you, or the unnecessary luxury, mind you, or the discrepancy between sticker price and use value, mind you -- but because I don't feel save with a trazillion giant cars on the road.

My parents keep bugging me to buy one, so I'm safer. Safe from what? ALL THE OTHER FUCKERS IN THEIR GIANT CARS.

No thanks. It has to stop somewhere, and it stops with me.

[_Loki_]

92. Can I skip the politics...

....and just answer the question posed?
I suppose I can.

The appeal? I can tow my trailer (loaded with a ton of landscape material or lumber) haul my canoe, navigate the roads around the Linville Gorge and seat five comfortably, all without feeling like I'm tearing the everliving crap out of a station wagon.

How often, you may ask, do I do any or all of the above? Weekly, at the least.

[cat_hair]

93. Marketing probably

what gets people to buy things they may not really want or need ?
---

Isn't that the point of marketing, to get you to buy crap you don't need.

[Scout]

95. I use mine to haul stuff for people with small cars....

and to haul my stuff to craft shows, and for our camping vacations with all our gear and our 2 big dogs, and our trips to the cabin where we have to drive down the 2-track road several miles past the gate, and to drive in Michigan winters, and because I always wanted to have a jeep (long before any of us had ever heard of SUV).

And yes, part of the reason I got a Jeep was because for all the years when I drove my Pinto, my Renault Alliance, and my Escort I could not see around/past/over the pickup trucks, the vans, the mini-vans and the big damn sedans. Now I can see.

This is my second jeep, and yes it's got the leather interior (someone was sniping about the interiors) ... 'cuz I bought it used, it came that way. I keep the back seats folded down most of the time because of dogs and/or cargo travelling back there.

Both the jeeps I've had were purchased used. So at least no additional raw materials were used, and no additional pollution caused by my ordering/purchasing a new vehicle.

I'm fucking sick of people sniping and bitching about what I drive. They just damn well better live in a smaller home than me (1200 ft. trailer), have fewer children than me (none), recycle more than I do, not drive around aimlessly on ATVs or jet skis... driving and owning a jeep does not in and of itself make me unqualified to be a liberal.

ETA: my penis size is just fine thank you, as I have a clitoris.

[McCamy Taylor]

96. Lets Soccer moms run red lights without fear of dying in the collision.

[entanglement]

97. Suburban soccer moms feel safe in them

They're the worst, chatting into their cellphones or chiding their kids and admiring their pretty highlights in the mirror while driving; No wonder they prefer SUVs, so in case of a collision,it's the poor schmuck in the other car gets killed.

[Blue Belle]

98. I inherited my boyfriend's Ford Explorer...

when my car finally bit the dust, and I have to say, once I got used to driving it, I like the space (I do wood working in my spare time and I like that I can haul furniture without the fear of moisture ruining it) and sitting up a little higher. It is a V-8, and is quite costly at the gas pump, but I've cut down my driving tremendously since I started working from home. When the time comes around to purchase a new car, I'm looking seriously at the Ford Escape Hybrid, or the Highlander hybrid.

[Ilsa]

99. My husband likes SUVs and pickups because he rides higher,

and feels like he sees better in them and can be seen better in them.

I like the roominess of an SUV, especially when my autistic son starts going ballistic and tries to choke my other son and kick the back of the driver's seat when my husband is driving. Then I can move him to the very back row where he isn't able to hurt anyone. I can also pack more stuff to entertain him with and have access to it when we are travelling.

Aside from that, I don't like them at all. I ride my bike when the weather isn't scorching like it has been over the last three months.

[sendero]

100. The same reason other folks like..

... Cadillacs, BMWs, Lamborghinis, Acuras.

They are status symbols.

[Dorian Gray]

101. Well, my friend has one because she has five children.

Her only other practical choice was a mini-van. (Or accidentally leaving some of her children home.)

They are also useful for people who do a lot of delivery work with their cars. So, if you are in an industry where you have to cart around a lot of products in your cars, I could see why you might want one.

I live in Brooklyn, and it amazes me how many people have them around here. I park on the street, as do many people in my neighborhood. Not only would there be a dozen more spots in a three block radius if all those who had SUV's just had regular old compacts, but it's doubly difficult to find parking for your SUV here.

[dchill]

103. Driving an SUV says that you have "big equipment."

So, yeah, it's all bullshit. Apologies to those who really need a larger vehicle; things like Jeeps and Suburbans have been around for decades, and they do have their uses - commuting just isn't one of them...

[Nobody]

104. A couple reasons

Friend considering getting a hybrid Ford Escape is afraid to drive small vehicles. Got crunched by a semi once.

Another friend lives out in the boonies and has to traverse three miles of unpaved road. In winter. Each day back and forth. He drools over my 70 mpg vehicle and wishes he could have one but he can only afford one vehicle and it has to get him to the main road. I can visit him in my car but only when there is no snow.

There are good reasons to have large SUVs but for the most part, they are unnecessary if all you're doing is driving around in town. I wouldn't own one. I'd never be able to afford the gas. However, the RAV 4s get about 30 hwy and I think the Escape hybrids do even better.

Hummers on the other hand are way too big, way too heavy, and are impractical. Try fitting something that's 8 feet wide in a parking spot in a crowded mall at Xmas time. How about the extra heavy weight causing roads to wear out faster. Not to mention the unofficial (because the EPA doesn't test for this) 9 mpg hwy gas mileage. You'd have to haul around your own gas station. On a good day I can get 9 times this (and have). On a bad day I can get 6 times this (and it would have to be a very bad day of stop and go up steep hills)

[Sgent]

106. For me its flooding

Although I have a mid-size sedan currently (very effecient compared to an SUV), in the South we get a lot of flash flooding. Its not unusual for portions of my parking lot to be under 2-3 inches of water, with occassionaly 4-5.

The advantage of having an SUV (or pickup) is that flooding isn't nearly the concern -- and in the South a lot of cars are flooded yearly.

In addition, roads in my area are very, very bad. An SUV or Pickup is better able to handle the potholes and bad roads w/o bottoming out.

Finally, if you ever haul anything, most car suspensions aren't really up to the task. A min-van or SUV (or pickup) is much more capable.

[MS68]

108. Defensive maneuvers

I bought a mini-SUV because I got tired of paying to have things like TV's delivered. Then I felt guilty and wished I would have bought another small car and just paid the delivery fees. However, I took my husband's car (a small car) to the mall once and almost got run over. I couldn't see to back out due to the SUV's on either side of me.

Then we went car shopping not too long ago and I noticed that my Mazda Tribute gets the same, if not better gas mileage than most cars out there, so I quit feeling guilty.

I drove small cars for 20 years. My last one before this was a Honda Civic.

I also telecommute 4 days a week and live 5 minutes away from work and have less than 40,000 miles on my car after 4 years.

I have quit feeling guilty about my SUV.

[jokerman93]

109. American cult of gigantism

This time, we ARE the Titanic.

[crispini]

110. Well, this may not work for you,

but the other day, coworker #1 and I were discussing the high price of gas, and figuring out creative ways that we could save. Up walks coworker #2. In the context of the conversation, we asked her what she drives. She says, "A Hummer."

We both spontaneously burst into laughter.

She was pretty good natured about the whole thing.

I guess what I'm driving at is if you can sort of turn the tables and start making it apparent that your small, high-mileage vehicle is allowing you to save possibly 200-300 dollars a MONTH compared to their gas bill.... then they'll get the message without your even having to lecture them. And in a nice subtle way that'll soak in over time, too.

[Pepperbelly]

111. they are a dying breed ...

Last weekend, I went to the grocery store by taking a route that I don't usually take. In that route, I cut behind a big-assed Chevy-GMC dealership in Jacksonville, AR and this place had probably a huge backlot filled with drab, rain soaked, huge, SUVs sitting cheek to jowl, impossible to get to one without moving the whole row.

Long term storage.

And a HUGE number of them shiny and pretty and sitting daringly on little inclines, fucking steel heroes bucking the odds.

Alas, they are going to take a bath on those behemoths.