I drive a 16mpg 12 year old gas hog SUV

[LSK]

Flame away.

[Archae]

1. One question...

WHY???!!!???

[LSK]

2. cuz I want to destroy the planet

And its paid for and worth $2k if I sell it and I dont want to spend $10k on ?????

[Archae]

3. FREEPER!!!

:P

[LSK]

4. why do you hate America?

Did I mention my SUV was made in America by Union workers?

:P

[puerco-bellies]

5. At $3 a gallon gas coupled with upkeep costs..

When do you think it will be more cost effective to go "greener"?

[LSK]

6. when my commute gets larger than 4 miles

[puerco-bellies]

7. Hmmm, that may take a while.

[Benfea]

8. Doodeyhead!

I don't care if it's 12 years old. 12 years ago you knew gas guzzlers are bad for the planet.

[cobalt1999]

9. mine is 11 years old and I doubt it gets 16mpg.

However, find me something else that will tow a 4200lb boat. BTW, the boat gets 3mpg. Flame away.

[GumboYaYa]

10. Is the commute the only time you drive your SUV?

I got rid of my car a few years back and bought a scooter. Cost was about $3,000. Since that time I have used 40 gallons of gas, a significant savings over what I would have used in a car. I also insure the scooter with my existing homeowners policy at no additional cost. I do not need a state license so no tax on the scooter. I haven't had any repairs since I bought it unlike what I would have exeperienced with a 12 year old SUV over the same time period.

All told, I have not only paid for my initial costs, but saved substantial amounts over that. I don't buy the argument that it is too expensive to get rid of an SUV.

A scooter is a great way to get around town (especially for someone with a 4 mile commute), except in the winter months when I have to tough it out. By switching to a scooter from a car, I have dramatically cut the amount of pollution I contribute to the world.

The decision to stick with a polluting SUV over a more energy efficient vehicle almost always comes down to a person's comfort and convenience. Personally, I don't think my comfort and convenience is worth the risk of polluting the world so that future generations of humans can't survive on the planet. I reserve the right to think that those who disagree with me are selfish and uninformed.

[LSK]

12. scooter wont work, we got this thing called winter

Lots of snow and sub freezing days up here.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. I drive a 16mpg 4-year-old gas hog SUV.

My Sable died and I was offered the Grand Cherokee for free. Free Jeeps are not something to turn down, even if they're coming with 129,000 miles on them (141,000 now).

[LSK]

13. what was wrong with it the other day?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

14. It was a sensor in the computer system or something.

The guy said he just had to reset the computer.

[nosillies]

15. You won't get flamed by me.

My SUV sits on a car chassis and gets 21 mpg city/26 mpg gallon highway. And a paid for car is a paid for car, period. If someone wants to give me the money to buy a Prius, I'm all over it (and a hybrid will most likely be our next car). But unless some windfall comes our way, we're driving our cars into the ground.

An SUV was necessary when we purchased it, because directions to our past two homes included phrases like "head straight up the mountain," "once the pavement ends, you're getting closer," "if you don't have 4WD, stop here and walk, or call us to come pick you up," and "it's been snowing/raining, so we'll just meet you in town."

We're considering getting my husband a scooter, and he'll use it for his commute most days, but we'll keep our existing vehicles. It unexpectedly rains a lot here, and one probably loses enviro-cred when one looks like a dumbass arriving at work drenched to the bone.

Plus, the world can shrivel up and die from CO2 poisoning for all I care before I strap two car seats and two kids on a scooter. What good is preserving the Earth for my progeny if they're dead in the road?

The point is to reduce your personal wear and tear on the Earth as much as possible, in the ways that work for you. I do a damn good job of that in other ways, as I'm sure you do, so I'm not worried about my or your SUV!

[XemaSab]

16. This is extra golden

:D :D