Arianna Huffington Ads... BOOOOO!!!

[milefile]

4X4 drivers do not seem to comprehend that they cannot stop any faster than anyone else. So their big tires and motors get them going too fast in the snow and then they're screwed.

It's about control. I live in Phoenix and it doesn't snow here, but I still drive a 4X4 Grand Cherokee. I go off road fairly regularly for hiking, camping, or just to park it on top of a mountain and escape. I also go up to the mountains where there is snow and I feel secure. I wouldn't in a car. The first time I drove that thing in the snow I was amazed. It was like there was no snow. Any rear wheel drive car is useless in the snow, especially pick-ups. FF is better, but no match for 4X4.

I have seen plenty of SUV drivers stuck. They think they are invincible. The SUV ads propagate this. I saw one for Toyota recently that showed a 4 Runner going down a very loose, steep mountainside. Having done that I can say it is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, and I didn't; I was very fortunate. You basically cannot stop until you're at the bottom. Let's just say I practically **** myself doing it on a more gradual incline and a smaller hill. But some idiot is going to think anyone can do this because it was on the TV. Good luck.

My other car is just a small, economy car. I contemplate getting rid of the Jeep from time to time because there are certain cars I'd love to have, but it always boils down to knowing I'd really regret not having a 4X4 sooner or later.

Lastly, a lot of these so-called SUV's aren't even 4X4. A coworker of mine is driving himself nuts trying to find a 4X2 Cherokee. That, I do not get. What's the point? Get a minivan or a station wagon.

My straight-six, 4 liter Jeep gets about 23 mpg on the freeway and about 17 in traffic. Not bad if you ask me. The '91 Sentra I just sold wasn't that efficient.

 

[Talentless]

A few times I've browsed either car and driver's or road and track's forums, on one of them was a debate on snow driving. i skimmed it, but i remember seeing an argument for rr in snow. might be worth searching for. this was some time ago.

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[milefile]

Originally posted by M5Power
And the point is...

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by milefile

Exactly.

 

[Sortin]

The same arguments could be made for cars that are capable of exceeding 80mph. No highway in the US lets you drive legally over 80mph...so why are cars capable of it?

I had a '91 Honda CRX HF that was rated at about 50mpg highway. Reality is, 10 years later, I was getting about 35-40mpg with my driving. On a long trip, I'm sure I could have gotten 45-50mpg. But yes, it's a 2 seater.

How many families of 7 do you know? Next time you're out on the road, count the number of passengers in the SUVs. Many times it's 1 or 2 people. Even a large family can get by with a 4 door sedan most of the time. Heck, my mom drove a station wagon with the folding rear seat, for a total of 7 people in the car.

The only thing SUVs have that interest me, is safety for the driver and passengers. But that comes at the expense of whoever else is involved in the accident.

Gawd. Yes there are more cars on the road than SUVs. But just because there are 4 times as many cars as SUV's, doesn't mean cars are more responsible than SUVs for polluting. If there are 100 million cars, then 20 million are SUVs. Those 20 million SUVs pollute more than 20 million cars... and perform the same function. That's all that is being said about the pollution issue.

 

[Klostrophobic]

Uh oh, here we go...

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[Gil]

Actually, we are a family of EIGHT.
We get by in an extended length "mini-van" with eight seats.
As I have said, I WOULD drive a Huge SUV if it fit into my bugetary constraints. But I would keep my 'Scort for driving into the city everyday alone.
The Scort is agile, small, easy to handle, and it gets pair to middling gas mileage.
I also don't need radar and three video camaras to back it out of a parking space.

I have nothing against SUV's per se. I just think that sometimes we Americans are poor stewards of our resources. BUT, we're not supporting terrorism by drining SUV's

 

[Pupik]

I want to pass a new law:

If you can't touch the top of your vehicle, then you can't drive it.

Fair enough?

 

[Der Alta]

After reading all this, I'm still stumped that Gil drives a tiny escort.

I keep picturing that scene from "Police Academy"

AO

 

[Der Alta]

No, I don't think it's fair.

My wife drives a Nissan XE 4X4. I can't even touch the top of the truck. And it's in stock form.

She's harbors a love for big trucks, and has been trying to convince me to go to the monster truck show this coming weekend.

To get back to the heart of the problem, Driving and SUV is not suporting terrorism. On ly in the minds of simple people can the connectino be created that a gas guzzling Vehicle of that size be related to buying a oil. And last time I checked we hadn't bought a considerable amount of oil from Afghanistan, Pakistan or Korea.

This being said, I do bear ill will towards SUV drivers who drive them because they can. Driving one because you have to (family, business or other requirements) is very good. You picked the right tool for the job. My old boss drove a Lincoln Navigator. COmplete with DVD player, and other toys. He has a son and no pets. He drove it because he could. It gave hima feeling of power. Me in my little VW had to cower behind him and other SUV's on the road.

If they (huffington) can connect SUV's to terrorism, I'm going to conect it to Deaths of people in small cars. Surely we can all see the if My bosses Licoln were to collide with my VW, I would not walk away from that one. So I think that SUV drivers should have higher insurance policies because they will kill more people. It's a stretch, but so isn't the terrorism theory.

AO

 

[milefile]

Of course SUV drivers are in grave danger of being killed by a semi, or a dump truck, or a bus, or a garbage truck. They should really have the higher premiums. Interestingly enough, my Hyundai Elantra's insurance is more than my Jeep's.

When I did drive small cars, or any car for that matter, I had a hard time seeing where I needed to see. So I fixed the situation. Today, when I'm waiting to make a left out of a parking lot with no traffic controls, and there is a car next to me waiting to turn right, they will look to the left and not be able to see if the coast is clear. I'm aware of this and am a reasonably considerate person, so I stay back far enough to let them see, or give them a wave to let them know they can go. So many problems would go away on their own if people were just a little aware of anything besides themselves. And even in my Jeep, there are vehicles that I cannot see around, too. ANd nobody can see around cargo vans and trucks and busses. Driving is dangerous. So wear your seatbelt.

 

[Gil]

Originally posted by Der Alta
After reading all this, I'm still stumped that Gil drives a tiny escort.

I keep picturing that scene from "Police Academy"

AO

Actually it hasn't been that bad since I drove the Austin America.

My Escort GT is semi-sporty, practical, Has room for 5. And a suprising amount of trunk space.
Granted, I am pretty thick thru the shoulders and I prefer that only my skinny children sit in the front seat.

I really wish the Cosworth Escort was available over here.


I am picking up a second job here soon and once the van is paid for I'm considering a Focus SVT or some other "gently" used sport econo-box. And then I'll pass on the 'Scort to my third son.

And at the risk of repeating myself. If the drivers of SUVs are supporting terrorism...Should we be looking to the Secret Service to assasinate the President? After all, they buy Suburbans in fleet strengh numbers. And they carry a busload of special, high-capacity firearms.

Ms. Huffington and company need to remember that a closed mouth gathers no foot.

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[Gil]

Oh, the RS has my eye. Sadly, it isn't availible in the US. and according to an article I read last nite it's about twice the cost of the SVT.
Of courst the wife wants me to buy a four-door when the time comes. Maybe a WRX. (I know she's thinkin' Taurus.)

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[Gil]

It'll probably be at least two more years with the Escort, Unless it just gives up and dies.
If that happens, I'll replace it with something I can pay off instantly or almost instantly.
If it lives until I'm ready to replace it... The wife thinks that with six kids that we need a van and a four-door. My thinking is that if I'm gonna drive it, I'm gonna choose it.
If I can't get around the four-door, it will have to be at least semi-sporty.
I have a thing for Subarus, simply because I drive 68 miles round trip to and from work in all types of weather. Since I'm a nurse it's pretty important that I get to work. So I like the AWD concept, close to the ground.
Whatever, I choose it has to seat at least four, and have room for a guitar and amp in the trunk/hatchback.
I like the Focus, the new Celica, (all flak aside) and a "gently" used Prelude or Accord 2 or 4 door with the V-6.
I know from a money standpoint that the Focus will probably get the nod.
I have finally reached that point in my life where I don't owe exorbitant amounts of money to anyone, and I'm all about keeping it that way. I know a new or nearly new Focus will be the most satisfying for the least amount of money.

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[milefile]

I rented a Focus once. I thought it was a total piece of crap. Everything about the interior annoyed me, and that's probably just personal preference. But the car had about 10k miles on it and it drove like it had 75k. It just seemed cheap. I do like their exterior looks though, and even considered getting one. My family and I used to always get Fords because my uncle was the finance manager at Arlington Heights Ford (Which M5 may know of) and we always got a deal. But we have had a disproportionate amount amount of problems with them... especially that Exploder... uh, I mean Explorer. And the Escort and the Crown Vic and the uh... what's that thing called again? Can't remember... mid-sized sedan, pretty peppy and cushy, sorta like a smaller Taurus. That thing had serious problems.

 

[1X83Z]

..

 

[milefile]

The thing about these Truck-a-potomuses that gets me is that they have no more ground clearance than a smaller, more normal sized SUV. An H2 has no more clearance than an Xterra or a Cherokee, and if it does it is negligible. And to top it off they are so huge that you'd be very limited where you could go. I wouldn't want to take a H2 through a forest, for instance.

 

[milefile]

Originally posted by M5Power


I have to take 294 to get there if I want it to be anything less than a damn hour because no-one can drive on either 55 or 290. Damn idiots.

290 is a joke. I used to drive that to go to school downtown and after that to visit my parents in the burbs. It was a parking lot 24 hours a day eastbound until after 1st Ave. But I hear they fixed the infamous Hillside Strangler

And what's up with the turn signal sound on those Focuses

 

[Gil]

Ok, M5 you read between the lines really well. I may be able to sell the wife on the Scooby in a couple of years.
And while the Focus is high on my list, it isn't because it's pretty. For looks I'm enamored with the new Mini. But, As I'm well over 120kg. and 6 feet. I want something bigger.

Milefile, we both know that a rental car does a whole lot of living in 10k miles. Plus, I'm only interested in the SVT version. If they don't have one on the lot here in Leavenworth, or in Bonner Springs, when I'm ready, I will find about a hundred reasons to trek into Overland Park to the Scooby dealer.
The only exception is if there is a fifth generation, un-modded, Prelude on the Lot with LOW miles, a five-speed, good rubber and a low enough price, I may be sold.

 

[1X83Z]

Originally posted by milefile
The thing about these Truck-a-potomuses that gets me is that they have no more ground clearance than a smaller, more normal sized SUV. An H2 has no more clearance than an Xterra or a Cherokee, and if it does it is negligible. And to top it off they are so huge that you'd be very limited where you could go. I wouldn't want to take a H2 through a forest, for instance.

I find that to be a problem, too -- H2's have a relatively small amount of ground clearance, as do Expeditions and Escalades.

 

[1X83Z]

..