kurty[B]

Being from Colorado, I love this statement.

I currently have an SUV, not because of poor road conditions, but because I like to get the thing muddy on weekend, and well, if I flip the thing in the middle of no-where, my bad, that's my problem to get it out of there, and no one except for some rocks and trees will get hurt, but unlike some people I keep try and keep it on 3 wheels at least.

As far as people saying they have their SUV for adverse road conditions... I don't particularly like this statement, because the people with 4x4's are driving like their brakes work better on ice because they have a 4x4. Sorry, but their brakes are going to stop them just as well if not worse cause of all that weight as my old fwd corolla. I just don't like seeing people in their ford explorers or what not, cruising by at the speed limit on an icy day, cause "they have 4wd". Now, if they say adverse road conditions as in the horrible pothole filled roads that Colorado has 11 months out of the year, yes, I can understand that. Too many of my import car friends have bought a fresh set of 18's, with low profiles and within a week I hear them complaining about how they hit a pothole and completely ruined a rim, and want to move to California or somewhere where the roads are decent.

I figure to each their own, but I just wish people would spend more time getting to know their cars on various road conditions. I learned to drive on ice with my dad, we'd go to a vacant lot, and he taught me how to go into a spin, and still control the car enough to dodge the light posts. Yeah, we crushed a fender, but luckily it was an '83 Nissan Sentra with 8 different colors already, and junkyards were our friend.

I think everyone with the means should buy a $300 beater to learn how to drive in adverse conditions.

wonderwench

I just don't see the point in getting worked up about how someone else spends their own money.

fatherjohn

So you wouldn't be annoyed if your next door neighbor decided to build an aluminum smelter next to your property?

SinisterMotives

I despise the big, butt-ugly, bloated behemoths. I get claustrophobia being boxed in by them in traffic. Whatever happened to freedom of the open road? I guess you have to own a monster truck to enjoy that now.

wonderwench

Specious comparison. Such a construction project would severely damage the value of my property. Someone driving a Hummer doesn't decrease the value of my vehicles.

wonderwench

I get claustrophobia being boxed in by Semis, going to shopping malls, wading through the crowds when leaving a sold-out baseball game....

I am not going to insist that others alter their behavior in order to prevent me from having such feelings. If we are going to have the government interfere in people's personal choices, then be prepared to have your own taste and desires thwarted by others who may not like the same things.

SinisterMotives

Who said anything about asking the government to interfere? I know common courtesy isn't fashionable nowadays, but I don't think it's too much to ask of people to think about how their decadent lifestyle choices affect their neighbors' quality of life. And I don't go to shopping malls or big league sporting events or live in a grossly overcrowded major city. That wasn't the subject of the thread. But since you brought it up, it would be insane to my way of thinking to voluntarily subject oneself to that way of life.

irseg

Yeah, because 18-wheelers, vans, delivery trucks, station wagons, etc. never existed before SUVs became popular.

SinisterMotives

They existed, but not everyone and his three-legged dog drove one. See the difference?

fatherjohn

Such vehicles don't annoy me because the inconvenience and danger is offset by the legitimate purpose of transporting goods. What annoys me is when people inconvenience and endanger me just to satisfy their own vanity.

billege

Wow. I guess I didn't see the fourth choice on your poll. It was the choice that said:

"As of last Wednesday I own a 3300lb SUV (that's less than the average family sedan), is a certified LEV (low emissions vehicle), gets 24mpg (at average for cars) out of it's 2.4L four-cylinder engine, and is no taller or wider than a minivan (in fact, it's shorter, and narrower)."

So, what's the problem?

__________________
I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence:
"My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."

fatherjohn

Are the bumpers higher than those of a minivan?

SinisterMotives

Bingo! And that's the only reason I can see for an urban dweller to buy one. Monkey see, monkey do.

billege

It's parked next to a Windstar right now, they look about the same. My Lancer is on the other side, the CR-V's bumper looks like its bottom half will hit the Lancer's top half. If that makes sense.

__________________
I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence:
"My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."