Guest Anonymous Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I really dont have a problem with SUV's because i think people who drive them are mostly sheep. But i do think they should be called FCV's, because the women who drive these are usually these.............Fat C[/b']ow Vehicle Wife of 20 years drives black 2000 suburban, 42 and still hot. Definantly not a Fat Cow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I personally like full size vans. Room for people, cargo and camping. Great for kids, long trips cause you can get up and move around. IMO, makes for a good tow vehicel for going to the track. Throw all your stuff INSIDE and keep it out of site. They are a pian in the a$$ to work on though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagz Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I own an Eddie Bauer Expedition. Yes, it can haul the whole Fam Damily, our luggage and half the neighborhood. It is convenient and comfortable, when you need it. My 5 foot nothing wife (who, by the way, is not a fat cow) loves it and is the main driver. But, honestly, we don't use it's capacity all that often. It is a waste of money in the long run. I could rent a vehicle for those times I need to haul the world with me and still save a ton of $ every year. The vast majority of SUV drivers do not take them off road, rarely encounter street driving conditions that require 4 wheel drive (although, our members in the northern regions may beg to differ), and almost never have them filled to capacity with people or gear. As far as I am concerned they are a complete PITA. They take up too much space, use too much gas and clutter the roads. You can't see around (or through) them and they blind you with ther lights from behind as their less than intelligent dirivers tail-gate you at 85mph on the freeway because they are convinced their big 'ol SUV "handles and stops like a 325i." I would gladly get rid of my SUV. So, why don't I? Please see above attitude of said wife. "Yes, dear. When we replace the @#$&! Expedition, you can have another SUV...." [/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Not really defensive. I try to stay objective and see things from other points of view. The explorer is available with a third seat that holds two people. I agree it`s not large enough for the average adult, but for kids it serves the purpose. Our 99 explorer averages 20.1mpg. My wife and I have no trouble getting our two kids in and buckled up. My only complaint is room for the driver. Compared to my extended cab chevy truck,I feel really cramped in the explorer. I personally have nothing against mini vans,(Although not very practical on the farm) but my wife refuses to drive one. She is short and prefers the ride height of the explorer. By the way, my expolorer is sitting in my garage between my corvair and and an mgb. They all take nearly the same sq ft of floor space. My moms caravan takes up more. When my wife is tired of the Explorer, I will buy her another suv and retire the current one to use on the farm for pulling wagons around and hauling tools and lunches out to the fields. (again things that mini vans are not well suited for). I plan to sell my truck soon and get a full size suburban w/ 7.4 vortech,(and third row seating). It will get less mpg, but will pull more, and haul more people. I hear people in the media that say that suv`s are more dangerous and that they should be banned. This IMO is a very narrow minded point of view. These people assume that everyones situation is the same and that since they themselves don`t NEED an suv then nobody should have them. These are the same people that push for all of the smog regulations that restrict our hobby. Have you noticed that the majority of these people live in, or around large cities? Obviously, wherever you have a large concentration of vehicles, you will have more pollution. My suggestion would be for them to a more urban area, but I guess it`s easier for them to have the people around them change rather than make the change themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 the only reason i said that SIT comment.... is because of the fact that 90% of the times that i have had close calls while driving around... i was avoiding an imbecile yakking on thier phone in their massive suv. I stopped riding my motorcycle because it has become too dangerous to ride in my town. (a suburb of SF...sorta) Not to mention the fact that a good friend of mine was nearly killed by a teenager speeding around in a durango... coming around a bend at 60+ in a 45 zone and smashing into my friends toyota. It isnt fair to label all SUV drivers as idiots... i know, but i know that when i see one of those behemoths, i am on my guard. This thread was meant for a light joke i am sure. take it as such! Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I dont think they should be banned... I just wish they were sold with mandatory driving courses that focus on courtesy. my family owns a Big Ole honda oddessy... it is a great van... I know they are still pretty hard to see around on the road. but at least the headlights don't blind people.... Nothing should be banned... the government already has enough control over our lives. not everyone is cookie cutter perfect! Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I don't think many people seriously want to ban them. I think they should be regulated as passanger cars and not trucks. That means stricter safety standards and emissions. Maybe tax them more heavily also. Naw, I am still convinced that minivans are better vehicles for 95% of the people in this country than SUV's. People just don't like the stigma of a van and somehow or the other think SUV's are cool or practical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
383 240z Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 You would have to be one hell of a person to get my wife to give up her Jeep GC! Does she need it for her drive to and from work? No BUT on the weekends it tows the cars to the track,runs us into the moutains (she has more fun offroad with it than I do) we use it at the farm for pulling logs, stretching fence, hauling hay, moving horses etc. She even had a sticker made for the back glass that reads DATSUN SUPPORT VEHICLE She wont let me sell it and buy a 3/4 ton truck because then I would have all the fun cars. As for gas mileage I agree with Denny it is my money if I want to spend it on fuel so be it. If I wanted fuel econmy I would buy a PRIUS Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I teach math at a small high school. Part of the Algebra/Pre-Algebra text touches on statistics. One of the "labs" we do (usually in the spring when the weather's nice and we're itching to get outside) is take our chairs out onto the lawn at the front of the school and "count cars". We look for various kinds of statistical information from the cars going by - color, type, model, make, so on. A couple of years ago, one of my students recorded "size of cars" (subcompact, compact, midsize, SUV, pickup, a couple of others) and "number of passengers". An interesting trend came up: The larger the car, the fewer passengers. Or, put another way, the smaller the car, the more people on-board. SUV's had *by far* the fewest number of people on-board (just under 1.1). Subcompacts had the most. We've done this analysis several times since, and it always holds up. Interesting, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Joe in Cali wrote: Nothing should be banned..Beg to differ with you but have you seen Anna Nichol Smith lately? I vote we ban her big SUV driving scanky butt! Wendy Wide Load special Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 NO! Just because a person doesn`t happen to have their entire family with them at any given time, does not mean they don`t usually carry more passengers. Most suv`s in my area have dark tinted window`s making it impossible to tell how many passengers are actually in the car. Small cars are more commonly driven by teens, and more likely to be hauling friends around. They also can`t as easily afford to put gas in an suv, or to buy one in the first place. Any statistic can be manipulated to fit the objective desired, simply by changing small details of the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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