No doubt there, look at the last election.

 

You mean the 2000 and 2004 elections? Oh yeah, you are absolutely right.

 

When I received my MINI the license plate I ordered was MINISUV. I was thinking that I could do everything I needed to do in the MINI that I could do in my XTerra and 95% of the time I can. The skis fit inside nicely and it is easy to throw the bike on top.

I have decided not to sell my XTerra so I can have it for those powder ski days or if I want to drive on rough NM forest roads for camping. In addition, I really did not buy the MINI for the gas mileage, but wanted a car that handled wonderfully and had style; the semi-high MPG was an added bonus. I will probably put 6K on my XTerra as well this year.

 

+1

Oh yeah, I do not think we are suppose to talk politics. It could get ugly

 

Hehe he brought politics into the conversation.

I am staying away from that can of worms.

 

"Discovering" your vehicle is wasteful and inefficient should not be a function of fuel pricing or media dramatization. To me this topic rides solely on a knowledge of personal responsibility. For example, most people here in the Midwest fail to understand there is no inherent correlation between small and crappy, or large and quality. They can be labeled the "typical stupid fat American." They were raised to chase the "American dream" with 2.4 kids, a dog, and a huge HUGE land yacht to park in your fenced-in homogenized urban sprawl McMansion. This is their ideal. I obviously do not prescribe to that pre-manufactured ideal, preferring to define my life by experiences and wisdom and not so much socially comparative material checklists. As such, consciously making an automotive decision, besides being a hobby of mine, must contain logical and pragmatic thought. Just because my father worked for one of the "Big 3" doesn't mean I automatically prescribe to their fanboi newsletter and own every slice of swag from their marketing catalog. This doesn't mean I'm a hater either; there are SO many cars I love it's dizzying! I love them for their intended purpose, their aesthetic appeal, and their technical achievements. When OEM's lose their philosophy or managerial footing, I'm genuinely crushed they not only disappointed their faithful, but failed to fulfill their utmost potential. What seems to be the situation from my viewpoint is many American's seem to have lost their purpose, perspective, and individuality that identifies the best automakers. Personal responsibility I feel is key to bring pride back to this country, and pride back to our automakers.

That's my $0.0002
Cheers,
Ryan

 

I agree with some of the posts here. Some people have ligitimate need for a large vehicle, SUV, tuck, etc. We need to tow boats, and haul tools, and such. What gets me though is the man and his wife with no kids, who need the expedition or bigger to drive up to their vacation home 5 hours away ever weekend, to not haul or tow anything. There is a lot of utility and convenience that come with owning an SUV, and i am very glad i have friends andd family that have large cars that can fit stuff like dressers, and tvs and haul boats.

I live in the city, and thats where i spend most of my time. having a small fuel efficient car is very convenient for me, but not for someone that lives far out in the suburbs. They have large parking spots etc, whereas i need to be able to parallel park in a 5 foot wide spot often. I would probably have an SUV if i did live outside the city, especially for the winter driving up here in Wisconsin.
If you can afford it and it fits your lifestyle, go for it. Just be concious of what you are doing to teh environment and the economy.

And it's not the car companies faults. They can make as many small and fuel efficient cars as they like, but they cant sell them if noone wants them.

 

+1 Personal responsibility. I have no doubt some need these types of vehicles to do the things they do. On the other hand I know a guy here at work who drives a V10 Excursion and lives alone, just because he can. Another girl here at work, has no children living at home and is considering trading a semi efficient V6 SUV to upgrade to a suburban. I remember the gas lines of the 70s all too well. In my adult driving life (and I'm 52 now) I've had one V8 (66 mustang GT, like to still have that one), two V6s (a 66 mustang, like to have that one back as well and Olds 3.8L my dad gave me during grad school). Other than that since then I've had nothing but 4 cylinders, and one two cylinder ( a honda 600, I'd really like to have that one back!!).

The recent free fall in oil and gas prices is due solely to a destruction of demand due to a terrible economy and people just not driving as much or using much oil for manufacturing etc. For the last 4 years or so I've watched oil go through the roof with supply being the dominant factor. Any even potential hiccup in an oil producing company, forecast of a hurricane in the gulf, or just a simple statement by a world leader would send the oil markets skyrocketing through the roof. Finally, demand has crept back into the equation. People need to wake up to some level of responsibility and recognize that conservation and decreased demand do work, but get back into the SUVs and take demand out of the equation and we'll soon be back to the markets that go through the roof anytime a third world leader farts.