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Hummers why?

Cassie said:


My family has to be the biggest trash prodeucers I have ever known. 5 people, and 3 full size garbage bags of trash per-day. :eek: I try to recycle, conserve and such, but my family doesn't believe in global warming, and all this other stuff. My mom's the worst, she has a Suburban, she's the only one who drives it.

And she throws stuff away because one part of it doesn't work. (Example: she threw away a working blender because one button broke. :()
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That's insane. My girlfriend and I don't put out this much trash in a week - and we're religious about recycling.

What exactly are you folks buying/consuming that generates this much garbage?
 
ehurtley said:
China already has stricter car emissions requirements than the US. Even better than California's strict requirements.

And, both of them have signed the Kyoto Treaty to keep their CO2 levels down. Something that only the U.S. and Australia have failed to do.

Although I am happy that my state (along with 4 other Western US states,) have signed a multi-state agreement to limit CO2 between them.
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They may have signed the treaty, but that doesn't get rid of the fact that China uses old, dirty coal power plants for a lot of production.
 
I think my family is pretty un eco-friendly. We have 3 SUV's with their average fuel economy at 14, 16, and 16 MPG but we do have 1 sedan that gets 30 but thats strictly my dads commuter car. I don't really know how much waste we produce but its kinda a lot. My house has high and cathedrals ceilings which make the house harder to heat.

My dad does not believe in global warming, or at least he pretends he doesn't. His company makes primarily coal burning power plant equipment. However, they make most of their money on emissions reducing equipment. He says he can drive an SUV because "I take more emissions out of the air in a day than some tree hugger will driving a hybrid".
 
Poseidon said:
That's insane. My girlfriend and I don't put out this much trash in a week - and we're religious about recycling.

What exactly are you folks buying/consuming that generates this much garbage?
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You tell me. I have no idea. I'll come home from school, and there'll be 3 trash bags in the kitchen.

"Where did all this trash come from?" I'll say.
"Stuff." my mom'll say.

Geez.

On a good note, I finally convinced her to let me recycle our soda cans!:)
 
I congratulate you on your courage in starting this thread, Rokem. If you've been around other forums and seen any of the SUV threads, then you know they can bring out some pretty emotionally charged responses.

Here is an old article from Discover Magazine some of you might find interesting.

I take it you've all seen this rather humorous cartoon.

I don't think SUV's are going anywhere, unless the price of gasoline goes up to five dollars per gallon and stays there for at least a year. Even with that, I suspect the high-end models, such as the Hummers and Lincoln Navigators, would continue to sell.
 
FrankBlack said:
I don't think SUV's are going anywhere, unless the price of gasoline goes up to five dollars per gallon and stays there for at least a year. Even with that, I suspect the high-end models, such as the Hummers and Lincoln Navigators, would continue to sell.
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...Until fashions change. Ever hear of the custom van craze in the '70s? :p :D
 
Does anyone have statistics on SUV's versus other automobiles on the road.

Are we talking 20% here or 3% of the total vehicles on the road?
 
FrankBlack said:
I congratulate you on your courage in starting this thread, Rokem. If you've been around other forums and seen any of the SUV threads, then you know they can bring out some pretty emotionally charged responses.

Here is an old article from Discover Magazine some of you might find interesting.

I take it you've all seen this rather humorous cartoon.

I don't think SUV's are going anywhere, unless the price of gasoline goes up to five dollars per gallon and stays there for at least a year. Even with that, I suspect the high-end models, such as the Hummers and Lincoln Navigators, would continue to sell.
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The Discover article was an excellent read. Few people understand the center of gravity concept, they just think bigger is better. It was also interesting to see that SUVs take longer to get through intersections and that they are a major cause of traffic congestion. Also, the bit on guardrails was fascinating! I'd never thought about it before, but it makes perfect sense.
 
snow, schmow

I live in Maine (grew up in Rhode Island) and somehow managed drive for 20+ years all over New England without all wheel drive, four wheel drive or an SUV.

I had a conversation with a guy who worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
He told me that 40% of the single car accidents during snowstorms were SUVs, even though they were only about 10% of the registered vehicles.

Liz Neblett, a spokeswoman for the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says an S.U.V.'s longer stopping distance is a matter of simple physics. ''Bigger vehicles are harder to stop, particularly in the winter,'' she said. ''If you hit ice and put your foot on the brake, four-wheel drive isn't going to help you -- you're going to skid for a long time.''

Saying you need an SUV for snow is, 99% of the time, baloney. If you happen to live at the end of dirt road they don't plow, then sure. But if live within 3 miles of a stoplight, chances are you don't need it.

Now, I am not saying all SUVs are bad. People that use them for what they were built for (towing & offroad) are fine. Ditto for Trucks and vans.

I own a Jeep Wrangler and probably get around 15mpg. On the other hand, I only drive it about 6000 miles/year. And I do go offroad with it. But most of the time, to do longer drives or anytime I need to move the family (wife, baby, dog) we take our Passat Wagon.

My issue with H2 or H3 is that they are not great offroad (pretty much any Jeep or Land Rover will kick their butt), the don't handle well in snow, or at high speed.

So, as the original question, why a hummer? I have no idea. Its like Windows, it works, but why would you want to do that to yourself? :D
 
I have a friend in med school who bought one of those Explorer Sport Trac (half SUV and half truck). I thought it was the craziest thing ever but I held my tongue. Then she explained to me she got the 4 wheel drive version because it was heavier and that the ones that weren't 4 wheel drive were more likely to tip over. Again I bit my tongue. I can't imagine she has any use for the towing ability. My best guess was that it was inexpensive, as this was around the time gas prices were high, and she said she feels safe in it and also likes being high. I didn't like being in it in particular. I felt too high, and the seats are not even comfy--they felt more like truck seats. I love my Corolla!
 
jayb2000 said:
I live in Maine (grew up in Rhode Island) and somehow managed drive for 20+ years all over New England without all wheel drive, four wheel drive or an SUV.

I had a conversation with a guy who worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
He told me that 40% of the single car accidents during snowstorms were SUVs, even though they were only about 10% of the registered vehicles.

Liz Neblett, a spokeswoman for the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says an S.U.V.'s longer stopping distance is a matter of simple physics. ''Bigger vehicles are harder to stop, particularly in the winter,'' she said. ''If you hit ice and put your foot on the brake, four-wheel drive isn't going to help you -- you're going to skid for a long time.''

Saying you need an SUV for snow is, 99% of the time, baloney. If you happen to live at the end of dirt road they don't plow, then sure. But if live within 3 miles of a stoplight, chances are you don't need it.

Now, I am not saying all SUVs are bad. People that use them for what they were built for (towing & offroad) are fine. Ditto for Trucks and vans.

I own a Jeep Wrangler and probably get around 15mpg. On the other hand, I only drive it about 6000 miles/year. And I do go offroad with it. But most of the time, to do longer drives or anytime I need to move the family (wife, baby, dog) we take our Passat Wagon.

My issue with H2 or H3 is that they are not great offroad (pretty much any Jeep or Land Rover will kick their butt), the don't handle well in snow, or at high speed.

So, as the original question, why a hummer? I have no idea. Its like Windows, it works, but why would you want to do that to yourself? :D
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Yea, not that many people even own hummers. They are more than a novelty than anything.

Actually, I do not live within 3 miles of a stoplight, the closest one is probably like 4-5 miles and its a flashing one, not a full fledged stop light.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
...Until fashions change. Ever hear of the custom van craze in the '70s? :p :D
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Uh, yes. I was there.:eek: The custom van craze went hot and heavy though the 70's, but was dead by the early 80's. You can still find some custom van places, but they build them up mostly for long distance travel. Long gone are the bizarre paint jobs and pimped out interiors.

I'd like to think the same will happen to the SUV craze, that it will simply burn itself out. But it seems to be holding on with no let up in sight. Sales took a minor hit when gas prices shot way up, but they recovered almost as soon as gas prices came back down to around $2.50 per gallon.

No one cared when SUV's were bought and used by sportsmen, game wardens, and people in the construction business. Such people knew how to properly drive them. Such vehicles as the old Dodge Ram Chargers usually had plastic seats, plastic floor coverings (you could clean out the heavy muck with a garden hose) and no A/C. connections for Fax Machines? DVD players for the kiddies? Uh, no.

I had a friend whose dad was a construction contractor. He had a Chevy suburban. He did all the work on his own house, as well as a summer cottage on the cape. In addition, he towed a boat with it. In other words, he actually used it for what it was intended. And yes, he knew how to drive it.
His day-to-day car was an Oldsmobile cutlass.

The only thing that really surprises me about the SUV craze, is that no one has hit on the idea of marketing amored cars to the public. You know, those huge grey Brink's and red Well's Fargo armored trucks? I can see it now: painted up with bright colors, with designer appearance packages from Eddie Bauer and Ralph Lauren. (what the heck would THAT look like?) Men would love the "tough guy" image. ("Just let that guy in the F-150 try something. I'll show him!") Women would love them because "it's so safe for my children". Just picture a row of these lined up in front of elementary schools in the morning.

Someone tell the marketing suits they're missing a huge opportunity here. :eek:
 
I have a Envoy XUV that I absolutely love. It is comfortable and I a great view of the road. About once or twice a month I fold up the seats and use the entire cargo area for one reason or another. This SUV fits me like a glove.

That being said, I drive 35 miles each way to work on the highway and a SUV just won't cut it. The environment was not my first concern, but rather gas prices. I purchased an RSX which is my primary vehicle for most trips longer than 20 or 30 miles unless of course I need the cargo space or I need to fit more than 2 people in may car. I love my RSX, but it just doesn't feel like my Envoy.
 
FrankBlack said:
The only thing that really surprises me about the SUV craze, is that no one has hit on the idea of marketing amored cars to the public. You know, those huge grey Brink's and red Well's Fargo armored trucks? I can see it now: painted up with bright colors, with designer appearance packages from Eddie Bauer and Ralph Lauren. (what the heck would THAT look like?) Men would love the "tough guy" image. ("Just let that guy in the F-150 try something. I'll show him!") Women would love them because "it's so safe for my children". Just picture a row of these lined up in front of elementary schools in the morning.

Someone tell the marketing suits they're missing a huge opportunity here. :eek:
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You got the idea after watching that video you linked to, didn't you?
 
FrankBlack said:
...
The only thing that really surprises me about the SUV craze, is that no one has hit on the idea of marketing amored cars to the public. You know, those huge grey Brink's and red Well's Fargo armored trucks? I can see it now: painted up with bright colors, with designer appearance packages from Eddie Bauer and Ralph Lauren. (what the heck would THAT look like?) Men would love the "tough guy" image. ("Just let that guy in the F-150 try something. I'll show him!") Women would love them because "it's so safe for my children". Just picture a row of these lined up in front of elementary schools in the morning.

Someone tell the marketing suits they're missing a huge opportunity here. :eek:
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Like this?
navistar_ctx_2.jpg


That is the International Navistar CXT. There is also an MXT and RXT.
 
ehurtley said:
What's really stupid is that it costs more than a Hummer H1, and is worse at off-roading. It is exactly what FrankBlack was talking about. A pure testosterone vehicle. (And hauling one four wheeler?!?!?!) The only 'legitimate' reason for this vehicle is towing extremely large trailers.
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And like I have said numerous times in the thread. A person can buy whatever they want. They don't have to need it or utilize it fully.

The only 'legitimate" reason that matters is.......I wanted something so I bought it.
 
kvanwagoner said:
And like I have said numerous times in the thread. A person can buy whatever they want. They don't have to need it or utilize it fully.

The only 'legitimate" reason that matters is.......I wanted something so I bought it.
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What's your point? Of course anyone can buy it. I think everyone here realizes that.
 
latergator116 said:
What's your point? Of course anyone can buy it. I think everyone here realizes that.
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My point is a person shouldnt have to rationalize their purchases to anyone.
If I want to buy the biggest thing available and drive 100 miles each way to work everday I can. Sure buying a little tiny car would cost less in gas, but if a person doesnt want a tiny car why should they buy one.

I buy what I want regardless of what the tree-huggers think of my purchases.

And no I do not own a SUV
 
kvanwagoner said:
My point is a person shouldnt have to rationalize their purchases to anyone.
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I generally agree, but I think the main point of this topic isn't to challenge the ability of people to buy SUVs, but rather give those that own such vehicle a chance to voice their internal rationalizations aloud.

Obviously, I'd hope that a person's internal rationalization process took into consideration the well being of the rest of society...but that's not just limited to people buying SUVs, that goes for people buying anything: from assault weapons to abortions, mail-order brides to Macs.
 
ehurtley said:
You got the idea after watching that video you linked to, didn't you?
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Nah, I though of it one day when I came out of my own bank. There was this Lexus SUV, at curbside, in clear view of a "No parking" sign. In it was "Ms. Yuppie woman of the year". The engine was idling, and she was yakking it up on her cell phone. A Brinks truck pulled in right behind her. I just thought it was funny, the way the Brinks truck was so much bigger. That's when it hit me. I was thinking that if Ms. Yuppie looks in her rearview mirror right now, she'll be spooked, and tell her husband that she must have a bigger SUV.

Still not big enough? How about one of these?
 
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