Reply to SUV Flame

["Granier, Rob" <rob.granier@xxxxxxxx>]

In AD V7 #373 Luke Kowalski writes bitingly:=20

>>>styling? I thought most people bought them because they liked to sit =
up
high
>>>and mow down whatever was in their path. =20

Hate to start with a clich=E9' re: styling: "beauty is in the eye of =
the
beholder"
Yeah, my wife has crushed three rice-rockets this month already in her =
SUV!
Barring mechanical failure, accidents are caused by people, not the =
cars
they're driving. =20
Also in regards to the styling, for me personally there's not much to =
offer
out there for the large family lifestyle.
Minivans? Station wagons? I like the SUV's better, sorry.  I also have =
some
personal usage for my 4-wheel
drive 98% of the folks with SUV's likely don't have.=20


>>>>We drive Alfas
>>>>before (because?) they are efficient
>>>>They accomplish the mission of fast
>>>>transportation with minimum resources,=20
(My gas mileage is almost the same for my Explorer as my Verde)
>>>>mass and waste=20
(Reliability, anybody?)=20
>>>>SUVs are just symbols.=20
(And a Spider isn't? Please).=20
>>>>They take ancient truck technology (leaf springs on your Exploder),
that technology has given me 96000 trouble-free miles... ZERO, ZILCH, =
no
problemas!
>>>>kill a couple of cows for the back seat=20
(did they recall and remove the leather on the 164, and nobody told =
me?)=20
>>>>and, tack on a 12K profit (Ford does it for the Expedition)=20
BECAUSE PEOPLE PAY IT and the stockholders are happy,=20
>>>>and off you go. =20

>>>> Alfas, too, are used to project a personality for people who do =
not
have
>>>>one. SUVs just take this to the extreme. Screw everyone else on the
road,
>>>>screw the environment, screw slave labor making the parts for these =
in
Asia, screw the roads, screw the >>>>people in a side impact with your
bumper at their head level.=20

And screw all of the employees of these auto companies around the world =
that
have provided more jobs and improved local economies and lifestyles =
because
of strong SUV sales

Geez, so bitter...something must have happened to you re: SUV and its
driver?=20

>>>>You need the SUV.=20

(You don't know if I NEED it or not, but as I mentioned before, I use =
the
features on my SUV vehicle for their intended purposes...and it's none =
of
your business if Yvonne the Yuppie with the cel-phone needs hers or =
not). =20
>>>>Everyone knows people died and never went out of their homes before =
they
became popular.....And they >>>>get special exemptions for lacking a =
social
consoiusness...

Based on this last paragraph I'd bet that Luke is U. of California =
Golden
Bear? =20

Yeah, us SUV owners are just nothing but self-absorbed plebes that =
don't
contribute squat to society....Meanwhile those folks are WORKING in =
Asia,
manufacturing car parts for more than SUV's ...if they have a wage =
problem
they can do something about it...But I never hear about strikes in =
Asia...
Have any of you that hate these "monstrosities" ever driven =
one????????!!!
As they say, "don't knock something until you've tried it".  If you =
don't
want to buy the car because of social consciousness reasons or poor =
styling
that's your right.  But high-bumpered 4X4's have been on the road for =
over
30 years.  Crash/mortality data on with 4X4's has been around for a =
long
time, long enough to outlaw SUV's.  But, come on, it won't happen in =
this
country where capitalism rules. If I maintain my SUV and drive =
carefully,
odds are remote I'd kill someone with it.=20

But this issue does touch-on an actually interesting topic:
Ordering/acquiring features for your vehicle even though you don't have =
to
have them.  For example SUV's can be purchased with 4X2.  If you don't =
plan
to use 4 wheel drive then why get it?  One argument is that buying a =
4x2 is
less expensive than a 4x4. However, having the 4 wheel drive feature is
going to help much more than hinder later on when selling the vehicle.  =
=20
Pretty similar analogy these days with the 164.  Who wants a used base =
model
164 if they can get an L, S, or LS for just one to three grand more?=20
  =20
I'm outta here....
You can like more than just one type/brand/design of vehicle...if you =
really
really try!  ;-)

Rob G.=20
San Ramon, CA

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