Y’know, while I would never key someone’s car, I have on occasion made loud remarks about posers who drive an SUV that’s used neither for utility nor sport.
I mean, what earthly good is an SUV that never goes off-road? If you’re not gonna use the SUV for the reason God created it, buy a damn station wagon.
(I’ve also been known to cast aspersions on the manhood of middle-aged guys who drive Corvettes.)
They probably don't think much of you either.
Xena!!! I am SHOCKED at you
What if they want a big SUV just because they LIKE IT???
The whole reason the SUV rose to such prominence was that a pack of elected idiots decided to enact CAFE standards that effectively wiped the station wagon out for about 15 years.
Well right now I am 35 with a wife and 3 kids so I cant afford a Vette, however when I am 45 I might want to own the car of my dreams and will finally be able to afford it.
Suv's look far better than a station wagon and have more room. They are also usually a better product. My wife drives a 99 Tahoe that I don't want to sell because its the best vehicle I have ever owned.
do they still have station wagons? btw, on my registration my SUV is listed as an SW
There are no station wagons anymore. CAFE killed the station wagon.
I hate your car too!
Please name, by make and model, ANY american built station wagons still in production, that does not closely resemble an SUV. The Big Three stopped building sedan based station wagons 30 years ago. All that’s left are hatchback suicide boxes and “SUVs” of various sizes. In other words, you may just be talking out of ignorance...
My theory:
Large cars were emasculated (they don’t exist, really).
REAL station wagons were eliminated (only the last couple years a few).
All by the enviroMENTALS.
People needed something for their families. (Incidentally, the Safety NAZIs also took over - usually the same people - and said you need baby/toddler/pre-teen seats, which are THESE DAYS of increasing paranoia HUGE and difficult to handle.) They needed to be able to fit their families in AS WELL AS groceries, and full luggage for vacation time.
So they turned to minivans and their the offspring of that plus the tiny-truck craze of the ‘80s, the SUV. Trucks don’t have quite the same requirements as “cars”, either, so SUVs were Big Auto solution to the families’ needs since the big cars were taken away.
I love big cars.
I wish I had more opportunities to take my SUV off the pavement. As it is, it only gets muddy underneath during hunting season. However, it does serve to *prevent* me from going "off-road" while launching my boat. Most of the time, though, I risk being mistaken for a driver who is deserving of your cutting remarks.
I mean, what earthly good is an SUV that never goes off-road? If you’re not gonna use the SUV for the reason God created it, buy a damn station wagon.
SUVs, especially the 2WD versions, *are* station wagons. Light trucks did not factor as heavily into CAFE restrictions, so Detroit took a very sleepy market segment (the old, "full-size" SUVs such as the original Blazer and "O.J. Edition" Ford Bronco)and added 2 more doors and some fake woodgrain. Yes, there are still a few sedan-based station wagons agound, but many are dinky front-wheel-drive things. They are *not* your father's Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser.
(I’ve also been known to cast aspersions on the manhood of middle-aged guys who drive Corvettes.)
A middle-aged guy in a 'Vette? That *is* Chevy's demographic target, you know.
They say that what you drive says a lot about you.
When I see a huge SUV that isn't used to haul any cargo or tow anything, doesn't have a dent or ding or any dirt in the wheel wells, and has 5-mph bumpers, this is what it says to me:
"I'm too manly to be seen in a minivan, and willing to pay twenty grand to maintain the image."
I've been tempted to get a HMMWV, and would probably have one if I had anywhere to garage it. I believe the Hummer H1 is still based on that platform,. But the H2 and H3 are basically minivans with raised suspension and butch-looking sheet metal.
Similarly, SUVs have applications that have nothing to do with off-road use. Two parents and four or five kids are not going to fit in a station wagon, but they'll fit into a big SUV. If you have a lot of stuff to carry or a horse- or boat-trailer to pull, a station wagon is not going to do it safely, but an SUV will. If you're interested in surviving an accident with a pickup truck or another SUV, a station wagon is not there for you. Someone doesn't have to be a poser to want an SUV.
1. With a family of 6 I needed a vehicle that could fit all of us. My wife already had a mini van and I didn't want 2 of them.
2. I wanted a vehicle with 4WD for snow conditions and a large enough engine to tow a boat, trailer or anything else.
Prior to my SUV I owned a Subaru 4WD station wagon when I only had 2 kids. It worked well for us. When my SUV's time is up I plan on going back to either another Subaru or a Jeep Wrangler with 4WD, an probably will never take it "off road".
Besides I never realized that God had created the SUV. I thought it was some automotive engineer. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Four wheel drive is GREAT if get caught in snow other unpleasantness. Even if you never take your 4w drive vehicle off the road.
Whew, thank God this middle aged guy drives a Camaro. I was almost asperionally cast upon. %^)
“I mean, what earthly good is an SUV that never goes off-road?”
— —
Xena, what part of “Sport, “Utility”, or “Vehicle” implies that it MUST go off-road?
Please explain.
I use my SUV for lumber, cement, shingles, air compressors, fertilizer, tools, hardware, etc. In other words, as a utility vehicle. The “sport” part is because it looks good.
In answer to your question about guys with BIG SUVs that rarely go off road, I will answer that many of us have a wife who says (when we are shopping for vehicles) “I don’t have but one question for you: Will it tow our boat anywhere I want you to take me?”
I am shocked you would say that.
What next? From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs?
All an SUV IS is a tall station wagon. And station wagons don't get any better milage than a SUV, so what's your real beef? I'm not buying the "posers" reason, fwiw.