Sheldon wrote:
> ChattyCathy wrote:
>> I often see those those huge 4x4's (that probably
>> haven't seen a 'dirt road' since they were bought), often with just the
>> driver, driving around the dense city/suburban streets (while usually
>> yakking on a cell phone too). If you live in the 'boonies' - fine, or you
>> use them for what they were intended, but for city driving from
>> meeting to meeting? Pure 'show off', IMHO.
>
> Folks who assume other folks are showing off are usually envious.
>
> You're entitled to your opinion but your assumption is not necessarily
> true. And what does the cell phone have to do with it.. are you also
> assuming that folks driving small vehicles don't use cell phones, and
> how does the use of a phone affect gas mileage... sounds more like you
> have a problem with cell phone use than gas mileage. I've driven a 4
> X 4 for the past 20 years and I don't own a cell phone. I don't see
> the connection between cell phones and vehicle size... care to clue me
> in.
>
> Like with everything else of course there are exceptions, but the
> truth is that most folks who drive larger vehicles have legitimate
> reasons...


Naw, 90% of them just got caught up in the idea of having a fashion
statement truck. Just monkey see monkey do kind of stuff. I wouldn't be
afraid to make a serious wager that 90% of the fluffed up trucks that
were on the road until last month were not used for anything more than
transporting 1 person and a large beverage. All of that stuff about
carrying 10 surfboards and having so much fun with your fluffed up truck
is just marketing hype to pump up people to buy the high profit trucks
for "safety".

And obviously very non-scientific but observation shows huge numbers of
these "very necessary" vehicles have disappeared from use. Dealers can't
sell new ones and you can't sell your existing one for more than 20% of
its former value. I see stuff like my brothers neighbor who actually
built a huge pad in their yard to park their five fashion statement
trucks changing to normal cars when I stopped over there the other day.
My next door neighbor dumped their exhibition and replaced it with a
normal car and there are millions of repeats of this across the country.




by your assumptions folks who don't cook have no business
> having fancy schmancy designer kitchens, they're just showing off...
> and maybe they are but why should it bother you. Many folks who drive
> large vehicles do so because they are supplied by their employer
> because they need to carry/tow stuff for their jobs. Most SUVs and
> large pick ups aren't used to drive long distances, so they probably
> don't consume any more fuel than those mini death trap **** pots used
> for commuting over a hundred miles each day. Many larger vehicles are
> used primarilly as recreational vehicles; towing travel trailers/boats/
> ski mobiles/motor cycles, a plethera of fun things, but not every day
> (perhaps you don't believe in people having fun). And according to my
> lifetime friend since kindergarten who has owned a large Jeep
> dealership all his life folks who drive any brand of larger vehicle
> do so for exactly the same reasons clothing comes in different
> sizes... a lot of folks don't fit into a tiny vehicle... just like
> women with C & D cups can't wear your bras... it's as simple as that,
> do you expect people with size ten feet to wear size six shoes...
> naturally some guys who wear size ten are buying size twelve, they're
> just showing off. hehe Vehicles can only be made so small before
> only the ematiated twiggies can drive them. I'm not exceptionally
> large but I don't fit into a mid sized car, not comfortably, and
> certainly not a compact... and they are so low that I have trouble
> entering and especialy exiting... wait about twenty years and you'll
> know what I'm talking about. And many folks have physical handicaps
> that absolutely prevent them from driving small vehicles, and folks
> are living longer nowadays so many more are driving with disabilities
> that prevent driving a small vehicle... and todays full sized sedans
> are much smaller than those from past eras but don't get any better
> gas milage than the typical SUV, in fact most get lower gas mileage.
> Money played absolutely no part in my choosing a new vehicle so I was
> seriously looking at full size luxury cars before choosing the Toyota
> FJ; I looked at the Cadilac, Lincoln, and especially the Crysler 300,
> those were gorgeous but still not me (I'd look silly in them with my
> farmer outfits), and they are all too low slung for my needs... those
> didn't get as good mileage as the FJ and they weren't nearly as
> comfortable and the FJ isn't really as large as it seems, I barely fit
> in it. I have no idea how they come up with those specs, how do they
> measure hip room... how can they say 52 inches hip room when I've
> actually used a tape meaure and the seat on the FJ is only 18 inches
> across... my Land Cruiser seat measures 22 inches across, a huge
> difference in comfort... I barely fit in the FJ but none of the full
> size sedans have seats any larger. I still have my old Land Cruiser,
> may come in handy for hauling messy gardening stuff, and I no longer
> worry about where I park it, plus it's made stronger than the new
> ones. Even full size pick up trucks have no more than a 20 inch wide
> seat, but they all have a 20 inch wide center console, what a waste of
> space, wtf needs a steamer trunk between the front seats... I guess
> one stupid plastic center console costs less than two larger seats.
>
> Most drivers these days are at the older end of the spectrum so they
> have special needs, and they have the most disposable income... so
> don't assume.... hopefully one day you'll get there, then perhaps
> you'll comprehend.
>
> And another thing, those who choose to drive mini vehicles and claim
> the behemoths intimidate them simply don't have good driving skills...
> whatever vehicle one chooses they must learn to drive it
> accordingly... the smaller the vehicle the more defensivly and *alert*
> one must drive... I've driven some very small vehicles when the common
> car on the road was tantamount to a tank, I drove two seater ragtop
> sports cars, VW beetles, and I even owned a Ford Pinto... and I spent
> many years riding motorcycles, only the most ignorant motorcyle rider
> bitches about the vehicles with whom they share the road, those with
> an IQ ride intelligently, which means defensively. Btw, the vast
> number of motorcycle fatalities don't involve another vehicle.
>
> And anyone who takes even very occasional plane flights has no right
> to complain about any SUV fuel use.