Will fuel prices hold you back this summer?

Stuey, cool. But are you saying we arent becoming more wastefull?

I just saved 80c per gallon on my full tank of gas. :) Filled er up for $15.

"Take those 'cows' to Moo-nicipal Court!"

"Ha...good one, Chief!"

Eightdotthree,

No. I will agree with you that in some areas, we are too wasteful..we should always be aware of our habits when it comes to consumption, etc.. There are effective steps we can take to help the environment. I just don't think that the whole tree issue is our most pressing problem. People's emotions take over and don't back off and take a look at some simple facts about that one issue.

Some areas of the US have reclaimed more green space than they've lost, interestingly enough by way of conversion of farm land to subdivisions. Go figure. Still, in most areas paper is very much recycled. Can't recycle gas. Not sure how that has anything to do with inefficient, impractical and wasteful SUV's.

Impractical? Mine is roomy, can haul a crapload of stuff, tows a lot, has superior visibility, and handles better in the snow and is safer than than most small cars (the 'practical' ones that are really good on gas). They suck on gas, but so do sports cars. I don't hear anyone complaining about those.

Can't complain about my sports car - my Crossfire gets 30 mpg. Of course, it is totally impractical. We take the environmentally unfriendly large vehicle if we ever need to buy anything bigger than a loaf of bread ....

Toyota Celica: 29/36 mpg
Mistu Eclips Spider: 23/31 mpg
Mini Cooper S: 25/32 mpg

All depends on the sports cars you're looking at.

And SUV's don't handle better in the snow. That's a myth. They're the first in the median when we get a lake effect storm here.

I'd call that driver error. I've noticed that most SUV drivers around here seem to get a little over-confident with their 4WD and don't maintain a safe driving speed in the snow. Can't blame the vehicle for that. Plus, I can't say I completely agree with that--the first vehicles I see in the median are usually cars. *** Edited 4/19/2005 10:40:08 PM UTC by Vater***

It's definately driver error. I see lots of SUV drivers drive like they are invincible. They obviously are not and the accidents are usually the driver's fault and not the SUVs. Driving back from a day of skiing at Copper Mountain this winter in a snow storm I was passed by an SUV going over the speed limit in poor conditions. I was not surprised when I later passed the same SUV in the median.

Per the tree issue. I don't get worked up over logging, unless it's old growth. It's renewable and in most instances the timber companies act responsibly. But working in the capacity that I do I constantly hear people exclaiming that clear cutting doesn't exist anymore. This isn't true, I've seen it first hand myself. I just like shedding a little light on the issue.

My supercharged Mercedes gets me 35+mpg on trips, and I guarantee you it's a hell of a lot more fun to drive than a freakin' Expedition.

Snow or no snow.

Before you have time to switch in to 4 wheel drive, my car's electronic stablility and brake assist have me out of harm's way.

Don't think I'd be hauling my drums to gigs in a Mercedes, though. :)

^ Speak for yourself. I haul my drums (in soft cases) everywhere in my 2-door civic, and I have an 18x22" kick drum, which is a tight squeeze but it works.

-Josh

So then if it's driver error, please qualify how SUV's are better in snow. I've got news for you... big heavy vehicles slide on ice and snow just like small light cars do. The difference is that you're more likely kill someone in that giant vehicle if they're in a small car.

I'm not going to dispute the fact that with the advent of all wheel drive and the various other safety features found on many of today's cars that several non-SUV's handle the snow just fine.

But when comparing any SUV with a typical 2-wheel drive car the SUV has better traction. This is due to the weight of the vehicle in general and the 4-wheel drive capability. I drove from St. Louis to Ohio during that freakish snow storm this last holiday season. If I wasn't in a 4 wheel drive capable car with good clearance, I never would have made it to some of the places I needed to go. I just busted my way through two and three feet snow banks. Had to dig and tow my uncle's sedan out of the same bank.

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Jeff said:
So then if it's driver error, please qualify how SUV's are better in snow. I've got news for you... big heavy vehicles slide on ice and snow just like small light cars do. The difference is that you're more likely kill someone in that giant vehicle if they're in a small car.

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As an owner of a 4X4 pickup, 4x4's and SUV's really are not much better in snow unless it starts to get deep and no one vehicle is better than another on ice. That said, the 4x4 does come in really handy here in Pa. going up and down our steep hills in the winter though. As a hunter, my truck will take me places where no car will. It will haul a hell of a lot of firewood for my wood stove. Lastly, after spending three weeks in the hospital and getting a rod put in my right leg in 1993 after a car crash that was not my fault, I will stick with my 6,000#, 17mpg vehicle, thank you. *** Edited 4/21/2005 12:22:16 PM UTC by CP ismyhome***

Why do SUV drivers take all the heat for wasting energy? It seems to me that energy is energy and people should examine their own lives before pointing the finger at others. Look at the homes people live in. Do two people really need a 3-4 bedroom house when they could live in a much more efficient apartment? Many of use use inefficient and polluting lawn tractors, mowers, snow blowers, etc...then drive to the GYM to workout. Are amusement parks really a good use of energy?

^ What the hell is wrong with going to the GYM to workout? My $40 a month is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying equipment and there's a ton more options there. I care about my health, so I'm going to drive to the GYM to workout.

I'll touch on your issue of housing, because you have it all wrong. People have things called families. Sometimes they need 3-4 bedrooms for the members of the household. This day and age, working from home has become a lot more common and sometimes one of those rooms is dedicated as an office. (hell, sometimes they even house servers for some of the websites you may surf.)

Let's not forget investment. Apartments may sound more efficient to you, but eventually you will get sick of throwing your money away on rent when you realize you're paying for a place to live that you will never own.

-Josh

All I'm saying is, if you are going to attack someone for wasting energy, don't just look at the car they drive. There are a lot of other ways of wasting energy.

My roomate said it best... "4-wheel drive helps you to go... but it doesn't help you stop"

There are some practical SUV's
The Honda CR-V is a very good vehicle, based on a Civic, it has decent fuel efficency.

The new V6 Honda Oddyessy uses all 6 cyl. when accelorating, but when the van is cruising, it elimanates 3 of the 6 to give you better highway.

The New Accord V6 Hybrid does that as well

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Incidentalist said:
But when comparing any SUV with a typical 2-wheel drive car the SUV has better traction.

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Not true... ice is ice. It doesn't matter if you have ten wheel drive.

I can appreciate that some people live in rural areas and need large vehicles for what they do, especially if it involves driving off-road. However, the bulk of SUV sales are to people that live in the suburbs, commute to work over well-maintained roads 20 miles or more, and drop the kids off at soccer practice. You can come up with exceptions to why you need one all day, but most fit into the above category. That's where the problem is.