http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/13/pf/autos/bc.autos.ford.suvs.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes
It looks like the gas prices have claimed an SUV victim.
It looks like the gas prices have claimed an SUV victim.
Ford ends production of the Excursion
- Thread starter Zark
- Start date
Toshi said:
I bet the extended Expedition they make guzzles less. The Super Duty is a work truck that has purpose beyond hauling groceries and kids to soccer
I know there is no real improvement in anything meaningful, just happy that that particular land yacht beached itself.
We have an Excursion here at work (Local Gov. Engineering and Surveying) and all i can think about when i use it is how in the holy hell does a soccer mom with any damn sense at all justify one of these beasts as a family vehicle. I mean i carry 2 gps units, all my survey equipment, shovels, rods, stakes, pin finders, pressure guages and various other things and still have some extra room. How much crap do these people buy at the grocery store to need one of these damn things.... and i sure dont want the amount of kids it could hold.
Well its about time. Everytime I see one of those I wonder why someone would need that much car. It kinda bothers me now that like every car company has at least 6 or 7 SUV's on the market. If you ask me, people arent taking the needed action on rising gas prices. And they wonder why they are soooo high.
good.
what's the needed action on gas prices? to buy smaller cars? apparently people can afford the gas prices while driving what they want, so what's the problem? gas prices seem to have more to do with u.s. foreign policy and opec's whims than us little people, anywayrpk1988 said:
Oil production is at an all time high right now, so Id say gas prices have little to do with how much people are using, and more to do with the cartels...oops, i meant OPEC, inflating them.rpk1988 said:
Id like to have an excursion personally. I dont see how its any different than an F-250 with a camper. Same chassis, same motor, do you dislike extra seats or something?
I bet it still uses less gas than grandma Jones' 77 Gran Toreno with the big block.
tow words to anyone who can justify a stupid big SUV for hauling around kids...
mini van.
or is that one word?
how about...
statis symbol....and nothing else
mini van.
or is that one word?
how about...
statis symbol....and nothing else
I think you meant "status" but how is that any different than a rich person driving a BMW vs. a Civic? An SUV holds just as many people as a minivan and if they can afford the extra gas (which usually isnt a significant amount) I dont see why its any worse?HippieKai said:
You gotta quit buying into the hippie hype, hippie kai.
it's not a status symbol, it's just a sign that they are easily led by their nose ring, by madison avenue.
You need a big truck to carry a camper. Why you need a gigantic SUV to take the kids to soccer is a freakin mystery.Toshi said:
my mistake. i thought they didn't offer the diesel in it for some reasonstevew said:
. and i also mis-spoke about camper tops: i was picturing something more along a shell, not the big campers that have their own alien-legs that descend to allow the truck to drive away from underneath it 
An old 50 cadillac gets a few mpg more than Escalade actually.BurlyShirley said:
I do agree going after only SUV is dumb. Sportscars, trucks, and vans all get poor gas mileage (though there are exceptions - the new corvette gets 19/28 mpg or something like that)...
Yeah, I just dont understand the hate on SUVs. I drive one, a small one, compared to an Escalade. Its a jeep cherokee, and i get maybe 18mpg on the highway which isnt terribly good, but the engine is a 4.0 Inline 6. I use the vehicle to its max capacity and Im pretty much a minimalist by nature, I dont own alot, just bikes and fishing stuff, and I fill the thing up and am hard on the engine hauling stuff. I use the 4x4 pretty often to get to fish. Bear in mind that Im a single 22 year old male, and I also use it as a daily driver. I can totally see how families who do outdoor stuff would need more space/power than I do. Or families who live in areas of bad weather or anything like that. If you want to channel your hate, channel it at the auto makers who refuse to make engines that are better on gas. Thats the only issue I have.syadasti said:
"am hard on the engine hauling stuff"
what are you towing? yr fly-fishing gear?
what are you towing? yr fly-fishing gear?
just whatever. my dad's boat when i use it. wood for work. trailers with dirtbikes, any kind of stuff like that. It gets used.narlus said:
Hahaha, why on earth would you think that? That's crazy talk.the Inbred said:
I actually heard that Ford has something bigger in the works and that's why they stopped production of the Excursion. This new super-mega-SUV is said to be eleven feet tall with an equal track-width, the wheelbase is said to be approximately 220" (based on spy photo's). In keeping with their theme of SUV's that start with the letters EX, the alleged name for this new beast will be the Ford Excessive.
Home developers wanting to attract well-to-do buyers are now building custom homes with two-story garage doors to accommodate super-mega-SUV's like Ford's upcoming Excessive. Shopping malls all across America are renovating their parking structures also to allow entry to this new breed of behemoth.
Home developers wanting to attract well-to-do buyers are now building custom homes with two-story garage doors to accommodate super-mega-SUV's like Ford's upcoming Excessive. Shopping malls all across America are renovating their parking structures also to allow entry to this new breed of behemoth.
I don't know that people have such a huge hate on for the SUV, as they do a hate on when seeing the monster sized vehicles (i.e. an excursion vs. a jeep wrangler) generally with one person in the car (the driver) and no obvious signs of any use beyond to the grocery store and back.
There are times when I feel guilty driving my two door civic which gets 40-45 on the freeway, without any kind of passenger...but then I see one of those and I realize that I work my civic harder than most people will use their toy trucks.
As for the SUV being a status symbol - ya it definitely can be - my Mom fully uses hers in that regard. She bought a purdy Lincoln Navigator about 6 months ago (yes everything is leather, all seats in it have heat control, individual radios, etc etc). One - they did buy it for practical reasons - to tow their 5th wheel on vacations. It's also Mom's "car" for her real estate business. Nothing like being driven around in an SUV that's only a yard short of a limo to make one feel special
. They also get some pretty sweet (ehr for you nature freaks, I mean disgusting) tax breaks as a result of the weight/size of their vehicle.
There are times when I feel guilty driving my two door civic which gets 40-45 on the freeway, without any kind of passenger...but then I see one of those and I realize that I work my civic harder than most people will use their toy trucks.
As for the SUV being a status symbol - ya it definitely can be - my Mom fully uses hers in that regard. She bought a purdy Lincoln Navigator about 6 months ago (yes everything is leather, all seats in it have heat control, individual radios, etc etc). One - they did buy it for practical reasons - to tow their 5th wheel on vacations. It's also Mom's "car" for her real estate business. Nothing like being driven around in an SUV that's only a yard short of a limo to make one feel special
. They also get some pretty sweet (ehr for you nature freaks, I mean disgusting) tax breaks as a result of the weight/size of their vehicle.
It certainly wouldn't be for transporting his catch. Do that with a mini.narlus said:
see i would buy the civic. it makes more sense.BurlyShirley said:
and no i can't spell.
i don't think it's hippie hype, just my opinion. I wasn't complaining about polution or anything.
having tax breaks for behemoth-sized SUVs just demonstrates the lobbying power of the big 3. it is digusting to me, and i hardly consider myself a nature freak. i do, however, believe in paying the true cost of the products you buy, and enviromental impact via emissions is something which is not quantified properly, if at all.
How do you tow a 5th wheel with a Navigator?Jr_Bullit said:
You can't. JB must be mistaken regarding the class of their trailer.MMike said:
See this is where people need to start looking at reality instead of looking at the hype. Its simple, really I swear. We like small businesses in the states, right? We arent opposed to giving these small businesses tax breaks, right? And since a HUGE percentage of small businesses are small construction co.s and contractors (like N8) the vehicles they use are full size trucks. SO, in order to help the businesses the govt. gives a tax break to these contractors to make it easier for them to afford vehicles of this type. The fact that some SUVs fit into this same weight/engine size classification is all that people are focusing on, so they try to draw up some silly conspiracy theory. Its retarded. People bitch and moan all day long about the govt. only caring about big business, but then they make it easier for the little guy to get capable vehicles, and you guys are upset becuase...why?narlus said:
Who cares, my wife and I have a Yukon Denali, which is great for hauling the family and luggage to Tahoe and other places. My wife feels a lot safer in one of those when she has the kids in tow. For us a SUV is very practicle, I think until someone has actually owned one you would actually see the great benifits of having one. Those that have never owned one makes it easier to bash on them.
Not exactly, but your heart is in the right place.BurlyShirley said:
:eviltonguMtb_Rob_FL said:
Lincoln Nav's have:
CLASS - Class III with hitch receiver
MAX TRAILER WEIGHT - 2WD - 8,600 lb.*
MAX TRAILER WEIGHT - 4WD - 8,300 lb.*
MAX TONGUE WEIGHT - 2WD - 860 lb.*
MAX TONGUE WEIGHT - 4WD - 830 lb.*
STANDARD TOW EQUIPMENT - frame-mounted receiver hitch integrated with rear bumper, 4-pin connector and heavy-duty flasher.
My apologies - I didn't realize that a 5th wheel means it has the extender thingie to go over the bed of your truck. My parents tow a 30' Travel Trailer, weight when fully loaded is just over 6,000lbs. They bought the Navigator specifically because it is more than capable of pulling their trailer.
Those tax breaks only apply if the vehicle is used for business purposes and claimed as such on tax returns, though it is possible to abuse the policy. My understanding is that the tax benefit was created to benefit small businesses, which need all the help they can get in this wal-mart world, and not the automakers. The real sales volume for the Big3 lies in light duty trucks like the F150 and Suburbans (which are subject to CAFE), not the HD trucks since they're not ideal daily vehicles.
Plus, gas mileage is only one factor to consider. Many of Ford's trucks are clean running despite their poor mileage. Ever wonder why all european cities are black? Particulate emissions from 2 stroke scooters and diesel engines. Yeah, diesels get great mileage but they are far from clean running and that's why VW can't sell TDI engines in CA, MA, NY, ME - they don't pass the emissions requirements. Ironically, these big bad trucks pass.
Plus, gas mileage is only one factor to consider. Many of Ford's trucks are clean running despite their poor mileage. Ever wonder why all european cities are black? Particulate emissions from 2 stroke scooters and diesel engines. Yeah, diesels get great mileage but they are far from clean running and that's why VW can't sell TDI engines in CA, MA, NY, ME - they don't pass the emissions requirements. Ironically, these big bad trucks pass.
i think you'd be hard pressed to say yr denali is more practical than my odyssey. see my comment about being brainwashed by madison avenue.Brian HCM#1 said:
No way I woulda never guessed, given there areJr_Bullit said:
13, 2004's and 5, 2005's anywhere from 20 feet to 200 yards from my desk
so :eviltongu
No problem I wasnt trying to be a smartass (well maybe a little) but that tongue and grove thing is what defines a 5th wheelJr_Bullit said:
The Nav is a very capable towing machine. Anyone want one? I can hook you upJr_Bullit said:
Oh, on the tax breaks thing -
Yes my mom receives the break for her small business application of using the vehicle, but she also receives a second one (and those of you with big heavy duty SUVs should look into this).
Her Navigator just crosses the weight limit for a tax break having to do to with heavier passenger vehicles. Apparently in DC, because they all drive around in big limos, or fancy schmancy luxury cars like the Navigator, the government passed a tax break to cover the costs incurred with driving said big vehicle. Saves our politicians a few bucks every year in paying for their rigs.
I don't have the name of the actual tax break or how it works, but if you're interested, I'll bug my mom for more details.
Yes my mom receives the break for her small business application of using the vehicle, but she also receives a second one (and those of you with big heavy duty SUVs should look into this).
Her Navigator just crosses the weight limit for a tax break having to do to with heavier passenger vehicles. Apparently in DC, because they all drive around in big limos, or fancy schmancy luxury cars like the Navigator, the government passed a tax break to cover the costs incurred with driving said big vehicle. Saves our politicians a few bucks every year in paying for their rigs.
I don't have the name of the actual tax break or how it works, but if you're interested, I'll bug my mom for more details.
Thats not exactly accurate either. For the record mileage in any vehicle for business purposes can be reimbursed/written off at $0.35 a mile. The tax break that we all maybe discussing specifically benefited heavy consumer vehicles(ie Navigator, H2's etc). I believe (because I am too lazy to go an look it up) any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 6000lbs can be considered farm equiptement and the purchase price be written off as a depreciable expense in the year it was purchased.dan-o said: