[Jr_Bullit]

Nope he too has a Yukon and an F250 to tow it.

Why does one need two vehicles to tow one boat?

 

[zod]

Why does one need two vehicles to tow one boat?

backup plan

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Why does one need two vehicles to tow one boat?

I to haul boat and family, the other to haul construction supplys.

 

[Toshi]

Why does one need two vehicles to tow one boat?

don't be unamerican now

 

[narlus]

Actually, I have a coworker who won't date a guy unless she approves of his vehicle...seems a tad odd to me, but, hey, some girls are prissy status symbol chasers...others, like the ones on this website, just want a practical way to haul their bikes around .

cut to the chase. men should just walk around w/ their twangers hanging out, and their bank balance/401K/stock portfolio info taped to their chest.

 

[Toshi]

cut to the chase. men should just walk around w/ their twangers hanging out, and their bank balance/401K/stock portfolio info taped to their chest.

NWS song lyrics from 2? too? short (or underground kings, depending on which site you look at): http://www.lyricscrawler.com/song/47386.html

 

[Brian HCM#1]

cut to the chase. men should just walk around w/ their twangers hanging out, and their bank balance/401K/stock portfolio info taped to their chest.

Exactly, and it does matter in the long run.

 

[narlus]

matter to who?

 

[Jr_Bullit]

cut to the chase. men should just walk around w/ their twangers hanging out, and their bank balance/401K/stock portfolio info taped to their chest.

Ugh, I hope not...What does it matter anyways what either person makes so long as they can afford to support themselves?

simplify! and enjoy what you have...

 

[bmxr]

cut to the chase. men should just walk around w/ their twangers hanging out, and their bank balance/401K/stock portfolio info taped to their chest.

That sounds like flat out jealousy. If not, then why does it matter? The status symbol argument is a totally hollow over-simplification. I know there are disadvantages, but do you deny the advantages to having a large SUV?

 

[Toshi]

do you deny the advantages to having a large SUV?

haven't we been over this? for carrying people minivans are better. for hauling lumber or towing pickups are better. for off-roading a wrangler would be better (in most cases, compared to a yukon here). large suvs are a decent compromise i suppose for those who want a vehicle which is the jack of all trades, master of none. they do fit in well at the parking lot at the mall tho, have to give you that.

 

[narlus]

That sounds like flat out jealousy. If not, then why does it matter? The status symbol argument is a totally hollow over-simplification. I know there are disadvantages, but do you deny the advantages to having a large SUV?

outright jealousy? that's hilarious! yeah, i drive a honda civic but desperately crave an H2 or escalade.

get in the thread, man. or at least read where my post (about cars impressing certain women) was coming from.

 

[Acadian]

I have NEVER bought a car basd on its mileage per gallon, I buy them by function for my needs.

said the man who wants/needs to get a Hummer H2!!

 

[bmxr]

large suvs are a decent compromise i suppose for those who want a vehicle which is the jack of all trades....

Exactly my point. Last I checked, I don't have room to add a Wrangler, another minivan, and an F-250 to my garage...

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

I have NEVER bought a car basd on its mileage per gallon, I buy them by function for my needs.

HAHAHAHA, wait until gas prices get to 5 bucks a gallon (or the US equivalent of the peru price) 1 gallon=8 hours worth of minimal wage, like 45 bucks a gallon...
and you get an rx7 that gets single digit mpg.....

you´ll be like most of us, checking out the mpg first hand.. (i also drive a toyota yaris, called echo, for this reason).

 

[Brian HCM#1]

said the man who wants/needs to get a Hummer H2!!

Julie wants one, I never said needs, just wants.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

HAHAHAHA, wait until gas prices get to 5 bucks a gallon (or the US equivalent of the peru price) 1 gallon=8 hours worth of minimal wage, like 45 bucks a gallon...
and you get an rx7 that gets single digit mpg.....

you´ll be like most of us, checking out the mpg first hand.. (i also drive a toyota yaris, called echo, for this reason).

My wife drives the Denali, I have a full size Chevy truck, I'm used to paying $50 each now to fill the tank. I don't complain I just deal with it.

 

[bmxr]

outright jealousy? that's hilarious! yeah, i drive a honda civic but desperately crave an H2 or escalade.

get in the thread, man. or at least read where my post (about cars impressing certain women) was coming from.

I read every post in this thread and (to me) your argument still doesn't hold any water. Unless you are simply saying that those people exist, I think that is way too simplistic and dismissive a generalization. The people you describe are annoying but since it's totally impossible to discern which fit into the "rollling extension" group, and which people are "the guy that goes to Home Depot often yet needs to carry four kids on the weekends" group, it sounds pointless.

And your Civic doesn't say anything about whether or not you could get an Escalade IF you wanted to. I still think you wish you could afford one

 

[bmxr]

HAHAHAHA, wait until gas prices ...

We've been waiting since 1971. Personally, I'm not driving an impractical, faggy car for the next twenty years while I wait for gas prices to some day become unaffordable for me. Sorry gas prices in Peru suck, but add that to my list of reasons why I don't live there

 

[narlus]

I read every post in this thread and (to me) your argument still doesn't hold any water. Unless you are simply saying that those people exist, I think that is way too simplistic and dismissive a generalization. The people you describe are annoying but since it's totally impossible to discern which fit into the "rollling extension" group, and which people are "the guy that goes to Home Depot often yet needs to carry four kids on the weekends" group, it sounds pointless.

well there are a ton of different arguments which weaved their way into and out of this thread, but the part you quoted was in response first to N8's comment:

"Plus, all the hot women will want ya because you will be totaly cool in your mini-van..."

then jrbullit wrote:

"Actually, I have a coworker who won't date a guy unless she approves of his vehicle...seems a tad odd to me, but, hey, some girls are prissy status symbol chasers..."

which prompted me to reply:

cut to the chase. men should just walk around w/ their twangers hanging out, and their bank balance/401K/stock portfolio info taped to their chest.

the gist was to boil it all down to net worth and penis size of the individual. apparently that is what impresses these women, so you can ditch the SUV (although the SUV can serve as camouflage if one isn't well endowed in the trousers and/or bank ledgers).

whew. i wasn't making an argument, just an observation about people investing too much self-identity (edit - like some who refer to small cars as "faggy"; do we know anyone like that around here? ) into their cars. can i tell which these people are, by what they are driving? no, but i can make a pretty good guess at least some of the time.

And your Civic doesn't say anything about whether or not you could get an Escalade IF you wanted to. I still think you wish you could afford one

this is the land of credit, anyone can afford one. just take a look at how many are on the road. the MSRP is over 50K. the average household income for '02 was 43K. go figure. to baseline it a bit, the average MA (where i live) annual income is 52K. i can certainly afford to drive one, but i think it's a big waste of $ which can be used much more effectively (hence my civic; it's a reliable, A->B car and frees up cash for other things).


escalade price:
http://tinyurl.com/4kxw6

MA income:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/income03/statemhi.html

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Thats why I rarely buy new cars, I bought my truck w/ 13K mies and it was a year in a half old, bought Julies Denali which was 1 year old, but had a lot of miles for being a year old, scored a killer deal on both though

 

[bmxr]

well there are a ton of different arguments which weaved their way into and out of this thread, but the part you quoted was in response first to N8's comment:

That's cool.


btw-I have an incredibly inadequate unit so I am saving up for one of these:

:nuts:

i can certainly afford to drive one, but i think it's a big waste of $ which can be used much more effectively (hence my civic; it's a reliable, A->B car and frees up cash for other things).

There's the subjective part that I don't think is fair when it gets apply to other people, like strangers driving by in a big truck

To hell with it, you convinced me! I'm gonna get another Civic

 

[narlus]

ha, good to see my evil plan is working (i'm a shareholder in honda).


<jk>

 

[Jr_Bullit]

We've been waiting since 1971. Personally, I'm not driving an impractical, faggy car for the next twenty years while I wait for gas prices to some day become unaffordable for me. Sorry gas prices in Peru suck, but add that to my list of reasons why I don't live there

Hmmm... your description of small, gas efficient cars as faggy would lend credence to the argument that for you, at least, it's all about appearances.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

We've been waiting since 1971. Personally, I'm not driving an impractical, faggy car for the next twenty years while I wait for gas prices to some day become unaffordable for me. Sorry gas prices in Peru suck, but add that to my list of reasons why I don't live there

and that day will someday come. it has come to most of the world, and probably will knock your door sooner than you think.
you are better off saving from now so that day comes the latest possible, using faggy cars, or hybrids, or stuff like that.

or if you are into the gas guzzler for the show off, get yourself an IWC grande complication, way better investment than an escalade IMO.
plus its more blingy to wear a watch that costs twice more than an escalade if bling bling is your thing, and drive your hybrid.

bling blinging in an SUV is ridiculous, unless its a 90k porsche cayenne turbo.

and my yaris is not impractical, in fact is the most practical versatile car i own and i`ve ever owned. and faggy, yes.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

and my question is.... why doesnt diesel SUV sell in the US???

here they are quite popular. my mom has one. its a full sized montero turbo-diesel that gets around 25mpg in city on diesel. with a crapload of torque.

does a modern diesel engine polutes more mile per mile than a gas engine on a full sized suv?????

 

[syadasti]

and my question is.... why doesnt diesel SUV sell in the US???

here they are quite popular. my mom has one. its a full sized montero turbo-diesel that gets around 25mpg in city on diesel. with a crapload of torque.

does a modern diesel engine polutes more mile per mile than a gas engine on a full sized suv?????

I think part of it is the stigma attached to diesel from the old diesels of the past and the other issue might be the transportation lobby preventing us from switching to low-sulfur diesel like the rest of the world (they don't want to pay X cents more per gallon)

Diesel engines also last longer than gasoline ones...

 

[zod]

Diesel is an upgrade here dude, by the time most people have over paid for a SUV they're not going to take a $8,000 upgrade. Plus many SUV's don't even offer a diesel option.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Diesel is an upgrade here dude, by the time most people have over paid for a SUV they're not going to take a $8,000 upgrade. Plus many SUV's don't even offer a diesel option.

why is it an upgrade??
in South american and in europe diesel is not an upgrade, but a regular option.

i dont guesstimate diesel engines are more expensive to build than gas engines.

 

[Zark]

and my question is.... why doesnt diesel SUV sell in the US???

here they are quite popular. my mom has one. its a full sized montero turbo-diesel that gets around 25mpg in city on diesel. with a crapload of torque.

does a modern diesel engine polutes more mile per mile than a gas engine on a full sized suv?????

Emissions standards are not uniform in all states. I know many Diesel SUV's are not offered in Ca for that reason. No Tourag diesel here for example.

Low Sulfer diesel looks like a good way to go because you get better fuel economy (and less CO2 pumped into the air) for slightly higher particulate.

 

[dan-o]

why is it an upgrade??
in europe diesel is not an upgrade, but a regular option.
QUOTE]

When I lived in the Netherlands I owned a Passat TDI (aftermarket tuned of course, b/c I am an ego-centric capitalist hellbent on mocking the underpaid, exploited masses) and there was a considerable tax surcharge for the diesel engine (above the standard price increase vs a gas engine). The cost was significant enough that unless you drove a lot (i drove 65,000km my last year there) a gas vehicle made more sense economically.

I looked into a diesel when buying my truck but it would have cost at least $5k more. Given the amount I drive the truck, the higher operating costs of gas still made more financial sense.

 

[bmxr]

Hmmm... your description of small, gas efficient cars as faggy would lend credence to the argument that for you, at least, it's all about appearances.

For me it's about going fast. I am a motorports enthusiaist, so I enjoy fast cars, fast motorcycles, and other generally cool ways to burn up dino juice. My problem with cars like the Prius thus far is not the fact that they are enviro-nerdy , but that they are simply unappealing from a design stanpoint. Appearance does mean something to me and I don't plan on ever driving around in something as bland and/or ugly as a Prius. It's practically an electric Aztek :lol: Once the technology is to the point that I can buy a hybrid that will move out of its own way and look decent doing it, I'm all for it. The new Accord Hybrid, although not a sporting car by any stretch, is going to be a HUGE jump in the right direction.

and that day will someday come. it has come to most of the world, and probably will knock your door sooner than you think.
you are better off saving from now so that day comes the latest possible, using faggy cars, or hybrids, or stuff like that.

Says who? You? I'll roll the dice with the 06/07 Mustang Cobra I'm saving for

or if you are into the gas guzzler for the show off, get yourself an IWC grande complication, way better investment than an escalade IMO.
plus its more blingy to wear a watch that costs twice more than an escalade if bling bling is your thing, and drive your hybrid.

For the record, I don't own or even like SUV's. I'm more playing devil's advocate because I don't think the argument is a s black and white as what I sometimes read. I don't want the government to ever tell me what fits my needs. I have a brain to decide that myself.

What I do support is making all passenger vehicles subject to the same mpg and pollution standards. If motorcycles ever got to be used as commonly as SUV's I'd even be for including motorcycles in tougher emmission standards. Market forces should be at play and they are not as long as the govt is propping-up the truck/SUV industry.

btw-diesels are not common in the US (and nonexistent in CA) due to emmissions regulations. They get more mpg, but they are still much "dirtier" than their gasoline counterparts. They are generally a huge upcharge due mostly to economies of scale...

 

[mserko1]

my friends dad had an f350 on an excursion frame. it was clunky and bad

 

[bballboy388]

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?

You gotta quit buying into the hippie hype, hippie kai.

are you kidding me thats just dumb its wasting gas. just because we has a lot of gas dosent mean we should find faster ways to use/waste it

 

[ohio]

Random thought. We should tax the **** out of gasoline, as a "terrorism tax" and then pump all the tax revenues into defense and homeland security. I think it will create a nifty dillemna for conservatives griping about our shrinking military.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

For me it's about going fast. I am a motorports enthusiaist, so I enjoy fast cars, fast motorcycles, and other generally cool ways to burn up dino juice. My problem with cars like the Prius thus far is not the fact that they are enviro-nerdy , but that they are simply unappealing from a design stanpoint. Appearance does mean something to me and I don't plan on ever driving around in something as bland and/or ugly as a Prius. It's practically an electric Aztek :lol: Once the technology is to the point that I can buy a hybrid that will move out of its own way and look decent doing it, I'm all for it. The new Accord Hybrid, although not a sporting car by any stretch, is going to be a HUGE jump in the right direction.



Says who? You? I'll roll the dice with the 06/07 Mustang Cobra I'm saving for


For the record, I don't own or even like SUV's. I'm more playing devil's advocate because I don't think the argument is a s black and white as what I sometimes read. I don't want the government to ever tell me what fits my needs. I have a brain to decide that myself.

What I do support is making all passenger vehicles subject to the same mpg and pollution standards. If motorcycles ever got to be used as commonly as SUV's I'd even be for including motorcycles in tougher emmission standards. Market forces should be at play and they are not as long as the govt is propping-up the truck/SUV industry.

btw-diesels are not common in the US (and nonexistent in CA) due to emmissions regulations. They get more mpg, but they are still much "dirtier" than their gasoline counterparts. They are generally a huge upcharge due mostly to economies of scale...

am also a motorsports enthusiast. i just got my rally licence, and am about to get my first rally car in about 5 months. a japan spec evo 5. i used to own a modified 93 rx7, and still own a 69 camaro ss with a 396.

but i also own a driving car, my yaris.

i recognize motorsports is a hobbie, not a way of driving. my rx7 got 7-8 mpg, plus it ran on 100 octance gas (270 bucks a 50gal barrel).
i can go thru 100 bucks of gas in the camaro in a single afternoon of spirited driving in city. as you understand, its impossible to afford those cars on a daily basis,
they are impractical for anything other than fun, open track days or garage show-off.

thats why i drive a yaris. (or echo in the US). motorsports and daily transportation needs dont go in the same league in my book.

 

[Zark]

Random thought. We should tax the **** out of gasoline, as a "terrorism tax" and then pump all the tax revenues into defense and homeland security. I think it will create a nifty dillemna for conservatives griping about our shrinking military.

Ohh snap, thats freakin great!

 

[-dustin]

is this the thread where Kitty mentioned the King Ranch? i saw one today. looked like it had Rancho suspension. is that stock on the KR Ed?

 

[bmxr]

thats why i drive a yaris. (or echo in the US). motorsports and daily transportation needs dont go in the same league in my book.

I believe in the "daily driver". I drove my 5.0 every day. If I had a big block Camaro, I would drive that. I ride my Supermoto bike to work sometimes, and when I get my next 'Stang, I will drive that every day. I wouldn't build a car I wasn't willing to drive. Different strokes, I suppose, because it would take more than high gas prices to get me to purchase and drive an Echo.

 

[reflux]

Just so you know about the tax break on large SUV's, you have to pay it back when you sell the vehicle.

Kinda, but not exactly; it's called depreciation recapture (section 1245 or 1250, I can't remember). Basically, any section 179 depreciation in excess of a commonly used deprec method (accelerated or straight, can't remember), will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the sales price.

The "SUV Tax" is/was eligible for purchases after something like Sept 26, 2001, or some date like that a few years ago. Anyway, the gvw limits have been significantly raised (something like 12k or 14k) for the start of 05, but you people knew that anyway. Thanks to Bush's promise to make the tax code simpler, I have a bunch of new rules, adjustments, and changes to learn for 05.

What does everyone think about the tax credit for hybrid vehicles? Personally I'm all for it, but some SUV lovers might be saying they're unfair.