Happy with your car choice ?

[KYYX4ever]

What are your thoughts regarding your car choice(s), gaz-guzzlers, depreciation of SUVs and big trucks, how much you pay per month for gas, and appreciation OR regret for your car of choice ?

I've seen a LOT of articles like this; seems like EVErywhere you go on the 'net there are similar discussions. It's like they're trying to "create" regret, a sense of [i]schadenfreude[/i], even.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/green/art ... l#comments

How many of these big vehicles are really that necessary for the type of driving you do in your life ? We all have stories about the little suburban princess driving her Hummer for a perilous run to Walmart...for a bottle of soda.
OTOH, are these giant vehicles really that necessary for large families ?

What about in the old days, when Pop would cram all us kids into the little VW Bug for the family vacation, driving across 3 or 4 or 7 states (like we did) with no air conditioning, and [i]WE WERE FINE[/i] ?!?
Most Americans claim they "feel safer" in those huge trucks/ SUVs. Do you ? (I personally do not, myself. I feel very uncomfortable being so high off the ground like that, as if I'm totally disconnected from the road, and thus, driving.)
What about the claim that Big Auto knows how to design SUVs with better fuel efficiency, but they have yet to do so for various reasons ?

I would be very interested in hearing everyone's thoughts.[:)]

[club80]

We bought my wife a new Honda CRV last year. Not bad on mileage as far as SUV's go. My car is a Saturn which is getting older and having a few problems. I will probably buy another Honda this summer but this will be a car, not a CRV. This works out good for our family. One larger vehicle to travel where luggage, etc is required. One smaller, more fuel-efficient car. I have considered a hybrid but all the ones I've seen are so damn ugly!
If money meant nothing (and it does since my son is not that far away from choosing a college), I would buy a 1968 Camaro which was the first car I ever had. Loved that car! My decision not to buy one, though, is not predicated on the price of gas. It is solely because buying an extra car, which I don't really need, would not be practical with college tuition a fast approaching reality.
I gripe a bit about the price of gas but I haven't changed anything about my life because of it. I need it, I buy it.


We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[birdmadgirl]

We got rid of my SUV back in Jan. 05. I loved it and I miss it. BUT, when gas started inching toward $2 a gallon, I knew what was coming and we sold it for a compact car. (Back then, it was costing me about $80 a week for gas. We'd be screwed if we still had it and were paying more than twice that).

We are looking at getting something a bit larger (but not something huge)--I really like the Nissan Murano, and the Honda CRV, Ford Edge and Saturn Vue also are on our list of cars to check out. I have three kids to haul around, and none of them are little anymore, so a compact car isn't cutting it now.

And, despite the evidence that says otherwise, I do feel safer in an SUV. I have never felt safe in my little car.

[club80]

[quote][i]Originally posted by birdmadgirl[/i]
<br>We got rid of my SUV back in Jan. 05. I loved it and I miss it. BUT, when gas started inching toward $2 a gallon, I knew what was coming and we sold it for a compact car. (Back then, it was costing me about $80 a week for gas. We'd be screwed if we still had it and were paying more than twice that).

We are looking at getting something a bit larger (but not something huge)--I really like the Nissan Murano, and the Honda CRV, Ford Edge and Saturn Vue also are on our list of cars to check out. I have three kids to haul around, and none of them are little anymore, so a compact car isn't cutting it now.

And, despite the evidence that says otherwise, I do feel safer in an SUV. I have never felt safe in my little car.
[/quote]

Birdmadgirl...while we have only had the CRV for a year, I can definitely give you an endorsement based on what we have experienced so far. It's got a decent amount of luggage room and gets about 17-19 mpg around suburban Long Island and 25-30 mpg Highway. I really can't ask for much more.


We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[empyrean]

With gas prices gong up........good thing we have this

<a href="http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/spawndrigo/?action=view¤t=2314725-Pedicab_on_White_Beach-Bora.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/spawndrigo/2314725-Pedicab_on_White_Beach-Bora.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r72/din1081/?action=view¤t=215613201067hitmedawg.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r72/din1081/215613201067hitmedawg.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[club80]

[quote][i]Originally posted by empyrean[/i]
<br>With gas prices gong up........good thing we have this

<a href="http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/spawndrigo/?action=view¤t=2314725-Pedicab_on_White_Beach-Bora.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/spawndrigo/2314725-Pedicab_on_White_Beach-Bora.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r72/din1081/?action=view¤t=215613201067hitmedawg.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r72/din1081/215613201067hitmedawg.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
[/quote]

Nice!


We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[eight6]

Am I happy? In a word, yes. Of course, like everybody else, I'd like to pay $20.00 for a tank of gas, but that's not going to happen. Buying something like a Hummer seems like overkill at any time, moreso now.

At this point in my life I flat out prefer driving something other than a car, so I've been driving either a crossover (Subaru Forrester) or a Land Rover for about the past 10 years. Currently, I drive a Land Rover LR2, which is an excellent vehicle for my purposes. It's comfortable, capable, and small enough to get decent gas mileage, and IMO looks good as well.

http://www.canadianautoreview.com/land_rover_lr2.htm




<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z302/eight6pics/letmein7-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[phillyidol]

I drive a toyota siena mini van and love it. I can take out all the seats and pack it to the roof with stuff. But if gas goes to $7 a gallon like I think it will, I can see getting something like the honda crv or toyota rav 4. Now a question, if you get these in a 4 cylinder, is there any power? And do you save that much in gas? oh and I love the honda element. Marie, how many cylinders is yours? Is it good on gas?




Worlds GREATEST Photographer!

[i_like_lectric_motors]

Hondas are great. I'm on my 3rd one and haven't had a problem with any of them. The 4 cylinder engine that I have in my Accord coupe (2.4 L 166 hp) has plenty of power. I think that's basically the same engine as what they use in the CR-V's and Elements. I don't bother keeping track of mileage but I know I get at least 25 mpg while driving like a maniac. [:D]

[club80]

Power in the Honda CRV? Well...I'm not beating any corvettes off the line but it's not awful.


We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[DonGately]

I just bought a Volvo C30 and I love it. I finally gave up the Suburban. Kind of went from one extreme to the other, since the C30 is a hatchback. But it's sporty, it has a good engine, and the seats are amazingly comfortable.

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by DonGately[/i]
<br>I just bought a Volvo C30 and I love it. I finally gave up the Suburban. Kind of went from one extreme to the other, since the C30 is a hatchback. But it's sporty, it has a good engine, and the seats are amazingly comfortable.
[/quote]

I like the C30, in fact, I'm trying to convince my wife to make it her next car. My only question is, how much does a taillight for one of those cost? It's a big sucker.

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z302/eight6pics/letmein7-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[Max Murdoc]

Last year my Saturn's front frame rusted out (huh? really it did) and the place fixing it gave me a loaner until it was finished. I fell in love with the loaner bought it and gave the Saturn to my son. The loaner is/was a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis....yup, a barge. The car is in fantastic shape and looks just like our neighborhood police vehicles (no, it's not painted like them...just the same make). Does it get good mileage? Hell no but then again, I live less than a mile from work and everyone who knows me knows that I never go anywhere. Grocery stores are also less than a mile from my house and friends and family are also nearby. My local grocery store has that 10 cents off gas for every $50.00 you spend so every 2 months I get a free tank of gas. I probably spend $30.00 a month on gas right now so it's not killing me.

I love the car cause it's comfy and it deters the local hoods from messing around my neighborhood so no regrets.

[eight6]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Max Murdoc[/i]
<br>Last year my Saturn's front frame rusted out (huh? really it did) and the place fixing it gave me a loaner until it was finished. I fell in love with the loaner bought it and gave the Saturn to my son. The loaner is/was a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis....yup, a barge. The car is in fantastic shape and looks just like our neighborhood police vehicles (no, it's not painted like them...just the same make). Does it get good mileage? Hell no but then again, I live less than a mile from work and everyone who knows me knows that I never go anywhere. Grocery stores are also less than a mile from my house and friends and family are also nearby. My local grocery store has that 10 cents off gas for every $50.00 you spend so every 2 months I get a free tank of gas. I probably spend $30.00 a month on gas right now so it's not killing me.

I love the car cause it's comfy and it deters the local hoods from messing around my neighborhood so no regrets.
[/quote]




[i]"It's got a cop motor, a four hundred and forty cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks, it was a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. Whaddya say? Is it the new Max Mobile or what?"[/i]

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z302/eight6pics/letmein7-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[Max Murdoc]

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Max Murdoc[/i]
<br>Last year my Saturn's front frame rusted out (huh? really it did) and the place fixing it gave me a loaner until it was finished. I fell in love with the loaner bought it and gave the Saturn to my son. The loaner is/was a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis....yup, a barge. The car is in fantastic shape and looks just like our neighborhood police vehicles (no, it's not painted like them...just the same make). Does it get good mileage? Hell no but then again, I live less than a mile from work and everyone who knows me knows that I never go anywhere. Grocery stores are also less than a mile from my house and friends and family are also nearby. My local grocery store has that 10 cents off gas for every $50.00 you spend so every 2 months I get a free tank of gas. I probably spend $30.00 a month on gas right now so it's not killing me.

I love the car cause it's comfy and it deters the local hoods from messing around my neighborhood so no regrets.
[/quote]




[i]"It's got a cop motor, a four hundred and forty cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks, it was a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. Whaddya say? Is it the new Max Mobile or what?"[/i]

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z302/eight6pics/letmein7-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
[/quote]


You bet Elwood....cause I'm on a mission from God.