Wow, thought this thread was dead. Since it has resurfaced I feel obliged to respond.
StevieG said:
Maxterpiece, I am amazed at the generalizations and stereotyping in a good many of the responses here.
Is it not the job of a sociologist to make generalizations? You look at a population and study the trends in that populations. Every individual is different, there is no denying that, but trends are trends, and whether or not your vehicle fits into a category of which I am noting a trend in does not necessarily reflect on who you are and on what your intentions are with that vehicle. Don't take it personally!
First off, this is America, and folks can and will buy what they want to buy.
TRUE!!! No one can argue this. Buy what you want! Use your money however your heart desires! The fact remains that the divide between rich and poor grows larger every day. The fact remains that I have a right to express my concern over dwindling resources. The fact remains that the government has an obligation to be proactive about the future of our country, our people and our planet. The government has an obligation to be proactive and to tax the s*** out of these vehicles to cover the costs they will eventually leave our children to pay for the AVOIDABLE environmental damage that their popularity causes and for the danger these vehicles pose to those who choose not to buy them!
Secondly, the issue of using any fossil-fuels, whether diesel or gas or propane or methane has an inherent issue to it--the supply is dwindling and finite, period. Do you realize, that a good many of pickup trucks sold in America have leather interiors, navigation systems, and every conceivable option that a Caddy, Mercedes, or Audi might have? That they are marketed just like any other vehicle to buyers who may or may not need them. Does anyone need a $50 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4 door pickup truck with King Ranch leather and that jeweled interior?
I have searched for over an hour trying to find a website that gives sales statistics of all vehicles sold in the US. I was unable to find one, but I think I can confidently say that these luxury pickups are 1) not sold in nearly the quantity that the all these big SUVs are selling for. Why else would it be that I see about 100 advertisements for big SUVs to every advertisement for a luxury pick-up... Why else is it that over the last 5 or so years, every car company has released and expanded it's SUV lineup? It's because that's where the money is!
My Dodge Ram 2500 diesel has just about every luxury option in it. Even has an armrest that will swallow my 17 inch G4 PowerBook and more. It is a "work-truck", has a usable 5.9 L V-6 Cummins Turbodiesel and a 6 speed manual transmission. It cost a lot of money and is worth every dime. It gets good gas mileage for a 3/4 ton diesel truck. Yet, Lincoln makes a luxury pickup truck, so does Caddy. Have you seen a dolled up Nissan Titan lately? Or even a midsize Dodge Dakota, tricked up? Have you seen the prices on these lately, some approaching $50K?
I have owned 3 suvs, a 1997 Explorer with V-6, a 1998 Dodge Durango with 5.9L V-8, and my current one for weekend getaways, a 2002 GMC Denali XL that has a 6.0L V-8. It is everything I want it to be, just not a commuter car. It gets excellent gas mileage for its size and class, often 19-20 highway at 60-65 mph.
If you paid 20k more for your gas guzzler and we all paid 50% more taxes on our gas to cover the costs of researching new fuel sources and transforming, I think you might be willing to sacrifice the luxury of your SUV for something more economical. Then again, you're right - 19-20mpg on the highway is decent. Maybe this tax wouldn't apply to your car. I'm not concerned with you though - I'm concerned with the general trend in our country changing. Adding 20k to the cost of gas guzzlers and making fuel cost an additional $2k/year will makea lot more people reconsider before investing in a status symbol. Money talks louder to people than ethics and logic. Look at europe - gas costs about 50% more there and, although there are still SUVs there on the scale of a pathfinder, there are no monster Expeditions or Escalades, and most of the commuter cars get 20%+ better gas mileage. People drive diesel and hybrid cars. People sacrifice the glamor, even though it is still available to them (I'm not advocating taking people's choice away!), and go with what is truly more practical.
And finally, i don't consider it a gas guzzler just because it is below a certain threshold in gas mileage. I consider it a gas guzzler if it is below that threshold and is clearly marketed as a personal use/luxury car and not a work vehicle that requires a more powerful engine.
My point is, making sterotypical statements and gross over-generalizations is counterproductive and makes the casual observer here like me think that the flow of information here is suspect. Yeah, it would be nice to have a 90 mpg 6500 lb vehicle for towing or hauling people, but it is not going to happen with the internal combustion engine as we know it. I just think a lot of opinion has been thrown out here, without fact and without understanding of all the cultural issues at play in the US regarding what type of vehicle we all drive.
The main cultural issue at play here is that US citizens think we are invincible. We think we can get away with whatever we want. There has never been a war on our soil (not counting rev. war and civil war). We have always been safely isolated by two huge oceans. Well, with technology today, oceans don't protect us so much anymore and that isolation isn't real. We think that the more wasteful we are, the cooler we are. Well that's not gonna cut it. Energy crisis is looming and it's gonna smack us down to earth really quickly if we don't start weening ourselves. I think if you look at a lot of the US foreign policy today you see it is similar to that of someone falling from a dreamworld and scratching with all its power to maintain that illusion.
It would be wonderful to have a 90mpg 6500lb vehicle. That is true. With the tax money we could be charging that vehicle may be possible.
BTW, I purchased my Denali XL(i.e. Suburban clone) in 2001 as a 2002 model. It has been amazingly reliable, efficient, and despite its size, with 2 large dogs, 2 children, a wife and a husband along with all our weekend gear,it routinely delivers 16-19 combined mpg on those long weekends. I personally, would not buy any other class of vehicle for these needs. And I could care less about the "gansta" culture, or "suburban" culture.
I'm glad you have a car that is reliable and fits your needs. I wasn't trying to put you in a box or classify you as a bad person. I hope your Denali lasts you a long time and serves your family well.
