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Hummers why?

ErikCLDR said:
But really, if you can't use a cell phone, then why are you allowed to have a radio, cigarettes, navigation systems, small children, pets, etc in your car? Are two-way radios allowed? They are all distractions.
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Other than children and pets...which are impossible to completely control and even harder to legislate against...there really should be a nationwide agreement with car and car parts makers about things like navigation systems, "car theater systems", cell phones and radios. IMHO, navigation systems should be in "watch and listen" only mode unless the car is in park...you should basically have an idea where you are going once you get in the car...if you change your mind and want pizza instead of Chinese, pull over and reprogram the thing. Car theaters should be mounted on the back of the driver's seat and the audio only accessible through a headphone jack, I think every car needs to come with a built in "hands-free" system for cell phones or that prior to registration car owners must prove they own one (and of course it would help if the system could detect an argument or gossip and disconnect the call so that the driver didn't become distracted. There should be a limit to the maximum radio volume that car stereos can produce...it should also be against the law for advertisers on the radio to use sirens, car horns, sounds of engine trouble or tires screeching. As for cigarettes, since I have yet to meet a smoker that doesn't think the road is his ashtray, maybe a tax of $5 per pack. I know eating and putting on makeup are distractions too, but other than educating people not to do them or at least to know their limits (one hand with the burger and the other has the drink...who's driving...come on)...of course if cars could be designed to detect when they have gone through a drive-thru and only go say 25 mph for, say, 20 minutes after the fact...that would be cool too.
 
TheAnswer said:
I agree with this...however I suspect a lot of people buy cars larger than they actually need because they think "This will be great when we redo the den, redesign the garden, etc" but fail to reflect on the fact that most of the time they will be driving their vehicle alone and that there are rental options for those rare occasions that they will need to haul dirt or plants or lumber.
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Sorry that I don't use our Suburban to tow and haul cargo around 100% of the time. Yes, sometimes we do drive the Suburban with one person in it. Most of the time that is due to it being the only vehicle that doesn't have a daily driver. So if my dad has the Aura and my mom has the Equinox, I will take the Suburban because it is the only vehicle left.
 
TheAnswer said:
IMHO, navigation systems should be in "watch and listen" only mode unless the car is in park...you should basically have an idea where you are going once you get in the car...if you change your mind and want pizza instead of Chinese, pull over and reprogram the thing.
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In my limited experience w/factory navigation systems (I have no experience w/after market ones) that's how they work. If the car is in motion you can't use any of the search/lookup features.

Car theaters should be mounted on the back of the driver's seat and the audio only accessible through a headphone jack,
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To the best of my knowledge TV screens and the like can't legally be mounted w/in the drivers filed of view. Most of them are mounted on the ceiling centered behind the front seats and have separate audio jacks so the kids can hear the DVD in the back but the parents up front can still listen to the radio.

I think every car needs to come with a built in "hands-free" system for cell phones or that prior to registration car owners must prove they own one
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Many cars have an option for bluetooth, of course that also means you'd need a bluetooth phone.


Lethal
 
welshandrew said:
Ego?

Boasting about wealth?

Inferiority complex/small penis?
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It's all a status thing isn't it. SUVs are pointless unless you actually NEED a 4x4.
In which case a Land Rover Defender should do the job better than any SUV.
 
To the best of my knowledge TV screens and the like can't legally be mounted w/in the drivers filed of view. Most of them are mounted on the ceiling centered behi
As for navigation systems, after-market ones can be programmed whether the car is moving for not. In my moms car, I am pretty sure that the car has to be in park to be programmed. However, I know that in some cars such as Land Rovers, that can be easily hacked. You don't even have to open up the unit or cut any wires.

I don't think in dash DVD players are illegal. The kind thats like a head unit with a screen that flips out. They sell them at crutch-field. If they were illegal, why would they sell them. I think thats very dangerous though. Rear seat DVD entertainment I don't think is a problem, even if there is audio its the same as the radio. Most cars offer wireless headphones. I do think that the light from it at night would be somewhat annoying. Additionally, do the flip down screen get in the way of the center rear view mirror?

As for bluetooth, people have it in their cars but never seem to use it. Probably because you have to take the time to connect the phone with the car. My uncles BMW has it and he never uses it because the sound quality is not good and people can never hear him.

Bring back the car phones!
 
bartelby said:
It's all a status thing isn't it. SUVs are pointless unless you actually NEED a 4x4.
In which case a Land Rover Defender should do the job better than any SUV.
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Exactly. Unless you're a farmer or the Army, what's the point?
 
bartelby said:
It's all a status thing isn't it. SUVs are pointless unless you actually NEED a 4x4.
In which case a Land Rover Defender should do the job better than any SUV.
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Defenders are AWESOME. Soooo rare though thus such a high price tag. Defender, Discovery 1, and the Range Rover Classic were the last of the real Land Rover 4WD. Its a shame defenders are no longer imported. The disco II is more aimed at an every day family car. The Range Rover and DII design wise have fairly large overhangs. The LR3 seems to be a decent off-road car, buts its 50,000 and 18"+ wheels off road with high performance tires is not going to work well off road. Really though, its more of a family car than something made to go off road. The range rover sport is just like an X5 with a better 4wd system- terrain response and low range 4wd.

My neighbor has a '97 Defender 90 (and a fugly house)
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I think its mix of having the cash, wanting to seem like you have the cash , having more room(which isn't needed) and "saftey"..(you might not be safer, but you'll "feel" safer)


My father has a friend who doesn't have any legs, and he has a Hummer which has all the pedals up were he can use his hands to drive. Hummer gave him the "upgrades"(if you want to call them that) for free. Not sure if other car could/would do this, and it possible he wanted room for his wheelchair.
 
ErikCLDR said:
What if it snows?
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I have a tiny little 2 door car (Hyundai Tiburon) and it does just fine in the snow. Driving in the snow isn't all about the car's abilities, it's about the driver. Almost any car can do fine in the snow if the driver uses common sense.
 
So you are now Midsized SUVs are ok? So all Toyota 4Runners, Explorers, Envoys, Trailblazers, Pilots, ML-Classes, Discoveries, X5's, Cayennes, H3's, Muranos, FX's, GX470's, RX's, Grand Cherokees, Commanders, 9-7x's, Accenders, Reiniers, Rendexvous, Aztecs, Sorentos, Santa fes, LR3, Range Rovers, LX470's, Land Cruisers, Edeges, MKX's, CX-7's, Mounteneers, Endevors, Outlanders, Xterras, Pathfinders, Torrents, Cayennes, Vues, Tribecas, XL-7's, FJ Crusiers, Highlanders, Touaregs, and XC90 are acceptable. Thats only part of the list of midsized SUVs.

Like 70% of all SUVs are midsized.

The thing that you want for snow driving is AWD/4WD, Weight, and Ground Clearance. Yes some BMW or Lexus or Mercedes or that new Ford Sedan might have AWD, but they don't have weight or ground clearance. Here where it can snow 10" in 5hrs and not get plowed, you're not going to make it through the snow with 5" of ground clearance. Esp with heavy snow. Its like like the car pushes the snow out of the way, snow get rammed underneath the car until it can't go any further.

It depends how much snow you get. If you live in a place that gets 4" of a snow a year then you don't need an SUV. If you live where I live, most people get them.
 
If having 4WD and some measure of safety are the requirements, surely there are more practical ways to do it. Hummers answer a different need, the need to be noticed.
 
I feel like it's one of those things where you feel its bad, but you still do it because it feel so good. I've been driving my pop's Range Rover around for the entire summer. You're definately making a statement when you drive that up to fancy restraunt and clubs. And it's just a beautiful truck that's more akin to a work of art.

And as mentioned before in Michigan these trucks come in handy when old man weather decides to dump a couple inches of snow and no one has the good sense to call the plow company.

Do I wish the trucks got better gas mileage? Heck yeah. But the Hybrid SUVs are expensive ...so is the Range, but it doesn't have the hauling capabilities of the range. I will say this much though, I'd probably be one of your typical suburbanites roaming around on a overly expensive SUV for no good reason. I admit it, there's no good reason. I suppose a cross over will do just as well for the Snow here and if I get a suburu it'd probably be alot more reliable than the range. But like I said, the range is a work of art so all critics be damned. I love it so.
 
Well, if we want to get picky, BMW X3's and X5's are not SUVs. They are SAVS. Sport Activity Vehicles.
 
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