For all you SUV Haters..

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

Saw one of my favorite peeves yesterday while having lunch at an outdoor cafe. In the strip-mall parking lot---soccer-mom type driving a Suburban (complete with "W" sticker---of course), (in stunning "Stepford Wife" taupe metallic, of course), yacking away on her cell-phone trying to park the beast she has not yet mastered---and never will. She taps one car twice and the car on the other side of her she taps three times before giving up and moving to an area where she can take up two spaces. But, never sets that cell-phone down, emerging from the vehicle and heading for her shopping errand without the first glimpse over at the cars she has just dented up.

The guy at the table next to me who also witnessed the event commented " no wonder some wives get beaten"!
 
Dubya stickers

lol!! Steve, I have not seen one of the "W" stickers around here for quite awhile. I think most people that were ignorant enough to have them have taken them off within the last year or so.

What a wonderful example that lady must set for her children.... NOT!!
 
Gyrafoam

I sure hope you somehow notified the owners of the cars she hit. Whether by leaving a note with her plate number on the windshield, or calling the Police.
Its so typical, those kind of people. A typical Bush voter is out for one thing and thats themselves and their pocketbook!
I for one don't see many "W" stickers on cars here in Central Florida. Either they have gotten smart or don't want to be associated with a lame duck loser of a president.
 
Rich---You're absolutely right; A minivan is the most flexible vehicle for most people's needs, especially if it has all-wheel drive. I don't have a minivan either, and when I finally get a new vehicle, it will probably be the Ford Fusion sedan. It's gotten great reviews by CR and the first year reliability has been excellent.

I plan to keep my little '94 Geo Prizm (a twin of the Toyota Corolla) as the commuting/around-town car (for my 3-minute drive to work) and use the new car on the highway. I'd get a Toyota Camry or Sienna, but I try to give my business to the locals. Mine is such a small town that a few extra sales make a big difference for them. The nearest Toyota dealer is 70 miles away.
 
Love the fusion...I like the cavalier wagons as well... I wouldn't mind a van either, but after reading consumer reports, epinions and others, the ONLY van i would consider is the Sienna...There aren't very many out there that are cheap enough for my budget.. The Honda, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Mercury Hyundai and Kia vans are all very poorley put together and un reliable..

My truck has fallen apart, i band-aided it together, but it just clungs and bangs alot..So i guess it's time for another car..(The exploder limited stays with me but it is not my daily driver, only my week end car)

My current choice is a Mazda Protege, but they want to much money down..
Next choice is a Nissan Altima with 46K or a 5-speed Altima with 84k...

Also like subarus, but they are VERY expensive.. Too rich for my blood
 
mistereric

Is Mistereric's red wagon a Chevy Cavalier? I remember them from 81 when I was in Chicago, but that red wagon looks much too new - how long were they made in USA? There was an Australian equivalent, the Holden Camira. It was Car of the Year when it was launched, but it turned out to be one of the worst cars ever made here, totally unreliable in every imaginable way and extremely rust prone to boot. Production here stopped in 1988. I have heard that the equivalent UK car, a Vauxhall Cavalier, was very well regarded, love to know how they are considered in USA. The panel work for the wagon was developed in AU you know, the design work to turn the original sedan design into a wagon was done by Holden in Melbourne and given to other GM divisions around the world. I have a real soft spot for them myself, pity Holden couldn't screw them together properly.

Chris

 
Yep, it's a Cavalier.

They were POPULAR because of their price, but perhaps not so well regarded in terms of fit and finish, compared to the popular Japanese cars of the time....

I didn't love it because I'm 6'3"...but it wasn't horrible either.

I always liked the look of the Holden Commodore....

When the article mentions that the Camira wasn't particularly suited to conditions in the Outback, what conditions were they referring to?
 
The Roadmaster

This 1996 Buick Roadmaster is for sale about 75 miles from me for $7000.00. I'm tempted. And with 26 mpg/highway 17 city, it's much better than most suv's or even mini-vans. The age makes me hesitate, as I know many items, such as hoses and belts need to be replaced.

I'll bet I eventually get a Toyota 4Runner as a tow vehicle.

But the Roadmaster is a beauty.

In Oz you can get many new wagons with v8 power.

Martin
 
Fuel mileage is dependant upon two things. Highway mileage is affected by wind resistance, and city driving is affected by weight. SUV's have both of these things working against them. The same engine/driveline system is installed in the big classic wagons, like the Caprice Classic and roadmaster as the SUV's like Tahoes and suburbans. In fact, GM started building the SUV's on the full-size car assembly line without hardly any modifications! The fuel mileage difference is absloutely amazing though between the car and the truck!

SUV's feel safer??? I can't seem to fathom that! Most SUV's drive like school busses. Their tires squeal at the slightest bit of cornering forces, their accelleration and braking performance is dismal...there's no way one would be able to avoid a bad situation the way these things drive! While an SUV may be a LITTLE bit better at collision survival than a full-size car, even a full-size car will be MUCH better at collision AVOIDANCE than an SUV.

Even mini-vans handle much better than SUV's. I cannot understand this image thing at all. I drive what works, which is a Chevy Astro van. More of a mid-size van than a minivan though, it still gets about 24 MPG's on the highway, and will out-corner most SUV's out there. Astros, and many other minivans also have AWD, and can get around in iffy weather just like an SUV too. In fact, there are many CARS out there with AWD too! I just cannot figure out why someone would suffer through driving a huge SUV bus just becaue it "looks" cool or hip or something.

I will admit though, that an SUV is good for towing and hauling, and will out-haul most minivans and cars (Astro's being the exception with their 6000 pound towing capacity, and full-ton chassis) An SUV will be safer when you gotta hook up a boat or RV, load up 6 kids, and a few weeks worth of vacation supplies. For driving around town though, it's totally STUPID to drive around that empty hulk of steel though just because you think it looks cooler than a wagon or mini-van. Driving around an SUV for daily chores in commuting says only one thing about you YOU'RE TOO STUPID TO DRIVE THE RIGHT VEHICLE FOR THE JOB!!!

Hybrid technology is good, and allows someone to have their cake and eat it too. It's not as much about payback as much as it is being able to enjoy a bigger vehicle with the power and comfort, but with the smaller vehicle economy. I've driven a Toyota Prius before, and the car is totally fun. It's also big enough for grown adult men to sit in the back too...something that's quite rare in most cars these days! Toyota has proven that hybrids can also be reliable, as the ones out there have exceeded even their expectations! Electric motors are much more efficient for accelleration and regenerative braking, and are a great match to a transportation device. Yes, you could go out and buy a smaller vehicle and get the same mileage as a hybrid, but you sacrifice usefulness doing it. If you were to judge a Prius to similarly sized and featured cars, the price difference is not that much more.

My only gripe though is that I'm ore of a diesel person, but it's because I do more highway driving versus in-town driving, and that's were diesels really shine in the mileage department. Diesels would also be a better mate to an SUV than a hybrid driveline, as they have tremendous amount of torque and are great for off-road uses!
 
I love my explorer and won't part with it...It probably will become an antique right along with me...I drove it almost 530 miles on a tank of fuel and it still had 5 gallons left (includes the 3 gallon reserve)....

But i need something a little more civilzed for daily use...My ranger works great for that but it won't stay in one piece...
The rear end is going out, and the drive shaft clunks and bangs like all get out

Love the Buick Wagon... But a tad big for my tastes
 
oxydolfan

"The Camira wasn't suited to conditions in the outback" - I think they were referring to it being prone to overheating, as temps in the centre can get over 50 degrees C, whatever that is in Fahrenheit... HOT!
You could also say that it was because they broke down so often - when traveling in country where you can die from heat exhaustion if you get stranded, you really want a vehicle you can depend on to get you from A to B, not conk out half way.

"Love the Citroen C5" - me too. I really love Citroens, I had a 1974 GS 1220 model once. It caused me some grief at times but it is one of my most fondly remembered cars. It had a 1.2 litre 4 cylinder air cooled engine and semi-auto gears (manual shift but no clutch pedal) it could eat 3 litre six cylinder Fords and Holdens at the traffic light grand prix.
In the next few weeks I will finally buy a new car - a Peugeot 307 1.6 litre diesel wagon. Wagon is called "Touring" in Peugeot language. It is a close relative of the Citroen - Peugeot owns Citroen - the Cit C5 is based on the Pug 407, the Cit C4 is based on the Pug 307.

Heere's a pic of the Peugeot 307:

Chris.

 
V8's in AU

Hi Martin,

There are now only 2 manufactures left in Australia that make full size Wagons, Ford and General Motors Holden.

GMH havent updated the wagon to the new body style, and word is, that the wagon is soon be be replaced by a Korean variant. That will probably spell the end of the V8 in wagon form. www.holden.com.au

Ford are still making 2 models of station wagon, both of which have a V8 available, they still come with a live rear axle (No IRS) and have a towing capacity up to 2.5 Metric tonnes. These models are usually sold with a 4L DOHC Inline 6 as rep mobiles, and very few are sold in V8 format. Ford is trying to replace the wagons, with the Ford Territory which is a variant of the US Freestyle. www.ford.com.au

I have wondered on both accounts why the Ford and Holden arent marketed in the US, large rearwheel drive vehicles that are cheap and have resonable handling, good fuel ecconomy and lots of power. Compared to what I saw in sedans when I was over there, these two Aussie icons kick butt.
 
Back
Top