Subaru to Buy Hummer

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

I agree with this in principle - this isn't a socialist country..... yet

But in practice, where do we stop? If someone wants to drive a tank with 10 foot spikes on the bumper, should we let them?

The issue I have on the road is - I am buying a car that is as small as possible but still meets my 4 person family's needs. This benefits me as well as crazy-nj-soccer-mom, because it reduces pollution, dependence on oil and lowers potential of accidents/damage/death thanks to better active safety and lower kinetic energy.

But, crazy-nj-soccer-mom goes and buys the Cadillac Escalate XLT Superdestroyer Edition, slaps on a tubular grill guard called "The Punisher" and goes flyind down the parkway at 90mph while talking on the cell phone and possibly into the back of my much smaller car.

Doesn't seem fair to me.

I am not saying I know the answer to the problem -- for example, I don't know how we address that some folks honestly need the F350 super duty while others don't and you can't make the truck too expensive because the folks that really need it won't be able to afford it -- I am just stating my frustration with the situation.

along the lines of what you're say, might more prohibitive gaz guzzler taxes and maybe an overweight-car tax (for such cars' negative effects on roadways) help steer people to more sensible cars?

 

[Marc]

I'd just like to point out that, with this post, there are now three engineers participating in this thread. AlpineZone just gets better by the day.

 

[Marc]

along the lines of what you're say, might more prohibitive gaz guzzler taxes and maybe an overweight-car tax (for such cars' negative effects on roadways) help steer people to more sensible cars?

I think Kore's point, one which I support, is that there are people who need large and overweight vehicles to make their living.

The farmers around here who rent land parcels a distance from their farms have to register their farm trucks... the contractors, handymen, firewood guys, landscapers... the last thing any of these guys need is an additional gas guzzler tax. They already pay a proportionally higher tax for road use in the form of fuel tax since they use more of it.

 

[bvibert]

I'd just like to point out that, with this post, there are now three engineers participating in this thread. AlpineZone just gets better by the day.

If you say so. Seems like a bunch of dweebs who don't know anything about cars to me...

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

I think Kore's point, one which I support, is that there are people who need large and overweight vehicles to make their living.

The farmers around here who rent land parcels a distance from their farms have to register their farm trucks... the contractors, handymen, firewood guys, landscapers... the last thing any of these guys need is an additional gas guzzler tax. They already pay a proportionally higher tax for road use in the form of fuel tax since they use more of it.

aah, ok, i was focusing on the nj soccer mom complaint, not those that need certain equipment for work. i think my proposal could still work by giving professionals a tax credit or something.

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

If you say so. Seems like a bunch of dweebs who don't know anything about cars to me...

totally. like this post, for example.

 

[bvibert]

I think Kore's point, one which I support, is that there are people who need large and overweight vehicles to make their living.

The farmers around here who rent land parcels a distance from their farms have to register their farm trucks... the contractors, handymen, firewood guys, landscapers... the last thing any of these guys need is an additional gas guzzler tax. They already pay a proportionally higher tax for road use in the form of fuel tax since they use more of it.

I agree with this. Clearly the only solution is public stoning of the drivers of pick-up trucks that clearly have never had anything in the bed.

Such an additional tax could probably be added to large SUVs. I can't think of too many people who's livelihood depends on large SUVs. And before all you SUV drivers get pissed at me, we have two at home. The next time we purchase a car for my wife I don't think it'll be another SUV though..

 

[deadheadskier]

I agree with this. Clearly the only solution is public stoning of the drivers of pick-up trucks that clearly have never had anything in the bed.

Such an additional tax could probably be added to large SUVs. I can't think of too many people who's livelihood depends on large SUVs. And before all you SUV drivers get pissed at me, we have two at home. The next time we purchase a car for my wife I don't think it'll be another SUV though..

I thought Carrie was dead set on getting the old Jeep back on the road for her next ride. :lol:

You might have a battle on your hands there big man.

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

Clearly the only solution is public stoning of the drivers of pick-up trucks that clearly have never had anything in the bed.

you're on to something, brian. maybe at inspection time the number of scratches and dents in the bed could be counted. less than 15? $500 "pointless use of pick-up" tax. less than 30? $250 tax. and so on.

i'm kind of half kidding.

 

[bvibert]

I thought Carrie was dead set on getting the old Jeep back on the road for her next ride. :lol:

You might have a battle on your hands there big man.

I carefully worded that as the next time we purchase a vehicle for her it won't likely be a SUV. We already own the Jeep, which she will be driving shortly (hopefully), after that we'll be purchasing her something...

 

[campgottagopee]

I'd just like to point out that, with this post, there are now three engineers participating in this thread. AlpineZone just gets better by the day.

If you say so. Seems like a bunch of dweebs who don't know anything about cars to me...

Or they could know too much.....

 

[Paul]

I'd just like to point out that, with this post, there are now three engineers participating in this thread. AlpineZone just gets better by the day.

Make that four...

I bought a hummer once, only cost $10, probably because of the gratuitous use of teeth.


/wait, what?

 

[Geoff]

Time to downgrade to the Mini Cooper S. ... saves you 800 lbs, but you give up space and the DSG (if thats what you have).

The MINI too is a ton heavier than than the original Mini.

I really don't want smaller. My mountain bike fits inside my GTI. That wouldn't happen in a Mini Cooper S unless I pulled the rear wheel off. The first generation Mini S with the supercharger kind of turned me off. It got crap gas mileage. The 2nd generation with the turbo wasn't proven yet when I was flipping cars. I haven't been following it in the last 18 months but the Mini has an even more dubious reliability history than Volkswagen.

My present GTI is 300+ pounds heavier than my last one. The DSG transmission and the 18" wheels are the obvious sources of weight gain but some of it is just the extra steel required to make it stiffer and safer. My fuel economy is just fine and exactly the same as I saw with the last one. The performance is now largely unused given the number of points I have on my license in the People's Republic of Vermont and Live Free or Die land. I'm Mister Speed Limit for a while in those two states.

 

[mondeo]

I'd love an AWD Lotus Elise with a 7-speed sequential gearbox, 7th being overdrive.

 

[koreshot]

I haven't been following it in the last 18 months but the Mini has an even more dubious reliability history than Volkswagen.

Yeah, Minis are pretty hit or miss. There have been a couple of model years with ok reliability, but usually that goes for the non-S model. Its always stupid things that break on then - the major components are pretty solid and can take a serious beating.

 

[drjeff]

Yeah, Minis are pretty hit or miss. There have been a couple of model years with ok reliability, but usually that goes for the non-S model. Its always stupid things that break on then - the major components are pretty solid and can take a serious beating.

My sister in-law LOVES her Mini - then again she's one of those folks who could get a 10,000 mile a year lease and have PLENTY of extra miles left over at the end of each year

 

[ctenidae]

I personally would rather see more invested into diesels in the states, I'm not sold on this hybrid stuff. It wasn't too long ago that diesel was cheaper here in the states too, something happened and it shot up higher than unleaded and it stayed there. I don't really understand that.

A few things drove up diesel- one easy one was taxes aimed at trucks that didn't have a huge price impact, but brought diesel slightly closer to gas. Then Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel requirements that made it a lot more expensive to make diesel. What really crunched the price, though, was the introduction of the 10% ethanol requirement Interestingly, one of the byproducts of refining gasoline is hydrogen, which is used to clean sulfur from diesel. Adding 10% ethanol to gas means, effectively, 10% less gasoline production, which means the hydrogen goes away, too, so refiners have to buy hydrogen to clean the sulfur out of the diesel, which makes diesel more expensive.

All in all, though, the efficiency gain of diesel outweighs the price differential, even if only a bit. And mid-May, the EIA's pricing showed Gas as more expensive (by a penny), though AAA's numbers showed gas as still more expensive (by a penny)

 

[Paul]

My sister in-law LOVES her Mini - then again she's one of those folks who could get a 10,000 mile a year lease and have PLENTY of extra miles left over at the end of each year

Same with my wife.

 

[bvibert]

A few things drove up diesel- one easy one was taxes aimed at trucks that didn't have a huge price impact, but brought diesel slightly closer to gas. Then Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel requirements that made it a lot more expensive to make diesel. What really crunched the price, though, was the introduction of the 10% ethanol requirement Interestingly, one of the byproducts of refining gasoline is hydrogen, which is used to clean sulfur from diesel. Adding 10% ethanol to gas means, effectively, 10% less gasoline production, which means the hydrogen goes away, too, so refiners have to buy hydrogen to clean the sulfur out of the diesel, which makes diesel more expensive.

All in all, though, the efficiency gain of diesel outweighs the price differential, even if only a bit. And mid-May, the EIA's pricing showed Gas as more expensive (by a penny), though AAA's numbers showed gas as still more expensive (by a penny)

Thanks for more insight.

I'm glad to hear that diesel seems to be right around gas now. I don't usually check the prices since I don't own a diesel car, heck I don't usually even pay much attention to the gas prices.

 

[ctenidae]

heck I don't usually even pay much attention to the gas prices.

Me either, personally- if I'm in the car and the needle points to E, not much choice, I think.

Professionaly, it makes a difference, since energy investing is what I do these days. Of course, day to day movements are less than useful indicators of anything. Hell, NYMEX futures are wrong 90% of the time, and dead wrong the other 10%.