Yes, Virginia, People Are Still Stupid

I think this may be due less to low gas prices and more due to the fact that – thanks to the short-sightedness of the executives at the Big 3 – the American automakers have increased production of SUVs to the exclusion of damn near anything else.

Between that and the American tendency to rally behind a patriotic campaign, no matter how illogical (witness all the people who shop at Wal-Mart and buy merchandise with “American-Made” labels that was put together in Chinese sweatshops) and the desire of some to try and buy an American-Made vehicle to save American jobs… I think there’s a lot of Americans who need a new car and are opting to buy an American SUV in-spite of the numerous problems inherit in doing so.

Reply

If I were in the market for a new car- say mine had a tragic accident and needed replacing-

I would look at the SUVs. Mainly because I don’t drive much. I take the train to work. I get itchy and rarely take trips of more than 4 hours in the car.

But in Chicago winter, a 4 wheel drive would be nice. And for goign to the grocery store, doctors’ appointments, and the random trip to the burbs? I use one tank of gas about every three weeks. four depending on where I go.

So if I could get a really good deal on a very nice suv, it would serve me well as my about town cargo car. And even at $4 or $5 a gallon, I wouldn’t be spending so much in gas versus the cost of something else.

I’m a rarity however- most people drive a lot more than I do.

Reply

Americans from the USA? Super Americans?

Reply

Do these people actually use SUVs? For their original purpose, i.e. not sitting in gridlock on the freeway. I don’t want a car that handles like a boat and tips over when I go around a corner. Even if it can fit five people … like a passenger car.

Reply

As someone who isn’t directly effected when prices go up, I tend to think of them as a good thing. They SHOULD be reminding people oil is not a renewable resource. Spice does not, in fact, flow. (Fun fact: in Dune, the spice is a renewable resource!) So while it’s a dick move to cut production right now, high prices keep idiots from buying gas guzzlers.

We’re all indirectly affected by oil prices. Food gets expensive, as does everything else, but I’m not pouring $50 into a car every couple days. So my perspective is that of an urban environmentalist who thinks people need to move back to the cities and preserve farmland and forests.

We’re going to have to create a new paradigm if we want the future to not suck. That whole two car family living on a cul-du-sac with their own huge-ass yard and a giant McMansion with big windows that costs a fortune to heat… yeah, it’s going to have to go.

Reply

I live in one of the most heavily populated parts of Vancouver, and right now I wished I owned a car-a-pult. I’d take it down to the intersection in front of my apartment, and as cars came a-fishtailin’ in through the rutted, rock hard, very, very, very heavy snow, I would set them up in my car-a-pult, and zow! on their way to the next intersection, for a modest fee.
So, yeah, SUVs. The weather makes a pretty strong argument some times of the year. It’s worth paying more for gas if you get more in return. Like the ability to drive between December 21 and 31 (and counting, more snow predicted tonight.)

Reply

RobotKeaton: I say “Americans from the USA” because, quite honestly, everyone in North, South and Latin America are all Americans.

Reply