Big Cars

I haven't been here for a long time, but I came back to visit

I wonder why so many people in this country buying big cars, for what purpose? I mean, some people are 1 or 2 persons only per family and they buy a whole big jeep/tank and except for getting into debts and paying about $200k for the car, why not buy a simple, normal car, for $15k or $20k if you must have a luxury one? (I'm against it though)

Today my girlfriend was driving to the bank and when she turned right to get into the bank she couldn't move the car forward, because a guy with a very big black jeep turned to the exit but he took her lane instead of his, and the fact his car was pretty much big also "contributed" to block my gf's path. So the person who drove behind my gf almost, almost crashed into her car, it was a miracle it didn't happen, but I don't blame the guy on the back, because he thought she was making a turn, and the only person to blame is the one who drove on her lane.

So on first place, why do you need a big car? what is it good for? does it really show who you are (or actually how you are in debts).

Please, educate your kids, your friends, there should be commercials and advertisements in my opinion against this stupid habit.

If you feel like you disagree with me or want to express another opinion please share!

Have a great evening!

We are not - we have a Toyota Corolla. DH has a Chey 8 ft bed truck and its used for hauling furniture in the future or lumber for his project.

I don't get it either - with the price of gas you'd think that people would look more to smaller cars

I don't understand it, either. There are uses for those monstosities, but I just don't get why a soccer mom, most urban or even suburban dwellers, have to drive a huge SUV, supposedly for safety, when the most dangerous thing for many of them is the way they drive.
Then they have the nerve to whine about huge payments, years of debt, and rising gas prices. It makes me want to smack them and tell them to get a clue AND a reasonably sized car.

I have one of the smaller subaru wagons, but I do kind of understand the mentality behind large vehicles. The particular line of thinking says:
1. My vehicle is big, I can intimidate you
2. I have a large SUV, I am safer in an accident
3. I need to prove that I am more macho than you, I have a bigger truck
4. The bigger the vehicle, the more prepared I am to haul stuff and do stuff

I am not saying that I agree with any of these lines of thought, but I grew up around them and understand them to some extent

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

DH has a Chey 8 ft bed truck and its used for hauling furniture in the future or lumber for his project.

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Totally understandable.

I just want to add that if you need a truck because you're moving all the times that's understandable, but I bet how many people buy big cars for this purpose.

Also, if you buy a big car just in case you'll have it when you buy a bed or table or who knows then that's a big waste, not savings. You can pay about $50 for delivery or hire a truck for 1 day (and god knows how many companies beg you to rent a car, with 10% promotion to 50% and so on).

My story isn't my 1st story and I've never shared other stories of "almost accidents" that happened to me or my friends, but I feel like somebody needs to talk about it. It's not only gas prices, and debts, it's also our lives - DMV should make a lot of tests to drivers on trucks. Yesterday, another guy almost crashed us because he was talking on the phone and he didn't notice he's taking our lane because who cares... if he makes a mistake we'll suffer for it, not him.

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

I have one of the smaller subaru wagons, but I do kind of understand the mentality behind large vehicles. The particular line of thinking says:
1. My vehicle is big, I can intimidate you
2. I have a large SUV, I am safer in an accident
3. I need to prove that I am more macho than you, I have a bigger truck
4. The bigger the vehicle, the more prepared I am to haul stuff and do stuff

I am not saying that I agree with any of these lines of thought, but I grew up around them and understand them to some extent

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Those all statements represent freedom, but freedom is "live and let live". When you drive on "your lane plus" you're taking the other person's lane, and that's not freedom.

Big cars should be used to carry big things or to drive with a family of 4 people or more. Unfortunately that is being abused and the results can be seen daily.

OMG! Don't get me started. The cars in the parking lots around us in a SF bedroom community could either sleep a dozen homeless or pay for them to sleep in an apt. for a year. I may be a little guilty of the expensive car thing, but really, does everyone need a suburban assault vehicle? Maybe if you have 5 kids.
The worst I saw was one day when I was picking up our then freshman in high school daughter. I picked her up in this side lot which was pretty small, talking with a woman I knew in the next space, and a woman comes driving into this small lot in a bright yellow hummer. She was picking up just 1 kid! She could barely make it through the lines of parked cars!
BTW, the reason that I was picking our daughter up from HS is that she was too young to drive and THERE ARE NO BUSSES FROM THE HS!

I drive big cars for school. (We haul around pvc pipes, car batteries, shovels, camping gear, etc.)
In normal life, I drive a compact car.

When I'm in my personal vehicle, people frequently cut me off or don't let me change lanes.
And they don't do that to me when I'm in the big cars!
(Not because I drive any differently, either.)
:-|

Ugh, I hate big cars. HATE them. I live in Illinois. Now, to those of you who are not familiar with the ol' Land of Lincoln, we do have another state nickname, which is "The Prairie State".

Now. Prairies are flat.

Illinois is flat.

Like, you-can-see-the-curvature-of-the-earth flat.

Not only that, but being the country's third largest metro area, we tend to have well-paved streets. Not a lot of gravel roads to be had here, although the snow plows have made quick work of the smooth roads this winter and have not been helped by the SUVs and pickups traveling north on Lake Shore Drive, which is clearly marked "NO TRUCKS".

I drive a VW Jetta and in the past drove a Honda Civic. I tend to look for the absolute smallest and most fuel efficient car I can possibly find.

And plus, we have to parallel park our cars here. Who would want to parallel park an Escalade, I ask you?!

Speaking of Escalades, one CAREENED (and I mean CAREENED) into the parking lot of whre my studio is today to drop of her sullen looking kid and sat there in her giant monster taking up 3 spots because she couldn't be bothered to pull in properly. We have like 12 spots and 4PM is a BUSY time for us studio teachers. She made it so others couldn't park!

It would be very hard to do that in a Jetta is all I'm saying.

i have 4-wheel drive SUV,
without there are several times a year i would not be able to get to work. With my job, does not matter what the weather is, i am supposed to show up.

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

I drive a VW Jetta and in the past drove a Honda Civic. I tend to look for the absolute smallest and most fuel efficient car I can possibly find.

It would be very hard to do that in a Jetta is all I'm saying.

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i am 6' 3" 230 pounds, i dont fit in those type of cars. It not much fun driving when you knees are under your chin.

i had a vw rabbitt in college, had to fold myself up double to get inside that thing, and i swear at time needed a shoe horn to get out

I'm not sure why but I'll say this much. I drive a little Saturn SC2. DH has a big honkin Dodge Durango and I LOVE driving his truck around.

Originally Posted by theimp98

i have 4-wheel drive SUV,
without there are several times a year i would not be able to get to work. With my job, does not matter what the weather is, i am supposed to show up.

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I dunno Bruce...my Jetta is a stubborn little piece of fine German engineering and got me to work (30 mile commute on a really unfriendly strip of interstate) in our 3289438974308970 snowstorms this year!

I pride myself on not taking a single day off due to weather this year. You and I rock in that regard!

And I'm like 5'4" and 115 pounds...basically what this means is that you could pick me up and throw me. Whilst I am sitting in my tiny purple car.

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

I dunno Bruce...my Jetta is a stubborn little piece of fine German engineering and got me to work (30 mile commute on a really unfriendly strip of interstate) in our 3289438974308970 snowstorms this year!

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i know, i did look at the Jetta, and several other VW's. i like them. If i lived in the city i would have gotten a car. i do miss 50 mpg

But i live out in the country, they closed the main road in my area this week due to snow, which seems to happen every time we get snow. the state, never seems to clean it off. Today was the first time this week i saw a signs of a snow plow in my area.

buy the way i love purple(lol my motorcycle is purple it started out white, but i had it painted)

Originally Posted by theimp98

i know, i did look at the Jetta, and several other VW's. i like them. If i lived in the city i would have gotten a car. i do miss 50 mpg

But i live out in the country, they closed the main road in my area this week due to snow, which seems to happen every time we get snow. the state, never seems to clean it off. Today was the first time this week i saw a signs of a snow plow in my area.

buy the way i love purple(lol my motorcycle is purple it started out white, but i had it painted)

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The Jettas have gotten roomier in recent years, too. I LOVVVE VWs. I don't know what about them I'm so in love with, but...I feel so special driving a VW. Plus, it was the first car I bought and paid for myself

My dad, who's about your size, LOVES compact cars. It's hilarious because he looks so silly driving them! His favorites have been his Mazda Protege and his Honda Civic which got handed down to me. My mom went out and got him a Toyota Highlander (she drives an Audi A6)...but he keeps stealing her car to get to the train! Orrrrr he'll take the Civs, which my baby sister drives these days. Man, that was a great car.

Of course in the summer, my dad's got his baby....a 1987 Porsche 944.

We have always owned full size trucks. You know the real ones-"regular cab" with 8 ft box.
Since I do landscaping I haul lots of stuff, plus the trailer at times. The most stupd truck designed IMO is the full size 4 door truck with the tiny 5 ft box. Really, what can you haul with that?? It funny going to places like Home Depot and seeing people trying to figure out how they are going to fit their puchases in the back of those small boxes!!

Plus most truck owmers/SUV never take them "off road" whats the point then??

We did have Ford Explorers for 9 yrs before we traded down to a car late 2005.
Once again it would be nice to have that to haul plants around sometimes vs stuffing everything in the cab of the truck but I've managed so far.

When you see the number of new vehicles on the road most people are financing them for 5-6 years and had little of no equity in them at time of purchase. They are just keeping up with "the jones".

We can afford to buy newer/more expensive vehicles but why?? In the ling term its not worth it.

i have to say from a car lovers perspective, your "opinion" is kinda slanted.

I had a Big Durango SLT 4X4. i LOVED it, got me everwhere! but i didnt like the gas mileage, so i went to a sebring LXI coupe, thinkin i could save a lil on gas.

Well now i have TONS of problems with the car, and had NONE with the truck.

Dont get me wrong i love both cars and trucks. But the deciding factor for me is looks and power. i REFUSE to drive something that looks bad and has no power. I want something that says "Liza drives this car". So usually its a car/truck with a perfect wax job, shines highly, and has a few performance modifications. We all cant be tiny car driving tree huggers. Then where would the orgionality be?

Originally Posted by Liza24

i have to say from a car lovers perspective, your "opinion" is kinda slanted.

I had a Big Durango SLT 4X4. i LOVED it, got me everwhere! but i didnt like the gas mileage, so i went to a sebring LXI coupe, thinkin i could save a lil on gas.

Well now i have TONS of problems with the car, and had NONE with the truck.

Dont get me wrong i love both cars and trucks. But the deciding factor for me is looks and power. i REFUSE to drive something that looks bad and has no power. I want something that says "Liza drives this car". So usually its a car/truck with a perfect wax job, shines highly, and has a few performance modifications. We all cant be tiny car driving tree huggers. Then where would the orgionality be?

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I prefer to think that originality is something that comes from our ideas, the things we're passionate for and how we choose to live our lives and the contributions we make, rather than from what we drive, what we wear, how we do our hair, etc. Personally, I'd rather earn respect from my thoughts and the talents I choose to pursue rather than my car. My car isn't exactly something I inextricably link to my personality.

Although, I've never seen another purple Jetta with "coexist" and "MEOW" stickers in the window!

I also like to think that we all have a responsibility towards the environment and that when people use more resources than they need to...that's where all these problems started

Right now I have a Mustang but I've had big SUV's in the past. Mainly because of having to haul my kids and thier friends around.

My parent's have one of the HUGE Jeeps you're taking about. It has a HEMI in it and they use it to tow thier 28 foot camper

They're not totally useless, people have big vehicles for reasons sometimes.

The ones I dont understand are big trucks that are 4 feet off the ground!

Unless you need a large truck for your business, I don't see the point in driving them.

I also drive a VW Jetta TDI and love it. I live in the country and travel 1 hour each way to work in the suburbs of Toronto. I have no problems in winter and Canada certainly has it's fair share.

I also get a chuckle out of the SUV owners who believe they are invincible on snowy/wet/icy roads. I've had one pass me with obvious impatience during a particularly nasty storm and 1/2 km further along I honked at him as I passed him (he was in the ditch). I'm not a timid driver but I do drive according to weather and road conditions.

I think we should all be responsible for the environment and unless one needs the monster vehicles for business, let go of the ego and get more eco friendly vehicles.