Truck? Sports Car? SUV?
 

Truck, Sports Car, or SUV?

Which would you prefer and why?

SUV, it would be cool to bully cars on the road. :D

IMO, I can't decide between an SUV and a sports car. I love them both!!

SUVs are evil! There is no excuse to have one. If you need a big vehicle to haul people around, get a minivan. If you need a big vehicle to haul stuff around, get a truck. Both are cheaper. Both are safer. Both get much better gas mileage. SUVs may insulate their passengers from crashes, but they destroy the occupants of the other car. SUVs roll. Their center of gravity is too high, becuase they're as tall as their parent Humvee, but narrower. According to the Department of Transportation, SUVs are the most dangerous vehicles on the road. However, people who drive them tend to think that they own the road just because they're large. You can't see around them. They're horrible in the city; they take up way too much room parallel parking on the streets. SUVs do have 4-wheel drive, but good cars, minivans, and trucks have 4-wheel drive also, so if you live in a place where you need it (like Wisconsin in the winter), you have that option.

I cannot think of very many people who really, truly need anything larger than a Honda Civic. If you really feel that your vehicle is that much of a status symbol, then get a sports car. Don't waste the resources and risk the lives all so that you can be bigger and badder than anybody else on the road.

Thank you.
*descending from soapbox*

LOL @ KappaKitty, I was joking about bullying cars on the road. However, I think I would feel safer in a SUV. And, two words: OFF ROAD. :D

But that's my point, they're not safer. They roll. They do have airbags, but they roll. That can bang you up quite a bit. They are bigger than most of the other vehicles on the road, but that tends to make their drivers careless. Perhaps you're bigger, but other guys are smaller. It's just like drunk driving. Even if you come out alive, you've probably severly injured someone else.

But, when they DON'T roll, you are more likely to survive in a SUV than a car.

I'm a single 21 female w/ no kids, what on earth do I need a minivan for? Though it will be cool to be a soccer mom in the future, I'm not one now.

Speaking of Trucks, Sports cars, SUVs and reckless driving.

I read a study somewhere that men are more likely to drive recklessly in sports cars and women are more likely to drive recklessly in vans, trucks, and SUVs.

If you're single with no kids, then what on earth do you need anything that large for? Try a car. A nice, simple car. They're safe. They're reliable.

Jeez, the roads are turning into an arms race. Bigger, better, faster, more bad-ass. Let's see who can destroy whom first.

I love my SUV!! :) A '96 Maroon GMC Jimmy in fact. :) I feel much safer in it than I do my other car (a little '94 Sundance) Around here we have all those curvy hilljack roads that we have to travel on constantly when the majority of the roads are flooded over. (<---the perils of living near of a grumpy river) My Sundance probably could do it..until I hit high water or something else enviromentally annoying! :p So, I'm all for SUV's :)

I love sports cars! My pre-Mom car was the cutest red Miata and it was a blast to drive! When my girls are older I am getting a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder :)

I dunno maybe its because i'm short , but i loved my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I saw everything!!! I drive a little dodge neon (saves gas) and I like it ok but i'm still trying to get used to not being able to see over most cars. Ah oh well he he.

You're right. Who would want to be in a car in this vehicle "arms race".

I agree with you KappaKittyCat. Living in Colorado everyone thinks they need a huge friggin SUV. I know a woman who lives alone and drives alone 99% of the time, has never been off road or done anything mountainy in her life and to top it off, has a Nature Conservancy sticker on her car. But for some reason she drives a Pathfinder and keeps talking about getting a huge truck. Stuff like that makes me mad.
However, if you have a bunch of kids or truly utilize the features of an SUV then by all means, drive one.

Personally I drive a Celica and I love it. However, I have fallen in love with Moab and my dog is pushing 50 lbs now so I think I want to get a Subaru next.

My thing
 

As a gift I got to mess around with a really nice Viper at the Skip Barber school. But, my true fetish is Porsches. I find SUV's to be a waste of resources, but let's just say a Lincoln Navigator provides great amenities when you're with a girl

-Rudey
--I'm lying...I really like "bling- blingin" Escalades and modified Hondas with fake racing stickers all over.

Car, truck, suv? Forget it, gimme a big a$$ tank and we'll see which will roll over first!! :)

Joking aside, it doesn't always matter the type of vehicle you are in during an accident. If the conditions are there, the car/truck/suv is going to tip no matter what. One may be more prone to tipping than the other, but all can tip at a certain point.

The five accidents I have been in (none in which I was driving) have involved 3 cars, 1 suv and 1 van.

Two of the cars rolled, and the other might have, but the semi hit
us on the side so hard that it pushed the car about 150 feet instead of rolling the car.

The suv didn't roll.

The van did roll.

i think people who drive SUV's are selfish. they are a waste of gas and, for most people, it is not necessary to have one. i wish they'd impose a huge environmental tax on them. and now people are all into hummers. that's an even bigger waste.

KappaKittyCat, you are my idol, and cash78mere, I completely agree. SUVs are symbolic of everything that is wrong with our society today -- selfishness, lack of concern with the environment, etc. As for offroading, I say WHY? Why does anybody need to drive offroad? How is THAT good for the environment?

If I had to choose SUV, truck or sports car, honestly I would walk. I just wouldn't want to drive any of them. My Honda Civic suits me just fine, doesn't excessively pollute, and won't smash somebody in an accident.

I think everyone needs to think about some of the comments made here, and use some common sense. yes suvs roll, but so do camaros. its not the car, its how you drive. if i take risks with an suv its going to roll, and if you take risks with a camaro, you could roll too, and do an equal amount of damage. Also, if yall think suvs are these gas guzzlers that pollute the environment and no other cars do, then you have a problem. an older mazda rx7 with a small rotary engine has 4 catalytic converters on it b/c of its pollutants and it gets bad gas milage. a car like that is fine, but an suv is the true problem here. an f 150 with a v8 is going to pollute just as much as a towncar with the same v8. i drive an suv and i get BETTER gas milage than i did in my firebird. and my suv has a bigger engine too! also, this talk about honda civics. this isnt a communist country, theres choice here, and many dont want honda civics, personally i despise hondas and would never drive one. we have big cars at my house b/c my mom is an interior designer and she has ladders and other equipment to take to clients houses, thats not going to fit in a honda civic.

I'll be the first to admit... If there's a car that'll benefit me more than another I'll buy it! I drive a '95 Toyota 4'Runner... Never had a wreck with it... But did in my '88 S-10 Blazer (yes I won).

The height alone is a great safety feature. I can see EVERYTHING as compared to when I drive my girlfriend's Honda Accord.

So far as environmental waste.. I think that non-SUV owners who I guess are jealous don't understand. They base it on gas mileage, etc... The amount of pollution I create running the weed-wacker or running the tractor is far higher than I use driving the 1 hr 2-way commute to work each day.

It's also been nice to have it when it snows. In Oklahoma our road crews don't get around to their work as fast as they need to and the only way you're going ANYWHERE is in 4 wheel drive.

Jealous? We're not going to let this conversation degenerate into that, are we -- Nyah nyah, I have an SUV and you don't so you're jealous!! I could afford an SUV if I wanted one, but the fact is, I don't. I also don't create pollution running a "weed-wacker" or tractor.

And chopper, where are you getting this communist stuff? I said that I like my Honda Civic, not that YOU have to drive one.

I've driven sports cars since high school -- and they weren't that easy to find way back then.

Austin Healeys, Triumphs, MG's, etc.

I drive a honda civic and i love it. Its perfect for me!

However, I have ALWAYS wanted a SUV- 4 Runner to be exact. I hate driving on the freeways because i feel that bigger cars, trucks, SUVs and 18 wheelers will not see me and hit me. Thank God that hasnt happened, but i am always in fear of that. Plus, I am sure it would be better to be higher up and see whats going on.

Personally, i would never want to have a truck, not my kind of thing. Sports cars I like, but i think i would rather have an SUV before i get a sports car.

There is no need to drive off road. However, with some people there's a WANT. Why? I guess out of curiousity and adverturousness.

I was in a crazy mood last tuesday, and went off-road in my Dodge Neon, but I didn't see a TRENCH about two feet coming up, my left wheels went down it, me and my friend were screaming and cursing. Fortunately, we didn't get stuck or cause any damage to my tires or car. I think I learned my lesson. :D

Just feedin' you a little of your own stuff... Don't dish it out if you don't want to take it. Okay maybe the jealous thing was a bit over the edge... I apologize for that.
:p

Seriously though, I don't think it would make a dent in the ecosystem if EVERY American drove SUV's...

While global warming is generally accepted so is the fact that a volcano like Mt St Helen's released more greenhouse gasses than mankind will release in the next 100 or so years. We SUV owners already pay hella taxes... ever looked at how much of the cost of gasoline is tax?!

is suv owners have to pay a tax for it, how bout all you that own an import get taxed to hell over those? sounds fair to me :)

Ya know, I don't really feel sorry for you... you chose to drive that vehicle after all. You knew what the gas prices were, and you knew what low gas mileage SUVs get. If it bugs you that much, sell the SUV and get a smaller car.

SUVs are too soccer-mom-ish anyway. Give me a Camaro! :cool:

PS - I've driven all over Oklahoma in a Geo and I'm still here. It can be done! :)

i honestly dont think of a soccer mom when i think of an suv, i think soccoer moms drive minivans more than suvs, at least from what ive seen thats the case

Holy Cow!!! I'm not much of an SUV fan myself, only because they hold no attraction for me. I don't need three rows of seats, I don't need to lug things around, and I definately have a mean need for speed. But golly, SUVs are symbolic of everythign that is wrong with our society today? And offroading...most people choose to do that where it's muddy, rocky, gravel, or just dirt. How is a vehicle going to hurt the dirt? It's not like the dude with the biggest, most jacked up truck with 33 inch tires is baha-ing through your front yard!! As for your Honda Civic not smashing somebody in an accident, think about this... It's not just because of size. One of my good friends owns a Saturn. So what? you might say?? Well I swear to gawd those turds are made of recyceld tupperware. Of all the fender benders and wrecks shes been in, shes wreaked more havoc on our poor little town than she has damaged her own car. Actually, the only thing wrong with her car that you can see with the naked eye is a mirror is missing. I'll tell ya what, I wouldn't want to get hit by that.

I'll tell you what irritates ME the most - - When people put such huge lifts on their trucks and SUVs that their bumpers are running at your eyelevel... Maybe you don't have to deal with it where you are, but here in BFE Indiana, it's commonplace, and ridiculously so. THAT is a major danger for, if nothign else, the simple fact that a simple rear-ending at a moderate speed could very well turn into a fatal accident by a steel brush-bar or bumper that went through the windshield and crushed someones head!!

Ok, time for me to dismantle my soapbox as well....:D

1260

I love my truck! Even though it has the tiniest gas tank (12 gallons max) and isn't as good on fuel as other vehicles, I feel safe in it. It's also really handy whenever I or someone in my family needs to haul something, which is pretty often. Oh, yes, and it's red...we all know Scorpios like red!

I have the same car preferences as a fifty year old businessman.

I like big, fatty sedans. Give me a good Benz S 55 AMG, or a BMW 745Li anyday. :D

I just really prefer sedans to any other car because they're comfortable, elegant, and not too ostentacious!

XOXO,
Annie.

Truck. Why get an SUV when I can have a real truck? :cool:

Hey now... To hell with that! I have an SUV import!

I can't help it if my 4-Runner fits my needs the best...

You've never driven the dirt roads north of my house have you? Your geo would end up having to be towed out on a flatbed :D

I love my Corvette! I'll be sad when I have to put it away for the winter :(

You should have an SUV for the winter time.;)

Normally when there are debates I usually take what everyone says into consideration, without asking for evidence. But, this is an exception. To those who said SUVs are more dangerous driving and bad for the environment, I need some facts and statistics here. :p

I've always driven a truck or SUV.

My first vehicle was an 86 F-150, when i graduated from HS i traded that in on a 91 Bronco. Now, say what you want about SUV's, but that poor Bronco has been to hell and back. When i think about the roadtrips i've been on in that thing, i'm surprised that we were able to resell it. Honestly, how many of y'all would want to be crammed in a civic with 4 other people for a 16 hour drive from Texas to Daytona Beach? Exactly.

If y'all are happy with your little rice burners, so be it. I, on the other hand, know that as a senior in college, there will most likely be a couple instances in the near future where i am going to need to load up the truck with all i own and be prepared to move. There's no way i could fit all the stuff i've accumulated in 5 years in college in a civic.

That being said, if you're in OK or KS and round October you see a maroon F150 with a Sigma Nu sticker and Texas plates, honk and wave.

Oh, and ktsnake, we are expecting a WARM welcome with COLD beer when we pull through UCO. :D

Kitso
KS 361

First thing, the rolling argument is a bad argument. Do you realize the manuvers you have to do to roll even a Jeep Wrangler or older generation CJ? Of course you have to drive them more carefully, and they don't corner like a vette, but you should drive with common sense anyway.

The argument about driving a minivan or van to haul people/stuff is retarded too. minivans are UGLY. you know how they could make me want to drive a minivan? make it look like a jeep...originally SUV's were built to be a station wagon with 4WD capabilities, such as the Jeep Wagoneer.

I will agree that some of the mods people do to their trucks and SUVs are pointless, lifts, pipes, grille guards, etc. most people never even go on gravel roads let alone off road. also, i think having a big vehicle and environment plates or stickers are retarded.

for those that think there is no need for SUV's and everyone should drive a car and save the environment, ditch your car. it pollutes too. take public transportation. if that's not provided, then move somewhere that it is and get a new job, and stop complaining. get an electric car. ride a scooter, or a bike. WALK. until you quit combusting gasoline COMPLETELY, i don't want to hear it.

I just have to add one thing:

For all of you who think that SUV's are polluting the world because they use more gasoline, and that people should drive cars instead:

A 7 series BMW has the same gas milage as my pathfinder. I think if everyone stopped driving suv's and trucks, cars would just get bigger. Just look at the new concept cars for Lincoln.