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The Auto Industry Says That SUV Drivers Are Selfish And Insecure

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posted on Jun, 17 2008 @ 10:54 PM
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I remember a news article from probably 15 years ago, that attributed the increasing rise in SUV sales to marketing. The SUV (a 4 wheel drive vehicle) was sold as an image of freedom to all those drivers stuck in rush hour traffic. At the time, something like 96% of SUV drivers never used 4wd, but they could sit in traffic dreaming of driving on an open road, dreaming of a trip to where civilization wasn't, having the vehicle to get them there, if only they could.

I also wonder if American reclassification of foreign "truck" imports as SUV's (the Isuzu Trooper, for example) helped spur domestic production of SUVs, also built on "truck" beds, as the large truck was, for example, Fords top seller.

Anyway, back to topic, I could believe that SUVs could be marketed for certain reasons as mentioned. The auto industry has for decades sold cars on reasons other than safety, new technology, well built, etc.
I am old enough to remember a time when it was a big deal to bring out new models yearly, and families would immediately trade in their "outdated" car yearly to buy the new model. There was no reason to do so, except to not "feel" left out (insecure?).



posted on Jun, 29 2008 @ 06:12 PM
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reply to post by desert
 


I live in semi rural Oregon, and i cannot but help notice - on a daily basis - how many people drive suv's that dont REALLY need them. There are plenty here who have trucks (id say 85% + have a truck of some sort) and use them wisely and its necessary for their families survival BUT id say a good 50% could get by without them.

DO YOU "REALLY" NEED AN SUV?

Think about it? I ended up getting rid of mine just because its a liability, and honestly, i could get by without it.



posted on Jul, 6 2008 @ 10:12 PM
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reply to post by Grock
 

I am a valet at a very upscale establishment and I drive all kinds of cars with all kinds of people in em. With SUVs I notice that you get reasonable ones and then retarded ones. Ther are ppl with back problems and getting in and out of a reasonable SUV is allot better than reaming yourself into a porche or clk or stretching to climb in a yukon or navigator. If you still see come kind of need to drive an SUV youre better of with an x3 or rav 4 or something.

Fine SUVs do have a better view. But that can be achieved in a normal car by not tailgating. And aslong as you can see the car infront of you, you should be fine, unless you think you can drive through them.



posted on Jul, 6 2008 @ 11:41 PM
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Hm. I own a '94 Prizm and an '89 Grand Wagoneer - the original SUV. I refer to it as a "Hummer Recovery Vehicle". It's nowhere near as big as an Escalade or something of that nature, but it has a gutsier tow-package and more torque than you can expect from modern SUVs. It's also a woody, and I just love that.

Unfortunately, it's also a 360 cubic inch big block at 5.9 liters, and it has a custom Edelbrock carburetor (remember carburetors?). It will pass everything but a gas station. I only use it to drive me to the poor house.

At least they're both paid for. Wanna buy a Jeep Grand Wagoneer? It's fun on the beach, and there few things in life as satisfying as using a dinged-up '89 Grand Wagoneer to tow a Hummer or some other froufrou SUV out of the sand.



posted on Jul, 7 2008 @ 09:56 AM
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reply to post by applebiter
 

Ooh...drool...your Jeep...I still have my '88 Cherokee. A 4WD Jeep cannot be beat. I have used its 4WD as both out of necessity and fun. Fun in mountains, desert, beach. But,
it's engine is not as big as yours, so I feel your pain at the pump.

With that said, back in the 1970's, when there was a real oil shortage, amidst great environmental concerns, even environmentalists said to keep a big gas guzzler, as the energy needed to produce the smaller car would not offset any energy savings from better mpg. I had to buy a car then, however, and we bought a yellow Honda Civic, 42 mpg. Had that until our second child, and sold it to buy a Subaru wagon.

Yes,
I would believe any story you tell about pulling a Hummer from the beach. Somewhere online there is a picture of a quad pulling a Hummer from a ditch.
My point here is that most people who have SUVs are clueless about driving with 4WD anyway, which gets back to the discussion about SUV marketing.



posted on Jul, 7 2008 @ 10:20 AM
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Originally posted by Grock
I would love to hear what any SUV/non SUV owning people have to say about this. If they came out and said something about my old gremlin like this, I think id have something to say to them lol.



Pretty interesting to say the least.

I own a Ford F-150 Supercrew - 4 door full size pickup - specifically so I can do some things with it that my smaller Ranger is incapable of doing.

I've been a "Ford guy" all my life, but after a comment like this I may be looking elsewhere for my next purchase.



posted on Sep, 13 2008 @ 01:43 AM
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posted on Sep, 13 2008 @ 03:47 AM
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I live in LA where for the most part that article is correct. BUt that could just be the mentality of half the people out here. I also think that all of LA's BMW, Mercedes, Infinity, and Range Rover drivers also fit the same category. driving completely selfish, screw the laws, park in handycapped spaces and blocking other peoples driveways, not stopping at stop signs or lights, speeding by people in residential neighborhoods, swerving around people walking their dogs, talking on the cellphone while driving in two lanes at once, honking at anybody who gets in their way, even if their is nothing that that other driver can do about the situation.

hate to say it but generally speaking the article is right, besides I think that the car manufacturers know their demographic for SUVs. they were the ones who did objective research on the drivers of SUVs.



posted on Sep, 13 2008 @ 04:02 AM
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I believe they hit the nail right on the head.

Everyone I know with a jeep or SUV fits the description provided.

Great find!



posted on May, 13 2011 @ 02:50 AM
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Is this applicable to all kinds of SUVs? So I guess Im selfish. Haha. Im also an SUV driver. I dont know how they come up with this conclusion but Im not really that selfish and insecure.



posted on May, 13 2011 @ 04:07 AM
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Suvs are and have always been pointless for 99% of the people that drive them. Everything That a suv can do becan be accomplished in station wagon or minivan with better fuel economy and less danger to other drivers.

For most people Buying an suv shows that you aren't truly interested, understand or appreciate the function of driving. People that have zero interest in an activity usually are also pretty bad it when they attempt it. Now insinstead of having smaller cars to worry about controling they have 7000lbs of steel they don't understand.
edit on 13-5-2011 by drock905 because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 13 2011 @ 06:32 PM
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posted on May, 24 2012 @ 11:47 AM
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I couldn't agree more with this article!
These are the assholes who are burning up all of America's oil supplies with the purchasing of the least fuel efficient cars on the market: SUVs and Hummers. BIG vehicles to Rule the Road--That's their mentality. SUVs (Stupid Urban Vanities) are monstrous, gas-guzzling jokes consuming one-third more gas per mile and outputting one-third more CO2 into the atmosphere. They are among the least practical vehicles in urban (even suburban) use. But Yuppies NEED THEM to feel Powerful and Tough on the road; to Dominate the road by sheer size. The less-honest drivers always bawk that they need the extra cargo room and have big families to transport. Bullsh!t. Count the number of people you see in them on the road at any one time and it usually comes down to one driver and maybe one passenger. In any case, transporting more people is what station wagons were built for. As advertisements attest, SUVs are aimed at American assholes who want to Look Tough; ideally these are corporate, desk-bound fatsos who want to figuratively extend their fat on wheels at the expense of other drivers. SUVs roll over and are Lethal to other cars, not to mention people, when they hit. In addition to robbing other drivers of visibility, they handle poorly on the road and possess terrible stopping power due to their extra mass. So you could say, they reason, that they want these Big vehicles so they feel safer on the road from other people driving SUVs; a if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em mentality which their click started (the equivalent to the gun nut mentality: "Other people have guns so I have to have guns--more, bigger, and vicious ones!"). And of course, to hell with other people on the road so long as I'm the top dog. SUVs are now very popular in the U.S. regardless of the soaring oil prices. Back in the 70s, President Jimmy Carter became a very unpopular president because he urged Americans to conserve oil and energy. Ronald Reagan became a very popular president (which Republicans idolize to this day) because he threw out Carter's rationing strategy and told Americans to spend-spend-spend (and why should he care, so long as the country doesn't go to hell while He's still in the White House: a Republican presidential trend best illustrated by George W. Bush--except he started a War for oil and then just passed the blame for the state of America onto the Next president. The Republicans will shoot their fat mouths off until most people honestly believe the fault of the nation lies entirely upon the current president, and the actions of the previous one are in the past and long forgiven. Republicans today embrace Reagan like a god and still default to his unrealistic "Party Today!" theme when it comes to fuel conservation. And why should they not when the upper class is more richer today than at any other time in American history? To hell with the environment, too, since Jesus is going to rescue the planet, and all we need is prayer to do it. (See chapter: On Religion) So say the Republican intelligencia. Simple logic and reason do not apply to the ignorant masses, especially when the top-earning ones have their brains fully up their asses. From what I've seen, SUV owners are vain, self-centered, self-absorbed; and despite the size of their vehicles, never use them for off-road driving (as I believe their original designers intended). Instead, they drive them to and from Starbucks which is under a mile away. Becuse SUVs give the drivers a higher profile, ordinary assholes who enter them are transformed into Bigger assholes who think they own the roads, with the sheer size of their vehicle making them road warriors. Recall the dangers I've mentioned about SUV handling and their damage inflicted upon crashing and pedestrians, and now factor in the asshole factor. Now add loud speakers, a DVD movie playing while the driver is yapping away into his cell phone (or maybe "texting"), a GPS talking to him, and maybe a can of beer or other substance. All this is going on while he's racing beyond the speed limit with a King Sh!t mentality dancing inside his so-called brain. It's Dangerous. Now what is Really sad about the SUV infestation is that it's no longer a localized Yuppie obsession and extends to all classes. I guess it's that "Everyone wants to look like a Yuppie" or the "I can burn money like a Big Man, too" attitude permeating the people these days doing it. Gasoline now costs more than it ever has before in the Auto Age. So let's all run out and buy these big gas-guzzling SUVs and pretend fuel is as cheap as (tap)water! Let's also pretend that the environment is not being damaged in any way. These observations alone conclusively prove to me that 21st Century Americans have their brains firmly up their assholes. It rides right alongside the "need" to buy bottled water and the entire cell phone craze.



posted on May, 24 2012 @ 11:57 AM
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reply to post by Grock
 


The suburban Yuppieville I live in is loaded with SUVs. I'd say 9 out of 10 people drive one, but you know, they Need them: Typically I see the neighbors utilizing theirs to travel a fraction of a mile from their McMansions to Starbucks and back again. That's it. Don't get me started on Starbucks either, that's surely another thread!
When they're not driving their SUV, they're driving their elitist BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus. Though admittedly some of these Are SUVs in their own right...

Americans today are total A-holes who flaunt their wealth and care only for their precious fashions.
Image is more important than Substance.
Instant Gratification Rules.



posted on May, 24 2012 @ 11:44 PM
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I've got a sedan, and my parents have a minivan and a truck. So I have an opportunity to weigh the value of each.

For general driving, I like my car. Mostly because it tends to go exactly where I point it without any second guesses. Not that I do any excessive crazy driving, but there's just something about a vehicle that sticks to the road with very predictable handling that I like. I guess it's because it gives me some options that big slow clumsy vehicles don't when it comes to dealing with typical traffic. And it still manages to be cheaper on gas.

As for the truck? I only like it in the winter. My car sticks to the road great, but its ride height also makes for a bit of a clearance problem when the snow piles on. (Traction control doesn't do much when the oil-pan is riding up on a snow drift.) The tires on my car aren't really meant for winter either, and I don't have a place for an extra winter set. Even when it's not snowing, the truck could also go over inclines and stuff my car would quickly high-center on. But most of the roads where I live are pretty level and well paved, so that goes against the truck. If I lived somewhere rural and/or with mountains, then it might be another story.

For hauling stuff or people, it's the minivan. Seats fold down and into the floor, and getting in the back of it with the lower height is much easier than the pickup bed. It's a lot closer to the car than you'd expect in terms of manueverability. Oddly enough, although it doesn't corner as good as the car at speed, it does have a somewhat tighter turning radius which is handy for parking. If I needed an all-round work vehicle and didn't need to go off-road, this seems the most practical choice. When I need to take my bicycle somewhere, I often ask to borrow the van.

The only thing I don't like about my car is the visibility situation. (Mostly caused by SUVs, trucks, and vans.) If there was some way I could get a stabilized camera on an antenna mast that worked like a periscope for traffic... I think that would be perfect.

As for people that use trucks or SUVs as a primary vehicle to do nothing but commute to an office job alone?... The commentary in the article isn't that far off, based on how they tend to drive.




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