and i do believe that we should have the freedom to drive whatever we want and that we should burn ever last spot of fossil fuel as quickly as possible so that it is all used up.

Hey, so long as you go in with your eyes open, it’s okay by me. I was happy to see from the survey so many others here buying cash though. The good news for you is that you bought at the bottom of the market, so the interest is covered by the discount. Eventually, the depreciation on SUV’s will bottom out such that they return to the way they used to depreciate before the gas price hikes. Enjoy your new toy.

Golden,
You are correct, morally arrogant finger wagging is wrong from all sides of the aisle, and is overly represented on all sides as well. I’ve probably been guilty of finger wagging myself (just not moral finger wagging).

ChuckG,
Well, poor design is poor design. When I used to rent a lot I often had to downgrade because I could fit better in the subcompacts than some of the midsize cars. The subs usually had better seat travel. I think it was the Lumina that was the worst culprit. Some SUV’s of today appeal in the same way that luxury boats of yore did, but not the explorer. Maybe the expedition, but I rarely look at domestics.

ChuckR,
Swapping from sports car to SUV is really strange, but if you really want to see someone freak take an airline captain who hasn’t been in a little prop plane in a decade and let him try to land one. A small change in perspective can throw you off your game, but 20 feet just changes the game altogether.

When I got a Jeep Liberty loaner while my Porsche was serviced, I felt like I was a Shriner driving a motorized bar stool….. A red fez was all I needed to complete the mental image.

Mostly, SUVs are going away. I talked to one of my wife’s nurses yesterday. She grumbled about commuting expenses and said she can’t unload hers – might as well have asked the dealer if he’d enjoy a knee to the groin.

I’ve driven 40 years and have had a use for one once. And a lot of people who seriously could use them regularly don’t. During a couple week stay on a reservation, I watched any number of people navigate single tracks with washouts in old Tauruses and the like.

I’m Keeping my Samurai until i die. Anyone Want to buy my Liberty?

Nothing like the fear of death at 2 mph.

I’ve never seen an X3 in a rental fleet! ;)

No, I’ve always been stuck with a Ford product, usually an Explorer. Given the size of the exterior, you would imagine the interior would be a lot larger than it is. One time I was saddled with an Expedition (on a ski trip) and my gawd… that thing was like driving the Exxon Valdez (in more ways than one) and while it carried a goodly number of people the interior spaces were indeed ‘cramped’ … my old VW Vanagon from the 80s was a much better ski trip machine, at least in terms of interior room and cargo capacity. The engine was 1/3rd the size and power, but it still got us there and back, IN COMFORT every time. Handled pretty well for a box on wheels too.

–chuck

Not a bad person. Just a slightly neurotic person. Note that you want the truck now that the price of gasoline has gone through the roof. Obviously there is something perverse going on in your head. I recommend a shot of bourbon at the end of the day. If that doesn’t work, a 10 day visit to your local Buddhist monastery should cure you of these worldly longings.

….

I guess this guy never was accosted by a group of “right to lifers” on their way to blow up an abortion clinic…

Buy your truck if you want it. Hate to say it, but when my station car craps out, I may do just the same. Since it sees under 1200 miles a year gas is not really an issue. 5K will get a helluva good used truck. Go for it.

Even is this brave new world of $4/gal Wranglers hold their value remarkably well. They are awesome off road and make an excellent 2nd or 3rd vehicle. As a daily driver they are absolute CRAP. The fuel economy of a full sized pickup with the usable interior volume of a compact.

You can get an older Jeep XJ for $1-2k right now on Craigslist. A newer XJ in better shape will run you $6-8k. Parts are easy & cheap and you have a virtual phone book of options should you want to start putting aftermarket parts on it.

Heck I’ve been flirting with the idea myself for having an abusable off road toy.

After driving a Blazer for three years, I entered sub-sub-subcompact land and have been merrily cruising around at 32 MPG with a healthy sense of well-being for the last half-decade or so.

Today two things happened: I realized I could easily pay off my minicar, and I discovered I could pick up a dirt-cheap used Tahoe for a similar monthly payment…and I really want to do it. YES LANDCRUSHER YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY. :)

I think it’s the market flipping ass-over-teakettle that’s doing this to us normally-rational guys. I’m going to keep telling myself it’s that, instead of a nerd-becomes-popular-and-turns-on-other-nerds situation.

Whatever the case, you aren’t alone. I’m so ashamed! *sob*

I bought a ‘98 Nissan Pathfinder when I actually needed an off-road capable SUV a couple years ago. 5 speed, manual transfer case, lots of ground clearance, and 31″ tires. I have to admit I even liked driving it in the city, especially during winter.

I have no idea what attracts people to these goofy machines.

–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org

I drove a 4.0L Jeep Grand Cherokee for a while. It broke a lot and was frightening to drive on road (130 kmh felt like the end of the world, and it had a habit of violently spinning out without warning if you hit snow drifts in the winter, even with the 4 wheel drive locked) but it was a champ on the logging roads. I beat the snot out of it and it didn’t phase it, catching air over bumps, sliding around gravel roads, and slogging through mud. Then you’d drive it to work for a while and it would blow up the water pump. Go figure.

Maybe it merely is the pull of forbidden fruit.

Or, maybe it was the late June morning I spent driving a Range Rover off road as part of the Land Rover Experience at Quail Lodge.

Before then I never knew just how incredibly capable these vehicles really are over challenging terrain. Though I have absolutely no practical or actual use for one, I think it’d be fun to have one in the tool box.

:)

Besides, you can always dream of dropping a ‘Busa engine into a Samurai….

I probably took it off road a total of 6 or 7 times in the 11 years I owned it and used it on the snowy, icy streets maybe 5 times. Kingman was all desert, State College, PA was mostly about snow, and Farmington, NM is some of both depending on the season. But mostly it was a larger crude commuter vehicle with expensive tires (the original infamous Firestones dry rotted after 2 short years and I replaced them before they exploded).

The 4.0 Liter pushrod V-6 (155 horse, CA version)was as crude as a tractor engine and the 2 door short body was bouncy and had a crappy ride, but in 1994 at 28, I was the man – for a little while anyway. Even with relatively inexpensive fuel at the time, the Navajo was still expensive to operate and maintain when compared with my previous Corolla SR5 – not to mention the payments. After a while, this asset became more of a liability. By 2005, my wife bought a cute ute (RAV4) and I bought another Corolla. I know, boring, but cheap to run.

Get a sport ute if you want it. May as well get it out of your system, logical reasons or not. Just be prepared to fork out the bucks and to get glaring looks of dissapproval by the self appointed morally arrogant finger wagging greenies (pardon my sarcasm).

Me? I get a free pass to drive un-PC trucks if I choose to in Farmington, NM, the land of the rez and oil wells aplenty. The official town vehicle here is the F-250.