I quote from above: DUH!

And will also use some I’ve learned here and there:

Meh, yawn.

Don’t understand the anti-SUV thing when in another analysis is being propped *coughexplorercough*

I declare Bullshit! on your bullshit. I had an Eagle Talon and Subaru Impreza, both on summer tires. When the snow hit, those tires made my cars undriveable, even with a couple of inches on the ground. The anti-lock brakes became useless (which happens when there’s zero traction), and both cars would fishtail around turns like I was driving in a Swedish rally. There is no way you’d have any traction on summer tires when the snow hit. You’d either spin your front wheels as the day is long or reciting a few Hail Mary prayers the moment you touched the brakes. You can get around in a Sentra, just not on snow tires in the winter.

Maybe over there, under another shell is a really big government waste, like a stadium

Agreed,

And if i do i will…

Good luck trying to find a place where the government isn’t filled with a bunch of inept corrupt bastards. If you find that utopia please let the rest of us know, because I want to live there too.

I wonder how many SUV’s with 4WD/AWD they need in Sweden where they get a ton more snow. Maybe that mayor or whatever they are should make plowing the roads a priority for everyone instead of only being concerned about getting out of his/her own driveway.

Its one thing to attempt to justify using MY money in such a ridiculous way by saying, “SUV’s are cheaper than dirt right now”, OR, “Although SUV’s are inefficient, impractical and generally stupid, for the most part they are solid vehicles, etc…” but to tell me that a Western New Yorker is incapable of handling a little snowfall on the roads is INSANITY.

Way more than half of the people on the road here drive small or midsized cars, and they manage just fine. Take a drive down the I90 come January and count how many SUVs there are buried in a ditch on the side of the road. Ill bet its a lot.

I cant tell you how many times i would be coming back from school on the 90 while there is a foot of snow on the ground, and some ass in an SUV blows by me at 85 on the thruway, catches a rut, and ends up in a ditch. Haven’t people learned that AWD/4WD does NOT make you invincible?

But aside from all of that, this is just another example of the stupidity, and frivolous spending that is keeping the buffalo region from growing. (Must i remind everyone of the $80K/year, mayor’s personal driver…!?!?)

I mean we have umpteen miles of waterfront, and we haven’t done anything with it, except lobby for a casino(!??!?!?!?!!?!?). But instead of worrying about things like bringing people back to the region or generating some form of industry to promote a noticeable economic growth that could support/attract said people, (hell id even settle for a NEW PEACE BRIDGE), our politicians are preoccupied with justifying ripping me off to buy themselves a new friggin truck. What the hell is this?! I cant wait to move…

Want people to stay away from SUVs who don’t need them? Want to keep the advances in interest for alternative fuels, efficient vehicles, conservation, public transport, etc? Then gas prices will need to stay up, otherwise it’s all going backwards.

Now, the Tahoe is over the top and unnecessary for any job, government or not. But at $27k I really wonder if GM is making even $500 on the deal?

Don’t these people conduct more-or-less strict requirement evaluations before they procure a car? Or can any joe blow just say he needs a 4WD vehicle, because his driveway is snowed over pretty often?

And about the cost: surely they have heard of the TCO (total cost of ownership) concept. So what’s with the procurement justification based on flimsy MPG estimations? Pre-modern arguments, pre-modern cars.

Mr. Polanski’s Escape gets roughly the same mileage as his Voyager did. If he blew the engine in his old Voyager at the steel plant site I’ll bet it was because he got it stuck and blew the engine trying to get it out. The wrong way to go about it? Yup. But if the guy is boppin’ around in places like that he needs the Escape. It also sounds to me like Giza and Stephens have the right vehicles for their jobs as well. Unless you’re on the highway a lot, a Crown Vic’s average milage isn’t going to be much better than the Explorer’s, and if you’re dealing with the kind of snow they get in the Buffalo are then extra ground clearance is your friend.

“I need this big honking 8-mpg, 4WD, SUV so I don’t have to shovel my driveway and can get to work sooner to do really good things for the taxpayers which will save them more money than the SUV cost.”

Snort!

Simply using an excuse that these gas guzzlers are cheap b/c the market for them has tanked really doesn’t hold much water b/c you can find a much more efficient vehicle for almost the same price.

Detroit-Iron: those are the fleet rates the city has negotated with the manuf. The Focus would be a lot cheaper for them to purchase. If they want the country to conserve fuel it should start with these government hacks. What ever happened to lead by example, especially since we the taxpayers are paying for their waste.

With snow, the best answer for that is snow tires. 4wd just puts you in the ditch further. If the snow is that deep that you need high ground clearance, just don’t drive. I lived in one of those 100+ inches of snow areas with a MINI cooper and Saab Turbo and never had a problem.

The dude is flat out lying.

So it would be seem that public safety officials in Buffalo would actually need a high clearance, 4 wheel drive vehicle.

But if you were a government official who did not have to drive on non-plowed roads on a regular basis, and you are just hauling yourself, there is still no need for an SUV.

Also, government officials in general don’t earn very high paychecks, and traditionally that was offset to a degree by having certain things paid for out of public funds. As long as they are buying domestic products and funnelling money back into the US economy where we need it badly right now, I say let them keep it up.

Or shorter: DUH!