RE: FWD: SUVs Again!

[bearbvd@domain.elided (Greg Hermann)]

Well said,Roger !!

And-- you don't even live in (real) mountains or a place with (real) winter.

Never seen anything quite as funny as how much the vision and driving
manners of various (not a minority there, so I can say it !!) non-Caucasian
drivers improved in San Francisco when I had occasion to be there driving
my old IH 1300 4x4 (1 ton) flatbed (equipped with an 8" channel iron front
bumper, frame mounted, of COURSE,  which sits at about the correct height
to can opener the roof off of an econo box)  Some of that time was with a
12x6 U-Haul behind the 1300, that made it even funnier !! The tare weight
of the 1300 is right AT  7K lbs, and it looks it. It can go as high as 13.5
or 14 K, loaded, no trailer, without beginning to waddle.

6.8 mpg, loaded or not, slow or sorta slow, city or highway, no matter.
Also enough traction and deep enough gears to "crusher" an econo-box
against anything solid enough (fire hydrants, concrete walls, etc.), and
also looks that part !!!

The whole experience was TRULY revealing about what a BS act the (apparent)
blindness and inability to drive of these thoughtless, pushy, mannerless
idiots is !! INSTANT KNOWLEGE OF ROAD MANNERS BECAME APPARENT WITH _ALL_
OF THEM !!! (Particularly when I feigned a maniacal grin !!) Good golly,
Miss Molly, what a revelation about basic human behavior !!!

Really makes me sorry that I never ventured into Manhattan with the critter
the one time it was close by there !!

Greg

At 5:38 PM 8/30/02, rogerlaf wrote:
>SUVs again!
>
> I would like to add my $20.00 to the SUV discussion.
> I won't give a history of the design and marketing of SUVs, I only want to
> make a few observations on why I drive one so.......Let the flames begin!
>
> Let me say this about that!
>
> I drive Alfas and an SUV! I love my Alfas ('84 spider and GTV-6), had 'em
> both since almost new!
> My year-round vehicle is a '94 Ford Bronco with part-time 4 wheel drive
> and a 351 CI V8.
>
> When I was younger I bought this liberal crap about smaller is better
> regarding motor vehicles!
>
> Well the fact of the matter is: if you wanna get killed on modern American
> roads drive a Civic or a Corolla or some other tiny transportation
> appliance!
>
> Where I live (Central Massachusetts) the traffic is murder, in larger
> urban areas it's ahelluvalot worse, and far too many drivers drive with
> their head up their ass.
>
> And another huge problem we have here (flame away!!!!!) is the vast number
> of recent immigrants from third world countries with no automotive
> tradition of their own, who now have driver's licenses and are making the
> roads more dangerous than they ever were!
> You wouldn't believe half the suicidal shit they pull on the roads around
> here!!!!!
>
> What do they drive: POS front wheel drive transportation appliances. I
> have come too close too often, while commuting in my beloved spider, to
> getting whacked by an oblivious driver in an econobox. For my own safety I
> now only drive my Alfas to Cruiz Nights, car shows, and on the occasional
> country tour!
>
> Now we can add all this to winter driving here in New England where these
> same idiots think  that:
>                   a. Front wheel drive doesn't require snow tires.
>                   b. Front wheel drive also doesn't require tires with any
>                      tread at all!
>
> At least in my Bronco I can drive around 'em and get home! Don't want to
> talk about all of the hours I spent stuck in traffic in a raging snow
> storm (before I had 4X4) because some stupid asshole at the head of a line
> of cars is stuck in snow because his tires are bald!!!!!!!
> So please no more smug/elitist remarks about SUV drivers, if you don't like
> SUVs or their drivers keep it to yourself - many of us have been forced into
> them!
>
> Regards to all,
> Roger
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