SUVs IN FL

[GeorgeG]

I'm confused...

I have noticed a lot of SUVs here in Florida... a lot... and most of them seem to be strictly on-road vehicles. I can understand pick-ups and SUVs here for construction sites and off-road use, but most of what I see are obviously never going off the pavement.

Please tell me it isn't going to snow down here!

 

[Blondie]

When we rented a car through Dollar in September, they tried to upsell us on a bigger vehicle, and we declined.

When we proceded to go get our rental, they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a Dodge Durango with a Hemi in it!

 

[QT Pooh]

No, it's not going to snow. Those SUVs are strictly for hauling the roadkill back home! The bigger tires help tenderize those critters!

 

[ChristmasElf]

Our SUV comes in very handy for towing the boats as well as the ATV's around.
Plus the fact the dealerships are practically giving them away, I'm sure adds to the amount of them you see on the road.

 

[ducklite]

I don't see anymore of them here than I did in NJ, and frankly you do'nt get much snow there either...

Yes, some people need them to haul a boat or a couple big dogs, or whatever, but over half the people I know who own them do so so "they can be bigger" on the road, or because it's a status symbol.

Anne

 

[Martha7]

They're also great when the torrential afternoon downpours occur, since the Florida roads can flood quickly! I think they're mostly a status thing though. There are a lot of well-off people in Florida, and most likely many who lease vehicles and write them off on their business expenses.

 

[diznygirl]

They're for post-hurricane travel and clean-up.

 

[Chicago526]

I still don't see the need for SUV's. If the weather is THAT bad I just stay home! While my first car was a used Jeep Cherokee that did handle well in bad weather, I found that my second car, a Saturn, did very well in snow and rain, I just had to drive slower and more carefully. Very few people truly NEED a big SUV. If you need passenger or cargo room you can get a mini-van or a station wagon. If you're worried about traction control you can get a car with all-wheel drive. I can see pick-up trucks for certain professions, like construction, but beyond that, I just don't know how people justify SUV's and large pickup trucks when there are alternatives out there.

 

[parrothead365]

Makes it easier go over people from up north that won't get out of the way Got to get that road kill home before it spoils

 

[GeorgeG]

Thanks for all the input! I hadn't considered towing, but the status symbol thing was on my mind. Parrothead, I understand where you're coming from and I'm trying very hard to shed my northern roots so please don't run me over...

 

[inaminute]

We're currently in New England. When we retire and move to Florida, we're not selling our fully paid for SUV--it's going with us.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We actually like the compact SUV's-great in bad weather-good gas mileage, yet has near the cargo space of a full size SUV.

My uncle is single and has a full size SUV, but he tows drag racing cars behind it. Overkill when going to the grocery store, but handy when needed.

 

[spelunker]

I just don't know how people justify SUV's and large pickup trucks when there are alternatives out there.

They don't have to justify them, its nobodys else business what they drive!

 

[marybet]

I still don't see the need for SUV's. If the weather is THAT bad I just stay home! While my first car was a used Jeep Cherokee that did handle well in bad weather, I found that my second car, a Saturn, did very well in snow and rain, I just had to drive slower and more carefully. Very few people truly NEED a big SUV. If you need passenger or cargo room you can get a mini-van or a station wagon. If you're worried about traction control you can get a car with all-wheel drive. I can see pick-up trucks for certain professions, like construction, but beyond that, I just don't know how people justify SUV's and large pickup trucks when there are alternatives out there.

I don't have to justify my SUV, but I will tell you why I bought it. I like sitting up higher, it gives you a better view of the road and the traffic. I like the cargo space. It is very comfortable. When I shop I have to drive 50 miles one way. In August I drove 1000 miles to visit my kids in Ohio and take them some furniture.

I don't see how people justify NASCAR, talk about a waste of fuel.

 

[ducklite]

They don't have to justify them, its nobodys else business what they drive!

Well, yes and no. They use more fossil fuels. The cause more air pollution. They are far more dangerous to be hit by. So in a way they do affect everyone.

Anne

 

[skiwee1]

I just don't know how people justify SUV's and large pickup trucks when there are alternatives out there.

Who has to justify what they drive to you or anyone else? Are you paying?

 

[skiwee1]

Well, yes and no. They use more fossil fuels. The cause more air pollution. They are far more dangerous to be hit by. So in a way they do affect everyone.

Anne

Larger houses and even second homes burn more fuel and use more energy. So do boats. Should we ban all those too? I know plenty of folks withi second homes that could have done just as well with one.

 

[ducklite]

Larger houses and even second homes burn more fuel and use more energy. So do boats. Should we ban all those too? I know plenty of folks withi second homes that could have done just as well with one.

Actually, I have to disagree about that as a blanket statement.

My aunt and uncle own a second home, it's a camp on a lake. In the fall they drain the pipes and turn off everything, and disconnect the electrical at the main. So there is no energy being used at all for six months or more out of the year. There's no a/c, it's pretty rustic. So even in the summer the energy use is low, and they use less than if they were in the other house running the a/c which they turn off once they start living at the camp for the summer.

My house was originally a second home. We set the a/c to 85 when we weren't there, and never heated. We turned off the gas at the main. Almost all the bulbs are those flourescent energy savers. The outside lighting is solar powered. We had two lights on timers to go on at dusk and off at dawn, and again they were flourescents. So the only thing we ran was the fridge, which is an energy efficient model and I kept the freezer filled with bags of ice to again use less energy, and a few clocks built in to appliances. My gas usage when we weren't there was ZERO, my electric was almost nothing (less than a day's use for when we were there if that makes sense.) Additionally we spent extra money while building it to make it more energy efficient--added a radiant barrier to the roof so my a/c hardly runs even in the summer months, gas water heater and dryer for better efficiency, a few other things. That house is now my permanent home, and it's still very energy efficient.

And second homes aren't a menace to other motorists on the road. Additionally they add to the tax base to help pay for educating the kids from the area they are in, without adding to the school's population.

Anne

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

SUVs are trendy right now. I only have one, because I live in Siberia. If I lived in a warmer climate (read: somewhere that didn't snow 6 months out of the year), I wouldn't bother...mainly because of the lousy gas mileage.

 

[skiwee1]

Actually, I have to disagree about that as a blanket statement.

Anne

I'm sure you would have. I also disagree with anyone that thinks justification is needed for owning an SUV. That was my point. For the record, we own an SUV, two boats, and a second home. I'm burning fossel fuel out the ying yang and couldn't care less what people think about it.