PHIL BOYER: 40% OF AOPA MEMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASING THEIR FLYING DUE TO FUEL PRICES

On 2008-06-18, Jay Honeck wrote:
That's because trucks and SUVs are more useful than itty-bitty cars.

Bottom line: SUVs can do all sorts of things that econocars cannot, while
SUVs can do everything that the econocar can do, better. With one
exception: Fuel consumption.

Most people don't live in relatively rural spots like yourself - most
live in fairly urban areas.

Some things a midsize car can do that an SUV can't:
- Go around corners without feeling like they are going to tip over
- Avoid accidents (to such an extent you're twice as likely to be killed
in a Ford Explorer than in a VW Jetta)
- Fit in urban parking garages comfortably with enough room to open the
doors fully
- Parallel park in a small space

I have a midsize car (I used to have a truck). I do not miss my F-150
one bit, my Audi is nicer to drive, uses half the fuel, is quieter, more
responsive, costs the same to insure, has less expensive consumables
(resulting in less expensive maintenance) and looks much nicer. It's
also galvanized so it doesn't rust.

In the last 5 years, I've needed something with more carrying capacity
than the Audi just once. Now consider the money saved from using half
the fuel - how much truck rental can that pay for? Much more than one
day in 5 years. The Audi can tow a glider trailer very happily, so
I don't even need a truck to do that.

Now for some people, an SUV makes sense. But not the typical urban
commuter in an office job: they just have the SUV as a fashion
statement. The people who actually *need* them on a frequent basis are a
very small minority.

You see people with SUVs around here, but typically they are blue,
covered in mud, and have 'Land Rover' stuck on them somewhere and a
piece of agricultural machinery on the towbar.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

On 2008-06-19, Dylan Smith wrote:
Some things a midsize car can do that an SUV can't:
- Go around corners without feeling like they are going to tip over
- Avoid accidents (to such an extent you're twice as likely to be killed
in a Ford Explorer than in a VW Jetta)
- Fit in urban parking garages comfortably with enough room to open the
doors fully
- Parallel park in a small space

My SUV does all of these. It even gets 28 MPG on the highway (actual results
from several 1000-mile-plus trips, fully loaded). No, it's not an Explorer
(no way in hell will I ever own another product of the Ford Motor Company),
or a TrailBlazer, much less a Suburban. Don't tar all SUVs with the same
brush.

Now for some people, an SUV makes sense. But not the typical urban
commuter in an office job: they just have the SUV as a fashion
statement. The people who actually *need* them on a frequent basis are a
very small minority.

Yes, and? In our system, nobody is entitled to an opinion on whether someone
else needs something. If you think you need it, you buy iy. It's that
simple.
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC (got it!)

On 2008-06-19, Jay Maynard wrote:
Yes, and? In our system, nobody is entitled to an opinion on whether someone
else needs something.

Yes, they are actually - it's the cornerstone of western democracy,
'free speech'. What they are not entitled to is that opinion being
listened to or heeded.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

Dylan Smith wrote:
On 2008-06-19, Jay Maynard wrote:
Yes, and? In our system, nobody is entitled to an opinion on whether someone
else needs something.

Yes, they are actually - it's the cornerstone of western democracy,
'free speech'. What they are not entitled to is that opinion being
listened to or heeded.


Well at least I can agree with you on that statement.

Now for some people, an SUV makes sense. But not the typical urban
commuter in an office job: they just have the SUV as a fashion
statement. The people who actually *need* them on a frequent basis are a
very small minority.

Absolutely. I am old enough to remember when pickup trucks were driven by
two classes of people:

- Farmers
- Work crews

Then, someone got the notion that they could "Trick their Truck" -- and, of
course, they were cheap -- so now EVERYONE drives a pickup truck, getting 18
mpg. It's stupid.

I drive "The Grape" (our '95 Toyota T100 4x4 pickup) everywhere now, because
my son drives our Subaru, while my wife drives the Mustang. I hate driving
it in the summer, because it gets terrible mileage (it was fantastic this
past winter, with the record snowfall) -- but it sure is handy for us at the
hotel.

We use it like a mobile garage to carry all of our lawn care implements, and
(of course) it's got the 55 gallon transfer tank in the back that we use to
fuel the plane(s) and all the gas-powered tools at the hotel. We also haul
all manner of items, from drywall to plumbing fixtures. We get a lot of use
out of that truck, and there would simply be no substitute for it in our
case.

As you may remember, to avoid spending so much on gasoline, last fall I
tried to buy an electric car. I know probably a dozen people in Iowa City
that would buy one in a heart-beat, and I'm sure there are hundreds more.
No one drives more than ten miles to work here, so it's a good market for
it.

No viable electric vehicle existed then, and none exist today. It's sad,
but apparently the market is unable to respond to the demand.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:51:07 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote in
fvt6k.215265$yE1.20716@attbi_s21:

No viable electric vehicle existed then, and none exist today.

This auto dealer near you may have what you're looking for:
http://www.amescars.com

Check out the Zenn Electric Car:
http://www.amescars.com/inventory/in... 6572&status=1
Description:
2008 Zenn Electric Car 2.22 LX WITH AIR CONDITIONING
****ALL ELECTRIC*****FRONT WHEEL DRIVE!!! CITY COMMUTER!!! CAPABLE OF
35 MPH AND 40 TO 50 MILES RANGE!!!!! JUST PLUG IN TO CHARGE!!! DRIVE
FOR 1 CENT PER MILE AND NO MAINTENANCE!!!! *****ORDER YOUR 2008 ZENN
ELECTRIC CARS TODAY***** WE HAVE SPECIAL PRICING ON THE NEW ZENN WITH
AIR CONDITIONING, ALLOY WHEELS, CD PLAYER, POWER WINDOWS, HEAT, REAR
DEFROST, REMOTE ENTRY, AND MORE!!!!

Price: $17,540.00
Features: - Air Conditioning - Alloy Wheels - AM/FM Stereo Radio
- Bucket Seats - Cloth Upholstery - Compact Disc Player
- Courtesy Lights - Dual Sport Mirrors - Front Bucket Seats
- Keyless Entry - Map Lights - Power Door Locks
- Power Windows - Radial Tires - Rear Window Defroster
- Rear Window Wiper - Retractable Mirrors