First off, I am nuts, as a matter of fact. And second, I personally drive a compact car (97 Ford Escort, 28-35 MPG). But I’d still like to have a low mileage big fat SUV, simply because IMHP, they’re bitchin.
Well, at least you’re honest. 
True in the recent past, but not true historically. During the energy crisis of the 70’s, the fuel efficiency of Japanese automobiles was the feature which gave Japanese companies entry into the American marketplace. With gas prices at historic highs, consumers were seeking fuel efficiency. Detroit was still churning out big gas guzzlers. Japan successfully flooded the market with high-gas-mileage small cars, and Japanese companies have held a big chunk of the American market ever since.
If gasoline continues to hover near 2 bucks a gallon, I expect we’ll start to see a lot of SUVs on the used car market. Cheap. Time will tell, I suppose.
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- There was no energy crisis during the 70’s. The shortage in the US was due to the fact that after the news broke that mideast oil countries had decided to raise prices, the US government decided to immediately begin rationing gasoline. Because it became more scarce, the fuel industry from top to bottom charged more for it.
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- Other countries whose governments did nothing experienced far smaller increases in price and for the most part, no significant shortages. - MC
Eh, well, there WAS a crisis, speaking as one who was there. Of course we can sit here all night and debate what kind of crisis it was and whether it was the fault of the Ay-rabs or our own beloved Federal Gummint, but nothing less than a national crisis would have enabled tax credits for people who went out to the State Forest and chopped their own firewood so as to heat their homes with wood-burning furnaces (incidentally, driving a gasoline-burning car to get out there–never did figure that one out myself.)
As far as gas mileage goes, I don’t see much difference between the Suburban and the Navigator (I didn’t think it would qualify as an SUV, would it?)
You don’t buy a Suburban because you’re worried about gas prices–you buy it 'cause you want a big-ass tow vehicle with cupholders out the wazoo.