I drive a '78 Chevy Blazer, except when I drive my '72 Cadillac El Dorado. I love them both, because they are Bo-sized vehicles (I’m 6’4").
I also figure that by driving them I’m doing my part to help the environment: by using as much gas as possible, I’m single-handedly destroying the world’s oil reserves that much faster, thus hastening the need for vehicles which rely on other fuel sources.
I drive a 2004 Jeep Wrangler. Is that an SUV? I bought it last year when I traded in my 2000 Jeep Wrangler. In 3 years or so I’ll probably get whatever Jeep has on the market. I like the ride, have a utility trailer I need to pull every so often, love going in the snow, and put the top down from time to time. What’s not to like? Oh yeah, the price of gas.
I have a '99 Jeep Cherokee. It’s about the same length as a Honda Accord, so it’s a ‘compact SUV’. Mileage is not great, but it’s not shockingly bad. If I drive 55 mph I can average as high as 25 mpg. If I keep it to 65 or less I can average over 20. But if I drive ‘normally’ I only get about 18. I’ve had little use for it since I moved. I do use it to haul my boat, and it’s very handy to carry the video gear. I’ve been wanting a more efficient car, but since I’m getting more into the video business I think I have to keep it.
I do have the Triumph, but it needs a little ‘weather sealing’. The motorcycle is also not very nice in the rain. I’d like to have a small, modern, efficient car for everyday use and only use the Jeep for boating and video gigs. But I can’t afford another car.
I have a 6-cyl Nissan X-Terra and a Suzuki Vitara (the 'zuki SUV). The X-Terra is a bit of a gas guzzler but we’ve been hit twice sitting at stoplights and haven’t been injured: the other two drivers who ran the light totalled their cars – good old Nissy was repaired with a few thousand.
Anyway, a bit off track, but the point is that I’m willing to pay the extra gas for the Nissan because I feel safe. My Suzuki is made of recycled Diet Coke cans and is a different story for safety but gets really good gas mileage.
I drive a ‘97 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.2L V8). I use it for a combination of commuting and hauling stuff – most recently, furniture from my parents’ house. Even fully packed, I still have enough cargo room to carry a full-size spare and a large, fully-stocked toolbox. I haven’t towed anything recently, but I do get a lot of use out of the roof rack (and I’ve got paint scratches to prove it). I don’t do much serious off-roading like you see in magazines, but my Jeep has been off-road (once again, with plenty of marks and dings to prove it). In answer to your question – I have no plans to sell it. It’s paid for, and the only problems I have right now are a rusted-out rear wiper motor and a malfunctioning door lock actuator.
Now, if you’re interested in leviathans…I recently inherited a fully restored 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 4-door sedan, with a 352 cubic inch V8 engine and a four barrel carburator.
My dad had a '66 Ford Galaxie 500 with a 7-litre engine and the Police Interceptor package. (I didn’t know it was a Galaxie 500. I thought it was a ‘7-Litre’ because that’s what it said on the front fenders.) It got 8 mpg. When the first Oil Embargo started, he sold it and bought a Toyota Corona Wagon.
Y’all ain’t got nuthin but them little bitty engines? My Eldo has a 500 cubic inch 8.2 liter engine. I think it gets about 2 gallons to the mile on accounta it weighs about 100 pounds more and is about half a foot longer than anything else they ever built. It’s like driving a yacht on land, with a La-Z-Boy behind the steering wheel. Crank up the 8-track! I’m goin’ cruisin’ on the Strip! 