Has it really come to this? Aeschines is shilling the position for the now departed Father John?
Jeep wave to you and Iggins! 
I refuse to justify my choice of vehicle to any jackass stupid enough to ask.
What I DO find amusing, however, is that a Jeep, regardless of the creature comforts installed is designed to weather a 4wd trail if it needs to. Mine got a pretty good scrape on the p-side rocker panel from a rock with a bad attitude on a camping trip to the Kern River a couple of months ago, and when people see that, they inevitably ask how in the hell I did that. One guy was the same asshole who just seconds before began a tirade on me about how I didn’t need that vehicle, I’ll never USE it…blah, blah, blah, ad infinitum.
On the other hand, maybe I’ll just use my TOOL OF THE DEVILTM to beat down babies, the handicapped, and fuzzy little meadow bunnies.
I thought Harry Potter was the TOOL OF THE DEVILTM. Maybe that’s just in this area?
People who want the storage and luxury of a Chevy Avalanche, but for whatever reason, feel like spending an extra $20,000.
And don’t knock my Avalanche. I was able to haul two pinball machines cross state in one. Not too many other vehicles can do that.
One of the managers at my company uses the cheap Mercedes as an analogy in some of his speeches. He had a friend who always wanted a Mercedes, but finally went out and bought one of the cheap little ones. His reasoning: Mercedes makes quality luxury cars. The manager’s unspoken response: “Yeah, but you didn’t get one.”
Jeep wave, y’all! DiosaBellissima when the Jeep dies, the Highlander Hybrid is next on my list. How do you like it?
Surprisingly enough, I haul quite a few things - lumber, furniture, arcade and pinball games, gardening stuff for my wife, and my dog. There are times I rent a truck, but for the most part, I can move almost anything I usually have need for. When I had a truck and was going camping, traveling, or hauling, it was always a pain to cover stuff in the bed. I don’t like truck canopies, generally.
I’m also 6’3" and 200lbs, with long legs, so smaller cars are not as comfortable.
I guess I just get annoyed when every SUV is lumped into the soul/earth/human crushing category.
A quick look shows me that of the 2007 model Escalades the base price range runs from $54,000-$60,000, is that really what we consider “overpriced luxury” vehicle range?
That doesn’t seem like very much to me.
Can’t afford one yourself, huh?
You’re thinking of the Escalade EXT, I think.
Father John was the first thing I thought of on seeing this thread, but I couldn’t remember if he was irrationally AGAINST SUVs or irrationally FOR SUVs. Aeschines definitely has the irrational part down pat, though.
Don’t. Just don’t. Quality Control on the Land Rovers is… still very British. As in, not good.
Me either. I bought 2 of them, both are spares in case my Humvee breaks down.
My wife brought up the idea of buying one. We even went to a dealer and checked one out up close and personal. We were looking at the Big One. The Escalade ESV. The big oversized rims are only 3k more. 22’s to be exact, and it would look dumb to have that big a truck and have little wheels on it, right?. It did have two DVD players in the back two rows, which is a big plus with kids and inlaws. All told it would be about $70,000. It’s kinda expensive, but my wife has always wanted a Cadillac. Maybe once we pay off a few bills, and maybe one of our other cars. I can always wait to get a motorcycle later.
Gotta agree there.
I live in the deep south. And I have never seen a white person driving an escalade. Never.
It’s just marketing.
Actually, it’s all those people on Whatchamacallit Street, who traded in their beaters on Escalades!
I have seen one. And I hated her for reasons totally unrelated to the vehicle she drove.
I’ve driven 4x4’s since ’77. Still have that truck. I have also had 2 wheel drive cars that have never gotten the job done for me.
My Wife has an ’02 Grand Jeep. I just bought my second Pathfinder. It’s an ’06. Good vehicle so far. Though the factory tires on it are shit. I had a pit thread about bad tires on new vehicles.
My ’06 Pathfinder is nice. Heated seats, rear heat, electric windows. What can I say? I’m 45yo, I have come to appreciate a few creature comforts. It also has good ground clearance, VDC, and 4 wheel limited slip. Low range 4x4 as well which I must have, and a towing capacity of 6,000lbs.
The SUV’s are great for my Wife and I and our two dogs. And we can almost always get to work and home again.
Many people that buy SUV’s don’t really need them. Many do. I don’t care. The anti-SUV folks don’t see that many of the folks that buy them use them. It may be status. It may also be that they are just the right vehicle for them. In many cases it’s a case of a few factors like towing capacity and ground clearance.
For myself, and my Wife it is either that or 4x4 trucks. I am surprised at how many people that don’t recognize the utility. And how many people tend to depend on others when they get in a jam but depend on vehicles for the right job to get them out of a jam. Those people that depend on others to help them out, and then bitch at them for having an SUV – 4x4. Yes, I’ve seen that. A Jeep pulls out a family car from the ditch and the rescued people go off on the person that had the 4x4 to help them because he had an SUV. The folks that had absolutely no business being where they where got pissed off because someone with the proper vehicle rescued them.
Stunned.
We have had 40” of snow since September 23. I guess I am exempt from the anti-SUV crowd just because of that. But they never seem to take into account the other reasons to own a larger vehicle, or a 4x4.
Some neighbors down the block have one of each. They’ve also done up the front of their house with some ugly, ostentatious stone work - extraordinarily out-of-place for the neighborhood. I’m sure someone is impressed, but no one I’ve ever run into. The ones I run into think they’re a joke.
Waiting for Pizzabrat to come along and call you a racist in 4 … 3 … 2 …
In Doperland, nobody is ever inconsiderate of others when they’re using a cell phone, fat girls don’t squeeze into clothing that’s too tight, nobody ever talks in the movie theater, nobody every hogs the left lane on the Interstate, and nobody drives an Escalade or Hummer. Seriously, with so many users, there MUST be someone on the SDMB who owns a Hummer or Escalade. Speak up! What inspired you to buy one, and don’t say “pulling horse trailers” or one of the other reasons Dopers use to justify ownbing an SUV - there’s no way you use it for work or on the farm.
You know what would be cool? If buying something to show off your purchasing power were universally agreed to be obnoxious and stupid. That would be cool.