Mail box? Whats that? We don’t get no stinkin mail delivery. 
And yeah, working in a county that has 4 premier ski resorts, not coming to work because of snow is sort of a no-no.
Living in and near cities, I have ceased being surprised at folks who think weather extremes ought to play no role in their decision to go to the grocery store, the movies, the mall, on social visits, etc. And when they do venture out in inclement weather, they’d damned better drive the limit!
Further, for those who live in more urban areas, there are often many decisions you can make to reduce the amount of driving you need to do for your commute and other things.
My husband plays the tuba. Actually, he plays six or seven tubas, depending on whether or not you count the sousaphone I just tripped over. He plays in two to five bands, depending on whether he’s filling in for sick or vacationing friends. The only time he gets paid is during Oktoberfest, when people are willing to pay tuba players. The rest of the time, he plays in community bands and ensembles, at nursing homes and at schools, for no pay, at his own expense for the gas, just because he likes to.
He usually takes at least two horns, because he often doesn’t know, especially this time of year, if he’s going to be playing inside or outside, in a gazebo or under trees. Sometimes he brings an extra horn to loan to somebody. He always has a music stand and a backpack full of sheet music. We don’t have any kids or go camping or off-roading. He just has tubas in his car, sometimes every weeknight.
He has a 2001 SUV that we bought for the express purpose of hauling all this shit around. It’s on its last “legs” and we are looking to replace it. Naturally, we’re looking for something with better fuel economy. What the hell is there? A regular passenger car won’t accommodate this stuff. Someone mentioned “station wagons” – cite? Who makes station wagons anymore?
We didn’t buy an SUV because we neeeeed one. We bought one because we didn’t see any alternatives. I’m asking for alternatives.
Anyone?
Switch to French horn?
Subaru, Volvo, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, GM, Mazda, Chrysler, Ford, VW…
If you count the “crossover” and mini-minivan body styles, just about everyone.
This is a good starting point.
ETA: How big is the SUV (ie what model) and how much of the cargo volume does he actually use?
They’re still around. You’ve probably seen at least one of these, only gets 15 MPG city though.
That’s the R/T version though - the standard 2.7L V6 gets 21-28.
I guess I need to rethink what I mean by “station wagon.” Some of those I’m looking at here are those I suppose I might have been considering SUVs.
Hyundai Santa Fe, and almost all of it when he’s on his way to a rehearsal or gig. His passenger seat is usually full of books or paperwork; when I want to go to one of his concerts with him, we have to clear it all out. Tuba in the cargo hold, tuba in the back seat, music stand(s) and bags of music wherever they fit. Sometimes dogs, depending on concert venue.
Hey, buddy, wanna buy an ophicleide?
The Ford Focus also comes in a wagon but only up to 2008. They’ve discontinued the wagon and hatchback in '09. I almost started a pit thread when I found out, I have the hatchback and love it.
I guess a lot of Americans think of “station wagons” exclusively as 18-foot land yachts with desperately ugly wood-look vinyl appliques down the sides.
In Britain (where the word is “estate”, rather than “wagon”) it just means “car with four passenger doors and one nearly-vertical rear hatch that’s a bit bigger than a four (five, if you’re in Europe) door hatchback.”
Can you afford a hybrid SUV? Seems they get better milage than the wagons I linked earlier.
Better still, a diesel wagon…
VW Jetta Wagon gets 29/41 mpg.
Dunno. I’ll print out the web sites linked to and we’ll look at them. Thanks and sorry for hijacking. You may return to your previous sarcastic comments about SUV owners, including me, if you like.
Just wondering if you plan to bring up a “macho image” in every single post. It’s such a great argument.
Diesel is also about 70¢ more so it sort of balances out. 
Does America not have…here they are called “bakkies”… I think, maybe, you’d call them compact pick-ups? Half-ton to 1 ton jobbies like the Ford Bantam or Toyota Hilux, with 1.3 -2.0 l engines, TWD, that sort of thing? Does “Ford Courier” ring a bell? That’s what I’d use if I had lots of stuff to carry regularly.
They aint station wagons anymore…they are Sport Utility wagons.
How about you get a normal car for everyday use and an old Ford Transit for the instruments?
Not really. The smallest engine you’d usually find in a US market pickup is a 2.5ish liter V6.
Transit’s a Euro-only model. Never sold here.