Exactly!
All the posts in this thread about the environment are very noble and what have you, but the main reason I hate the damn things is that they make my driving experience more difficult! They are almost impossible to see past or around, and reduced visibility is not a good thing.
I don’t go shopping during rush hour. The buses are not crowded when I enter, and I can get to a seat and remove the pack without inconveniencing anyone. If it’s not full and not likely to get full, I’ll set it on the seat next to me. To date, I’ve never hit anyone with it or even received any snarky comments from the other bus riders. It takes up a lot less space than a baby stroller or one of those wire “old lady” shopping carts.
Should I start a “Ask the Guy Who Doesn’t Own a Car and Backpacks Everything” thread in MPSIMS?
That’s why when someone asks why I have/do something, I answer,“because I like it.”
As ol’ Rush used to say, “words mean things!”
It is a courtesy signpost by the opinion holder to let you get the outrage dynamo spun up.
Stranger
Ah, ok. Yeah, it probably was just rounding errors; your new mid-800s number is much closer to mine.
Also, I didn’t realize it was 4.82 L/100km per passenger. (I didn’t think much about the numbers at all, I just blindly chugged). Accordingly, I must retract my complaint that you were unfairly pinning the entire costs of the plane ride on just one family.
Like others, I am a little confused as to what difference economy vs. first class makes. Could you clarify?
I wish I could agree with this, but I can’t. Not when monster behemoths are taking up multiple parking spots, blocking visibility (seriously, why must their hoods always creep into my field of vision right when I need to turn into oncoming traffic?), and slamming people into medians because the drivers don’t know what the hell they’re doing.
Not all SUVs are built the same, true. And not all SUV drivers are the same either. But still. SUVs on the road have raised the bar on defensive driving, and that’s why I can’t stand the vast majority of them.
In this country (and maybe in the US?) there are a lot of small (even 4cyl) utilities - which are like car-sized pickups - that have the grunt to pull fairly large trailers like horse floats. These are typically Japanese diesels. Some are 4WD, some 2WD. They’re perfect for hauling bigger loads in times of high fuel prices. You won’t get the luxury, but you’ll get a 2.0 or 2.8 litre direct-injection diesel motor that can pull a bullock out of the shit. Torque city.
For mine, I wonder if I’m the only person who is actually considering purchasing a LESS fuel-efficient car in the near future, and doing so precisely because of the cost of petrol. I am a single guy living alone, and the vast majority of my driving is the ten-minute trip to work. I’m currently doing this in a 4cyl 2.0 litre 1991 Camry. but that car is on its last legs maybe, and it’s possible worth a hundred bucks. If it dies, I’ll need to replace it, but small cars are getting expensive, and if I’m only driving twenty minutes a day, I might be better off buying something much bigger as a bargain, and the savings will pay the extra fuel for quite a while (I drive sedately, and I don’t tow anything).
Someone wanna calculate the carbon footprint of killing yourself with a non-firearm, then being cremated? Because gosh, if we could convince a lot of peope to do this, we could really save on carbon emissions.
I spend $100 at Costco, and fill up my tank. Never even get into the store. 
Anyway, it’s extremely rude to drive a car that inconveniences and endangers others just so you can project a macho image.
Economy vs first class: An airplane uses pretty much the same fuel regardless of how many passengers it takes. A plane outfitted for first class seats can carry fewer passengers, and therefore the fuel cost per passenger goes way up.
Here’s something I wrote a few years ago on the subject:
And before you say, "but that plane is going to fly there whether I’m in first class or not!’, the same argument can be made for buying an SUV - someone is going to buy that shiny Escalade in the showroom, so it might as well be you. but buying the SUV means another one will be built to take its place, and flying first class encourages airlines to build more aircraft with first class seating. If everyone who flies first class refused on environmental grounds, new airplanes being produced would have more economy seating and therefore get higher fuel economy per passenger. First class is the airline equivalent of the SUV. Gee, I wonder why the Hollywood set doesn’t march against first class seating in airlines?
And talk about unnecessary! All you’re getting for those hundreds of liters of fuel is a little more legroom, a better meal, and a drink. For a few hours. It has to be the most energy-wasting activity there is - other than flying your own private jet, that is.
But how much you want to bet that those flights into Davos for the next environmental summit will be full of first-class passengers? If there’s room on the tarmac for the commercial jet with all the Gulfstream IV’s parked on the ramp, that is…
The OP’s sarcastic brush is just as broad, as beautifully painted as it may be.
I don’t understand this part…only worthless Republicans owned SUV’s when gasoline was cheap and the future was far away, not tomorrow?
You are fortunate enough to live in a city that affords you that method of transportation and therefore you are a statistical outlier in terms of a percentage of the overall population, not to mention the rural areas near where I live whereby people make their living using their pickup trucks of various sizes.
This increase in diesel costs is hurting these honest, blue-collar working people more than urbanites, especially ones like you that have no need of a car.
I’m seeing pink clouds populated with unicorns ahead, though, so it’ll be OK.
Or perhaps these regular people at the time failed to piss you off until SUV’s became the liberal rallying cry for global warming and poor fuel consumption back when, you know, global warming and expensive gasoline weren’t on our collective radar, at all.
A Fucking Men. Well put, Stone.
So we should ban 18 wheelers on our interstates, too? They are far harder to see around, get around and are FAR more deadly to get into an accident with than your avergae SUV.
Shit, they even run on that ineffecient bullshit diesel crap.BAN THEM ALL!
Hummers are the statistical outliers, and obvious targets for criticism, as they deserve it. Escalades, too.
But there are plenty of people that bought very capable, somewhat fuel-efficient SUV vehicles for reasons of need or assurance when gas was cheap that still own said vehicles, and have no better option that to keep them. So they are evil because you get by with a Honda Civic?
Pot and Kettle and all…
With the way things are going, perhaps the survivalist Marine-types have it right with stored food, ammo and a 4WD ready to hit the hills. You never know.
By all means, you can ban 18 wheelers when people start using them to run errands or do anything else that could be done in a smaller, safer vehicle. It’s funny though… I don’t remember using the word “ban” in my original post. I thought I just said I hated them.
Heh. Apparently “Land of the Free” is only meant to apply to the Federal Government, not to peer pressure.