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"Luxury SUV's"

interstatepawnllcinterstatepawnllc Member Posts: 9,390
edited June 2002 in General Discussion
Y'all gotten a load of them Mercedes and B.M.W. SUV's. Wait a minute, howabout them Lincoln Navigators. L.O.L.!!
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Comments

  • concealedG36concealedG36 Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I don't have any of those, but they are nice. I don't see what's wrong with them, except that I probably wouldn't actually take such an expensive vehicle off-road. And, the people driving them are usually wealthy soccer-moms that don't even know how to engage the 4WD. But, again, the vehicles are really quite nice.

    Just my opinion...



    Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals
  • RembrandtRembrandt Member Posts: 4,486 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    You're right, too many people out there that are not qualified to be driving these....that's why I have my Chauffer do the driving while I sit in the back wearing my Smoking Jacket and sipping Cognac.....
  • Gordian BladeGordian Blade Member Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Where I live, we often need 4WD just to get home from work in a sudden snow storm or ice storm. My biggest knock against a lot of the SUV's is that the space on the inside is smaller than I would like for how much space it takes on the road or in the garage.
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Gordian Blade, exactly the reason I have owned 3 suburbans. They have the room on the inside that the outside advertises. they are also quite nimble for their size. Also the safest thing I have been in in a long time.

    Now, as for those lexus, BMW, Mercedes suv's,......bwahahahaha
    what do these CAR companies know about building a truck? I would love to hook up my 23' sea ox with the tank full and all my gear and pull it to Florida with one of those. I hope for that much $$$, they come with a spare transmission, it will be necessary. And how do they expect those things to hold up when you really take it off road and put it to the test? I am kinda thinking they will be left at the biggining of the trail. Just a marketing ploy for the soccer mom's and upper middle class people who feel that they are incomplete without an SUV bearing an import or "look at me" label on it. I take great pleasure at pulling them out of the ditch when it snows. For $50 of course, after all they have it to spend.

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I once had a guy ask me in genuine puzzlement why so many cars insisted on passing him in his SUV. I said, "I can tell you why. Having one of those pull in front of you is like having a WALL pull in front of you." They're taller than the car traffic and reduce down-the-road visibility to maybe 12 feet the instant they get ahead of you. This makes getting around one a safety issue for me.

    I believe there are still quite a few signs on this country's roads saying "trucks and vans use the right lane," but since pick-up trucks and SUVs became popular for people who used to drive sedans and sports cars, everybody seems to think they can drive like a car and use the left lane about the same as they used to when they had a car. Except, of course, that while they may have big engines, they do not have the road stability, cornering ability, braking, or quick, flat response of a performance car (hence the rollovers). Not to mention that, again, they block the recommended viewing distance down the roadway.

    Pet peeve? Trucks playing 'car' in the left lane, trying to keep up with performance auto traffic as a matter of principle.



    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • rscoleman88rscoleman88 Member Posts: 4,250
    edited November -1
    I drive a junked out' tricked out, and pieces fallin out CJ (one of four or five I own) that's plenty of luxury for me

    Respect those who protect us now just as you would those who died for us in the past.
  • LowriderLowrider Member Posts: 6,587
    edited November -1
    My Jeep (un-Grand) Cherokee with its no-frills interior, manual door locks and hand-crank windows works just fine for me.

    Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
  • William81William81 Member Posts: 25,499 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    As far as I am concerned a person can drive whatever they want. I just wish some of the yuppie type drivers would learn a couple of basic rules.

    First of all you do not need two lanes to turn one....

    Second, just because it has 4 wheel drive does not mean it is safe to drive it 60 miles an hour on ice and snow.

    No offense to those who know their vehicle and it's capabilities. These comments are not ment for you....

    Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Liberals....
  • daddodaddo Member Posts: 3,408
    edited November -1
    If I had a million bucks, I wouldn't buy anything but a Truck.
    Yes I'm Texan but, can't stand cars that sit on the ground- gotta be up and be tall. I would ,of course, have a decked out, four door, four wheel drive. nice truck! And a pretty lady with me-- my wife!
    Did I say That?
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    there is just something about a pretty lady in a full size truck that does it for me too daddo. Oooohhhhh, the wife just pulled in the driveway in the suburban, gotta go........




    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
  • JBBooksJBBooks Member Posts: 103 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a baby Chevy Suburban also known
    has a Tahoe. It says on my door plate
    it is a truck made in Texas by Texicans.
    I don't think it is spelled that way.
    The best vehicle I have ever own. Plus
    my wife LOVES THE THING.

    JBB


    I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them.
  • jastrjastr Member Posts: 463 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I feel that these luxery suvs are a waste of money... definintly not capable of doing what they were supposedly designed for. They out too just have bought mini vans if you ask me....... Especially the ones who own the 2 wheel drive versions.(see statement about minivan) its all just a trend. The only High price suv worth the money in my eyes that actually pulls its own wait is the range rover.... Other than that I would ony go with a burb or a tahoe.....

    lets all be responsible! shoot a criminal! Remember 0% of firearms pull there own trigger!
  • hunter280manhunter280man Member Posts: 705
    edited November -1
    89 Suburban spoken here; and loved: The last year before they downsized em. I've only got a re-built 350 in it but it will outperform any of our company suburbans with either the 400 big block or the 455 with more room. Hey, I can fit 3 deer, 4 hunters and about 6 guns without any need for more room or traction.

    Though I was born to royalty, I was snatched at birth, so treat me as the noble I am!!!
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Actually, I think there are 3 worth the name. Jeep, Range Rover, and Suburban -- not for interchangeable purposes, you understand, but good utility vehicles of the closed-top persuasion. I'd count the hummer, but I can't even afford the tires. I don't care how high these things sit, by the way, as long as they sit in the right lane most of the time, like good little vans & trucks... (stir, stir)

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • gunpaqgunpaq Member Posts: 4,607 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If most everyone would drive a vehicle that is most practical for their needs there would be very few SUV's out on the road. If you do not live in the mountains, desert, jungle or an area with frequent snow, etc., why do you need a SUV for a primary domestic vehicle? Is it a market driven fad like the Cabbage Patch Kids and Tickle Me Elmo? "Look at me , my SUV is bigger than yours, we have more $$$$$$$ than you, ha, ha, ha", says the soccer mom to herself as she passes a three year old Nissan Pathfinder while talking on her cell phone in heavy traffic in a snow storm. Moments later this soccer mom finds herself in a ditch and calls the SUV dealer on her cell phone "I'll sue you SOB's, that SUV you sold us is faulty, it's fourwheel drive doesn't work". Personally, I drive a 2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 and Mrs. Gunpaq drives a 2001 Taurus because they are what we need for work and domestic use.

    Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.
  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Offeror Offeror Offeror, we already been thru this, do we need to do it again?

    ALL CARS IN THE RIGHT LANE CAUSE DEM TRUCKS IS COMIN THRU! My pickup has 9" of lift and 36" Super Swampers, it also has a tweaked 351W and stiff suspension. I can cruise that truck at 80+ all day. I call them little teeny weeny sports cars speed bumps.

    BTW, if your visibilty is only 12', why are you tailgating??
    You need to slow down sir, in fact get in the right lane and let the big boys with the big toys show you how it's done.

    Now you guys talking about SUVs, tell you what I think is funny. Chevy and Ford now have these funky looking things that are a cross breed between a pickup and an Explorer, dang wannabees.

    There is only one kind of an SUV, a jacked up pickup truck with loud exaust and BIG tires, all others are just, well I'll be nice.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ive always hated it when a van or SUV pulls in front of my car so he doesn't have to be behind another one of his kind but now I'm getting even. I bought a 34' Winnebago that cuts out the sunlight.
  • Richie RichRichie Rich Member Posts: 439 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    ahhh, I love it finally a topic I can chime in on.
    yes,yes,yes to the oversized suv's the biger the better and that is why I drive a 4x4 excursion (power stroke diesel) of course...I had a 1999 4x4 2500 suburban and it started to act up, the dealer and cheeevy said so what...so sc@&#@! cheeevy and all those bowtie bone heads. Someone above said something about a 350 sub out performing a bigblock 400 or 455... That would be a 454 and my 99 2500 with a 454 would smoke any 350 down the line up a hill or where ever. I did love that rig and it was sweet but no cheevy for me for a looooong time

    Remember,"your woman may not find you handsome, But atleast she'll find ya handy". I love that show..............
  • woodsrunnerwoodsrunner Member Posts: 5,378 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    There was a time about 15 years ago that SUV meant the 1963 Willys jeep station wagon I was driving. Luxury was when I scrounged up the cash for a sheepskin seat cover. Sure was nice not havin those springs stick me. As for driving in snow conditions, I pick up and take home at least one 4wd fool every winter. Best vehicle I ever owned for snow conditions was a 72 plymouth valiant. You just couldn't get that thing stuck. The problem with most of these fools in thier SUV's is they think because it will get going quick on snow it will do the same when it's time to stop. Nobody tells them about that fron axle engine braking when they let up on the gas, next thing they know they're sitting in a ditch facing the wrong direction.

    Woods

    How big a boy are ya?
  • JudgeColtJudgeColt Member Posts: 1,790 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have been a big fan of four-wheel-drive since I saw the first Dodge Power Wagon (the military-based WDX) go by my parents house in the late 1940s, then on a mud road, with the Iowa gumbo rolled up on the tires to the size of tractor tires. (If you have not seen this soil in action when at the right wetness, you cannot imagine how it can roll up like a snowball, but it does, and it dries to concrete hardness after being worked wet.) Knowing that our vehicles, except tractors, would not move on that road in the spring until the road dried out, I vowed to have one, and I do. Except for a HUMMER, few stock vehicles can top it even today for rugged travel off road. It has 5.83 gears and its 9x16-inch original tires are 36-inches in diameter. About 50 miles an hour is the top crusing speed, if you can stand the gear whine and tire whine at that speed. A luxury SUV it is not.

    Nearly all of our current vehicles are 4x4, but most are not intended for off road use. (My daughter's Eagle Talon TSi Turbo AWD has only about five inches of ground clearance, but is great on slick roads, especially with its Blizzak winter tires on.) The purpose for us of all-wheel-drive is increased mobility and safety on-road in bad weather, not off-road travel. My wife's Chrysler Town & Country AWD certainly qualifies as a luxury vehicle, but it is not an SUV. Its sophisticated AWD system makes for wonderful slick road travel, and its anti-lock brakes make for wonderful slick road stopping, aided by Blizzak tires of course.

    Because mini-vans lack the prestige of luxury SUVs, my wife has hinted that we should look at SUVs when it is time to replace her vehicle. However, when one compares the interior space and ease of accessing it, the mini-van is superior. The long Chrysler mini-vans have much more interior space than Explorers and even Tahoes and Durangos. Of course, we do not tow with the mini-van, so the towing ability of many SUVs does not mean anything to us.

    As mentioned, the Suburbans and their clones are very popular for the reasons stated. However, for our people-moving needs that exceed the mini-van capacity, I opted to go with something a bit bigger. We have a full-size one-ton extended 15-passenger van converted to four-wheel-drive by Quigley (www.quigley4x4.com). We can take 15 people most anywhere within reason, but we rarely use it with the fourth seat in place, so eleven is the usual capacity. That leaves almsot five feet behind the rear seat for luggage, etc.. (Something this big is not a nimble off-road vehicle, but is great on-road.) I can put a 16-foot piece of lumber in the vehicle and close the rear doors on it. There are over 300 cubic feet of interior room. None of those tiny little Suburbans for us!

    Quigley has been doing these van conversions since the late 1960s, so there is an obvious demand for them. I have never been able to understand why none of the manufacturers build factory full-size vans in 4x4, because I get constant inquiries about it. GM will finally be the first to build a half-ton 4x4 non-extended full-size van for 2003, but, for some reason, will leave the 15-passenger versions in 4x2 only. Maybe next year? GM will even put doors on the left! What a novel idea! (Remember the old Suburbans with no rear doors on the left? The IHC Travelall did not have the foolishness.)

    I agree that the BMW X5, for example, will not tow much compared to a one-ton pickup, but that does not make them worthless, just different. They are not designed for that type of use. These high-end SUVs are very sophisticated and have capabilites not found on lesser vehiceles. The Range Rover has been mentioned as a prime example of the type, and the newest version is again on the top of the heap. These European luxury SUVs are more sophisticated than the American luxury SUVs, but are generally smaller. A black Navigator or Escalade does look impressive as I look down on it from the wheel of my bag van.

    To me, this is all about the freedom to choose what we like for vehicles, and guns for that matter. The SUVs are kind of like the "assault weapons" of the automotive world. "Why does anyone need such a thing anyway?" Because we want it, that's why. Enough said.
  • DupontDupont Member Posts: 129
    edited November -1
    My SUV, A 1983 2500 series Suburban, Not 4wd! Heavy duty tow package,with a transplanted Dana 60 rearend. 350 engine with a turbo 350, transplanted of course! the auto overdrives are junk for pulling no matter what you do to them!!!! Plus AC, PW, PDL, PDB, tinted windows.
    This old rig rides good, pulls good, room for all 6 of us.
    And I still manage to get 18mpg out of her if I keep my foot out of it!!!

    Of course I can play the piano, as long as it has pedals!
  • bartobarto Member Posts: 4,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    i saw a german unimog the other day (mercedes, i think).
    really a LARGE dude. 7 ft. wide & 9 ft. tall(really).
    it was just like following a semi.
    barto

    the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer
  • JudgeColtJudgeColt Member Posts: 1,790 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ah, the Unimog. I should have included that amazing vehicle with the HUMMER as one of the top off-road vehicles. I have early brochures on the Unimog showing them being used as tractors! (Case [tractor company] was the importer for a long time. I am not sure Mercedes ever imported them officially.) They are bigger than the HUMMER and tend more to the 1.5 to 2-ton truck size.

    Of course, Dodge also promoted the early military-style Power Wagons as tractor substitutes. They even offered a 3-point hitch attachment. I have a video of a red Power Wagon plowing a Kansas or Wyoming wheat field that stretches to the horizon. The farmer then unhitches the plow, loads the wife and child into the PW, and heads off "in comfort" to town! Neat stuff.
  • gruntledgruntled Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Too bad gasoline isn't ten bucks a gallon. I bet all you hogs cry about the smallest ding in your car door at the parking lot.
  • simonbssimonbs Member Posts: 994
    edited November -1
    Hey Judge,
    Can you post a pic of your land yacht? I'd like to check it out.

    I'm not afraid of the dark...the dark is afraid of me!
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    7mm nut --
    I'll forgive your lack of insight because you are in one of those big trucks and you don't have the acceleration to keep up, but the reason why an SUV leaves only 12' or less of space ahead of you is because they will pull over in front of you if there is as little as one car-length available. So if you hang back at a safer distance, more people will pull in front of you and you'll STILL have only 12' of space. So, if I'm only going to be allowed 12 feet between me and the idiot who just cut me off, I at least want to be able to see down the road THROUGH THE WINDSHIELDS OF THE CARS IN FRONT OF ME.

    Which is really the whole point -- sedans can generally see hazards and stops coming up much more easily in heavy traffic THROUGH EACH WINDSHIELD AHEAD. Once an SUV or pickup or semi gets in that line, it's brick-wall time and goodbye to safe braking distance. Since "safe braking distance" is the rules of the road and a big deal on the driving test, it only makes sense to pass as many too-tall vehicles as possible in order to get in the clear for safe driving. Especially if you happen to have a 320 HP twin turbo 6 cyl. that will do 0-60 in 4 seconds and corner tamely with 1 full g. of horizontal force. (stir, stir)

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Nevermind, keep the peace.

    Edited by - 7mm nut on 06/04/2002 11:57:34
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. I didn't write that for your benefit, really, but for those lurkers who are sincerely puzzled as to why people in cars feel obligated to get out from behind their utility vehicles at the earliest opportunity. You're right -- we did the semi/car thing before, and you acquitted yourself very well, I might add.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    7mm nut, I was equally as impressed with your control. I had a suburban with 35" tires and 6" lift before the new one. I probably would have said something about the g's when the 6000lb truck hit the sports car that was zigging and zagging in/out of traffic and blaming it on the SUV who cut them off. That scratch on my pushbar is gonna cost you buddy, these rhino accessories ain't cheap!!! stir stir stir.....

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
  • ghost614ghost614 Member Posts: 129 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    suv's are nice and all but i've got a problem with people driving them. that being most people don't need a car that large. sure the space is nice, but the amount of gas consumed could be spent on alot of other things. they take up way too much road space and i wouldn't want to put my kids in a car that has a higher chance of rolling over. it's all and good if you live in the rockies or some place that has crappy roads or something, but most buyers now are just city born yuppies and that kills me.
  • twinstwins Member Posts: 647 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Having ownwed 4x4s in the past, (yes it was decked out and yes I did go four wheelin) I can say the the average idiot that drives one thinks that they can go 55 on icy roads with no problem. Some people think that because they sit three feet from the ground and have power to all four wheels they won't get stuck and have complete control in all driving condiitions.

    Has anyone had any experience with a Subaru Outback?
  • will270winwill270win Member Posts: 4,845
    edited November -1
    Whoa!!!!!!!!!400 Big Block? Last time I built one it was a small block. When did Chivie make a 400 BIG block?


    ~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~
  • woodsrunnerwoodsrunner Member Posts: 5,378 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Will;
    Chevy actually made 2 400's. The 400 small block you are familiar with and a 402 big block. Both went by the 400 monicker. I had a friend with a 70 Chevelle with a 400BB. The thing would scream. But I fooled around with a 75 Vega wagon that I dropped a 400sb in, it would scream even more. I had to sell it I couldn't afford to keep tires on it.

    Woods

    How big a boy are ya?
  • Richie RichRichie Rich Member Posts: 439 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    along time ago. ford even made one in the 70ties I had a montego with one and I swear you could watch the neddle move.

    Remember,"your woman may not find you handsome, But atleast she'll find ya handy". I love that show..............
  • Richie RichRichie Rich Member Posts: 439 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    actualy did pontiac not put that BB 400 in say the 69ish GTO???

    Remember,"your woman may not find you handsome, But atleast she'll find ya handy". I love that show..............
  • timberbeasttimberbeast Member Posts: 1,738 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I always wondered what the "lift thing" is any good for on a truck. Doesn't give any more ground clearance, so it must be because some people think it looks cool. Not much difference with big fat tires, either, except on ice. Heck, for each extra inch of tire, you only get half an inch of ground clearance. In mud and snow, narrower tires go through much easier. I've pulled many a stuck "monster truck" out of the muck with my stock, beat to hell 89 F-250HD. Gonna drive it until I die, and it ain't for looks, the bed always has lumber or logs in it and it's dinged and scratched stem to stern from woods-driving. I need it, if I just drove on roads without hauling stuff, I'd have a Corolla. (or a '65 Shelby GT-500, heh heh)
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I think I have it covered, for gas mileage, I drive the MIATA, for towing and snow, I use the suburban. AAHHHHH,.....the best of both worlds. I too enjoy a good zig and zag session every now and then.

    As for lift kits, they do provide ground clearance, for the frame rails. That is the area that gets hung and leaves you stuck, it's not the axles. They do make a huge difference off road.

    As for the yuppies, I think we all agree they should have a restriction on their liscense forbidding any large SUV.

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    JustC--
    I wasn't referring to zigzagging in traffic. You might be interested to know that in the driving manual for Indiana which I have, it says that if a vehicle in the left lane fails to move over and let you pass once you have a) "sounded your horn" and/or b) "flashed your headlights to signal your desire to pass, you may pass them on the right, but cautiously, because you are dealing with a poor driver." Quoted material from manual. (stir .. no, wait, put a fork in it).

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I used to have a SUV; still would if Junior hadn't decided to drive like an urban fool. I always get the plainest Jane I can buy; the point of having a SUV is to use it for off-road, bad road conditions & hauling. These fancy jobs are only ego statements that go to the car wash if there are rain spots on the three tone paint.
  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    offeror, I was told by a trooper that both of those things are illegal to do here. He said it was distracting to the driver and could cause an accident. Don't go gettin all bent on me, I was just funnin ya, SHEEESH. I don't flash lights or sound the horn, I don't have to, most people are FOLLOWING me. I'm doing them a favor by breaking the wind for them, all they have to do is get in the draft, kind of like NASCAR

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
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