Hummer Drivers Vs. Gas Guzzling Car Drivers

[erpowers]

I have seen many people here at DU write about how they dislike Hummers. Lately, I have been wondering if the people who are against Hummers are also against cars like the Aston Martin, Bentley, and the Maseratti all of which seem to have about the same gas mileage as the Hummers. Do members of DU have a different opinion about the gas guzzling cars and the Hummers? Are members of DU less likely to be angry and super car drivers due to the idea or perception that only a few people can afford those types of cars and as a result they are less harmful to the environment?

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. My opinion;

There is a HUGE difference between a low mileage, luxury automobile marketed to a narrow segment of the population and a low mileage behemoth marketed to the masses as a symbol of small testicular dimension.

[zbdent]

2. with a 1 / 2 off tax break and now getting

"free gas" as an incentive . . .

[Dead_Parrot]

6. As it happens...

...I do know a guy in London who commutes daily in his DB7. Although to be fair, he has more money than God - I can't think of anyone else who would do it.

I could roll off a dozen Jeep/Range Rover/X5 owners without pausing for breath. Sadly.

[klook]

3. It's not just that Hummers are harmful to the environment

It's that they're incredibly dangerous to normal-sized cars in a crash.

[salinen]

4. There're a convienient poster

child for all gashogs.

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Personally...

I'm more in favor of the "elite" sports cars (that is to say, don't hate quite as much) for two reasons: firstly, they're a lot better looking (yeah, I know) but also because they are a lot less common: a hummer H2 rolls in at ~$55k, while a DB9 is closer to $160k (Christ, that's almost double the cost of my house!): collectively, they will never reach the emissions that a single brand of SUV will reach, just because no bugger can afford them.

[Demit]

7. Haha! I can't remember the last time I saw a Maserati on the streets.

And Aston Martins and Bentleys I've only seen on British tv shows. These cars aren't in my day to day reality. Are they in yours? My take is that this is quite a reach, if the point in bringing them up was to uncover some DU hypocrisy.

[erpowers]

12. Yes- No

Yes they are a part of my daily life. I have see two Maseratis in the last week. I always see Bentleys and I have seen a few Aston Martins on the road. I have also see a few Ferraris and I think a Lamborghini. No this was not "to uncover some DU hypocrisy". I was just curious about the thinking about cars versus Hummers. I have seen a number of post about the Hummer, but none about the Aston Martin or other super cars. I really do like the Aston Martin and other super cars, but I was just wondering about the thinking of people.

[MercutioATC]

28. I see those cars all of the time. Within 10 miles of me live at least 3

Ferraris, one Lamborghini, one Pantera (ugly orange color, but it's still a great car), one Ford GT40, a couple of Bentley/Rolls and a plethora of Porsches (one of them mine).

I guess it depends on the neighborhood, but these cars are hardly rare (and I'm in Ohio, not SoCal).

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

69. Driving to their private jets?

Perchance?

[MercutioATC]

102. No, it's a big doctor and sports-figure suburb.

Lots of doctors, lots of local Cleveland professional athletes.

[TX-RAT]

44. Here ya go

This ones here every day, along with a nice Aston Martin









Shame their not mine. Mines the white GMC

[Demit]

78. Thanks! Now I've seen pics of them on DU :)

They're very tidy looking little cars. Maybe, being not really very car-oriented, I have seen them go past, in my large city. And at least you can see around and above them when you're driving.

I think I feel about luxury sports cars vs. SUVs the way I feel about Movado watches vs. Rolexes. One is expensive and beautifully designed, the other is expensive and ugly and worn as a kind of intimidating insignia.

[erpowers]

57. Porsche

Oh yea, I see tons of Porsches. I see them everyday.

[seabeyond]

8. i can see around and thru those cars and doesnt put my childrens

life at risk. they can fit in a parking space and lane and doesnt obstruct my view. my reasons for the dislike of the vehicles go beyond gas. they impair anyones vision while driving that dont have an equally monstorous vehicle. creating death traps for those of us in a car. sure i can buy one and keep my family safe. i can afford it. i dont feel good about it though putting a whole lot of other peole in danger for mine and the families safety, so i chose a car and have to suck up the dangers these drivers create for all of us

[deaniac21]

10. How do you feel about the trucking industry?

[seabeyond]

13. i dont come upon them in everyday driving on a regular basis

in town. they are very few in everyday life. and on the freeway i take the necessary precautions and are easy enough to accomondate. but yes they can be a hazard. add a whole lot of vehicles of everyday drivers that obstruct view and it isnt an every once in a while occurance

your point?

that these vehicles arent a danger? no
that it isnt selfish? no

just that we have trucking industry, ergo it is fine all the rest are selfish in causing danger and taking up space without thought to the rest of the people? fine. it is what it is. every person that drives these vehicles and blocks other views get to own the choices they make, endangering and causing hardship for others. who too have children in their cars they would like to keep safe.

[deaniac21]

20. I was just wondering. I see maybe 1 Hummer every few days

but trucks all day every day.

[seabeyond]

21. hummers are regular sitings here in texas. suv and huge ass trucks

create the same problems and those are a strong percentage of the vehicles on the road, in the area i live. was looking at parking lot in grocery store just yesterday and a good 80% of vehicle are the types to obstruct view. try pulling out of parking space with one on each side. totally blind. hard to get out of car, look to see if any kids are walking behind car, then jump in and pull out. just inch out hoping i hit no one. if someone does come up on me as i inch out, i get a glare like how dare i almost hit them.

[Ron Green]

83. Those big trucks are driven mostly by professional drivers with

commercial licenses. Those Hummers are driven mostly by people with identity problems.

[Yollam]

17. Trucks are mostly out on the interstates.

They aren't EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME, like hideous, stupid SUVS, and unlike SUVs they are carrying a great deal of cargo, not just one moronic driver.

[RB TexLa]

59. So we should buy cars by size based on how many people we are

going to have in them?

[Yollam]

77. Uh... YES!!!

In an era of dwindling resources, doing otherwise is wasteful.


If you're driving the car to work every day all alone, then a small fuel-efficient car is appropriate. If you're a mom lugging 5 kids to school, lessons and soccer practice, then a minivan is appropriate. With prices as high as they are and supplies as strained as they are, I would vote for requirements for legitimate need for the mega-vehicles, even though that would be a radical departure from the free-for-all we've had up until now. People need to fucking get a grip and realize that this is NOT the fifties with tail fins and cars that get heavier and bigger every year and an endlessly upward-moving American standard of living. That era is OVER. People who continue to push the envelope in terms of car size and sprawl and McMansions are doing so at the expense of the well-being of everybody else.

[RB TexLa]

81. So what should happen to me?

I drive a 15+ year old SUV that gets about 8 to 11 mpg in the city where I do most of my driving, usually between 200 to 300 miles a week. My wife and I are probably buying a 3 or 4 bedroom house next March, and I do not father or raise children.

Should we be blindfolded, beheaded, and have a video of it posted on the internet?

[Yollam]

82. Well if you're going to have a tantrum, we may as well not talk.

But if you want to be serious, if I had anything to say about it, I would want the larger gas-guzzler SUVs to be made street illegal. Of course, people like yourself would be grandfathered until the car died. The fossil fuel problem will be that dire, sooner or later. You can be flip and defensive about it if you want, but no conscientious person should not take steps to conserve, and no government worth a damn should abdicate its responsibility to mandate conservation through ever more stringent fuel economy standards.

Are you aware that average fuel economy in the US has DROPPED since 1990? that is not progress.

[RB TexLa]

86. no tantrum, children, not adults have tantrums

[Yollam]

90. That's exacty what your hyperbole about being "beaheaded" amounts to.

Nothing I said was remotely like that. You're being a drama queen.

[RB TexLa]

91. No I wasn't, it was a calm post

I have had a person say I should be put to death for driving my truck. I was calm then too, just called the police and told them I had been threatened with murder.

[Yollam]

92. I never said anything of the sort.

I don't "hate" SUV drivers, although I do strongly dislike the vehicles themselves and they way they obstruct the view on the road. Laws change as the world changes. Don't expect gas-guzzlers like the Hummer to be street-legal forever. It's only a matter of time before shortages get them banned.

[RB TexLa]

93. I didn't think you did say that

and I didn't accuse you of saying that. I asked if that is what you thought, and you said no.

[Bretttido]

99. Trucks have a purpose, they transport cargo

A mammoth hummer transporting a single driver to and from work serves no purpose.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. I just believe if you drive any car/truck/SUV (personal use) that gets

less than, oh say, 25 MPG, there should be a luxury tax of a couple of grand a year.

[Throd]

56. I already pay that tax

in the form of shitty gas mileage. Now you want me to pay more. Gee, thanks.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

71. Why do you need a gas-guzzling vehicle?

If you have a legitimate reason, then that's fine. If you merely want one, then you can't bitch about the gas prices and expect that people will disapprove of your vehicle.

[RB TexLa]

68. And how much do you want to tax me for setting my thermostat

at 60?

[progdonkey]

11. why are they gas guzzlers?

What I mean is, is the gaz guzzling due to a trade-off for some benefit? An Aston Martin has a big engine and is a high performance vehicle, so it's going to have rather low gas mileage. It's still just a car, though, and is just as safe (in the right hands) as any other car on the road. If you could provide the same performance but with better gas mileage, any prospective Aston Martin buyer would of course go for that.

A Hummer, on the other hand, is just a huge lumbering beast that is incredibly dangerous on the road. Just as buying a Hybrid could be considered making a pro-environmental statement, buying a Hummer is nothing but a huge "fuck you" to everyone else on the road. "I will drive this huge behemoth, and everyone will see and know that I don't care about them or about gas mileage."

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the low gas mileage is just a bad byproduct of having a high-performance sports car, but any sports car buyer would gladly purchase a car with better gas mileage, just so long as performance isn't affected. On the other hand, part of the Hummer's whole attraction to a certain segment is that it gets low gas mileage, and this isn't due to having a high-powered engine that enables the car to go fast, but rather to having a high-powered engine that is required just to get the lumbering behemoth moving in the first place!

The Aston Martin owner says, "I care more about performance and luxury than gas mileage, but higher gas mileage is always a plus."

The Hummer owner says, "Look at me! Look at this huge fucking thing I'm driving! The only thing it does better than a smaller SUV is piss people off, so that's why I got it! Oh shit, gotta fill up again; oh well, it's worth it to piss people off!"

[erpowers]

16. Arnold Yes- Other People Maybe Not

I think that may have been the reason Arnold bought so many of the Hummers, but I think regular people have bought them for other reasons. I think some people buy them because they really think these vehicles are much more safer than the regular vehicle. Also, I think some people feel that if it floods they have a better chance of getting through the water with a large SUV than some small car or smaller SUV. Maybe some of these people feel that if they have to drive in bad wheather with large amounts of rain they are safer in the Hummer and can make it through the bad wheather better with the big SUV than with any other vehicle. Many women drive Hummers and I do not think these women are saying FU to the world. I tend to think these women think they and their families are safer in the Hummer and noone will mess with them if they are in a Hummer.

[Yollam]

19. So much subjective nonsense in one post...

Look, if you love hideous stupid SUVs, then go buy one. Stop asking everyone here to approve. They are legal despite the impositions they put on drivers of normal cars, so go and buy one.


"I think that may have been the reason Arnold bought so many of the Hummers, but I think regular people have bought them for other reasons."

Arnold started buying them because his infantile mind became infatuated with them during Gulf War 1, and having one fulfilled some macho fantasy for him.

" I think some people buy them because they really think these vehicles are much more safer than the regular vehicle."

The fact that they think it does not make it true. SUVs are no safer than other vehicles, and some models are more dangerous because they roll more. If anything else, they make the roads more dangerous by creating an "arms race" mentality among car buyers wanting ever-bugger SUVs to feel "safer".

" Also, I think some people feel that if it floods they have a better chance of getting through the water with a large SUV than some small car or smaller SUV."

This is the closest to a reasonable argument you've made. If you live in a flood zone, this might make sense, but driving in a flood is a bad idea in any vehicle, and you can't count on floodwaters to stay within that extra 15 inches of clearance.

"Maybe some of these people feel that if they have to drive in bad wheather with large amounts of rain they are safer in the Hummer and can make it through the bad wheather better with the big SUV than with any other vehicle."

There is no evidence at all that SUVS are safer in bad weather. If any, the ones that roll are more dangerous, and the extra weight means longer stopping distances and skids. They are MORE dangerous in bad weather.

" Many women drive Hummers and I do not think these women are saying FU to the world."

That's not true. Not even many people drive Hummers. Only 100 thousand or so have been sold since 2000. And from what I've seen, the majority of Hummer drivers are men.

"I tend to think these women think they and their families are safer in the Hummer and noone will mess with them if they are in a Hummer."

They may think that, but they would be wrong. SUVs are more dangerous than passenger cars, and a flashy, expensive car like a Hummer would only serve as an enticement for carjackers and other criminals, if that's what you're driving at.


What do you want to hear, that you can be a "good liberal", and still drive a H2?


Seriously, go buy a Hummer if you want one. But stop with the childish rationalizing. Admit to yourself that in this instance, you put your own need to be up above everyone, and your need to display your wealth (or at least creditworthiness) above the well-being of the earth or your patriotic duty to conserve natural resources. It's fine. We all have vices. You can do something else to help the world.

[erpowers]

60. Not Asking for Apporval

I did not and am not asking you to approve. If you do not want someone to give you their opinion on what you write do not write stuff. You made a comment that I thought was inaccurate and I responded to your comment. My point in writing this post was to understand why people seem to be so upset about Hummers, but not upset about vehicles that get the same low mileage. Why is it that people who buy low mileage gas guzzling cars are not said to be saying FU to the world? I just wanted to know why their was the difference between Hummers and gas guzzling cars.

[Yollam]

65. I think in some cases they are...

...but you mentioned Ford F350s, it's conceivable that that truck would be used for hauling big loads, farm work, etc. In much the same way as with a 16-wheeler diesel, the fuel consumption has a reason. In the case of a Hummer, there is no reason, other than to gratify the ego of the driver. It is not a working vehicle, and there is nothing it can do that can't be done by much more fuel-efficient cars (which by the way also have to meet more stringent emission controls which the Hummer is exempt from by virtue of being considered a "truck" even though it's really just a tall, ugly car.)

[erpowers]

61. Go Do Research

If you would do some research you would realize that many women drive Hummers. Even Jim Hightower pointed out that a large number of women drive Hummers. Secondly, I did not say the people were right in their thinking. You claimed that each and every Hummer driver buys the cars because they just want to show off. I pointed out that that is most likely not true.

[Yollam]

64. Let's say half of Hummer drivers are women...

...half of 100K hummers on the road is 50K, out of 150 million drivers. That is not "many". Not many people drive Hummers, period.

[sinkingfeeling]

27. I have to tell this story. I live in NW Arkansas and we get maybe one

snowfall a winter. Usually we get less than 1/2 inch and the local news stations go all out..reporters standing outside so we can 'see the snow coming down', etc. Anyway, last March, I'm trying to get the 2 miles to where I work, which includes curving down a medium sized hill (4 lane street) and here's this Hummer crawling along about 3 miles an hour, right down the middle of both lanes. Finally, on one curve there's nothing coming head on and he pulls the 'pig' over and I was able to dart around it in my little 4 cylinder Saturn. I was laughing my head off. What an idiot! Spent $100K for a giant 4 wheel drive, go-any-place, gas guzzler and afraid to drive in on a dusting of snow!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

72. I hate it when people with 4WD think they have a shield around them.

Currently, I have a 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee. I hate it. I hate the fact that it's an SUV, I hate the gas mileage, the list goes on. However, it was free and half the price of my Saab to ensure (although now I'm thinking screw it and suck up the insurance on the Saab, because it gets good gas mileage).

Anyway...I realize that my Jeep is not impervious in a snowstorm because it has 4WD. I see more accidents up here in fucking SUVs because morans think that they can drive 85mph in a blinding snowstorm. I'm a fast driver normally, but I'm also a smart driver. Unlike many people it seems, I recognize that I get better traction on the snow, but not on ice, and that 4WD doesn't affect my breaking time. It's absurd that I find so many of the SUV drivers scary as hell in a snowstorm (we get real ones) and I'm driving a FUCKING SUV!!!

</rant>

[progdonkey]

38. two points...

First--As Yollam said, there's no evidence that a Hummer is any safer than a regular SUV or even a regular car, so any of those beliefs that you listed would be based on wishful thinking at best and gross ignorance it worst and so are not worthy of consideration. I'll agree that my characterization that all Hummer drivers just want to go around saying "look at this huge thing!" was too simplistic. Your suggested reasons that people, women especially, buy Hummers are just as disgusting, if not moreso: they buy them because they want their family to be as safe as possible, even if that means driving a behemoth of a vehicle that pollutes the air in grossly excessive amounts, is very difficult to actually drive and maneuver down streets built for vehicles and regular trucks, and is far, far more deadly for the other vehicle in a crash. "Yeah, my family would've been just as safe in a Camry in this crash, but I wanted to go all out and get the Hummer. So sorry that that meant that I completely crushed the rear seat of your Accord in this crash and killed your kid! But you have to understand that I bought it so 'my family and I would be safer,' so it's okay."

Second--Okay, just for the sake of argument, I'll accept that a Hummer is a far safer vehicle for the occupants than any other vehicle, but you know what really is an extremely safe vehicle when the roads are bad? A tank. A big, fat, ten-ton tank. Sure, you'd be crushing all the vehicles in front of you and holding up traffic behind you, but you'll be completely safe from the horrible rain-soaked roads, which is really all that matters, right? Would you excuse people who bought a tank for their regular transportation and drove it down the highway simply because they're looking out for number 1?

However you cut it, Hummers are disgusting vehicles that should only be seen on the highways as part of a military convoy, and the people who buy them have absolutely no valid excuse to buy them except out of pure vanity and selfishness, and a complete lack of concern for other drivers. Yes, a sports car is just as vane and selfish, but a driver in a Miata is more likely to kill himself than the other driver in a collision (not to mention the huge number of times where there won't be another driver, and the Miata will just get wrapped around a tree), whereas a crash involving a Hummer will result in the exact opposite.

[Ron Green]

84. Bigger does not mean safer...

especially in a vehicle built on a rigid truck frame, with no "crush zones." Crash your Hummer into a bridge abutment, or even into another vehicle if the angle is right, and the g-forces go not into crushing sheet metal but into decelerating the truck frame and throwing your body into parts of the vehicle that are slowing down very quickly. Any car with crush zones is safer than a big, stupid design with lots of cup holders on a truck chassis.

[Roland99]

48. Well, how many Aston Martins are sold vs. H2s, Suburbans, etc.?

[Phx_Dem]

100. SUVs/trucks

need large engines so they have good towing capacity.

[Tyler Durden]

14. Crush 1/2 the cars, and use the scrap to build light rail...

...or another form of mass transit.

Personally, paying ransom to the car insurance and gas companies chaps me far worse than waiting 15-20 minutes for the next train would.

[Yollam]

15. Hummers are worse than the others.

First of all, the Hummer's mileage is significantly worse than the cars you cite, second, gas mileage isn't the only thing wrong with the Hummer. Its absurd height and width (Especially the H1) make it a menace on the road. No way to see around it, they cause problems in parking lots when the driver has to back in and out and in and out to park in TWO spaces, and they embody a certain ugly self-centeredness. The other cars at least are beautiful.

I'm honestly amazed that a lot of the more enormous SUVs are even street legal. They shouldn't be.

[MercutioATC]

29. There's a guy at work with a Ford F350.

He uses it to pull a camper. It gets 8 MPG and I could almost park my small car in the bed.

That's not worse than a Hummer?

[bleedingheart]

35. I know a guy who has stated that cars that large have their

own "gravitational pull" and that he is suprised that small vehicles just don't get pulled into the field and just start orbiting around them....hahahahaha

[MercutioATC]

45. I've told him that we could drastically increase our mileage...

Put my little Porsche in the bed of his truck and we'd be averaging 28 MPG....not bad.

[Yollam]

47. Sounds about the same.

But if he's using it to pull a camper, it at least makes sense - that takes horsepower. Personally I would not make a monster like that my primary vehicle, though. Very wasteful.

[MercutioATC]

50. I understand. My point is that an F350 is as "bad" as a Hummer.

...and there are one hell of a lot of F350's on the road.

The Hummer is an easy target and it's become a symbol of waste, but there are MANY more vehicles that are just as wasteful.

[WeRQ4U]

63. I've always thought the HUMMER was simply an easy target too.

First, as stated by numerous people in this thread, they don't get any worse gas mileage than your average 7 passenger SUV. Suburbans, Excursions, Expeditions, etc. Hell, my Jeep Wrangler, with my roof rack installed, gets about the same type of mileage.

I think the reason I hate HUMMERS is what they stand for. They stand for two things, and that's American greed and its "Supersize Me" mentality. They're just impractical, egocentric, superficial pieces of garbage.

They're different than supercars and ultra-luxury sedans. Those are marketed to do what they do, drive ridiculously fast, handle well, and coddle the passengers. Hummers, on the other hand, are toted as this incredible off road vehicle; a vestige of Military use in the Middle East, but they're so big, and their approach angles are so poor, that they're clumsy and useless offroad. This is why you normally see the majority of these humungous, beastly vehicles as grocery getters and kid haulters. You can't fucking park them anywhere other than a firelane. They block other smaller cars' vision when driving. They're just affordable enough for the upper middle class deuchbag to finance. And to top it all off, they're ugly and getting uglier with every dreaded version.

I just hate those goddamn things. And it's NOT just because of the gas mileage. Rant off.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

73. No, it's not worse than a hummer.

However, most people I see with pickups that big have legitimate reasons (i.e. work) meanwhile most people with hummers just seem to have small dicks.

[no_to_war_economy]

18. fuh2.com

www.fuh2.com

[kerry-is-my-prez]

22. Because their owners have issues just like their poster child "Ahrnold"

In my opinion....

SUV owners are merely a "7" on the asshole meter
Hummer owners are a "10"

It's people who are concerned about status and image over human decency. Pick-up owners and van owners REALLY need their trucks for work and for their kids for the most part.

To me a Hummer just screams "I have problems with my masculinity and must prove something.

[MercutioATC]

52. I drive a 1983 Porsche 911. Where am I on the "asshole meter"?

It gets about 20MPG. That's better mileage than a Hummer, but it's also a lot less functional than a Hummer.

I don't own the car because I'm trying to prove something, I own it because it's a blast to drive. I could drive a Prius or Insight and be much more responsible. I choose not to.

Am I an "asshole"?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

74. You're not an asshole for that.

Anyway, Hummers aren't all that functional. A Jeep gets better gas mileage, can tow most things the average person would be towing and is good off-road (unlike the H2).

[coalition_unwilling]

88. Not sure where you land on the "asshole meter" but on the

"conspicuous consumption meter" you may score pretty much in the red zone.

[MercutioATC]

89. Yes, me and millions of other Americans.

That's my point. The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling truck in the U.S. since 1997. Millions of people drive them...

...and they get the same 18MPG that a Hummmer H3 does.

[coalition_unwilling]

94. No offense intended (about your conspicuous consumption), but

only making the point that all Americans (myself included) need to re-read Thoreau's "Walden." Thoreau went to the woods, he writes, to find out what was truly necessary to live. I'll grant you "Walden" is a bit of a myth -- Emerson and others were taking Thoreau weekly care packages at his cabin -- but it seems to me a vitally necessary myth these days.

[MercutioATC]

95. My point is that Hummer drivers are no more "guilty" than millions of

other American drivers.

The hate-fest makes no logical sense.

[coalition_unwilling]

96. Point well taken. I agree -- drive a '93 Nissan Sentra right now.

As for Hummer drivers' relative guilt, I would agree in general also. However, Hummer owners are at least guilty of having extremely poor aesthetic taste, imho, as the Hummer is a visual monstrosity, conjuring visions of Albert Speer on a bad day :)

[MercutioATC]

97. I agree. Hummers are UGLY...but, then again, so are Pontiac Aztecs.

I just hate to see a valid environmental issue turned into an illogical (and ignorant) "Hummers are evil" crusade.

[coalition_unwilling]

98. Yeah, I get your point. Something along the lines of:

"Hummers don't kill people. People who drive Hummers kill people."

Seriously, I agree with you 100% that it is illogical and hypocritical to single out one brand of gas guzzler for special opprobrium. But I have to tell you that they (Hummers) are really UGLY, the visual equivalent of fingernails scraping down a chalkboard.


Come to think of it, the anti-smoking hysteria also seems more than a wee bit overblown and hypocritical given that many of your most militant anti-smokers can often be seen alighting from their Escalades and Expeditions. But, hey, that's just me.

[MercutioATC]

101. Adding to the problem is the need some people have to customize Hummers

Huge spinner rims, tons of chrome. Maybe there SHOULD be a law against committing that degree of visual assault on innocent bystanders...

[LSK]

23. apples to oranges

Hummers are affordable to the higher end middle class by being priced around 60k. Bentleys and Maserattis sell for well over $100k and are much much rarer cars made for the real rich.

[MercutioATC]

54. You're speaking of the Hummer H3. It gets 18MPG.

The Ford F-150 gets 18-20MPG and it costs between $20k and $40k depending on options.

The fact is, you're complaining about a $60k car that gets 18MPG being too financially available while ignoring another car that gets the same mileage and costs 1/2 to 2/3 as much.

Wanna bet there's one hell of a lot more Ford F-150s on the road than Hummer H3s?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

24. You just KNOW those people are super aggressive & have problems...

Truthfully - those people scare me.

[MercutioATC]

53. If you believe you can "KNOW" a person by the vehicle they drive,

you're in need of some serious medication.

I don't own a Hummer for two reasons...I think they're ugly and I hate big cars. It has nothing to do with me being a better person, just as owning one doesn't have anything to do with being a lesser person. It's a preference.


I DO own a completely inefficient little car that gets about 20MPG but is a a lot of fun to drive. Am I any "better" because I don't own a Hummer?

[Ron Green]

87. Yes, you're a better person.

Your car is a high expression of the automaker's craft, while the civilan Hummer is a piece of crap that does nothing well. While your interest in fast and skillful driving may be a bit of an anachronism in the 21st Century, any harm involved pales next to the soul-stealing wretchedness of Hummer ownership.

[bunkerbuster1]

25. I decided long ago that my hatred of SUVs wasn't from jealousy

precisely because I never hated owners of exotic (and not-so-exotic, but still expensive) sports cars--I always thought the really expensive cars were/are kinda cool.

[BlooInBloo]

26. Objection: Significance, your honor.

Look at how many Aston Martins there are in the US.

Then look at how many Hummers.

And then look at the number of miles typically put on each per year.

Hummers are significant, Lamborghini's aren't.

Lots of other things are significant too. But Ferrari F40s aren't one of them.

[NoPasaran]

30. My main objection tto Hummers is they're hideously ugly

Whenever I see one I worry that I might be turned to stone.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

31. I Don't Get Mad At Anybody No Matter What Car They Drive.

To each their own and not one of us lives in a non-glass house (rhetorical).

[yppahemnkm]

39. Great reply.

[Faygo Kid]

32. It's a size issue, if you get my drift. . .

[bleedingheart]

33. Personally I don't like expensive cars at all

and that means those expensive to fuel or own....BUT that is my personal opinion. If people want to own an expensive gas guzzler...it is their right to pay out the nose..just don't cry to me.

I think cars are useful for one thing...getting from Point A to Point B. I see no point in expensive cars with fancy features. As long as it moves, it has air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter and a working radio (no CD players..etc)... I am happy.

I live in a neighborhood where the older folks who have homes paid for...have luxury cars that cost 4 times more than what they paid for their home back in the 1960's and while that is their right, once again...if they get screwed out of their pension or their healthcare costs increase...that luxury car is going to be worth squat.

[MercutioATC]

51. You're not a "driver"...there's nothing wrong with that.

I, however, am...as are many others. Unfortunately, at least a few "drivers' cars" are also less than economical.

Yes, it's an indulgence...and one that ultimately harms the environment to a degree. However, unless you're riding a bicycle, you're also harming the environment. It's just a matter of degree.

Ultimately, passenger cars (whether they be Honda Insights or Hummers) make very little difference to either the environment or oil dependence. If you want a worthy opponent, try commercial transportation and/or power production.

[devilgrrl]

34. Yeah, I see Astin Martins, Bentleys, Lambourghinis all over the place...

they're so commonplace, the road is just flooded with them. Who knew that there were so many around! :eyes:

DUer's are hypocrites! Whining about Hummers and utter silence where other cars are concerned. Why do they hate America? :sarcasm:

[bleedingheart]

36. depends on where you live

i worked in an area where those cars were commonplace...it was a hoity toity place.....

Some of those cars cost more than twice to three times what I paid for my home.... shudder....

[devilgrrl]

37. I'm sure they're common in places like Camden, NJ and Flint, MI

:eyes:

What I'm saying is that those kinds of vehicles aren't nearly as commonplace as Ford Explorers, HUMMERs, Chevy Tahoe's, Lincoln Navigators, etc... So what's the point of bringing it up?

[bleedingheart]

40. in some regard I think the poster is asking why all expensive

gas guzzlers aren't targeted...that would include the high end as well as even the low end sports cars that have really sucky gas mileage.

My husband was looking at this one car...turns out its "turbo" engine only got around 14 mpg..and even used it was around $24K...can't remember what it was...but it was a mazda...I think.

As for hummers...those are very pricey...and yet I see a lot of them around...and I can't help but ask..."what do those people do for a living?"

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

75. My "turbo" Saab gets 30+mpg on the highway at 80-85mph

What the hell Mazda only gets 14mpg? There's also a lot more hummers than Aston martins around.

[MercutioATC]

46. Westlake, Ohio...

Just another west Cleveland suburb and we have plenty of high-end gas-guzzling automobiles.

The point is that it's silly to single out Hummers when there are plenty of equally offensive vehicles on the road.



Wanna pick a villain? Try commercial trucks. They get absolutely horrendous mileage and they aren't subject to emission controls like passenger cars are.

[JerseygirlCT]

41. Sure. I don't get any of those guzzlers. But the Hummers are also UGLY.

[KansDem]

42. Aston Martins get lousy gas mileage? What would "Q" say?

I never joke about my work, 007!

[jsamuel]

43. stereotypes make people wrong

[MercutioATC]

55. Especially when they're based on ignorance.

The Hummer H3 is the only Hummer that's really in mass production. It gets 18MPG highway.

The Ford F-150 (America's best-selling truck from 1997 to 2005) gets between 18-20 highway.


Which is really the bigger offender to the environment and/or oil independence?

[Yollam]

58. Both of them are terrrible gas guzzlers.

One just happens to be more in-your-face about it.

The fact is the vast majority of people don't need these wasteful vehicles. If you can function in your daily life with a car that gets 35, 40, or 55 mpg, you should do so! Jesus Christ, don't people have any concept of civic duty, of living life in a way that it as beneficial to the greater society as possible anymore?

If you like to go camping with a big SUV once in a while, fine, go rent one for that occasion, but THAT IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE CAR FOR DAILY COMMUTING, ESPECIALLY ALONE.

Wastefulness for its own sake is UGLY.

[Solon]

62. The thing I don't like is this...

Usually truck owner actually USE the things as intended, at least half the time. SUVs, regardless of what form they take, aren't used at quite that often as intended. I also really don't like shoddy designs, like brakes that aren't upgraded for the SUVs to account for their greater mass. Also, another objection, the driver, I'm not talking about attitude here, I'm talking HANDLING. Taking a H3, a Durango, or a Suburban, and treating the damn things like cars is a recipe for disaster. They are too damned big, too top heavy, and too massive to be handled like cars. Personally, I think drivers of these vehicles should be given proper licensing, similar to Commercial/Trucker's licenses.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

76. The truck is more likely to be used for work.

The Hummer is more likely to be used by a soccer mom and a guy with a small dick.

[Sapere aude]

49. This should be really good, go getum you suv haters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JVS]

66. If one is going to guzzle gas, one should at least be doing so with style

:-)

[nicktom]

67. Living here in SoCal, I see many Maserattis, Ferrari's, and all

of the rest of the very expensive sports cars out there. Heck seeing a Porsche is so common I don't even notice them any more. Seeing Hummers is also very common. But for some reason the Hummers bother me. I never really think about gas mileage, just the fact they are so pretentious, so unnecessary, so unsafe to other drivers who might end up in their path. With the sports cars you can understand the fun they offer. With the Hummer you are in my opinion only trying to establish your ego.

[misternormal]

70. Well...

Used to be cars were more than just an investment... But I still can't see paying upwards of 50 - 60 thousand for a depreciating piece of plastic and alloy.

[AnOhioan]

79. I agree...

I have owned maybe 8 cars in my life...all bought used, for anywhere from $500.00 to $5000.00.

I never thought of my car as an extension of my ego. It is merely a tool to get from point A to point B.

My current vehicle, a 96 Saturn SL1 gets decent mileage and has a relatively low cost for insurance.

Buying new...a waste, given that automobiles depreciate the moment they are off the lot.

Buying a SUV (Stupid, Useless Vehicle) Equally a waste.

Granted I am single with no kids, but does someone really need a SUV or minivan to cart a kid or two (or even three) around?

The 4WD issue. Unless you live in an area that requires it (and my area does not) why buy one?

I see Hummers and huge SUV's everyday...and I just shake my head. There is no point in having one in my opinion, other than to say "Look at me!! I am successful! I am better!" The same thinking that goes into the purchase of a McMansion built on a former farm or woodland. Just ego.

Given the realities of fossil fuels and global warming and the safety of other drivers I just wish that more people would put their ego's in check and get a grip. Just my two cents.

[RebelOne]

80. There is nothing wrong with Hummers.

I just wish I could afford one.

[meisje]

85. Insert Clenis joke here

oops I said insert, hahahahahahahahahaha

[donco6]

103. At least with a Bentley, you're getting a quality vehicle.

I mean, if you're going to guzzle a non-replaceable resource, make sure you enjoy the ride. Buying a Hummer is like lighting a cheap cigar with a $100 bill.

[BiggJawn]

104. Bentleys and Aston Martins?

Not here in Corn country. It's the despised Hummers and stuff like Silverado Chevys, big Dodge RAMS (some with BumperBalls) and Ford F-250s and 350s with the back bed so clean you do a liver transplant there.

In other words, these are NOT "working trucks", they're Penis Augmenters. Or Testicle Augmenters, if they have BumperBalls or TruckNutz.


And the old farts with the Caddies and Lincolns and Jaguars with Flori-DUH license plates on them, too. Not only are they sucking down 3X the gas they need, they're also not chipping in for repairs on the roads they drive from April to November.