Hummer coming down under
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Not really a major WTF, but struck me as somewhat odd that Holden appear to be convinced that there's success to be had in bringing in a gas guzzler, given the current price of petrol here. Hopefully idiots^H^H^H^H^H people who buy a Hummer won't be whinging about the running costs, like the average Soccer Mum does.
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When making a decision about which vehicle to buy you need to take into account what capabilities you need in the vehicle. Granted, most people that buy SUVs have no intention of going off-road and I'm not talking about driving down a gravel driveway or across the grass in your back yard. But that does not mean that the person who does need a truly off-road capable SUV should not have the option to buy one.
The H3 is a true off-road capable machine unlike most SUV's out there. It also supposed to get around 20 MPG which is decent for a mid-sized SUV. If you truly need to drive off-road and you need to carry some cargo then the H3 should be considered. When I was looking for an SUV that met these criteria I looked at a lot of SUVs. Most of the modern SUVs out there have car based suspensions that look like toys compared to the H3 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee that I bought. You can buy a lot of gas for the cost of repairing the average SUV if you were to take it off-road.
The true WTF here is people that feel the need to protect us from being able to make reasonable choices just because they don't see the need for the choice. Let the market decide.
Bernie
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OMGWTF! Why would anybody ever need a real off road vehicle in Australia? It boggles the mind.
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I guess Australian men are lacking "down under" ;-)
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quit whining already:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=1.40+euro+per+litre+in+usd+per+gallon(in the Netherlands)
I wonder if the people who buy such road going monsters have thought about what happens to pedestrians or bicylists they hit with this legalised armored personnel carrier.
Also, I resent the fact that some people feel they have the right to use such a huge amount of the limited fuel supply we have left, and contribute much more to air pollution than they really need to, even though they pay for it. They pay the oil companies and the government, but not the rest of mankind they are screwing by doing so.
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[quote user="Sparky2"]They pay the oil companies and the government, but not the rest of mankind they are screwing by doing so.[/quote]
Gas is taxed quite a bit in many places.
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[quote user="smbell"]OMGWTF! Why would anybody ever need a real off road vehicle in Australia? It boggles the mind.
[/quote]<rant>That's the problem (yes, I realise that 58.67% of statistics are made up on the spot) but my experience has been that the vast majority of 4WDs don't ever go out of the metro area, let alone off-road.
And then there's people like David Koch whining on public telly that it costs him over AUD$100 to fill up the wife's guzzler. I try my best to drive a small economical car, only when I have to; I accept that the price of petrol is high, and I have tried to adjust accordingly. My problem is with people who buy 4WDs, without any intention of leaving the metro area, and subsequently complain about how expensive it is at the pump.
And of course there's everyday hassles, be it down the road at the school that I have to go past on the way to the Park and Ride, or at the shops, where SUV owners (again, in my experience, as well as my mates) appear to believe that since their vehicle is larger / their offspring are the most important people in the world, they can hog the road any way they see fit.</rant>
Sorry, had to get that off my chest. Feel free to flame away...
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It comes down to status. If someone can come up with a way of making fuel-efficient vehicles or public transport into status symbols, then shallow people will start using them. Till then, they'll go on buying trucks and tanks to carry their precious princess half a mile to school every day...
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[quote user="Sparky2"]
I wonder if the people who buy such road going monsters have thought about what happens to pedestrians or bicylists they hit with this legalised armored personnel carrier.
[/quote]
Surely getting hit by an Accord is a lot less painful than getting hit by a Hummer.
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Quit complaining, Aussies! After all, we adopted your big beer! You don't hear us complaining...
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[quote user="donazea"]
My problem is with people who buy 4WDs, without any intention of leaving the metro area, and subsequently complain about how expensive it is at the pump.
[/quote]
My turn for a similar rant :P
I agree. Any other Aussies seen the "GE Money Genie" ad where the guy "wishes he had a bigger car"? They have 2 kids, and it appears they are going to the beach (for the day by the looks). So they go from their Honda Civic hatchback (that fitted the kids and 98% of their luggage comfortably) to a Toyota Landcruiser (with 7 seats). Talk about cracking a nut with a sledgehammer.
The big issue is that this ad reflects actual attitudes to metro people. It scares me to drive in Sydney now, not because of traffic, but because I realise that about 40% of that traffic is people that don't seem to have a brain.
At least when I see 4WD's where I live, I know they are used offroad. Most run on Deisel too, not petrol, and most are bought as tools not toys.
Edit: I can see potential for the Hummer here... Trouble is most people that buy it are likely to think a good gravel road is "off road", and they'll be highly unlikely to use it for it's real purpose.
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I think this is great. As a proud and patriotic Australian I feel it's the right of every fat, 40 something, mildly psychotic man to burn a few litres of fuel driving two or three blocks to buy the Murdoch owned newspaper of his choice, just like any other fat, 40 something, mildly psychotic American^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hustralian.
All you whingers complaining about the damage these vehicles do are just pathetic. When the weather used to get cold, you'd complain. Now it's warming up a bit, guess what? You're still complaining. It's not worth trying to please some people.
And if you're worried about what happens when one of these hits your stupid little suzuki charade, you should have thought about it when you went and bought the poofta pinko buzz box in the first place.
Worried about what happens to cyclists? Get off the bloody road ya flamin' gallah!
These vehicles have a use. They're for driving on rough terrain. Have you seen the condition of the roads in Toorak lately? There shocking! You might be happy driving a 12 cylinder BMW on them, but I'm sure as hell not!
It's people like you that just prove you don't need to have a long neck to be a goose.
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[quote user="tin"][quote user="donazea"]My problem is with people who buy 4WDs, without any intention of leaving the metro area[/quote] ...
I can see potential for the Hummer here... Trouble is most people that buy it are likely to think a good gravel road is "off road", and they'll be highly unlikely to use it for it's real purpose. [/quote]I own a Jeep Wrangler. MTR tyres, two internal fuel tanks, blah blah etc. I've owned it for 4 years from brand new and although it has traveled further than most, it's odometer does not reflect that - since the trips are long range but infrequent.
Out camping once, another suburban pair asked us if they could follow along in their own 4WD into the state-forest we were going to have a look round. They turned back all of a couple of kilometres into the trails because we had hit the point where we were just about needing 4WD but they "didn't want to scratch their car"... I was speechless. They had no kids and absolutely no reason for having the monster they'd bought.
Personally, I would support a 300% increase in the cost of fuel. It would make it safer for me, since I ride a motorbike most of the time.
I hate 4WD owners, even though I am one. I should become Jewish.
