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Why do people love SUVs so much?
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Brand new SUV = 7 fixed seats (well, maybe the rear row folds down these days), 90mph limited, AM/FM Casette, $35,000, cloth.
1989 minivan = 7 seats 5 of which are removable with ease, 120mph top of range, MP3 CD, $1300, vinyl (same damn thing as leather kthx)
Thoughts? Comments? Observations?
DragonMasterAlex
Banned
You know, that bit about RWD being cheaper than FWD for repairs is actually not true. I do all my own labor on my cars, and I can tell you that while FWD is somewhat more difficult to work on in many instances (space is tight when you've got the engine, tranny and your axle halfshafts all in the same hole), but they're no more expensive.
Jason
clickynext
Platinum Member
😀 Love my wagon.
Look Jason, there are no "halfshafts" on a RWD car. Just $10.00 U-Joints. There are no $200.00 electric motor driven radiator fans. They're driven by a cheap fan belt basically for free. Most RWD vehicles do NOT have a stinkin' timing belt to replace at 70K miles, and most FWD cars do. I already know how hard it is to access parts in a FWD, which is why labor is far more if you don't do it yourself. Even if you do, who needs or wants the aggravation, when it's simple enough to buy a RWD in the first place!
PlatinumGold
Lifer
BS, you rarely ever need AWD, and most people that have it thinks it makes them invulnerable to weather conditions. it's strange how you see so many SUV's in accidents in bad weather. hmmm, is it possible that it's high center of gravity neutralizes the AWD if you try to take turns too quickly? hmmm, is it possible that the high center of gravity means sidewinds are more prone to take you off the road even WITH AWD??
AWD is a small part of safe winter driving, but for pete's sake, learn how to drive that POS before going around as if you can't get stuck with an SUV.
oh ya, and finally, AWD does NOT HELP WITH BREAKING. how many wheels are powered is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT when you are trying to STOP THE VEHICLE. the same 4 wheels are touching the ground and the same 4 wheels have brakes whether or not they are powered.
exdeath
Lifer
Heh I agree that generally FWD is harder to work on. On my Camry I have to remove all but the front fender to replace the water pump and beat apart the whole suspension just to get to the clutch...
But my RWD Cobra isn't much more fun... I have a choice of removing the brake system (ie: master cyl and all its friends , booster, ABS, etc) or drop the lower engine mounts and members and jack the engine up... just to pop off a valve cover...
Freejack2
Diamond Member
All I know is I don't want one. SUV owners are getting reamed at the pumps right now paying between 2 and 3 times what I pay to go the same mileage. Also I wouldn't want to be in one of those behemoths in the winter, I've seen people driving them in the snow, they handle worse than my car.
The greater question is why should I give a fvck what someone drives and vise versa?
-For the pet owners: Is the money spent on pet food not better spent on food for the homeless? How much fuel is wasted in the production and transportation of pet food?
-For those who vacation: Isn't this a waste of money and fuel? How do you get to your vacation destination? What fuels the cruise ship?
And on, and on, and on............don't make fuel an issue when so much is wasted elsewhere than at the pump.
For the most part, everyone could get by with the cheapest, most cost efficient car available. Some, but not all people can get by without a car. Anything over barebones is a luxury item no different from the SUV class of vehicles that is so frequently bashed.
-For the pet owners: Is the money spent on pet food not better spent on food for the homeless? How much fuel is wasted in the production and transportation of pet food?
-For those who vacation: Isn't this a waste of money and fuel? How do you get to your vacation destination? What fuels the cruise ship?
And on, and on, and on............don't make fuel an issue when so much is wasted elsewhere than at the pump.
For the most part, everyone could get by with the cheapest, most cost efficient car available. Some, but not all people can get by without a car. Anything over barebones is a luxury item no different from the SUV class of vehicles that is so frequently bashed.
Not getting into another SUV argument. Buy whatever you like, I really don't give a flying sh!t. Though if I get in an accident with, or because of an SUV, I am going to do all in my power to sue.
I need awd for the roads I drive.
Labor prices are the same in a shop if you bring in a RWD or a FWD or AWD. I have never seen prices in a shop change because of the drivetrain configuration of a car.
Labor prices are the same in a shop if you bring in a RWD or a FWD or AWD. I have never seen prices in a shop change because of the drivetrain configuration of a car.
Labor rate stays the same, but the hours it takes to do a particular job vary by the car. Pulling the rear plugs in a sideways mounted six cylinder, can be a MAJOR addition to that time, for just one example.
Labor rate stays the same, but the hours it takes to do a particular job vary by the car. Pulling the rear plugs in a sideways mounted six cylinder, can be a MAJOR addition to that time, for just one example.
The repair bills on my pair of Chevy caprices and Crown vic was around the same for all repairs on my other FWD and AWD vehicles. From tranismission replacement to fuel pumps to windshield wiper motors. If you bring your car to a shop that claims it takes a tremendous amount of time to fix a fwd or awd car, then you went to the wrong place.
I had to pull the plugs on my H4 motor in my subaru. Aside from removing the airbox and washer fluid container, it took me no longer to replace them than on any other car I've owned. Wasn't as easy to get the socket into place, but it really wasn't that much harder.
I know what you're saying about thoes stupid sideways mounted 6 cyl motors though. Like the one in the older Chevy Luminas. That is just bad design.
PlatinumGold
Lifer
i love how you personalize this and ignore the rest of the discussion. if you REALLY need AWD for where you live, more power to you. MOST of the discussion is regarding those that DON'T need the SUV and drives them anyway, but if you are so insecure that you take what i post personally and have to make the statement than you NEED the AWD, more power to you.
it doesn't change anything i've said tho.
i love how you personalize this and ignore the rest of the discussion. if you REALLY need AWD for where you live, more power to you. MOST of the discussion is regarding those that DON'T need the SUV and drives them anyway, but if you are so insecure that you take what i post personally and have to make the statement than you NEED the AWD, more power to you.
it doesn't change anything i've said tho.[/quote]
I love how you take my post personally and then say I'm insecure. Calm down, unbunch your panties, I'm not dissing your argument in anyway. I was strictly stating that I need the awd capabilities where I drive. I'm taking for granted that your statement is true, and I am stating that I am an exception to that statement.
Don't look further into the post than the 8 words I posted. You might come off as insecure and confrontational. Oh wait, you already did.
Grand Caravan seats 7, can pull the rear seats out for a near cargo van sized area. Has the towing package, and gets better gas mileage than an SUV. I just laugh when I can barely see the driver of larger SUVs, and then realize it's some tiny female that has to be on a couple of phone books with the seat almost on top of the wheel.
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
Meh, you guys don't bother me either. I'm just glad that people are starting to buy cars again instead of SUVs.
rh71
No Lifer
Of course this is correct but people don't experience this 1st hand until it's too late. Much of the SUV accidents are from failing to stop, usually because of their added weight and sometimes because they're driving like gangbusters in the first place. People just need to be educated - practice in an open lot and learn what their vehicle can do.
There are just as many sports cars driving recklessly in the rain, on top of the times they do it on dry land.
2cpuminimum
Senior member
Popularity of SUVs is partly determined by the fact that most of the advertising expenditures go towards advertising them instead of other, more practical vehicle. Then there is the fact that there is very limited consumer choice in the vehicle marketplace these days. If you buy a vehicle at random, and many people do, then chances are you got an suv.
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