FUH2
 

Some people here have probably seen this site already:

FUH2

This website pretty much sums up my feeling for the H2. Does anybody really need a vehicle/status symbol this impracticle? With a 32 gallon gas tank that averages out to be between $60-70 per fill up (depending where you live). They don't even fit right in parking spaces. Not to mention the fact that very few see more offroad action than bad potholes on the freeway. The vehicle is the epitome of wasteful.

The H2 is not the only one though. Other Luxury SUVs like the Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, and Ford Excursion fall into the same category. What's worse is that they don't even do well in crash tests.

Interesting read: Big and Bad
Mostly refers to Ford vehicles but it makes some good points.

Many people have abandoned being safe for simply feeling safe. With all that metal (and lots of plastic) I must be safe, right?

To conclude this general rant, nobody really needs or should want one of these vehicles. Although I am curious if anyone owns or has considered owning a luxury SUV. I'm not looking flame anyone but just to see the other sides arguement.

P.S. I am aware of the thread in Lumberjim's user forum. I just thought I would expand a bit more in a separate thread.

I don't like the H2. I wish people wouldn't buy it, but I realize that I can't force my beliefs on other people.

My biggest problem with the H2 is that the government was giving out subsidies to people to buy one. That's seriously messed up. The government should have no business giving out subsidies, or else it should give out subsidies that promote a type of behaviour that is good for the country. Hybrids should get subsidies. SUVs should not.

I don't have one myself. I have a nice efficient 8 year old Nissan Altima (which still runs beautifully by the way). But my dad bought one of those behemoths about a year ago. I want to say he has an Escalade. I can't remember for sure because all those big luxury SUVs just run together in my head. In that year, he's dealt with Hurricane Isabel clean-up, supervised the building of a grand new house, moved out of the old house into this new house, helped my gramma remove a tree from her yard and moved some furniture up to me, all using this thing. It's nice to have around when you might need to haul a big load and it's much nicer to ride in than a rental truck.

On the flip side, doing all that stuff probably took no more than 10-14 days out of a 366 day year. He could've done with a much more managable car for those other 352 days, saving about $30 in gas every week. That $120 can pay bills elsewhere! And consider the size of the thing...I live in the DC Metro area and it's always amusing watching people try to get these things down the narrow and not-built-for-really-big-vehicle roads we have in downtown DC and nearby Old Town Alexandria. The roads in the older parts of the cities here were built back in the 1600s and 1700s for horses, carriages and foot traffic and can't be widened.

I see reasons outside of status symbols and out-doing the neighbors for people to buy these things. There are families with 4+ kids out there...not many but they are there. But for most I'd say its a colossal waste of money and gas. And time too. My dad has had to take that brand new Behemoth back to the dealer so many times for really stupid things (the windshield leaked water, the electrical system was faulty, the backdoor wasn't as automatic as advertised, etc, etc....etc). I just wish I had known he was looking around for one before he bought one. I'd have haggled him into getting a decent pickup truck if he planned to haul stuff around (and not a luxury pickup truck, which is a laugh by itself.)

I don't see a problem with them as long as they're used efficiently.

Clearly you've never lived in Utah Mormonland. Four kids is considered a good start out here. To have eight to ten kids is not uncommon. Scary.

And save your polygamy jokes, I've heard them all. And so have my wives.

my company just had us and our families for a 4 day event. i was the only loser with only 1 child. 4+ was the norm.

...more on-topic, though... I already posted my thoughts on the H2 here.

Thing about the H2 around here in the DC area, is that I've never seen a kid in one. It's a commuting car, not a family car. Usually just the lone driver in there. Sometimes somebody is riding shotgun.

Minivans are much more practical and efficient for families.

Nah, I've never lived in Mormon country. I just have in mind the average # of kids per family in the US...2.4 or 2.3 something like that. I know they exist, I have a couple of friends who are the eldest of 4+ kid families. Shoot, my mom was the baby of 16!

I just notice the use of H2s and other Behemoths as vehicles for the highway around here. And like glatt said, more often than not I see only one person in the vehicle...when I *can* see into the vehicle. If you wanted a tank, why not get a Volvo? They're expensive, if that's what you want, and get much better gas mileage. (I used to have a Volvo so I've got a touch of the Bias)

I'm one of four kids. An H2 would have been a waste of money and gas. We had station wagons and a minivan.

edit: consecutively, not concurrently, of course.

Originally it was written into law to try and stimulate business. The reasoning was that a compoany would buy a cube van or some such vehicle, but the wording was so broad that it allowed the SUV owners to get the same tax cut. It would be nice if they would amend that to be more specific about the intent.

No, nothing should get subsidies.:mad:
What are subsidies? My god damn money, that's what.:eek3:

Can't be as bad as taking out taxes to things that you don't agree with. :p

But that's my point, that's exactly what it is.:rolleyes: