Are there fewer SUVs on the road?

[Sanity Claws]

This morning I looked around and believe I saw fewer SUVs on the road. Was that wishful thinking? Or are people starting to park their SUVs? I also believe I see more bicycles.
In case where I am makes a difference, my observations were in Seattle.

[huskerlaw]

1. Quite possibly.

I went car shopping this weekend (for a 2-door Toyota to replace my Nissan Sentra) and they told me to come back later. Why? Because there was a line FOUR HOURS LONG to test drive small cars.

I hung out in the waiting area for a bit and overheard "we're car shopping because we need to replace our SUV" far more than once.

Oh, and the salesman flat out told me they'd marked up the Prius by $5000 and there was a ginormous waiting list.

This is LA, where gas is over $3.50/gallon.

[Tripper11]

2. Funny you should ask....

I had dropped our car off at the shop and was getting a ride back from one of the guys and drove by a used car dealership and happened to notice the large amount of SUV's, particularly the larger version for sale there.
I wonder if the gas prices and maintenance of these behemoth's is finally catching up to some folks?

[Deja Q]

3. Reality bites.

I wonder if they realize if they've been played for as chumps?

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. There are new ones on the road here everday here in Motown.

I don't see it. All I see is more. :hi:

[huskerlaw]

5. Are you at $3/gallon yet?

Oddly, that seemed to be LA's tipping point.

I ride the subway 4 days a week and I swear ever since gas hit $3 the number of people who have been crammed on the subway has increased by the day. The train operators even make snide comments about it. As in: "Welcome to the Metro Red line, our final stop is North Hollywood. We hope you all have a very nice day, and for those of you who are sick of paying $3/gallon, welcome."

Now that it's $3.50, well...see post #1.

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Some stations, yes. Others mid 2.90's. I honestly think people here

don't care...as long as they have a charge card.

[huskerlaw]

8. The cards will max out eventually...

if they're not already.

I've been intrigued by the change in public transportation usage here (in SoCal, of all places, yikes!) and I'm hoping it will become a nationwide thing. We shall see, I guess.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. We don't have public transportation to speak of here. I posted a poll

on this in GD a few weeks ago. I think more would use it if we had it, but the bus system we have right now is unreliable on a good day.

[huskerlaw]

10. Well that sucks...

LA isn't exactly well known for its public transportation system (you'd be amazed how many natives don't even know there's a subway), but it does work for some people, anyway.

I think eventually people will be forced to get creative, be it buying a smaller car, setting up a carpool system, or figuring out how to make public transportation work for them (if at all possible). There's a lot of people who simply can't make it with $3.50/gallon (or higher) gas.

The unfortunate thing about selling the SUV for something smaller is that a) the resale value on an SUV is going doooown and b) the prices of small cars, particularly hybrids, are going up.

Eh, screw it...let's just impeach the bastard and lower the gas prices. ;)

[peacefreak]

6. I've been seeing alot of them with

FOR SALE signs on front lawns. Parked right next to hugh(:evilgrin:) ass RV's, also FOR SALE.

[devilgrrl]

11. I don't notice as many at the parking garage where I work

Good riddance to them!

[Aristus]

12. Not where I drive.

Still hundreds and hundreds of Chevy Suburbans and Hummer 2s lumbering up the freeway with their Bush04 stickers in the back windows.

These are people who spare little expense in order to give the impression that they spare no expense.

[Blue_Tires]

13. not in Virginia Beach