Anyone else have SUV buyer's remorse?

[CoffeeCat]

Ok, I realize I'm sticking my neck out, by asking this question. So, I understand
completely if someone wants to swing the hatchet. I probably deserve it.

However, I just have to ask if there are others out there who purchased cars that
don't exactly get good gas mileage and now regret doing so? As I watch
the price of gas rise, and I hear the horrifying forecasts--$4-$5 a gallon by
this summer--I feel that I'm being justifiably punished for my bad decision.

People purchase SUVs and trucks for many reasons. Some of them are legitimate
reasons. People haul things, need those cars for work or have larger families.

I'm not saying that buying an SUV is always a bad decision based out of
greed and vanity. However, often it is. In my case, it probably was.

This morning, when my husband and I woke up to the news blaring from our alarm-clock
radio, the first thing we heard was, "Gas prices are expected to soar in the coming
months, and reach four, possibly five, dollars per gallon." Without even turning
over, my husband said, "Jesus, Twosparkles, we have to get rid of that damn car."

Does anyone else have "gas guzzler" remorse as well? How are you coping with rising
gas prices? Have rising gas prices made you want to sell your SUV, truck or larger
automobile, for something more fuel efficient?

[mtnester]

1. No, I use mine

I drive to my first job, 12 miles one way...so not too bad of a trip. No sitting in traffic either

Additionally, we started growing our own veggies and reclaiming farmland for organic farming...so we use the crap out of the tow package and hauling in the bed.

And most important, I had not had the opportunity to test out the 4WD until this weekend's blizzard hit...I had NO problems....even climbing over the 4 foot lump of snow and ice the street plow lined up at then end of my driveway. I was in love.

So yeah, gas it expensive, but I also plan my trips and limit my driving anyway (simply because I am an anal person about time I guess)

I drive a 2006 Chevy as additional innformation..not a dually, not a diesel, but if I went in for the software patch I could run alternative fuel.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

2. Not me

In 2002 I traded in my 1995 Ford Ranger for a 2002 Ford Sport Trac... both get 19-24 mpg. Its great. On the model I got, the inside looks like the ranger(basic) but a lot more interior room.

[burythehatchet]

3. Ask me if I regret having purchased a Vespa in anticipation of $5 gas.

:)

[CoffeeCat]

5. You're the smart one!

I miss my Lime Green Honda Express!

How many mpg does it get? How much does it cost to fill?

You definitely get bonus points for buying a Vespa. Wise choice.

[burythehatchet]

36. 70 mpg. 1.8 Gal tank - about 5 bucks with $3 gas. n/t

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. How's that Vespa in 4' snow drifts?

(I'm thinking about getting a scooter, for when the thaw arrives)

:hi:

[shraby]

27. When there are 4' snow drifts, a sane person

waits for the roads to be cleared.

[DS1]

35. damn right

it's one thing to live in an area with bad weather and get 4WD, it's another to live in fantasy land

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

41. I'll wait longer than that ...

I'll wait 'til the temp gets into the 60's.

I'm a motorcycle wuss.

:hi:

But I'm starting to like the scooters. I just need one with big storage compartments, to drag my junk to work and back.

[burythehatchet]

37. Don't really have that problem in Atlanta.

Thoug I drive the Accord when it's below 40 degrees.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

42. I remember living in Georgia

Terrible cold winter, ice storms bending the big pines to the ground, can't walk or drive.

Good thing winter only lasts a week or two.
:rofl:

[YOY]

14. Ask me if I regret buying a more expensive house closer to work

Close enough to rely on public transportation or even bike on a nice enough day. I have to one up you!

And I'm not even that green!

[burythehatchet]

38. I'm as green as anyone, but I could not bring myself

to move to the suburbs from intown Atlanta. So my commute must continue.

[YOY]

40. This is where I live (or a landmark of close to it rather) in googlemaps

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Cinema+Drafthouse&near=Arlington,+VA&fb=1&cid=0,0,10914033064444632802&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

Pull back and feel the glory of a 30 minute commute once you realize just where I am. I have collegues who drive for an hour while for $3.35 I get there before I can finish reading the paper!

So they spend 20$-30$ in gas + parking a day and I spend $3.35. My house costs twice as much but the neighborhood is safe, the schools are above average, and the value is retained.

I put almost no miles on my 97 Buick Century a week.

It was SO worth it.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

4. We dumped ours for an Odyssey in December

Now we get 29 MPG on the highway instead of the 15.5 we were getting. And we have more legroom, more storage space, more seats, and better features. I will never buy an SUV again.

[Hepburn]

7. That is one great van....

...and, of course, it is made by Honda.

[CoffeeCat]

8. I wonder if SUVs will go the way of the dinosaurs...

...as more people turn from them--like you have.

There's a stigma attached to them now, that wasn't there before.

I've heard the Odyssey is a superb vehicle.

[Capn Sunshine]

31. They will go the way of the station wagon

giant dinosaurs that served our families well in the 50's and 60's.

[Hepburn]

6. I have a small SUV that gets great gas mileage...

...it is my second Honda CRV. The best car I have ever owned. It has approx the same interior area as a full sized Jeep Cheroke, but it gets about 28 MPG even with all the Calif smog crap on it.

Great sound system and a leather interior that looks like it is brand new even tho my little CRV is now 7 years old. I keep thinking about getting a new CRV...but then I ask myself why I should do this when the one I have is just so perfect.

I have driven all kinds of luxary cars and customized cars over the years and am a car nut...and I still say that I would take that Honda over anything I have ever owned.

[yardwork]

16. Another very happy Honda CRV owner here!

Mine is a 1999. It's got cloth interior and a lousy sound system. No frills anything - like a Civic inside - but I love this vehicle! It gets great gas mileage, it's safe, it's easy to haul anything in it, my teenage boys fit in the back and they can throw their backpacks into the cargo area.

It's been super reliable (knock on wood). I love it.

[Egnever]

19. I almost went that route

But oddly enough ended up with the weird looking boxy car. I absolutely love my Element! I don't do quite as well as you we get around 25 per gallon but we get almost 300 miles on a tank and its only 13 gallons so filling it doesn't hurt as bad as it could.

Like you I have never owned a better car in my life. 3 years young now and not a blemish and runs smooth as silk . The biggest bonus is if I decided I wanted to get rid of it. I can sell it for just a couple grand less than I bought it for. Best car purchase I ever made.

[Exilednight]

30. I have a little 4 cylinder tracker and I love it. Nearly 30 MPG.

[Uben]

9. I have no regrets

...but then again, I am financially secure. People in rural areas need a truck or SUVs to haul stuff. I have a motorcycle I use for those quick trips to town. It saves me about $5 a trip.

[Kittycat]

11. I love our Odyssey

The emperor above is my better half, and after much grumbling about the cost of buying another vehicle, we traded our Buick in December. Sadly we had to suck up the reality that our SUV, after only 3 years was worth only 1/3 it's original value at trade in. But we prepared ourselves for that. People around here aren't buying them anymore. However, we got a phenomenal deal on the Honda - $2500 under Invoice I think is where it worked out, on a new 2007 EX-L. It's the color we want, and has all the features we need plus some, including the most important - good gas mileage. Now I can store the big stroller, groceries, both boys - and still have room to tuck my ILs in when they visit. Did I mention cup holders, LOL? Seriously - there's like 12 of them or something crazy like that. Oh yes, and leg room - my 4yo can't kick the back of my seat anymore. YAY, mommy can drive without going completely insane!!!

I don't regret it one bit. We still try to limit our driving, but I don't have to feel guilty if I need to go across town or to a neighboring city anymore.

Oooh, and if you go that route, don't forget to ask for free stuff to seal the deal. We managed to get a nice cargo tray to line the drop-in in the back. Now I don't have to worry about the stroller muddying up the inside :)

[snooper2]

12. Have a 99 S-10 that gets 17.5 with V6...

that's what is for hauling...

This is what you get for gas mileage...

[DU9598]

13. No

I would love to have public transportation. I have considered a motor bike. But living in Iowa this winter, an SUV has been required fare for my job. My safety is important to me and mobility is very important for my job. Plus, it gets 18mpg in town, not much less than a nice sized car. I just wish the nation would invest in building electric powered engines.

[cali]

15. Just curious, why is an SUV required for your job?

I live in Northern Vermont in the mountains and I do fine with a Suburu Outback.

[bullwinkle428]

33. I live in Iowa and commute about 50 miles each way

for my job, and have been getting around great this winter with nothing more than FWD Honda Accord. I don't even use snow tires - just all-season performance tires. I think there were 3 days in total this winter where I didn't go to work, and only because all media were reporting "travel not advised" on those days.

I have to mention the large proportion of big SUVs and 4WD pickups that I've seen stranded in ditches (a couple of them had rolled over) along I-80, 380, and 218 several times this season. I'm still getting around 32 mpg overall...can't wait until the weather gets warm, and I'm back to around 38 mpg overall!

[izzie]

Heck I have been saying buy a car that uses less gas for years.

My ex worked on the Alaskan pipe line and you could see the writing on the wall. I never could figure out why the Xe's in the car co. did not see it. So much for all that high pay and education. Course the EU and Asia CEO's seemed to understand what was coming. Right now I have farmed out my old little car to my children to help them out. One is saving 100's a month with its use. Does any one recall the 70's and the gas problem then? I have been driving a smallish car since then and this one was as small as I could go. I also have never been into cars. I just do not care as long as they run and run cheap. I seem to be very un-am. in this way of thinking.

[SoonerPride]

23. Right there with you, izzie!

Agree 100%

[izzie]

47. When they were passing out the 'keeping up with the Jones'

stuff as a kid I did not get any of it. I do not know what happened with me.

[izzie]

17. Heck I have been saying buy a car that uses less gas for years.

My ex worked on the Alaskan pipe line and you could see the writing on the wall. I never could figure out why the Xe's in the car co. did not see it. So much for all that high pay and education. Course the EU and Asia CEO's seemed to understand what was coming. Right now I have farmed out my old little car to my children to help them out. One is saving 100's a month with its use. Does any one recall the 70's and the gas problem then? I have been driving a smallish car since then and this one was as small as I could go. I also have never been into cars. I just do not care as long as they run and run cheap. I seem to be very un-am. in this way of thinking.

[SoonerPride]

18. After the OPEC crisis of the 1970s we were told.....

That "the days of the gas guzzlers are over" as people switched to Honda Accords (which used to be REALLY small) and Mazdas and Toyotas that were tiny and fuel efficient.

Then the oil companies sold us gas BELOW MARKET VALUE for years, propped up by government tax breaks and rebates to offset what should have been market losses.

Anyone who travelled abroad noticeed that in Europe the cars were TINY. SUVs and behemoth gas monsters were nowhere to be seen because they were paying true market value for gas in the $4-5 range.

Imagine if we stop giving Exxon/Mobil and Conoco these government handouts and the TRUE market cost of gas hit our economy. We'd be paying upwards of $6 a gallon.

Ever since the early 80s I've been driving tiny Mazdas. The smallest ones they make. In 2006 I bought a Mazda3.

And I love it.

Sell those gas monsters and downsize before it is too late.

Trust me, you CAN live without an SUV. Even with a family. Really, you can.

[ctaylors6]

20. I consider gas mileage but never first. Safety and reliability more important to me.

I need to fit 4 carseats with shoulder belts, so that pretty much eliminates those little prius type cars. I also wanted airbags all throughout the back. We did get a minivan instead of an SUV though to help with gas mileage a little bit.

[sellitman]

21. The up side to high gas prices are SUV's in decline.

They are hard to see around on the road, pollute more than most other forms of transportation and are dangerous to others in accidents.

I wouldnt own one because I have more regard for the planet and my fellow traveler.

[zabet]

22. Mine technically is not a SUV..

it is a big 4 door 4x4
we use a lot being as we
live on a farm.
I drove it to Ohio and
back and averaged 23 miles
to the gallon. Not bad
for a big truck.
When I can, I ride the Harley
instead to save gas.

[redqueen]

24. No, I bought the car with the best mileage... that I could afford.

If I could I'd have got a Prius or other hybrid, but instead I got a little Kia Rio.

I can't deny the large amount of schaedenfruede I get, thinking of the SUV drivers who bought them for idiotic / vanity reasons. Love love love thinking about how now they (finally) have to suffer (a little) for their thoughtlessness, too.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

25. Nope. I Love Mine!

And should this be in GD?

[workinclasszero]

26. When gas costs 5 bucks a gallon

the resale value of SUV gas guzzlers will likely plummet as well. Sorry. I'd get rid of the SUV, ASAP.

So many people will be trying to get rid of them soon I bet. They will flood the used car market and have very few buyers.

I got rid of my 4x4 pickup a year ago when I saw the writing on the wall. My XB gets 30 mpg and fills up for 27 or so on 3+ dollar gas.

The next vehicle will get better mpg than that. That is going to be the only thing that matters in a short while, I figure.

[Kittycat]

28. See my #11 - already has.

My SUV was only worth 1/3 of it's value after just over 3 years.

Fortunately, even though the new van gets far better mileage - I'm close enough to the stores that I can walk when the weather gets better.

[ileus]

29. eh not so much....

eh not so much...



we picked up the X last year and it comes close (within 3mpg) of the mileage our Ford minivan did. Since my wife drives an average of 12 miles a day that's not too bad. The Jeep manages around two tanks a year so there's no impact of ownership for it. I drive my accord which manages 33mpg average.

I suppose we could go out and buy another econobox if needed and keep the X in perfect condition, but petrol will have to rise above the payment/insurance/taxes and such to make that attractive. So lets say 350 bucks a month minimum, that's a lot of 5 buck gas. Then take into consideration the new car would average less than double the X I don't see it happening.

[RedEarth]

32. No, cause I never bought one

I couldn't stand big SUV's or big trucks years ago and I can't stand then now. Van's, small trucks and small SUV's they're fine, but the big gas-guzzling road-hogs I've never been able to stomach.

[Catherine Vincent]

34. SUV buyers are like Obama supporters....

LOOK AT ME, YES WE CAN! :)

[ORDem]

39. Got rid of that remorse 5 years ago, we both drive Priuses, and now

working on a diesel conversion to a 4x4 that will allow us to burn veggie oil. A lot of people were amused when I bought the first Prius, but the gas savings (and tax break) more than paid for itself over that 5 years, plus the depreciation curve on these cars is very shallow. Just hoping they come out with a plug-in hybrid soon!

:kick:

[musiclawyer]

43. I sold my Santa Fe and got a Mazda6 in anticipation of $4 gas

This decision was made last summer, thinking about this coming summer. And the Santa Fe got pretty good mileage, about 23 mpg. The Mazda is a 4 banger, has ample power yet gets anywhere from 29 -32 mpg. I factory ordered the car because I wanted the Grand touring with a manual tranny to squeeze as much mpg as possible. There were none configured this way in CA.

[DevonRex]

44. Yeah. Kinda.

We make up for it by only having 1 car and using mass transit as much as possible, though. Luckily Denver has a great light rail system, which my husband uses every day. And I work at home so I don't have to drive anywhere. But we can get huge snowfalls here and frequently head to the mountains to ski. There are times when only an SUV can get you through safely. It's as much an issue of ground clearance as anything. Plus bigger tires with better traction.
We keep our cars for a long time. The Blazer is a 1999 and has about 275,000 miles on it. When we replace it we'll get some sort of hybrid, I guess. And luckily the choices are better now for hybrid SUVs.

[catnhatnh]

45. This summer I'm hoping to buy a Ford Expedition...

...and also a Ford Explorer. That way if they forclose on my house I'll still have a place to live plus a smaller summer place to vacation.....

[demokatgurrl]

46. People still drive those things?

When we are in the middle of a blood-for-oil war, when the Saudies have us by the short-and-curlies? To me it's a matter of national security, not to mention environmental stewardship.

Never had one, never will.