SUVs will wind up going to poor people

[eridani]

I grew up in a family made poor by medical debts in the 50s, and we always drove Cadillacs and Lincolns--10 or 15 year old Caddys or Lincolns, that is. They were dirt cheap, somewhere between $100 and $300. Even back then no one wanted a really used luxury car, and sometimes "gas wars" would knock the price down to 13 cents a gallon, so mileage wasn't an issue.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/90962/?page=entire

Many of the oldest, least expensive gas-guzzlers may end up parked with those families who can least afford to feed them. Perney expects used SUVs to move well down the income scale: "Historically, poor folks have big old cars because they depreciate fast, yet they are tough enough to keep on going. Keeping them running is actually cheaper for everything other than fuel and oil, because they're rugged and generally understressed mechanically. The luxury doodads and electronic gizmos are expensive to repair, but you can usually get by without them."

If fuel costs keep rising, they could overwhelm those other expenses. Nevertheless, many low-income earners are familiar with having to pay heavy recurring bills because they can't afford big one-time costs up front: Some pay outrageous weekly or daily rents for lousy housing because they can't afford high deposits and advance rent, or are ripped off by check-cashing outfits because they can't put up the minimum deposit for a checking account. Similarly, if the more fuel-efficient vehicles end up with the least affordable price tags on used-car lots, cash-strapped buyers may end up stuck with big, cheap trucks or SUVs. The question of how to keep them running will have to be left for another day.

<snip>

Some folks thinking of doing things differently--

In dealing with the aftermath of the SUV boom and bust, some creativity is needed. Maybe a worthwhile complement to the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve would be a Strategic Light Truck Reserve. All of those orphaned SUVs and macho pickups could be rounded up, mothballed and designated a public resource. Then over the coming decades, they could be doled out a few at a time to communities, to be shared by all residents for necessary hauling, towing and traveling in larger groups. Because most people need the greater capacity of SUVs and pickups only rarely, such vehicles would seem to be ideal candidates for joint-ownership or sharing arrangements.

Tracey Axelsson is executive director of the nonprofit Cooperative Auto Network (CAN) in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is the oldest car-sharing co-op in the English-speaking world. By offering pickup trucks in its fleet, CAN manages to fill members' occasional hauling needs while helping reduce the number of large vehicles on the road. Axelsson hopes "that the old adage is changing -- that 'The only thing better than owning a truck is having a friend that does' will become 'The only thing better than sharing a truck is spending the money you save from not owning one.'"

[elehhhhna]

1. but they can stretch out to sleep in 'em when gas prices make 'em homeless

try lookng on the bright side

I've read of the hell that was predicted on our highways when these rollovermobiles aged and hit the teen-boy aftermarket. Maybe they'll just go away.

[Angela Shelley]

2. Many SUV drivers will keep them as "status symbols"

and to protect themselves from the pedestrians, bikes, and scooters which will soon be filling the streets.

[carlyhippy]

3. oh well...I am already ahead of the masses, then

I am in debt and own a mid size SUV. The joint ownership/sharing arrangements/coop auto network sounds like a good idea.