Troubles fail to drive down Hummer owners' passion

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Source: AP

PINE GROVE, Pa. - They rumble in on treads called Super Swampers, wearing their hearts on their license plates.

"PLAYDRTY," declares one behemoth from New York. "HUM THIS," dares another, from Ohio.

The digital board fronting the Shell station at Exit 100 winks back: "Welcome Hummers!"

In the fading light, though, it's impossible to ignore the sign at the Sunoco across the road: Diesel, $4.97 9/10 a gallon.

You've got to be tough to love a Hummer. The soaring cost of feeding a vehicle that swallows a gallon every dozen miles is only part of it. Environmentalists, who've always had it in for you, are winning mainstream converts. General Motors, which presided over Hummer's transition from a badge of military bravado into a symbol of driveway excess, is looking to sell.

But tonight there's no apologizing or self-pity in the ranks of Hummer die-hards. They're here to goad machines that can top 5 tons over boulders the size of Smart cars, through stewpots of mud obscuring who-knows-what and across obstacle courses of stumps, logs and stones — it's "like riding a slow-motion rollercoaster," one says.

Maybe mega-SUVs are going the way of dinosaurs. Hummer sales have dropped 40 percent this year. But these beasts and the men and women who love them certainly don't behave like endangered species.

"I told my wife when we bought this, 'Honey, we're investing in steel and rubber,' says William Welch, a Philadelphia surgeon who, cigar clenched between his teeth, offers a guided tour of his lovingly tended jet-black H1.

"If it was $10 a gallon," he says, "we'd still be out there."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080726/ap_on_re_us/hummer_of_love

[donco6]

1. You can't cure stupid. eom

[Muttocracy]

29. yep, my grandfather used to say "you can't make brains" nt

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. If I ever had to drive a civilian Hummer

I think it would probably rank as one of the most humiliating moments of my life.

[tridim]

11. I'm humiliated even driving my economical Civic.

The only saving grace is doing lots of hypermilling to squeeze and extra MPG or two out of it. I'm noticing lately that it's starting to become second nature.

[eleny]

3. They're free to go broke

I get lousy gas mileage but hardly ever drive. I'm down only 1/3 of a tank after a month of driving. So you get the picture. I won't be going broke with my current car.

But if those big spenders want to keep on shelling out, they can keep at it. Only they won't have much of an impressed audience. They'll just look like jerks.

[TomInTib]

4. They have pretty much disappeared from the streets of Marin County.

And I used to see them all the time.

[tularetom]

5. Imagine their disappointment when they discover

after years of owning a hummer their weenie is still teeny.

and the car is the only hummer they're gonna get.

[MercutioATC]

6. They've made a lifestyle choice. It's their choice to make.

Some people travel. Some buy expensive home theater systems.

Some buy expensive cars.


I'm in the last category myself. Yes, my car only gets 17mpg, but it's pure joy to drive and that makes it worthwhile to me. It's not stupidity, it's a choice.

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. Its that choice that helped get us into the

shitstorm we are in now. People had the CHOICE to by gas guzzling vehicles, even when they could afford to get sensible fuel efficient ones. Now everyone pays because of amerika's greed and self absorption. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should.

[carlyhippy]

41. Some people don't have a choice, they have to have a big vehicle

maybe not some of the hummer drivers, if they are driving their hummers only on the freeway and living in california, say where it's warm and no snow...then maybe they are being self-absorbed, but the last I checked, we all have the choice, that is what our country's freedom is about. If someone wants to pay an extremely high price tag for a piece of plastic and metal that is going to cost a fortune in insurance and gas, then just smile and think....it sucks to be them.

They are not the ones causing the shitstorm we are in. It's the gas/oil people and our govt who has their hands in their pockets....the trucks that bring the food to the supermarket, the clothes to the stores, etc...are they to blame, also, because 18 wheelers are also gas guzzlers.

[erpowers]

45. Not Just the Fault of Hummer Owners

The position that America and the world are in is not just because of Hummer owners. There are a number of people who support the idea that speculation is part of the problem with high oil and gas prices. There are a number of people who have claimed that oil prices should actually be $60 a barrel. In additon, it seesm that part of the problem with high oil prices is the weak American dollar. So it is mainly the bad policies of the Bush Administration that have caused this problem. If you would like to blame Hummmer owners for the fact that Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq you would be wrong. Iraq was not just about oil. It was about being able to maintain some form of control over that region. So, once again the reason for the problems we are currently having is the Bush Administration.

[Tab]

9. Choose a classic !!!

For under ten grand, you can get a great vehicle. I have a '78 MGB, cost me just under $5k to buy and get shipped, and I dumped some more money into it, but it'll turn more heads than a BMW Z3 ever will. You can buy a classic Rolls Royce for under $15k, and many others. The MG's more practical because parts are more plentiful, but you could have a jag or a RR or whatever for not a whole lot of cash, and it's way cooler than a Honda Solera or whoever makes those damned things.

[MercutioATC]

15. 2001 Audi S8 - $21.5k two years ago.

It doesn't turn heads, pure stealth power :)

[CRF450]

18. Hows the fuel milage on those S8's?

My 01 Trans Am gets around 22-23mpg, and has reached 31mpg on a 700 mile trip. Its a powerful car too;)

[MercutioATC]

24. 14 city, 21 highway. I average 17mpg.

360hp, 4000 pounds of luxury and power. Corners like it's on rails, too.

Imagine your living room at 155mph.

[CRF450]

32. Have you checked out the new Pontiac G8?

I test drove one about a month ago, its not quite a luxury car like your S8, but its a DAMN NICE ride! I wish my dad would buy one of those to replace that POS crown vic he has. I'd pick one up if I can but, I already have the T/A, and a 4x4 Dodge Dakota crew cab. Other than work, I use the truck if I really need the passenger space, or if wanna haul the dirtbike to another place, or just off-offroading. Thats my gas guzzler pretty much, averages just what you're S8 is getting.

I'v never gone that fast in a car that big, I'v topped out the T/A at 165mph 4 or 5 times, but that pretty much it.

[MercutioATC]

34. A friend's looking at one...if he gets it, I get to drive it :)

It looks like a fun car...I'm just concerned about reliability.

I honestly did consider getting a more sensible vehicle for my 45-mile (round trip) commute, but decided that I'm willing to pay for the enjoyment of driving the S8 back and forth to work. It's a quality-of-life issue for me.

[Tab]

19. Ah, man! For half that money you could have a bugeyed Sprite or a MGA 1600

I'd put my money here, on a 1960 Austin Healey bugeyed sprite:

http://www.britbits.com/html/sales/1960Bugeye_CK6.07/1960Bugeye_CK6.07.html

[MercutioATC]

25. They're sweet cars.

I have an '83 911 for times when I get nostalgic. Quick, light car with none of the amenities...a blast to drive.

The S8 has spoiled me, though. It's the most fun, most capable car I've ever owned...and it's cheap (to buy, not to fill).

[Tab]

26. Well, I have two cars (and my wife has the minivan)

My "real" car is a Saab.

My "surreal" car is the MG.

I love the Saab, they're great, but damn, there's nothing like getting into a MG, or other LBC ("Little British Car") to take the edge off your day. I guess a Carerra would do it to, except I suspect the parts are kinda pricey.

As long as you have a way to get away... that's all that counts.

[MercutioATC]

27. Agreed. There's nothing like a brisk drive through some twisties to clear one's head.

:thumbsup:

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. "It's not stupidity, it's a choice."

The two are not mutually exclusive, you know?

[MercutioATC]

17. True, but making an informed choice that others don't agree with isn't "stupidity".

If they enjoy the vehicle and can afford to fill it, how is that stupid?

If they whine about the price of gas, THAT'S stupid.

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. I was merely commenting on the false dichotomy

I have no comment on the morons who buy Hummers.

[donco6]

37. And it's our choice to make fun of them.

Works both ways.

I was at an art show several months ago. A man there had on display some beautiful wooden boxes he'd made - all unique. As I admired one, a younger fellow came up and started banging them open and closed. The artisan scowled and asked him to be careful, please. The boy shot back, "I can afford them!" As if being able to pay for what you've destroyed is the end of the matter. But the fact is, when you've created something unique . . . irreplaceable . . . exchanging it for cash is just not enough. You have to connect with the person who's buying it - to know that it's going to be given a place of honor and treated with respect.

But if you can afford irreplaceable petroleum, I guess you can buy 10 Hummers.

[Pale Blue Dot]

39. A choice is a choice. And everyone's free to make them.

But choices can be stupid or wise. Just because you make a choice doesn't make it a good one that's above reproach.

[sagetea]

40. Yes everyone is free to make a choice

But remember, with every choice there is a sacrifice, and we have to determine what sacrifice we can live with.

[Tab]

7. The local Hummer dealer here was running ads leasing for $259 a month.

I think they're having trouble giving them away.

I wouldn't want to be a Hummer dealer in this economy.

[bulloney]

10. Cost of owning and operating a Hummer aside, I never could see the appeal of those things.

They look like an oversized chest you keep up in your attic. And their prices start at what - around $50,000?

If their owners want to fork out all of that money, hey, it's your choice. But don't piss and moan when the costs of operating one of those things reaches your threshold of pain.

[LiberalFighter]

13. Still be out there at $10 a gallon? That would require $320 to fill up.

How often would he be out there at that price?

[DailyGrind51]

14. Two kinds of people still drive these things:

Inadequate men who are just afraid to drive in a little snow and "liberated" women who need to ride higher to really feel equal.

[CRF450]

16. I dont see the point in bashing Hummers, honestly,

I mean come on, compared to other SUV's and trucks you'd see on the road, you'll only see a Hummer once in a while. My brother has a 19 foot Bayliner boat with a 4.3 v6 (same engine used the chevy s-10's, and they average up over 20mpg in that vehicle) Turning optimum speed/fuel usage to mpg, it gets around 8mpg. But hey, its a boat, and they almost always use a shit load of fuel, but there damn dun to ride in! He can pretty well afford it, so its his to keep and use it whenever he please. My pleasure ride is my YZ450F dirtbike, it actually a bit of a gas sipper dispite being a fast, powerful ligtweight machine!

[Tab]

20. Mileage

When my dad passed away, a friend of my brother wanted to come, but couldn't get a flight, so a friend of his lent him his Hummer (this would have been, I think five years ago, but I'm embarassed to not actually know). Anyway, even at $1 something a gallon, it was more expensive to drive from New York than to fly. He averaged 8 MPG and it cost him a fortune.

[bumblebee1]

48. Ah!!! Your brother was passing everything but a gas station. n/t

[Tab]

47. We were *this close* to bashing you brother

but now that you bring it up, we won't...

[cliss]

21. My wish for the Day:

that all HUMMER owners hang on to their lovely vehicles. Hold on, all the way into the 11th Hour, just hoping that gas prices will once again come down.

Keep making the monthly car payment, LONG after it's possible to sell that baby.

About 6 months from now, the market will be flooded with Hummers that no one wants.
...then.....
their rage will take the form of trying to find someone to blame.
Bush will still be in the White House! :smoke:

[Tab]

23. Lost you on the last part, but we could give them to the troops

probably better than the crap they're driving around in now...

[CRF450]

33. WHAAAAAT?!!

The Humm-V is 5x better than those POS posers on the public roads even though fuel milage is worse.

[jaybeat]

46. Support the troops... DONATE your HUMMER!

I've always wanted to see that on a bumper sticker!

[madrchsod]

28. the local bison ranch owner has one

as does the local road construction contractor. those are the only two people i have seen that actually use the hummer for their work. everyone else is either the "mr macho hummer driver" or the "lady hummer 3 driver".....

[ellie]

30. Yea, it's so cool to waste money.

[Q3JR4]

31. There's a yellow hummer that

used to move around these parts (*sigh* Idaho, but perhaps Canada someday if I can find a willing gentlemen--or, let's face it, lady--friend ) that had "sermon-ator" on it's license plate.

I think he's sold it.



Q3JR4.

[Doctor Cynic]

35. dupe

.

[undeterred]

36. Meanwhile, those who worked on the Hummer line at the GM plant

in Janesville, WI are soon to be out of a job.

[Pale Blue Dot]

38. Hey, penises don't grow on their own!

Some men need a little help.

[lonestarnot]

42. Lack of penis now watch me drive. Deedeefuckingdee.

:rofl:

[erpowers]

44. More Female Hummer Drivers

There are actually more female Hummer drivers than men. A Hummer representative confirmed to me that the ratio of women to men driving the H2 was 2:1 and the ratio of women to men driving the H3 was 4:1. I think the reason why some people still buy Hummers is the fact that they can afford both the vehicle and the gas payments. In addition, the people who still buy the Hummer probably like it for the status and style of the vehicle.

[flvegan]

43. Again?

They're enthusiasts, people. This is a Hummer club. They obviously put their expendable money into their driving passion. Just like the Ferrari clubs, the offshore powerboating clubs, etc.

These folks just made a mistake of choosing a big, shitty "truck" to be in lust with.