<snip> don't mean to pick on little cars, I've had my share. I just don't like abusing my car by making it do something it wasn't supposed to do. I've squatted my poor Jetta down too many times now - time for me to get a truck. And then I won't be fretting each time I fill it up with gear. I'm with you Joe. I'm surprised at how many PW'rs have bought into the campaign to malign SUV's. I thought you guys were more open minded. While I'd agree that the typical suburban mother of two living in LA, Chicago or most other places in the country doesn't need a 4WD truck to haul groceries, there is a legitimate use for SUV's. I've had nothing else for the past ten years, except for my 69 VW bus (which is parked each winter). There are many days when I couldn't even get out of my driveway, let alone up the road to my house, without 4WD. I have an old 85 Toyota Landcruiser (same year as Joe's dead Honda) which is still going strong after 165,000 miles. I bought it two years ago for $5,500 and could sell it for more today. Zero annual depreciation. Last summer I hauled a cataraft, six WW kayaks and a canoe on top (with 15 year old Yakima racks), five people and all our gear for a week's trip. Love those steel rain gutters- which are now nearly extinct on new cars. The road to the put-in and the shuttle are mandatory 4WD when wet. No way to do that in a Geo. I'm an appraiser and use the 4WD nearly every month getting to remote mountain properties on rough dirt roads. If you are taking more than two people an SUV is more practical than a pick up. They are usually basically the same frame anyway. It's much safer to carry extra passengers in an SUV with seat belts than in a camper shell. The Cruiser isn't fast and doesn't get 40MPG but it can also tow my canoe trailer loaded 12' high with no complaints. I personally also hate driving most sedans. My sea kayak is way more comfortable to sit in all day than the typical sedan. I drive rental cars often and can't wait to get back to my LC or Jeep. The height of my vehicle is also a deterrent to a lot of thieves. No one under 6' could even think about stealing my boat without a ladder. : ) I've rambled enough. I'm in favor of letting everyone choose his own form of transportation. I just hope the politicians and fanatics don't keep pushing this new "politically correct" anti SUV propagada down our throats. BTW I commute by bicycle often during the summer to average out my mileage which otherwise is about 14-15 MPG. FWIW the energy savings and resouce savings by keeping an old vehicle on the road are not insubstantial in comparison to the costs of building new cars. It also helps keep mechanics in business. So Sandy- get whatever you like. If you want more height go for an SUV-preferably well aged, or a pick-up truck. Walt Chudleigh Park City, UT *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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