12th Jul 2010, 18:52

I am glad that no one was biased when I was a young driver. At age 18 I got a school bus license driving school children, which enabled me to squeeze my college classes in after my morning run and afternoon. A perfect job, and I never had one problem. I was tested, got my license and joined the masses on the highways in an above average size vehicle.

My buddy drove a delivery truck for the local newspaper. I drove a 69 SS 396 Camaro 4 speed and my buddy had a 66 GTO he picked up for only $600 well before the whole Barrett Jackson craze today.

I drive the 3 miles to work today in a much smaller vehicle - a Trailblazer. Last winter in the Northeast it was the worst winter I can remember. I am thankful I did not have a 100 mile commute - in fact I would have quit if necessary.

The AWD is a really safe feature on the Trailblazer. The 4WD came in handy. The other plus, even with only the 3 mile commute, was co workers who bought foolish cars and could not make it to work. I have a few people that live by my neighborhood working at the same company. One owns a Solstice and it was totally unused. It's a plow at best, and guess who got called for a ride. I could ride a bike, or even walk to the front of the development, catch a bus and get nearly to work as well. But I do not want to.

It amazes me people think they make a lot more money driving 100 miles to work. Cars are the second most expensive purchase one makes after their home. Repairs are high with hourly rates and parts. I drove long distance for a good while and it is a pain. The real excuse I found was as tired as you are after commuting both ways, to plan or seek out an interview is the last thing you want to do. I was tired all the time, but finally found a closer job.

I love my new car; it's really a new car with hardly any miles on it. My family and I are home when it's still daylight and I leave in the morning 15 minutes before. I do not live in the inner city; it's suburbs and there are many companies and schools in the suburbs. All it takes is to not make excuses and 2-3 hour commutes that you do not get paid for, the car repairs you pay for, the depreciation and stress and less quality of life with family. I also feel less exposed in long commuter traffic in my SUV being minutes from work now. Every day driving hours you could be more likely to be hit.

If we have another bad winter like 2009, having a nice 4WD SUV will get you to work everyday and likely get a raise for not being late!

12th Jul 2010, 23:52

Hard to control?? Obviously you've never driven an SUV. A kid in a small car recently barreled through a stop sign in front of our large GM SUV in a pouring rain. The AAA traction-rated Michelin tires and huge anti-lock disc brakes made avoiding the crash a snap. Our smaller car would have hydroplaned right into him. Our SUV handles as well as our mid-sized sedan, if not better, and MUCH BETTER in the rain.

And we DO know the facts about SUVS:

1) They are MUCH bigger and heavier. Until the laws of physics are repealed, that means SAFER... PERIOD.

2) Most SUV's handle and brake very well. Many as good or better than small, poorly built cars.

3) They sit higher, making driving through flooded areas much safer and easier.

4) They are safe even in roll-overs IF DRIVER AND PASSENGERS are belted in. I've never heard of a properly restrained driver or passenger in an SUV rollover being injured...ever. The only serious injuries I've ever heard of in an SUV rollover were of irresponsible people who were not wearing their seat belts.

5) I don't buy the "big vehicle is at fault" argument for one second. I've NEVER seen an accident involving a small car and an SUV where the supposedly "better handling" small car driver was not at fault. In EVERY CASE I've SEEN the small car either ran a stop sign or red light, or veered into the path of the SUV.

I'd love to see some statistics on all these crashes "caused" by SUV's. Of course I know I WON'T because no such data exists. In two-car collisions the smaller vehicles are at fault MOST of the time.

13th Jul 2010, 08:23

22:24 Not everyone has the luxury of having their kids do their parents car repairs. If I worked til 4:30, an average day, and got home in traffic at 6, I prefer not to change oil and rotate tires. We were constantly shuttling cars in for service or sitting around. Mileage racks up quickly. If you do in fact live in such a remote area, everything is inconvenient, and even with a freezer, it's yet more running to stores. The suburbs I live in are not congested, yet close to everything.

When gas was nearly $4 a gallon a couple years ago it seemed senseless. I got out of the commute trap, and live in a nice middle class neighborhood with a half acre. When I lived further away because of the job, the yard was the same size. I remember taking 2 evenings to cut my lawn as it got dark before I finished. After driving so much, I had no issue walking and pushing a mower.

There's tons of excuses, but driving 100 miles to work is hard on a person and the vehicle. They wear out, and even if you get high mpg, it's a pain. You can run to Auto Zone, Napa etc and waste even more time picking up parts.

Even if you have to slightly downsize the quality of life is better no driving so far. I do not live in an inner city or work there; it's a nice suburb and not congested. I am glad I forced myself to not be a slave to a job and take my talents elsewhere. My wife and I both did it so it's not like it's impossible... if no excuses are there.

If you are making a lot more money, buy a Trailblazer SS or cooler vehicle if you love driving so much. That's the only justification I can see.

My home costs the same, I have less time, more repairs, so buy a cool car, convertible, sports car etc (kids are grown) if you would prefer driving vs. relaxing at home 10 minutes after leaving work, or hitting the gym and pool by my development now.