Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 10:04:43 -0500 From: tom reingold <trn244nopsamnline.net> Subject: Re: Convince me!
On 1/16/2003 4:19 PM:pablo wrote > "Gary Fritz" <fritzxxxnopsamrii.com> wrote in message > news:Xns93058B4679C4Dfritzfriicomnopsam17.128.40... >> >> Trust me: as someone with a 9-5 wagon (Aero) and only *2* kids, a 9-5 >> wagon wouldn't do him much more good than a Viggen. It's tiny. ... > > I wonder when people started to need as much room in their cars for kids. > It's the excuse everybody uses for the SUVs, too. Makes me wonder how my Mom > managed with a VW Beetle (the original) and 3 kids. We did alright. Even > when my Dad came along. And he had a coupe - and the whole family would fit > in there, too. Granted the whole childseat thing was not in effect. > > ...pablo > > Not only that, there are more flaws in the popular logic. The most popular type of SUV is what the industry calls the compact SUV, which does sound like an oxymoron, but never mind. Some vehicles in that class are the Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder. They are all about the same size. These trucks offer about the same amount of seating room as a midsize sedan. Their luggage capacity is not that much more than an average car, either. We compared the Nissan Pathfinder (which my ex-wife bought) with the Saab 9000S we had. The Saab had more room in the rear seats and only slightly less luggage capacity. These vehicles are big because of their chassis, not the interior space. Furthermore, I think about what people in other countries do. I suppose they get by carrying less crap in their cars, but they don't have smaller families, nor are the people smaller. Somehow, they get by. Everything has to be bigger and better. It's like an arms race, keeping up with the Joneses. Did you know that the average house that an American family buys is now twice as big as it was 50 years ago!? Some of that seems worthwhile, when I consider the extra bathrooms and closet space. But those grand foyers, family rooms, fireplaces, and patios that don't get used are pretty silly and expensive. OK, sorry for my off-topic rant. We can take this discussion up in some simplified living newsgroup. -- Tom Reingold Noo Joizy
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
