Bronco,> If you think back a few years, the only SUV's out there were the Ford
vehicles> Chevy Blazer, Dodge Ram Charger, Jeep CJ's, Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer (large > body), Range Rovers, and Toyota Land Cruisers. On top of that, these
auto> were primarily the domain of people like us. They were the KLR's of the
will> world. I have owned several of those myself. I currently own a 1979 Chevy > Blazer. I don't know what happened, but somehow people turned our > camping/dirt machines into ridiculous status symbols. Not to mention the > fact, that most of those 30K to 50K vehicles will never see the dirt, let > alone a water crossing. Sure, some people, us or people similar to us,
buy> truly use them for what they were originally designed to be used for, but > most will not. It is interesting the changes in SUV's and the people that
least,> them. Personally, I think the fad will go away, especially with gas prices > going up the way they are, over $2.00 a gallon here in Milwaukee. At
Absolutely right on the mark. In my family growing up, my father had a Jeep Wagoneer. (Tough rig!). We used it for fishing/hunting/skiing/camping/towing and winter driving. To go anywhere else, we had a Mazda GLC, and later a Ford Taurus (both of which did ok in the snow with traction tires and chains, so snow alone doesn't justify owning a SUV, the Taurus with ski-racks and snow tires became our main ski car, much better gas mileage). I am trying to follow the same example as my dad with my Isuzu Rodeo, except for going anywhere else I ride my KLR. I'm thinking about getting an older Volvo wagon for my wife so we can keep the miles off of the Isuzu. (That way I'll be able to stock parts that I can use for both my boat engine and the wagon, like oil filters and such, plus I like those Volvos for some reason.) If anyone out there absolutely feels that they have to have 4WD, I'd suggest a Subaru. If you need the cargo and passenger room then go with a mini-van (no shame in that, and definitely more practical.) A really good compromise I've seen is the Mazda MPV minivan in 4WD. (Mother-in-law has one, its pretty nice. Father-in-law is a business consultant, and bought a status symbol Mercedes M class, which I don't like as much. You know how sad SUV's have gotten when you consider the Toyota Landcruiser. It was once super tough, rivaling the Jeep, and used widely throughout the world. Now it is a 30 plus grand luxury status symbol box, with leather by god! For those of you who do own SUV's and actually use them off-road, I would suggest the biggest improvement you can make over stock: B.F. Goodrich All-Terrain TA/KO tires. The sand and mud traction is like night and day when compared to the stock Goodyear Wranglers that came on my Rodeo, and the street ride is pretty much the same as before. Jeff> let's hope so. But for carrying capacity, good fuel mileage, comfort, and > reliability, my family has selected the Ford Taurus Wagon. Isn't it funny, > and sometimes sad, how times change things. >