ShadowGray

So I took the Aluminum Falcon out for a ride today at FDR park... it's this little park that looks a lot bigger than it really is.

Some really nice pics in the album:
https://tinypic.com/useralbum.php?ua=...l6JwbiVQ%3D%3D

I saw some people fishing in the lake/pond... but when I looked closer... I realized there wasn't a hook at the end.. it was some kind of frog toy? That seemed to skip across the water? Anyone know what they are?


And I found this along the ride:

AEO

that's painted way too low for any of the occupants in a SUV to see.
needs to be like 3ft higher

njm

Awesomeness

Machka 

Of course, it's $5/gallon now ... and you should see the size of the pickups and SUVs on the road here. I feel like an ant in a sedan.

knucklesandwich

Is there a big field just acroos the road? If so, I parked at that stanchion for an aussie rules game last summer.

ShadowGray

Yeah, the park is right across the street from the stadium farms... so you would've been in the area.

I'm not sure if you would've parked directly here though... it's right next to a mini skate park.

dynodonn 

I happen to love my SUV, I'm still running on the same tank of gas when I filled up in March.

mike

Surely, many SUV owners are going through the "I should have had a V8" syndrom.

They can't just dump their car now - they have four more years of payments on it. Plus, the re-sale value of used gas-hogs is now lower than a stripper's self-esteem.

I will never forget the gas shortages of the '70's and was never lured into the SUV trap. My dad was driving an American made gas-hog pick-up truck in the '70's when OPEC decided they should flex their oil muscles and set the world into a panic. Gas prices didn't just jump 25%, they DOUBLED. Worse yet, you couldn't get gas sometimes even if you wanted it. It was panic. We had economic stagflation; super-sonic inflation and wage freezes.

Some people seemed to live on the fringe - hippies making their own clothes and bread and beer. The truth was that being frugal and doing it yourself wasn't just a cute fad for many folks. It was survival.

People who had the money rushed to get fuel conservative Japanese cars. Others eventually replaced their old leaded-gas guzzlers with more fuel efficient cars.

Somehow, miraculously in the "kinder gentler nation" of the Bush senior years and then the fear mongering Bush Jr years, we were lulled into cheap petrolium bliss.

Oops, we did it again.

If you would like to see a very good film tonight on the future of America, pull out one of your old BETA tapes and hit rewind, then play.

Mr. Underbridge

I wonder if we even have those skills or that toughness anymore. People have gotten soft from cheap consumer goods, cheap food, and easy credit. People live in suburbs that are nowhere near essential services or any kind of jobs. If the sh*t really hits the fan, it could get ugly. We have a whole generation of Americans who have never seen times that were more than slightly tough for the majority of the population. It's been 2-3 generations since it's been really freaking scary.

slvoid

I have an odd feeling that in NYC, where people's salaries average $50/hr, its not gonna do much... "Honey, can you put in an extra hour of over time? We need to fill up the suv this weekend, oh and can you kiss a little more ass for your bonus this christmas? I want the new porsche 911."

Of course the 10 year old dodge I'm in now only averages 18mpg, which is the same as a new infiniti FX.. so technically, it won't make much of a difference.

mijohnst

I love my 4-Runner and Yukon... Not fun putting gas in, but they are paid off and we don't drive them so much especially since I've been biking to work.

referee54

The way I look at it is that too many people were buying SUV's that were never put into 4-wheel drive low...it was all for appearance...the look...I do drive a '02 Ford F-150 4X4---but then, I try to commute more on my bike than in the truck. But, you see, my truck does serve a tremendous purpose: We heat our house with a woodburning stove. All summer long I am cutting down trees and towing a trailer full of logs that will be turned ito "almost free" fuel for our house. It is "almost free" as I pay for the gas for the truck and the chainsaws.

Our natural gas furnace has not gone on in years. LaSt year, all figured out, I spend a little under $265 on about 7 cords of firewood.

Tim C.

modernjess

SUV = Suddenly Useless Vehicle

nick__45

same here. people actually upsizing around here

Vodalus

it will be sad when everyone with money vacates the SUVs sells off their wastefull McMansions in suburban sprawl hell in exchange for smaller vehicles and housing closer to work and/or the central business area and the big gashogs and houses miles away from any real development and economic opportunity become the proxy of the working poor.

Industrial

That picture is funny. Goddamn kids are smart ass enviromentalists out there eh?

buzzman

as someone who commutes by bike and has done so since before the gas crisis of the 70's- and have always purchased relatively fuel efficient autos I can have a good laugh at the gas prices and the looks of "surprise" on the faces of SUV owners ( I love "Suddenly Useless Vehicle").

BUT what I'm not finding too funny is the impact of these prices on home heating oil. It's easy to cut back on the amount you drive, take public transport, ride a bike, car pool, get a more efficient car but you can only keep your house so cool before your pipes freeze or you compromise your health or some bozo catches their house on fire with a defective heater or some other nonsense.

It's going to be a rough winter for a lot of people and that ain't going to be funny.

ax0n

I like my SUV plenty. Of course, I haven't had to fill it up since May 5th. But when I use it, I need it, and I like it a lot.

Tabor

I am surprised we aren't hearing more about this in the media. I would think that politicians would be raising the gas/diesel tax to drive down the cost of heating oil, no? I guess that would make too much sense.

Fribley

I am still quite fond of my Izusu Trooper, I am also very fond of my Trek hybrid too.

macteacher

I don't care much really if the price of gas for cars increases. as i can always bike it. What concerns me is (as stated above) the price of heating oil. That's where I really feel the pinch.

As for the SUV's, GM is shutting down it's Oshawa plant because all it makes is oversized trucks that nobody purchases anymore. The pain of high gas prices is already here.

TeamRoundBoys

Think twice, Izuzu is pulling out of the U.S. market, hope you can still get parts.

Feathers

graffiti and similar vandalism isn't cool.

craigdurkee

check out my new facebook group about petrol prices and riding a bike

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/g...2195150&ref=mf

Fribley

hmm that sucks, i dont really follow that stuff. Its a 95 so i am pretty sure they arent making alot of new parts for it anymore anyways. But thanks for the heads up, i am actually thinking of getting rid of it, not becuase of gas but becuase of insurance cost vs. times i actually use it, Only reason i am really hanging on to it is for the winter, i think it would be pretty hard to bike around in a Michigan winter
.