Random Thoughts

[neadods]

Random Thoughts on Cars
I went to Sears over lunch to buy a treadmill. Got the cheapest smallest one they had. Both the salesperson and the guy who got it out of the stockroom asked me if I owned a truck. "I've got a station wagon, no problem," I told them. "Hmmmm," they told me dubiously.

It fit, of course. I might wish Eddie had better MPG, but I bought it because of its hauling power and that has never failed me. The guy who shoved it in there sounded absolutely stunned when it dropped home. So I'm wondering - just when did this nation get so supersized and SUV conscious that a station wagon, even if a stubby Saturn one, isn't seen as a car with capacity?

In the meantime, Eddie's got my new treadmill, my new spot cleaner (so regrettably necessary with DB the Barf Beast living with me) and, impulse buy, my new cheapo coffee maker. That will never see coffee, but will be used for endless cups of mulled cider.

Random Thoughts on Politics
Is it the nature of the human animal or simply the nature of my experience that I'm starting to see the wrangling over the election as a particularly hair-pulling version of a fan war? My personal "brass balls" award goes to the group of Texans who are now demanding a retraction of CBS's news story about Bush's non-service in the TNAG (which, even with the memos removed, simply reported the facts that have been known for years). They also want a disclosure of who leaked them.

Would that there have been such anger over whoever allowed Novack to commit treason by outing CIA agent Plame!

Comments

[twistedchick]

About cars? They stopped dealing with carrying capacity in US vehicles about 1986 or so, when I switched from the old tin-can Chevette that had cargo space of 6' by 4' by nearly 3' and got a Prizm that was *supposed* to have that but didn't have the seats fold all the way down and didn't have the height. It's taken until the 4-Runner to find something with the same inside capacity as the little dingbat Chevette.

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

So I'm wondering - just when did this nation get so supersized and SUV conscious that a station wagon, even if a stubby Saturn one, isn't seen as a car with capacity?

Probably about the time every other car on the road became an SUV. Do most of those people have any reason OTHER than -- everyone else had one? Not really.

Now, admittedly I drive one so it's a bit pot/kettle/black of me but we didn't get an SUV until we got the boat and the boat had to be driven to and fro - across the dirt roads. That wasn't really capacity as much as pulling power. And mom refused my suggestion of a pick up truck (red, with "Born to Shop" emblazoned across the side -- ah, dare to dream).

But if there were no boat hauling to be done -- there would be no SUV. We did have station wagons when I was growing up because we had carpools. But other than that -- our cars have been what I guess would be considered non-capacity. And even those haul quite a lot.

[gfjames.livejournal.com]

When we went car shopping for a new 2004, my wife and me--and for the life of me I cant't say why, except maybe to have an equalizer so to level the competition in that demolition derby contest that is our highway system--briefly (very, very, briefly) looked at the various SUVs on the market to replace our aging and well worn Nissan Pick-up.

We settled (actually it wasn't much of a debate) on a snazzy red Toyota Matrix which suits our needs perfectly. Last year when visiting the in-laws, who live in the Kansas flat lands, Tammy (my wife likes to give her car a name), averaged almost 42mpg on the highway. Normal range--according to manufacturer specs say 30 - 35, so we made a pretty good choice.

Around here we're seeing more Hummers, more huge SUVs, and the occasional Vespa as modes of transportation. It's car crazy country here, where the star in the car just might be one, so you gotta make a statement, I guess.

Other than that, the automoble is clearly a symbol of man's virility--the bigger the better. But, hey, toss a little cold water on them and they shrink back to below normal size, right?

[maryannegruen.livejournal.com]

We've got an SUV. We bought it specifically because the winters in the Adirondacks get nasty. You need the four wheel drive and the high vehicle to get over the piled snow and through the rutted mud and rocky sand. The Toyota Camry has gotten stuck in the snow a couple of times and done some fancy skidding. Actually, the jeep got stuck once too and did one fancy skid. You have to keep reminding men that four wheel drive is *not* magic.