http://www.ridelust.com/the-chevy-suburban-and-the-politicians-who-love-it/ Cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, skateboards and all manner of vehicles Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:29:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.ridelust.com/the-chevy-suburban-and-the-politicians-who-love-it/comment-page-1/#comment-13276 brian Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:47:11 +0000 http://www.ridelust.com/?p=4931#comment-13276 That is a total. Freaking. Joke. If you are into classic cars, who freaking cares about gas mileage? They drive them on weekends, so do I. That is a total. Freaking. Joke. If you are into classic cars, who freaking cares about gas mileage? They drive them on weekends, so do I.

]]> http://www.ridelust.com/the-chevy-suburban-and-the-politicians-who-love-it/comment-page-1/#comment-4238 Geoff Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:42:37 +0000 http://www.ridelust.com/?p=4931#comment-4238 Joe you pose an important point, in terms of fuel efficiency the Vette is probably not much if at all better than the Suburban. My obvious initial answer is that the Vette is simply a cooler car than the Suburban in my opinion. But in terms of "eco-friendliness" since Biden commutes (or did at least) via train, the Vette is not being driven as much as the Suburban. That being said, living in Alaska and the D.C.-area are apples and oranges (not to mention having a large family) so I am not coming down too hard on Gov. Palin specifically. I do, however, think that this highlights the fact that Washington Politicians, both Dems and Reps, are pretty hypocritical to drive around in SUVs and Towncars while saying that they "feel the pain" of those that suffer through gas prices. You are absolutely right about high level officials not being "shuttled" around in a hybrid, that would be foolish. But realistically, there are HUNDREDS of Senators and Representatives in Washington, that no one could pick out of a lineup, that already drive themselves to work and back without Secret Service protection and could drive more efficient vehicles if they chose to. Or how about a bit of car pooling or using a driving service between several Senators or Representatives. I would be very curious to know what the difference in cost and consumption would be between, lets say 4 limos shuttling 12 Congressmen/women and 12 individual drivers. A big part of the problem is that these politicians travel on the taxpayer's dime unlike you and me. Another aspect of large SUVs is the fact that they discourage others from driving smaller, typically more fuel efficient vehicles. There have been many studies that point to the fact that other drivers are intimidated and feel unsafe driving a small vehicle amongst the gigantaur SUVs. Often many cars, reviewed even on this site, are given negative scores for highway driving, almost entirely because of their diminutive presence creates an unsafe feeling while driving with large vehicles. This, however, will probably not change significantly given our countries heavy emphasis of trucking. Joe you pose an important point, in terms of fuel efficiency the Vette is probably not much if at all better than the Suburban. My obvious initial answer is that the Vette is simply a cooler car than the Suburban in my opinion. But in terms of “eco-friendliness” since Biden commutes (or did at least) via train, the Vette is not being driven as much as the Suburban. That being said, living in Alaska and the D.C.-area are apples and oranges (not to mention having a large family) so I am not coming down too hard on Gov. Palin specifically. I do, however, think that this highlights the fact that Washington Politicians, both Dems and Reps, are pretty hypocritical to drive around in SUVs and Towncars while saying that they “feel the pain” of those that suffer through gas prices. You are absolutely right about high level officials not being “shuttled” around in a hybrid, that would be foolish. But realistically, there are HUNDREDS of Senators and Representatives in Washington, that no one could pick out of a lineup, that already drive themselves to work and back without Secret Service protection and could drive more efficient vehicles if they chose to. Or how about a bit of car pooling or using a driving service between several Senators or Representatives. I would be very curious to know what the difference in cost and consumption would be between, lets say 4 limos shuttling 12 Congressmen/women and 12 individual drivers. A big part of the problem is that these politicians travel on the taxpayer’s dime unlike you and me. Another aspect of large SUVs is the fact that they discourage others from driving smaller, typically more fuel efficient vehicles. There have been many studies that point to the fact that other drivers are intimidated and feel unsafe driving a small vehicle amongst the gigantaur SUVs. Often many cars, reviewed even on this site, are given negative scores for highway driving, almost entirely because of their diminutive presence creates an unsafe feeling while driving with large vehicles. This, however, will probably not change significantly given our countries heavy emphasis of trucking.

]]> http://www.ridelust.com/the-chevy-suburban-and-the-politicians-who-love-it/comment-page-1/#comment-4199 Joe Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:56:48 +0000 http://www.ridelust.com/?p=4931#comment-4199 Geoff while I see a trend in your writing of bashing drivers of anything gas guzzling, I find it interresting to see that owning a 67 'Vette is a plus in your eyes. Anyway-- I totally agree with you here though that a politician does not typically need seating for 8, so a full size SUV is a total waste of resources and dumps too much crap into our enviroment. If we're going to be paying their ride it should be something that meets or exceeds some requirements. Fuel economy, emissions, obviously cost should be 3 or the factors considered. On the flip side, I'm not sure if I want the president being shuttled around in a Prius. There might need to be an executive exemption there. Geoff while I see a trend in your writing of bashing drivers of anything gas guzzling, I find it interresting to see that owning a 67 ‘Vette is a plus in your eyes.
Anyway– I totally agree with you here though that a politician does not typically need seating for 8, so a full size SUV is a total waste of resources and dumps too much crap into our enviroment. If we’re going to be paying their ride it should be something that meets or exceeds some requirements. Fuel economy, emissions, obviously cost should be 3 or the factors considered.
On the flip side, I’m not sure if I want the president being shuttled around in a Prius. There might need to be an executive exemption there.

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