On the heels of Norton- Aston Martin saved, for now

[Eldovert]

My 1994 Cummins..bought new and still doing what it was meant to do..600,000 and counting

[Matt Harwood]

1 minute ago, Frank DuVal said:

 

As the joke said, now you have gone from preaching to meddling!😆

 

We have two of these. Wife said in 2015, 17 years driving the Saturn SW2 wagon (200 K miles) time to get a new car. Same dimensions of car, just I need to sit higher, as trying toget in the Saturn is more difficult now than 17 years ago. And all those new headlamps blinding her at night while sitting at sedan height!!!!!!! She found the Encore and fell in love. Nice and small, but easy to get in and out of for her. 

 

Then the daughter's Corvair got a critical case of rust, and she liked the Encore, so, another 2015 is now in the driveway.😉

 

The buying public spoke, and car makers listened.....

 

I think the headlamp issue drives most people to buy higher vehicles.

 

I don't have a problem with the little Buick SUV--I was just using it to illustrate my point that if cargo capacity or the ability to haul a trailer or go to remote off-road places were actually a priority for most SUV buyers, then there would be no market for any of these small, FWD unibody SUVs with 4-cylinder engines. The higher ride height is frequently cited as a plus, particularly by women, but only for the reasons you state--everyone else is doing it. If we didn't have roads full of tall SUVs would everyone "need" a tall SUV so they can see around the tall SUVs?

 

I'd also point out that Buick can't give this car away even though it's more powerful, faster, has a bigger cargo hold, more interior space, gets better fuel economy, and costs about the same:

 

In fact, I'm pretty sure that a Buick Regal TourX will be my next daily driver. My Cadillac CTS wagon is getting a bit tired and they're discontinuing the Buick wagon for 2021 to sell--you guessed it--100% SUVs.

[Bhigdog]

16 minutes ago, Eldovert said:

My 1994 Cummins..bought new and still doing what it was meant to do..600,000 and counting

 

Us MANLY types must all like the same MANLY color combination. Nice truck. Looks like mine except I have a tonneau cover not a cap. I just put on a pair of side steps to aid getting up and into the beast. I only have another 500,000 miles to go to catch up to you........Bob

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

The automakers deciding that a large majority of SUVs never go off road (and building light-duty FWD versions) suggests that they are indeed nothing more than personal preference, not necessarily "choosing the right tool for the job."

 

That's why they came up with 'crossovers', or 'CUV''s.

 

Craig

[padgett]

As long as posting pictures, after I gave my 92 TranSport 3800 to my sister I looked at a lot of different vehicles though one of my MUSTS was at least 5,000 lbs towing capacity. Beyond that most of the alternatives seemed "tinny" to me. A friend pointed me at the Grand Cherokee and that was it. 6500 rpm DOHC-6 didn't hurt, nor the front and rear sway bars, fully independant suspension, slap stick, 4 wheel disks, and full instrumentation. Nor does the fact that it fits in my garage. But my prime need was for a tow car that wasn't a pickup.

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)