Re: TOY: Car and Driver: Ford Explorers

[Robert Canon <rcanon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> > To let everyone know how unbiased I am:  I -HATE- SUVs!  There is nothing
> >  dumber than buying some monster faux wheeler for grocery getter/kid 
> hauler!
>
>So I guess your answer would be to ban them through government regulations?

Good Lord!  Who said anything about legislating -ANYTHING-!  I'm pretty 
much an anarchist politically...  All I was getting at is there are much 
safer vehicles for family transit than the current crop of faux wheelers 
and that most of the reason faux wheelers are so popular at the moment is 
-marketing-.

>Personally, although I may dislike the current trend in under-building 4x4
>vehicles with a slant for road use, I like FREEDOM and a FREE MARKET much
>more...

I agree with that first part of your statement, but then you drift back 
into that knee-jerk "someone is trying to take away my -FREEDOM-!" 
rant.  Not that I, obviously, don't enjoy a good rant!  I suppose that if I 
say "Loaded hand guns are inherently dangerous" you'll have a similar 
knee-jerk reaction and accuse me of being pro gun-control.  Again, I 
haven't said anything about gun-control or legislating squat.  Anarchist, 
remember?  BTW, if you want to take exception to the "inherently dangerous" 
statement, feel free to leave one in the possession of a toddler you love 
or an untrained adult.  I can pretty much guarantee that if you leave a 
nice summer squash in the possession of said individuals you'd feel a whole 
lot more comfortable about their safety.

I get a little bored with arguments in which one unidimensional construct 
is set in false opposition to another unidimensional construct then one of 
those unidimensional constructs is said to be bad and the other 
good.  Like:  Freedom -good-, legislation -bad-! or another favorite 
Republican good, Democrat bad!  BTW feel free to switch those around.  It's 
equally meaningless either way.

>If a Soccer mom wants to but whatever she wants, she can.  I personally think
>it is petty and whiney to complain about people making the choice to own
>whatever vehicle they want, and the manufacturers building what sells.

I've been called worse...  BTW, -I- think it's petty and whiny to get all 
up and bunched over my -opinion- about the current state of 4wd marketing.

>If hard core off road vehicle sold, then they would be built.  Simple isn't
>it?

Which is sort of my point.  SUVs were capable off-road vehicles for years 
before they were successfully marketed to urban idiots who have no real 
need for them and who would probably be better served by a nice station 
wagon.  (In case that knee is jerking again:  Notice I said nothing about 
legislating anything or in any way preventing anyone from buy anything they 
want, legal or illegal.)  Since the successful marketing of SUVs to people 
who don't need or want off-road capability they have become increasingly 
car-like to the point the many of them are virtually AWD minivans.  I'm not 
happy about it, which we apparently agree on.

>So stop complaining about other people's freedoms... THAT pisses me off...

What about my freedom to complain about anything I want?!?  Your edict to 
-stop- exercising my free speech, in addition to misrepresenting my 
statements, sort of amuses me.

As far as a bumper crop of trail fodder when the current fad wanes; good 
luck finding cheap solid front axles to go with them!  They were marketed, 
not legislated, out of existence...