Welcome to America!

I am very excited to be getting reader submissions! This photo was sent to me by a couple who went to Europe on their honeymoon, surrounded by the typical small European cars, and returned only to take the above photo. I wanted to title the photo "Not only do we need larger vehicles here in America, but we need to take up more parking spaces than needed", but they suggested "Welcome to America" which is fitting, and has a lot less rage attached to the name.

A few years ago I participated in a research group regarding cars. The moderator began by asking each of us what car we owned and why we purchased this car. One conversation between the moderator and another participant went like this [yes I do remember this word-for-word, but the car name is left out]:

Moderator: And what do you drive?
Participant: A [SUV].
Moderator: And why did you choose a [SUV]?
Participant: So I have more room.
Moderator: Oh, do you tend to transport a lot of things in your [SUV]?
Participant: No, I hate crap in my car. I try to keep my car clean.
Moderator: Then why do you do need all the space?
Participant: I put my gym bag in my car sometimes.
Moderator: O-kay...

So... to summarize, an SUV was purchased to hold a gym bag - occasionally.


When you go to purchase your next car, please take a few things into consideration if you haven't already:

• What is the city MPG? Is it more than one digit or barely two?
• If you are thinking of buying a truck, how often will you really use the truck bed? Would it be cheaper to buy a smaller car, then rent a truck for the seldom times you need the space of a truck bed?
• Why are you choosing an SUV? If the only reason is because it looks cooler than a mini-van or any other four door vehicle, maybe you should reconsider.
  
• How much money will it cost to fill your tank? If it's enough money that it will force you to drive less, then maybe you should get a more fuel efficient car. (Although driving less isn't a bad thing!)