What would it take to make small cars desirable?

[Colby]

What would it take to make small cars desirable? (For the average US Truck/SUV driving pig.)

Gas at $6 or $7 a gallon. Maybe.

[Colby]

Originally Posted by DarbyWalters

DIESELS with torque...good fuel mileage...pulling power...ect. I am talking about I4's and V6's in smaller that TRUCK sized vehicles. 30+ mpg highway

I love the mileage of my '82 Luv Diesel, but if it weren't for bio (soon to be waste veggie) I would not own it. The smell of pump diesel is one of the most offensive odors in existence. It makes me nauseaus. Even the smell of the bio is not that great...

Seriously, I think the foul stench of burning diesel is a much bigger problem than most people realize.

[thisisntjared]

Originally Posted by beatr911

Our fast freeways

huh???

[Snax]

Originally Posted by Colby

Seriously, I think the foul stench of burning diesel is a much bigger problem than most people realize.

I start feeling physically ill very quickly from it. B99 just makes me hungry.

I think part of the problem with consumers in the US has to do with the overall condition of our economy and the mentality of people with respect to it. Far too many people never really do the math on what a vehicle costs them to own. They don't look at it as a consumable good, but rather an investment.

Far too many people are also conditioned to think that they need excess. Excess capacity. Excess safety. Excess visibility. Unfortunately excess fuel economy seems to be at odds with the rest.

Perhaps what nearly every car buyer should ask themselves before buying any car should be:

- How much am I really willing to pay for something that will be worth less than half it's original value 10 years from now?
- Is it worth $??? per month in payments, insurance, and fuel for the privledge?
- Could I take advantage of other options when the true need for those excesses really do arise?

But good luck getting people to actually take such a realistic view of their needs in our current high debt society.

[1993CivicVX]

Aren't small cars really peppy these days? I can't see how a car so small like the Yaris can only get 32mpg. It must be fast?

[Snax]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

Ya just need the right tires.

Like these! I have no trouble in up to about 3" of unpacked snow. After that I think it gets easier to walk.

The last time we had a good freeze on the roads with solid ice covering the lanes, I had better control than even most of the cars with studded tires.

[brucepick]

Re. the 4'11" woman driving a Ford Ex V10 for personal protection - I've seen this kind of thing before. One nasty accident can make you want a very different vehicle. My cousin's wife had a nasty accident on an ice covered road. Now drives nothing but Subarus. I'm sure the traction is better overall, but I think on glare ice she may well be sliding around on it pretty much the same.

back to the original question:
"What would it take to make small cars desirable?"

Higher and higher gas prices.

And some legislation penalizing owners for gashog vehicles. Sliding scale, so anything that gets less than median mpg compared with the overall market, has to pay a penalty on purchase, and again every time the registration or inspection needs renewal.

There's good reasoning behind this. That is, these people's choices affect all of us. Maybe they don't mind a few extra dollars out of pocket when filling up. But if we remind them when buying and again when reregistering, more of them will get the idea sooner.

[bowtieguy]

"What would it take..."

a great part of the problem is education. how many suv owners are uninformed buyers? how many buy these vehicles beyond their means?
just like bling, alcohol, tobacco, junk food, etc., many are addicted.

a financial advisor told a story about "counseling" his son. after mocking an income, his son "bought" a corvette. after the budget was worked out and found to be in the red, his son said,"did i say corvette?, i meant chevette!"

education does not focus enough on budgeting, nutrition, exercise, conservation, etc. Florida schools cover these topics VERY little in detail.
parents and teachers are responsible.

we don't ask: can i afford it? can i maintain it(fuel,insurance,gas)? do i really need it? how is the environment affected? should i eat/drink it? what exercise interests me?

we ask: can i get it? is it fast? is it as good as the neighbor's? does it taste good? do i really need to exercise? can i take a pill instead? who cares about the environment?

Snax, you stole my thunder(beat me to the point)!

Bruce, higher gas prices would punish low income earners--the rest of your idea is good tho.

[Snax]

I disagree with that last part though, as I believe higher gas prices punish everybody, but is weighted toward the lower and middle class - which are for the most part, the majority of owners of large gas guzzling vehicles.

Higher fuel prices force people to make more responsible choices, and it is the masses that need to be impacted, not the top wage/trust fund earners. (They will drive whatever they want regardless.)

[Snax]

Oh, and not to ignore escalated costs of consumable goods like groceries and toilet paper, but if the federal government truly wanted us to change, they could subsidize shipping of those items by eliminating the tax breaks for SUVs to corporations among other things. But I think that hits upon the crux of the problem: There are people in our government who DO NOT want us to change. They want us dependent upon oil, control in the middle east, the industrial military complex, and war mongering presidents. These things give them power and wealth that they would rather not share with the rest of us.