Stupid People Selling Their SUVs and Buying Small Cars
I find this story both amusing and pathetic.
Especially the guy who sold his 4runner. What a tool:
Some desperate car dealers and consumers, are willing to lose thousands of dollars just to get rid of their SUVs. Last July, 20-year-old Sannan Nizami, of Lowell, bought a 2007 Toyota 4Runner SUV for $32,000 when it cost about $65 to fill the tank. Six months later, as a gallon of gas soared to $3.50 and more, and tank refills climbed over $80, Nizami put the vehicle up for sale. He posted it online for $27,000 but received no responses for months.Frustrated and unable to afford prices at the pump, Nizami last month turned over the Toyota to a dealer who only sells vehicles from private owners. Nizami is still paying the $450 loan but now is bumming rides to work with a cousin and worrying about making enough from the sale to cover the car loan.
“I didn’t think gas would shoot up this much. I’m willing to take a hit just to take the pressure off,” Nizami said. “I’ll probably get a really cheap Camry or Corolla. Something that gets more than 18 miles to the gallon.”
If gas is such an issue then what on earth was this guy thinking about buying a 4Runner in the first place? If you can afford $450 per month for a car payment then gas shouldn’t be a problem. And he should be able to get around 22 miles a gallon on the highway, I get that in my 4runner. Drive the speed limit and you’d be amazed how much gas you can save.
And then there’s this moron:
“The SUV craze was a bubble and now it is bursting,” said George Hoffer, an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University whose research focuses on the automotive industry. “It’s an irrational vehicle. It’ll never come back.”
Um…no, George. Some of us NEED an SUV or pickup truck. Back when I first moved to NH, I had a small Saturn as my main vehicle. It got better gas mileage than my 4Runner but it also got messed up when I tried to take it offroad a bit while hunting. Yes, I knew it was stupid to try it but I figured I could get away with it in certain places. A car just does not provide the functionality you need sometimes, especially in New Hampshire’s winters. Only a truck or SUV can do that. So no, George. SUVs and trucks are not going to go away because you hate them. Deal with it, you silly global warming cultist.
Yeah, the gas prices are bad. But does it make sense to sell an SUV or truck now? It’s like when people sell the stock of a company because the overall market is going down for some reason. Is the company’s business going bad? No, it’s doing fine. But people still dump the stock out of fear and because of what other people are doing. So they lose money.
It makes more sense to stand your ground and wait it out. Gas prices may go down at some point so why sell your truck or SUV now? You will probably get the lowest amount possible now since so many others are doing the same thing. If gas prices drop later the value of your vehicle may rebound.
So I’d say cut back on your driving if you can, drive the speed limit and wait out this price increase. Cut back your spending on other things if you can. But don’t dump your truck or SUV right now and lose thousands of dollars. It just doesn’t make sense and it reeks of panic-driven behavior and that is rarely a good thing over the long haul.
I guess I just don’t like the idea of doing what the herd is doing.
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“It’s an irrational vehicle. It’ll never come back.”
You mean, the FREE MARKET will dictate that??? IF the SUV goes away, so be it.
What this says is that all these fuel economy standard laws are a big fucking waste of time then. Who knew?
One good thing that might come of this is that fuel prices might come down. The less gas people use, the cheaper it should get.
So let these goobers cram themselves onto public transportation like sardines in a can and let them drive their tiny, unsafe cars.
I will stick with my 4runner’s comfort, space and ease. As I cruise around scouting for turkeys, I will smile as the little prius/camry drivers scoot around.
I promise I will try hard not to run any of them over with my 4runner…although they are hard to see so I make no promises. ;)
First of all, gasoline prices are NOT going to be going down. So, just so you know, the price of having the option to go “turkey hunting” will continue to eat into your discretionary funds.
It doesn’t matter if demand falls off in the US. A couple billion Asians are chomping at the bit to take up any slack.
Pair that fact with the reality of flattening (and perhaps even decreasing) oil production, and $10/gallon 87 octane is just around the corner (2012 at the latest).
Sorry, folks… but those prius drivers look a helluva lot more pragmatic and common-sensical than some wannabe militia-man in his bumper-sticker-festooned land yacht.
Living Free (for all you White Mountain Boys) is about not being dependent. And gas-guzzling foreign oil is about as far away from Yankee self-sufficiency as you can get.
Enjoy them while they last boys. Last time I checked gasoline was a NON-RENEWABLE resource, and since Americans continue to ignore conserving such a valuable gift, it will run out eventually (as early as 2020).
Since we are already by far the most wasteful country in the world by population, there seems to be no turning back. There is no way to decrease the number of gas guzzlers on the road, as Americans continue to look to the present instead of the future.
Driving SUVs, in my opinion, a pretty good idea in some circumstances. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having an SUV, and using it sparingly on long trips and activities. However, what I can’t stand is seeing SUVs making up at least half of all the cars on the roads these days, occupied, in most cases, by one single person. Obviously, there is nothing one can do to stop people from driving these huge machines around since they seem to be completely oblivious to the rising gas prices, but I still am disgusted at these particular individuals.
I’ve been remiss in not responding to some of these comments. Here are my thoughts on some of the comments:
1. There’s plenty of oil in the US for us to develop and use particularly offshore, in Alaska and in various states.
2. Alternative energy should be developed but it won’t be ready for many years to serve our energy needs.
3. The “milita man” comment indicates cultural hatred and contempt for others that demeans you, Paul.
4. Anonymous if you don’t like SUVs then don’t buy one. But don’t try to choose what other people can buy or do with their vehicles. You don’t know what that person riding in the SUV does with her/his time or life and you have no business sitting in judgement on them.
5. As I write this oil prices are plunging around the globe and gas prices are being predicted to be below $3.00 per gallon within a month or so. Right now it’s $3.11 in my area.
Today I took my 4Runner up onto a hilly sand pit a few miles from my house. Taking a prius or other small car up there would be a recipe for disaster as the bottom of the car would be destroyed. I got in some good archery practice up there as it’s a great place to shoot.
It’s times like this that I appreciate what my 4Runner can do for me as it gets me to places other vehicles can’t go and gives me the room I need for my gear.
You should not have a choice to drive overly huge and wasteful SUV’s when it effects the price I pay for gas. As demand for gas rises so does the price. I guess that means your 13 mile a gallon SUV is using a lot of gas!! I live in Friendswood, Texas where literally 80% of the people drive huge ass SUV’s. Whats wrong with you people? You buy something so huge that has no type of practicality to it save for once a year if ever? You cant defend your deplorable actions and you guys literally show the rest of the world just how ignorant and stupid you are. America controls just 2% of the oil in the world yet uses 25% of the worlds oil. These ugly ass huge wasteful vehicles are an American phenomenon that puts people and the environment in danger. And no, SUV’s are not safer than your average compact car. Do your research. SUV’s should be banned. Especially when there is only one occupant in the car as that is often the case 95% of the time. Stop making these POS vehicles.