Why SUV fuel economy is so much more important than small car fuel economy...

[TestDrive]

Originally Posted by trikkonceptz

Something else not discussed previously is our infrastructure for insuring these beasts.

Did you intend to post to this thread? If so, I don't get the connection.

[trikkonceptz]

Originally Posted by TestDrive

Did you intend to post to this thread? If so, I don't get the connection.

See what happens when work gets in the way of browsing through several boards and several post all at once ... LOL

[Frank Lee]

Well that's easy, call the ins. co. up when you're not using it and drop the coverage until you use it again. Save a bunch, don't insure something that just sits there.

[Formula413]

Originally Posted by trikkonceptz

Something else not discussed previously is our infrastructure for insuring these beasts. I would have no problem having a pickup truck and a pair of economical vehicles.

However that means I would need insurance for three vehicles in a 2 person household even though the truck is driven 1000 miles a year or less.

A better system would be to insure the driver, not the vehicle, no matter what he/she drove. That way you can hop in from car to car and never worry about insurance.

I always thought it was stupid to have to pay to insure each of my three vehicles separately. After all, I'm only one person, I can't drive all three at once! I could see needing collision and comprehensive for each vehicle, but liability?

[Frank Lee]

I feel that way about license plates and tabs. I'm only one guy, let the vehicle license and ins go with me.

[jamesqf]

So how much extra is it for you to insure a second/third vehicle? For me, it's only about $150/year for the '88 Toyota pickup that I only drive a couple of thousand miles a year.

Cancelling the insurance when not driving doesn't work in this state, though. You'd also have to cancel the registration & return the plates as well, or get cited for an uninsured vehicle.

[Formula413]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

So how much extra is it for you to insure a second/third vehicle? For me, it's only about $150/year for the '88 Toyota pickup that I only drive a couple of thousand miles a year.

The only breaks I can get are a whopping 5% discount for multiple vehicles and a trivial low mileage discount for the Firebird. The motorcycle is not eligible for these discounts either. I pay a little over $1,400 a year in insurance. And my driving record is pretty good.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Cancelling the insurance when not driving doesn't work in this state, though. You'd also have to cancel the registration & return the plates as well, or get cited for an uninsured vehicle.

Same here in Mass. The insurance co. needs a plate return receipt before they will cancel the insurance.

[Frank Lee]

"I pay a little over $1,400 a year in insurance."

And I thought I was getting a raw deal!

Well... I still am. All those years with no claims- they should freekin be paying ME to drive around as I'm saving them so much money by not crashing into people.

[blueflame]

They should, no doubt, but instead they will probably end up paying someone else to try and crash into you.

Dont you just love how things work out?

[shovel]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

1

2) Sell the worst offenders off for scrap metal. One Hummer could yield enough recycled steel for several Priuses :-)

This has bothered me a lot lately. How many gallons of oil are burned to ship a new vehicle to your location, where you already have the "Hummer" delivered and in service? How many gallons of oil are burned shipping the raw materials around to the factories where the new vehicle's parts are made? How many hazardous compounds are created, released, or otherwise involved in the manufacture of a new vehicle, while the existing "Hummer" is already done and built and being used?

In my opinion, it's asinine to take a working device and throw it away or "melt it down".

There's serious value in making your next, naturally occurring vehicle purchase an environmentally responsible one - but there's no value at all in wasting what's already there. The fuel it will burn over its remaining few years of life, is only a little part of the equation.