Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Sedans always made sense. The past century proves that. Other designs came and went.

Sedans don't really make so many sense, but since they're cheaper to build than wagons and already feature more luggage space than a hatch it becomes a strong sales argument in 3rd-world markets. Plus they're often seen as more upscale to their equivalent hatch in some countries such as Brazil.

[slowmover]

A family plus it’s luggage. That’s the sedan template. Other designs fall short of this efficiency.

FWD vehicles get junked when repairs to the drivetrain add up, as it’s more than simply engine & trans under inspection.

As to MPG, it’s relative. Smart use for a vehicle that lasts longer is what matters. The cost of vehicle ownership & operation is far more than fuel.

Four-door pickups are a sedan substitute. Voting for that type, so to speak. Ease of entry & egress drove the thing when cars could no longer meet it.

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[Xist]

Sounds like an excuse to drive a $40,000+ vehicle. How is it easier to climb into a truck than sit down into a car?

Does your family need the entire truck bed for luggage when you take family trips? It must be fun carrying all of that junk into the hotel room and then not using most of it.

[teoman]

If you do a lot of outdoor aports it can be convenient. (Not necessary, just convenient).

[Xist]

Four or five of my clients live down dirt roads. It has been frustrating when it was muddy. I do not look forward to the snow. One of the mothers said that you cannot get through without a truck, but it is level ground. It seems like more of an excuse than anything, although it would undoubtedly be easier.

It seems like people always think snow country is truck country, which does not make sense to me if those trucks are rear-wheel drive.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Four-door pickups are a sedan substitute. Voting for that type, so to speak. Ease of entry & egress drove the thing when cars could no longer meet it.

HA! Ever watched the vertically challenged struggle to climb in and out of their enormous Pickups and SUVs?

Listen to the pansies. When asked they say it's all about sitting up high, probably because in their non-vehicle experience all they see is knees and shins.

I distinctly remember the first time I saw motorized retractable running boards on a pickup. It was hard to contain my laughter and astonishment because I am holding out for a retractable escalator option, with driver's seat that goes down to ground level so I don't suffer all the exertion of seating myself at altitude.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

How is it easier to climb into a truck than sit down into a car?

A friend of my dad has one of these, bought 3 years ago with a tax deduction for disabled drivers. Not nearly as high to the ground as a full-size truck, but that old man is already wanting something lower for an easy transfer from the wheelchair to the driver's seat.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Xist

It seems like people always think snow country is truck country, which does not make sense to me if those trucks are rear-wheel drive.

True, people think snow or a dirt road must equal truck or suv, preferably 4x4... preferably V8... preferably able to tow an apartment complex up a mountain.

Makes you wonder how everyone prior to the '80s (about the time the 4x4 thing started becoming mainstream) SURVIVED!!!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

True, people think snow or a dirt road must equal truck or suv, preferably 4x4... preferably V8... preferably able to tow an apartment complex up a mountain.

Not to mention that an oversized redneck Cadillac or soccer-mom bulldozer might not have the same ease of a smaller vehicle in tighter passages. Last week I had a talk with a Toyota J40 owner about this very same matter, and it's worth to notice the SWB and even the MWB 2-door hard-top J40 are more compact than a present-day Corolla, even though people seem to not be so willing to get on their way because they lead to a different size impression. Quite weird, but accurate.

Makes you wonder how everyone prior to the '80s (about the time the 4x4 thing started becoming mainstream) SURVIVED!!!

I don't know about the U.S., but in other countries it's still not unusual to see farmers relying on small 2WD vehicles, even though the days of the VW Beetle and Citroën 2CV are mostly gone. Yesterday I even saw a Fiat Uno with an utility trailer at a farmers market...

[Xist]

I once saw a short lady jump down from a lifted full-sized pickup.

Every wheelchair that I have seen was pretty low, so even going from a wheelchair into a sedan may be a challenge. This one has been around for decades, but I have not seen one in person. I believed the inventor when he said being eye level was lifechanging:


I always back into parking spaces (unless I can pull through). People get impatient waiting for me to maneuver, but it does not take long. Then I get stuck waiting for them to back out of a spot. I used to try to line up with the cars on each side, but my 1999 Accord is longer than many late-model SUVs, but the F150 is 10" wider than the Taurus.