Poor woman on MSNBC whining about filling her Lincoln Navigator.

[Atman]

Commutes 70 miles a day.

I have a small SUV, and we've basically sidelined it, use it only for bad winter weather or hauling stuff to the yurt. We actually bought a second car just because of gas prices last time we were hitting $3 and up; a small 4-banger, which gets more than TWICE the mileage of the SUV. Anyone still using a Lincoln Navigator for their primary transportation...sheesh...dare I say it, you almost deserve to be paying $100 for a fill-up. It's not like no one saw this coming!

.

[gratuitous]

1. She's very lucky I wasn't interviewing her

The temptation to clonk her on her empty little head with the microphone might have proved too much to resist.

[bleedingheart]

now I wish folks like you would interview people...

cuz folks like me want to see people like that clonked on the head...

[Hobarticus]

8. Now THAT's an instant You Tube classic...

Even if it's staged, it'd be worth it.

[Roland99]

61. BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

:spray:

[wtmusic]

2. It's getting harder to feed Big Oil

how will she ever be able to put food on the table?

:rofl:

[blondeatlast]

3. Pass the tissue, please.

I just stomped on a cockroach and need to clean up the mess.

[Clark2008]

4. She'd whine that it's because she has kids to cart around.

Of course, I do, too, and can do it in my Mustang just fine for half of what she's paying (and it looks better, too.)

[Hobarticus]

11. How on earth did our parents raise us without SUVs?

I just don't think anything will fill that empty hole in my childhood.

[SharonAnn]

17. Well, mine had a big station wagon and a big sedan. Of course, there were 8 of us.

[AndyTiedye]

35. And No Seatbelt Laws in Those Days

Cramming a bunch of kids in the back of a station wagon used to be SOP, now it is illegal.

[Clark2008]

57. Yeah, but you didn't need car seats and air bags with eight of you!

You were so crammed in that no one could possibly go flying through the window.

:hi:

[murloc]

39. No kid car seats.

You can pack alot of kids into a small car if they dont use car seats.

IMO, the rules for car seats (which have saved many lives) are what have lead many familes to buy larger cars.

I remember going on a 900 mile trip to florida once when I was small, with 5 kids in the back seat of a subcompact no exageration. Dangerous as hell. TOday, even a minivan would be packed if you put 5 kids into car seats.

[Hobarticus]

46. Haven't family sizes gotten smaller, in general?

I grew up in a family of five kids. Not all of them would have been in car seats, even by today's standards.

I can't even think of a family with five children, among people I know. A couple families of three, tops, come to mind, but most families I know top out at two kids. I know families with mini-vans and SUVs with one kid. Which is fine, that's their choice....which is also their choice to pay for more gas, and which is why I don't take their complaints about high gas prices too much to heart.

It doesn't make sense to me that while families are growing smaller, our vehicles are getting larger. Most families are driving far more vehilce than they actually need. That's my point.

Seat belts and car seats, accounting for the need for larger vehicles? Sure, I guess if you need a single car seat that'll survive re-entry into the atmosphere, or every one of your five kids needs a car seat.

[murloc]

47. They certainly have.

Not sure how much small the average family size is from 20 years earlier. Its certainly smaller but is it 50% smaller on average? Not sure.

A car seat easily doubles the space one kid takes up. A typical family of 2 kids requires the space of what 4 or 5 kids used to.

Then theres all the "accessorys" that small kids require like diaper bags, strollers etc, etc.

I came from a family of 2 kids (the trip I described included cousins) and we went EVERYWHERE in that subcompact.

Me, I've got 3 kids all in close in age. At one point they were all in diapers and car seats. And there is NOWAY we could all fit into the car that my parents drove when i was small.

Nonetheless, Im not making the case because of car seats, we all need to be running around in Expeditions and Navigators. Just that car seat requirements places upward pressure on the desire for larger vehicles, which ends up translating into some families opting for them. Add in trends (like 4-wheel drive SUVS), auto maker marketing, and cheap gas, and we find lots more larger vehicles on the road.

[Raine]

55. Well mine had a great BIG ole

station wagon that probably got about 8 miles to the gallon of gas for driving around me and my little brother. :P

Edit: spelling

[Left Is Write]

75. My parents did it first with a station wagon, then after the 5th child...

a full-size van (no minivans in those days).

I can't imagine the crappy gas mileage that van got.

[EnviroBat]

24. But but but, who will think about THE CHIIIILLLDREN?

[Roland99]

62. Probably just *one* kid.

[peace frog]

5. Boo friggin hoo

You had to have your gas guzzling road hog, now suck it up.

[Frustratedlady]

6. Is that the same woman who said she fills up 6 or so times/week?

I just got in on the end of the interview, but no matter what vehicle was behind her, I can't imagine that many fillings/week. Whoa.

[Atman]

7. She said it's costing her nearly $300 A WEEK to feed her Navigator.

:wow:

.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. simple answer

change her lifestyle. or pay the price.

[Orsino]

51. But if her lifestyle involves bragging about filling the Navigator...

...it's win-win.

[Hobarticus]

12. If she's that stupid, then she only has herself to blame

I'd be embarrassed to be whining about that on TV.

[Rosemary2205]

73. A Prius payment could cost less!! -- Gawd what dumbasses. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

9. I fill my cars up about 6 or so times a YEAR!!

[liberal N proud]

13. My wife always wanted a Suburban - We commented that we are glad we didn't get one

We don't drive small cars but both get the average gas mileage. You still see all the Hummers and Excursions running around.

[DS1]

14. No kidding,

I remember thinking about a Chevy Tahoe in 1996. :scared:

[jebediah]

15. Ya'll are just jealous

She's doing so incredibly much for our economy. How many of you care enough about the country to even purchase something like that? Then, to keep filling it up to get to work and back... She's compensating for your economic sloth. For her, patriotism is an everyday thing. It's going to take an army of socially minded people like her to pull Ford, Detroit, and the country out of the future created mostly by your nay-saying pessimism and self-fulfilling doomsday prophecy.

I think a little more Reagan optimism is in order before evaluating her situation. A rising tide lifts all Navigators, you know.

[LibDemAlways]

16. The sheep in my neck of the woods all drive those

big pieces of shit. It would never occur to them to buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle. They are so incredibly stupid and braindead that they don't even realize they have other options. They base their decision solely on what the moron across the street is driving. Baa.

[kineneb]

18. no pity: my 7 yr old car gets 30-32 mpg

Hyundai Elantra wagon
seats 4, plus their luggage

and it is still expensive for me to fill up every other week at $32.00 (California prices).

Time for this lady to get a used compact. So the kids will be a bit crowded. Tough.

[CountAllVotes]

19. maybe if she didn't have all the damn kids

she wouldn't think she needs a huge pile o'junk! :evilgrin:

:kick:

[kineneb]

31. that's what the roof rack is for

:evilgrin:

got rope?

[CountAllVotes]

37. ...

:rofl: !!

:dem:

[musiclawyer]

26. My SO's new 2007 Elantra Limited has been getting about 33

mpg and it hasn't even been broken in. It's quick (below 75 miles an hour) And it's nice: leather, heated seats, sun and sound, mp3 jack, trip computer, ABS, 6 air bags. We're delighted with the car and expect to have it a long time. We got it for 16K out the door, because I had a $500 loyalty discount.

[libnnc]

42. I've had my eye on the Accent 2 door

They've got a really cute Sun & Sound package (sunroof, sporty looking, CD changer). When my 16 yr old car finally bites it, the Accent is what I want.

[musiclawyer]

43. Not a bad choice

The 2007 Accent has received a lot of accolades and good press from various places. I have two teenagers so I needed something a little bigger.

[Kingshakabobo]

20. OK... I'll fess up. I own an Expedition...........

The other day, I got a chuckle out of the fact that my debit card couldn't handle filling up the whole tank. Apparently, the pump automatically pre-authorizes $75 dollars when you use a debit card. I was pleasantly surprised the damage was only $75 dollars until I realized, much to my chagrin, the pump didn't shut off due to the tank being full. I didn't have the heart to re-start the pump as 7/8 of a tank will last me a long time.

I need it for work and only put about 6,000 miles a year on this vehicle. My other car is a Mini so I figure we have two REGULAR cars when you average them.

[alfredo]

21. Milk is $2.99 a gallon. I use a lot more milk than gas.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

23. You're lucky. A gallon of milk in the Jewel Food Stores here in the

Chicago area is $3.18/gallon. A half gallon is $3.59, now does that make any sense?? It doesn't to me.

[alfredo]

30. That is the real cost to the high price of gas. We have based our

economy on cheap gas. We have destroyed local farming for mega farms far removed from the markets they serve.

[EnviroBat]

22. I was laughing my ass off at the hill-billy filling up his Ford Excretion last night...

His pump was passing $95.00 while I was waiting for my receipt to print, and he was still standing there as I drove away. I just kept pointing and laughing. I think he wanted to kill me. Those things are almost as moronic as the DUMMER H whatever...

[ScreamingMeemie]

25. Ummmm.... I drive a Yukon XL and campaign (door to door) even

for Democratic candidates. Does the fact that I drive a Yukon make me a "hillbilly" too? FWIW, we bought the car from my father when my mother tried to stick it on him during their divorce. He couldn't afford the payments, it comes in handy for my husband's side jobs etc. I guess I should hand in my Dem card now. :( These comments sicken me. If he wasn't complaining on the news why say such nasty stuff?

[EnviroBat]

60. Hmmm, where to start...

First off, sorry for your poor choice of transportation. I would have thought that you, being the great and holier-than-thou Democrat you claim to be, would be somewhat more aware of the environment that you are shitting all over with the vehicle that you chose to buy. Oh and about the door-to-door thing. When I canvass for a candidate, I WALK! If someone were to roll up to my place in a land-bus like you drive, I'd laugh them off the porch. So, nice work your doing for us there... Oh and that "sickens me" crap? Wow. If reading a post on a blog disgusts you to the point that you become physically sick, I suggest you see a doctor. Your martyrdom, "poor-me-ism" is really flaring up. What "sickens" me are morons driving around like gas is going to last forever. As long as you insist on the further decimation of our planet through sucking the resources dry, I will choose to ridicule you. It's a tough world out there, but that big ole Yukon Xtra Large will keep you safe right? To hell with people in smaller cars right?

[ScreamingMeemie]

69. Hello? I walk too. Where did I say I drive?. Where did I say I am "holier than thou"

come off it. I said, we use them for work. But the person you are calling an asshole, might be a Dem or a swing voter at the least. See below why we bought it in the first place. And, where did I say to hell with people in small cars. I imply to hell with people who stereotype. I don't find it funny. I'm not going to "woohoo, good job!" you. Don't like it? Tough.

Let's all make assumptions. It's a beautiful thing. :eyes:

[EnviroBat]

72. You're about as worrisome to me as a cloudy day...

[Ikonoklast]

50. Did it ever occur to you that it may have been the first time

he filled it up that month, because he has a shorter commute than you? That in all reality, his overall petroleum distillate usage is less than yours?

I love the idiotic assumptions made by some of the holier-than-thou's on this board.

I own and drive a Chevy Suburban, got a very good deal on it when gas spiked after Katrina. Bought it used from a private owner. Had to scrape the 'W' sticker off the back to put my 'DU' one on.

It can easily carry six people and all their stuff, and still gets 20-22mpg on the highway. I use it in my business, and have to carry heavy and bulky items around, and it fills the bill.

I drive it less than 100 miles, for everything, the whole week. Many times I drive less than that. My overall gasoline usage is less than some of those with more efficient vehicles, for the simple fact that I don't need to drive far, for either work or shopping.

I apologize to no one for what I drive. Until you have to pay my bills, or do my job, you can point and laugh all you want. I'll just assume that you're demented.

[EnviroBat]

59. Good for you...

:applause:

[theHandpuppet]

65. Oh, do you have many hillbillies in Delaware?

Or is that just the still socially acceptable slur these days?

-- DUer from WV

[EnviroBat]

67. Yep, they're pretty much everywhere around here...

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. We drive a rather large SUV, I just drive it less. But we never were

super drivers. My husband drives a Ram. They come in handy for our respective jobs. You won't find me complaing on television for the cost of filling my tank. You will find me believing they have totally taken advantage of the American people no matter what they drive. :hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

45. You can't win with the SUV bashers here. They are unforgiving, no matter the circumstance.

:shrug: I got throughly trounced while DU was having fun with the "Make your own Chevy Tahoe Ad." Remember that? I didn't participate except to mention that my husband and I shared a Tahoe, which was driven less than 50 miles a week. Someone wanted to know why we felt the need to own a Tahoe that we only drove 50 miles a week. :eyes:

[sandnsea]

28. Any diversion from the oil industry lies

There's no more reason for oil prices to be high today than there was 5 years ago. Except the dollar. Otherwise, not SUV's or China or anything else. They're creating a great bubble market in the oil industry and we're too stupid to boycott it. That is all.

[SheilaT]

29. It's astonishing to me the people

who have two or three kids think that they MUST have a Nimitz class SUV (as my son once so vividly described them). They'd be surprised at how much can fit into a much smaller and more fuel efficient vehicle.

Currently I drive a 2004 Honda Civic (bought used last summer, when I bought three cars in four weeks which is another story entirely) and I'm not sure exactly what kind of mileage it gets, but I'm not driving too much these days so I only need to put gas in it about every two weeks. And I rarely am putting in as much as 10 gallons, so as much as it pains me to pay $30 for a fill-up, it could certainly be worse.

[AllegroRondo]

32. but... I *have* to have a huge one, its safer!

right.....

these idiots seem to forget that an SUV is 15 times more likely to roll over in a crash. and a rollover is the most dangerous type of accident.

[SheilaT]

56. Yeah, it's the

I *have* to have it that's so dumb.

My Civic's trunk would hold two, maybe three bodies. And they'd be hidden, so no snoopy cops or neighbors could see them.

What? I'm not supposed to mention that in public.

never mind.

[Catherine Vincent]

33. My niece's boyfriend in college recently purchased one of those

humongous SUVs. I don't know which one but here he is a college student paying for his education with athletic scholarships and loans, I'm sure his parents aren't well off. And he is very tall (he runs track). But there are regular size cars that he could be comfortable in. I don't understand it.

[AndyTiedye]

34. Hope Her Lincoln Navigator Has a Nice Stereo

Then she can listen to this violin concerto while the numbers fly by on the gas pump.

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity:

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity:

[Bozita]

36. In a later report, MSNBC reporter said 70mi/rt person pays $200-300 for a fill-up

Same reporter as the one at 11am EDT.

At noon, the "70 miles per round trip" woman with the black Navigator was obviously no longer at the gas station. The reporter referred to her and said that the woman was paying $200 to $300 to fill her vehicle.

I couldn't believe what I saw.

On second thought, I can.

[renate]

44. how big are SUVs' gas tanks?

My Subaru costs around $35-$40 to fill up from about a quarter tank. So, I'm guessing it's got a 12- to 15-gallon capacity.

Do SUVs really have gas tanks so big it costs $200-$300 to fill up? And what kind of mileage do they get, to need tanks that big?

(I'm not asking you in particular, Bozita--just throwing the question out there generally.)

[high density]

53. I think that reporter misspoke.

$200 is 67 gals at $3.00/gal. At 15mpg she could get about a 1000mi off of that gas.

That sounds like a weekly(?) figure because the Navigator's tank holds 28gal of gas. $200 / 28 = $7+ a gallon!

[youthere]

38. I just had a conversation at the gas station this morning with an SUV driver..

don't ask me what kind it was because I don't know one kind from the next. He was complaining how much it cost him to fill the thing up and that he wants to cry when he gets the bill for his fuel card at the end of the month because it's over $1500. Boo hoo..he won't be taking vacation this year because they can't afford it and yet he wouldn't DREAM of trading off that SUV with the "Freedom Isn't Free" bumper sticker and the yellow ribbon magnet.

[Buns_of_Fire]

40. What is this "fill-up" thing people speak of? (n/t)

[raccoon]

70. Is that a slightly revised movie quotation? I like it. nt

[Robb]

41. Couple years back, I started taking the motorcycle to work

...you know, in the summer, when I could. Then, I just thought I was being clever and having some fun.

These days, I cringe to drive the car anywhere.

Lots of people have good reasons to be driving big vehicles, many don't. I don't think bashing is necessary, though, as folks will come around as it gets more and more expensive.

To wit: I avoided getting a big truck this year, in favor of a utility trailer, for construction projects. Much cheaper to drive around.

[EnviroBat]

66. I miss those days. I was getting 52 mi.gallon with my bike.

I sold it a couple of weeks ago because all of the morons in SUV's were making it increasingly dangerous to operate in traffic. I'm sure you've seen them, head up ass with cell phone firmly glued to it.

[MazeRat7]

48. It is what it is... I don't really care how much it cost me to "fill up"...

I will adjust proportionally so my "cost of daily operation" is manageable.
Of all the things, financially, I worry about... cost of gas is not one.

MZr7

[lonestarnot]

49. Aaaaaaaahhaahhahahahahahahaha

[uppityperson]

52. I used to have an old gas hog, only car I could afford to buy.

I am glad that I was able to get ahead enough to buy a smaller, more fuel efficient used car.

[Nikia]

54. Not sure how old her vehicle is

But some people make the mistake of buying brand new vehicles that they can barely afford. If she did that a few years or ago or more, it makes sense that she does not have another vehicle for her commute nor is trading it in at this point.
People with long commutes always have it hard when gas prices go up no matter what vehicle they take. Making the decision to get a job closer to home or moving closer to a job can be a complicated decision that might not be made even when the commute becomes expensive.

[Screwfly]

58. Hell of the thing is

most these people with SUVs never take them off road (if they did the sides of the vehicle would be all scratched to shit from the bushes).The Hummer/Humvee is an especially ridiculous SUV since these things are so freaky wide they would never make it down most jeep trails that I've seen.

[theHandpuppet]

63. But did she have some magnetic yellow ribbons on her car?

Makes all the difference, y'know.

:sarcasm:

[a kennedy]

64. Yeah, I saw her and thought oh boo hoo

can't fill my gas hog. Give me a break. :eyes:

[KillCapitalism]

68. People like her should get rid of their big SUV's while they can.

If she were smart, she'd trade that damn thing in on something like a Highlander Hybrid if she must have an SUV.

When gas hits up above $5/gal. no one is going to want those enormous SUV's anymore. I would bet dealers wouldn't even take them in trade because they'd sit on the lot until the tires had flat spots in them.

[Javaman]

71. I take the bus everyday and maybe have to drive once or twice

a month now. I have adjusted my lifestyle to public transportation. It's easy to do, just have the will to do it. For me, it was when gas here hit 2 bucks. That's ancient history now, but at the time, it was high. I honestly can't believe people choose to bellyache over the high price instead of taking action.

each and everyday that I take the bus, I see whole families get on. Kids going to school, moms taking kids to day care, parents going to work.

My monthly bus ticket costs me ten bucks.

And since I hardly drive any longer, I fill my car up maybe every two months, more like every two and half months now. I'm trying to see if I can stretch it to 3. LOL

We live in such weird times right now, but get used to it, weird is now normal.

[Coventina]

74. It's not easy for everyone everywhere, you happen to be lucky

Not all public transportation systems are created equal.

Phoenix's is the pits.

For one thing, many people are physically unable to wait for a bus when it's 115 degrees outside.
Many of our routes run only once per hour, so if you have to transfer routes, it can be a long wait.

I ride the buses regularly here, and they are NOT a dependable way to get around. There are often unannounced detours (so you wait for a bus that never comes), and the buses break down frequently. I've even ridden a bus where the driver fell asleep behind the wheel!!

A monthly bus pass here is $51. Cheaper than buying a month's worth of gas, yes, but most here use a car if at all possible.

[hogwyld]

76. You're so selfish

You obviously need to relocate to a more temperate climate. :sarcasm:

[Coventina]

77. Yeah, I know. I would prefer to live elsewhere but

Phoenix is a place where I can manage to put food on my family.

*sigh*