Small cars vs big cars...

I`m curious to know how many people would buy a small car if it`s practical (i.e. you don`t need a big car for hauling people or stuff around). I personally would like to have a small 4 or 6 cyl car for daily transportation (namely in the winter or adverse weather), and drive my 67 Galaxie when it`s nice out. I would like this just as much to save money on gas and protect my Gal from the winter as I would for the environment.
I`d prefer it to be an American car, but hey, if the price is right on a used Honda I wouldn`t mind. The air in NJ isn`t the most pleasant thing is lots of places, nor is the air in the city. It would be nice to do a bigger part for the environment. Unfortunately with insurance rates the way they are for a 17 year old male I won`t be getting another car until after I`m 25, when rates go down. But nonetheless, I certainly wouldn`t mind giving up my "big evil American car" for daily transportation, instead only driving it on warm summer days.
At the very least if I needed a big car maybe get a 4 door Galaxie and put a 5.0 fuel injected engine and overdrive tranny with a low geared rear end, cats and all the other emissions stuff too. I`ve seen it done and getting better than 25 MPG. I certainly wouldn`t mind going 600 miles between fill ups. Or perhaps an 80`s Monte Carlo. Either way, I eventually plan on having a more "clean" or "green" car for daily transportation, which will definitely get better mileage than SUVs are getting now.
I don`t think we should be forcing people away from the cars they want, be it a gargantuan SUV or anything. I would like to see less people buying unnecessarily polluting vehicles for daily transportation. No need to pay $30,000 or more for a vehicle getting 12-14 MPG when your only going to be using it to drive around town a run errands, maybe even never using it`s capacity or capabilities. Better to spend half that and get something with twice the mileage and lower emissions to boot. Or a hell of a lot less and just get a used car. Heck, if you want the torque of a V8 get something like a Mustang or a Marauder, they`ll get better mileage than a SUV and _much_ better performance.
I believe gas/electric hybrids are where it`s at for the daily driver of the future. It would be a lot easier and more readily available than other alternatives like CNG or fuel cells. The infrastructure is already there, all that is needed is to incorporate the technology into all lines of cars and make it affordable. I don`t see it going into the performance market, but I don`t feel it belongs there.
I guess that`s about it for my rant about the environment. Just thinking aloud I guess, looking for anyone elses thoughts or ideas on the issue.

(I have a 4dr sedan with the rear seats folded.) But performance is paramount. A small 2dr "hot hatch" with a lively, ricey, boosted 4 banger pumping out 140+hp, coupled to a close ratio tranny, would be just fine. the bank? My in$urance rate for the Grand Am alone runs upward of $1600/year and that`s with no collision coverage. Surcharges are based on crashes/claims against you; discounts are based on claim free driving experience. Age and sex do not matter; the basic fixed rate (not collision) varies only by place of residence and primary use of vehicle (employment, commercial, leisure only, etc.). Government monopoly in$urance does have its advantages! cars, even with the slushbox. I know they`re pretty sleek and impressive performance wise too. Very nice lookers, but they sure as hell ain`t cheap. achieve this is to crank up gasoline taxes into the stratosphere. This carries two major advantages:
- reduction of the need to generate revenue via pointless traffic tickets; - creating a "user pay" system where the biggest gas guzzlers and polluters pay most.
In the U.S. the feds could levy an additional US$1.50/gallon surcharge on all gasoline across the entire country (eliminating the ability for people to pop across state lines for cheap gas). I don`t this would go down too well with Joe Average Voter though, somehow. racket (providing they go hand in hand). Simple and effective. But who`ll lobby the U.S. federal government for a US$1.50/gallon surcharge (say)? Fwiw the Canajun federal government already levies hefty surcharges (+GST) on top of local and Provincial taxes, resulting in typical base pump prices around the US$1.70-$2/gallon mark. In EUrope they can run closer to US$5/gallon. A very effective polluter tax, imo.

I also would like to see less people buying unnecessarily polluting vehicles for daily transportation. It does piss me off to see so many large SUVs being used as daily commuters for one person. Some people argue that they really NEED the large SUV, as they (insert some need they have once in a blue moon that necessitates driving the SUV). I don`t necessarily disagree with that, either. I say if you need a SUV, buy it. But what I don`t understand is, even for the few people who really need to drive an SUV once in a blue moon, why oh WHY do they use that monster for their daily commute? I mean, next to the cost of a large SUV, the cost of a small (possibly used) economy car is trivial. So if you buy a small economy car ALSO and use THAT for your commuter . . . heck, the money you save in gas would probably more than cover the taxes and insurance involved with owning two vehicles instead of one. And the benefits to the environment from NOT driving the SUV -daily- are priceless.
This issue strikes close to home, unfortunately. The "boss" insists she really wants a large SUV. She`s thinking along the lines of a Durango or possibly (Suburban?) . . . the large GM thing. The arguments are that she needs the extra space occasionally (OK, I can buy that one), and she needs something to tow with. My view on the issue is, she doesn`t do anything that she couldn`t do just fine with a minivan. She probably only needs to tow a trailer about once a year, so why can`t we rent something to tow with?
I could go out tomorrow and buy two brand new Durango SUVs if I wanted to (his & hers!!!). But I know for a fact that a large vehicle like that would annoy the heck out of me, even though I`d only be driving it on the weekends. I mean, what do I need with a vehicle that handles like crap, is hard to park, and spends half it`s time at the gas pump? And the "boss" really doesn`t NEED an SUV. So I`ve been trying to talk her out of it. Her current Suzuki Aerio SX station wagon type vehicle fills her needs just fine 364 days out of the year. For a small car, it has a lot of room . . . but it is a SMALL car. Even after we have kids, I don`t see her ever needing a vehicle larger than a minivan.
Sigh . . . I wonder how many hubbies fall into this trap. That is, how many guys who KNOW BETTER go out and buy an SUV anyway, just because their better half really REALLY wants one? I just might have to buy her an SUV eventually. I don`t want to, but I might have to. If it leads to a major argument, I might just cave in and buy a Durango. -Dave (call me gutless, I guess)

GTI 16V, and `02 GTI 1.8T) Note that the cars are growing steadily larger as they get newer :/ I`d love to be able to buy something new comparable to the `roccet, but the only real option here is the Mini and the interior kind of leaves me cold (and it`s rather gadgetized... not that the new GTI isn`t, but at least the interior isn`t going to look horribly dated in 3 years...)
In retrospect it might have been more sensible for me to buy a TDI, as I use the extra power of the 1.8T maybe 1% of the time. But I am an incorrigible power junkie... One of these days I will find a body shop to put my 914 back together, then I can have a *truly* small car <G> nate