The Hummer of Charnwood. Images of Canberra

Tooks said :

Deref said :

Tooks said :

One word comes to mind whenever I see a Hummer driving around. It starts with ‘W’.

How about the B and D words?

Yeah, them too 🙂

Each to their own, but they are the ultimate ‘look at me’ vehicles.

Yeah, bit like a trophy wife. Lovely to look at; wouldn’t want to own one.

Tooks said :

Deref said :

Tooks said :

One word comes to mind whenever I see a Hummer driving around. It starts with ‘W’.

How about the B and D words?

Yeah, them too 🙂

Each to their own, but they are the ultimate ‘look at me’ vehicles.

It works! Whenever I see one I look at it and think “what a dickhead”.

Innovation, you have completely missed the point. As a PP said, the same comments could be made about high end sports or luxury cars – do you think people should be financially penalised (more than they already are) for owning them as well? Why is it that everyone should conform to some external, puritanical standard about what they ‘need’ and how they choose to spend their own money?

Personally, I think that Hummers are rubbish and would never buy one. But, there are some mighty ‘inappropriate’ (by your standards) luxury cars that are very appealing to me, including both large, heavy and thirsty limousines and fantastically extravagant sports cars. Thank goodness we still live in a free country, where people with your intrusive and authoritarian views on personal consumption can only fulminate on the sidelines. Honestly, it sounds as if you’d have us all in Trabants if you had your wish.

And, what is it with the shared ownership thing? Is it a form of socialism, or just guilt about prosperity? Almost no-one who can afford to own something in their own right chooses to share ownership with someone else – other than with a spouse or family member. Human nature and the practicalities of life ensure that this is not going to change in the forseeable future.

kb1971 – so the rego is even less (ie somewhere between $900 and a grand).

I didn’t write that they should be “outlawed”. I wrote that they should be “taxed off the road”. For example, if the States and Territories could get their act together, vehicles could be better proportionately taxed based on a weight/fuel consumption vs distance travelled basis, meaning these things would be driven only as needed. It would also create other cost effective incentives such as sharing car ownership, owning second fuel efficient (cheaply taxed) vehicles, increased public transport useage, a more competitve market for hiring out larger vehicles etc. Of course some concessions might be required for some businesses and farmers etc that have a genuine need for “approved” large but fuel efficient vehicles and for rural communities who might get by with a small car but travel large distances.

Also, just brainstorming but, if these larger and/or inefficient vehicles had a marginally lower speed limit (to partly offset the higher fuel consumption compared to a smaller car) this might discourage people from driving them other than when needed or purely for ego purposes.

I don’t know about the fuel efficiency of the hummer, but I suspect that it has the aerodynamics of a house brick and that there are more efficient vehicles that suit whatever purpose many owners want them for (unless it is just owned for ego).

Last, I agree that electric vehicles are not very practical or cost effective for most people – yet. But there are plenty of cost effective small fuel efficient cars that suit the majority of most car trips for most people.

Outlawed – Taxed out of existence, is there much difference? You are basically saying the same thing.

Also this whole 4WD’s are inefficent thing is a fallacy to a certain dagree. The Hummer has a petrol powered 6lt enging in a that weighs over two tonnes, so does the Toyota Landcruiser (4.5lt though) & yes these two vehicle use more fuel than say a Honda Jazz but I have Nissan Pathfinder diesel that uses less fuel than my Holden Commodore V6.

The Commodore is no slouch in the economy department only using 11l/100 around town, the Pathy is currently using 9-10 depending on how its driven.

As far as safety is concerned, it has 6 airbags, traction control, AWD & ESC. Ok, I hit a smaller car it will be worse off but if a Kenworth hits me I’m toast too, thats just a fact of life on our roads.

Also the Hummer H2 is not the evil demon you are making it out to be, there are really only a handful in the country (probably about 100, 1millione vehicles were sold in OZ last year) as the purchase cost of them plus the running costs places them in the enthusiast category of vehicle. No different to things such as Ferrari’s, Lambo’s, Corvettes & such. Should they be taxed out of existence too?

He has a choice to own such a vehicle & good on him if he can afford it.

BTW, the everage Kenworth with two trailers on it cruising down the Hume is only getting 2km/litre, think about that.

Tooks said :

One word comes to mind whenever I see a Hummer driving around. It starts with ‘W’.

Wonderful?

Deref said :

Tooks said :

One word comes to mind whenever I see a Hummer driving around. It starts with ‘W’.

How about the B and D words?

Yeah, them too 🙂

Each to their own, but they are the ultimate ‘look at me’ vehicles.

Tooks said :

One word comes to mind whenever I see a Hummer driving around. It starts with ‘W’.

How about the B and D words?

One word comes to mind whenever I see a Hummer driving around. It starts with ‘W’.

Also, just brainstorming but, if these larger and/or inefficient vehicles had a marginally lower speed limit (to partly offset the higher fuel consumption compared to a smaller car) this might discourage people from driving them other than when needed or purely for ego purposes.

Actually, if you get a wide/long-wheel base vehicle, with power transmitted to all 4 wheels, youre generally able to handle existing speeds safer than most 2 wheel drive vehicles. Just ask any WRX driver if they think the AWD makes a difference.

georgesgenitals said :

Personally I’ve nvere understood the 4WD/SUV thing. They’re slow, handle like crap and use too much fuel. Unless you actually have a need for regular offroad use, they’re a wank.

If you live in the city and always drive in asphalt roads, I agree theyre a complete waste. Personally, I have a caravan that often comes off-road with me, and while I wouldnt be buying a hummer, you wouldnt catch me in anything less than a large/stable 4WD/SUV. (BTW, Im fairly sure SUV is the USA term). Having said that, I also have a little hatchback for the ‘living in the city and driving on asphalt roads’.. Theres nothing inherently wrong with a large 4WD car, the same way you might look at a big rigid truck and say thats a slow/wasteful way to travel, but horses for courses.

The highest classification of wankerism is reserved for owners of 4WD/SUVs with low profile tyres, and it looks like we might have a candidate.

But you’ve got to laugh – I suspect the driver is as unlikely to mount a curb as a chick using that vehicle. A mechanic’s creeper has more ground clearance.