Do you still love your SUV?
Source: Chicago Daily Herald (Original Article)
Over the years, giant SUVs have become status symbols.
But as fuel exceeds $4 a gallon, some suburban drivers are changing the way they look at the gas guzzlers. Others aren’t ready to squeeze into something smaller. Children, athletic bags and sporting equipment, emotional attachment or lifestyle have them still clutching the keys to their large vehicles.
With General Motors announcing that it’s closing four plants making large vehicles, we asked local residents: Do you still love your SUV?
Stephanie Brown of Lake Zurich, plans to get rid of her full-size conversion van, which she’s keeping in the garage because she doesn’t want to pay more than $100 to fill it up. The gas bill for the minivan her family of six is using is bad enough.
“Instead of taking six road trips to St. Louis and Eagle River to visit relatives as we have in the past, this summer we’ll go one time. And we have to take the minivan instead of the conversion van.”
Miki Thomas of Naperville, a stay-at-home mom with two children, sticks with her 2007 Acura MDX for errands and other short trips.
“Right now, we’ll keep the SUV because I need more space for the gigantic stroller.”
Rather than sacrifice her Volvo XC90 to spiking gas prices, Cheryl Zeller of Wauconda is cutting back on other items, such as her daily Starbucks run. It costs about $75 to fill the tank, which lasts about 330 miles, or about 10 or 11 days.
“We have kids in sports. We have to travel for softball. We need the size for the bat bags.”
Jason Beckner of Bartlett needs his 2005 Ford Explorer for camping and snowboarding. He bought it last summer, just before gasoline spiked. Now, he winces when driving 20 miles each way to work. Still, he wouldn’t trade it in. He loves the vehicle.
“If gasoline reaches $6 a gallon, well, then maybe I would reconsider.”
It costs Rick Champine of St. Charles $130 to fill up his Yukon XL. He’s ready to The King of Queens dvd trade it in for a smaller, …continue reading