I have an '06 with under 10K on it because I do not drive a lot. This makes me think...

Should I have a mint car that is used for expeditions and random trips and nothing else? Sometimes I feel bad for having a good car sitting w/o doing any work. Sometimes I love the fact that I can actually go to places w/o worrying that something will go bad to my car (diff issues aside). Hell, I will be honest with you: Sometimes I feel bad for idling in traffic and polluting the environment. But gas prices is something that I never think about.

Here is the deal: Buddy, it sounds like you got a car that you could not afford. If you bought car thinking that gas prices were going to stay the same, then shame on you. By my standards $3 for a gallon of gas is nothing. Take a look at world gas prices and you will see these prices are pretty damn low for an industrialized nation. If gas prices go higher, then all of us are screwed. Once gas reaches $6 per gallon, then being able to afford the X will be the last thing on your "to-worry-about" list.

I do agree with you on one thing -- it appears that most people have SUVs without any use for them. A month after I got a car, I put it through some roads in Death Valley. My friends thought that I was nuts for taking a brand new car into a harsh environment. "Why do you want to put scratches on it?" Well, becuase this car is a vehicle made for adventure. If you are not willing to use an SUV for its intended purpose, then I really do not understand why you would want one. I keep seeing these lowered SUVs and trucks on 22" with low profile tires and I can never understand their purpose. I don't want to destroy the car intentionally, but if life happens then it happens

You asked a question to which I don't have a definite answer. I suspect that people buy SUVs are divided into two groups:

1. People who will actually use them for something other than groceries. Outdorsy folks who like to hike, camp and do something in remote places, etc.

2. Folks who do not give a fuck. Be it because they are not smart enough to realize that an SUVs are not really safer than a sedan or because they like big cars and what they like is matters the most.

The X had a positive effect on me. The more I travel and see, the more I want to preserve the great outdoors. I started recycling and conserving energy. I don't drive to places I can reach within 40 minutes of walking and generally I became more aware of the environment and what needs to be done to save it. All these things happened because my car took me to places that are still more or less preserved. Now my motto is "If I don't need a 4LO, then there is no point to go."

On a separate note, if you drink bottled water, then you should probably not be complaining about gas prices. In many cases bottled water is more expensive than gas