Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by petew on October 11, 1999 at 10:59:07:

In Reply to: Yes, but... posted by Victor Khomenko on October 11, 1999 at 08:43:53:

Mr. Khomenko, I'm so happy to hear you say that about the SUV madness. As sales approcach 50% of the US market, I am in mortal fear whenever I leave the driveway. I remember that during the March '93 "Storm of the Century" I couldn't resist the temptation to take the wife's lexus (my front-drive Audi with the racing tyres was horrible in the snow) out for a "spin". I was the only car on the road for miles around. Everywhere I went I saw 4-wheel-drive vehicles spun-out or stuck in the ditch. The handling and breaking of those things is poor on dry pavement, and downright dangerous on slippery roads.

Before I became a fat and lonely audiophile, I used to race up to Little Gap, PA during every snowstorm. I remember during one storm, I maneuvered the Audi right behind a plowtrain of Six PENN DOT cindertrucks. We moved from Landsdown North at about 35 miles/ hour. When they pulled off at the Allentown Maintenence center, a Ford Exploder zoomed past us at over 70 mph. He was out-of-sight in less than a minuite. About 15 minuites later we passed him. He was upside down in the ditch--and his three ski buddies were trying to get their crushed skis out from under the wreckage. The driver had a bewildered look on his face, as if to say, "But I have 4-wheel -drive!"

The problem is, if you look at the commercials for these things it's not surprising what kind of people end up buying them. I feel sorry for them. Sure, we'd all like to see the road better, but that's not a good reason to get one. If the roads are so trecherous that you think you need 4-wheel-drive, you probably shouldn't be out there anyway. A typical American sedan with snow tires all around will out perform any SUV in all but the most rediculous conditions. You can get a very nice handling sedan for commuting to work, and spend the extra money on one of the driving classes--my Father in Law took the local BMW class last month. He ended up buying the Audi A6 though. What a wimp.

Oh, I may have misunderstood you: "It's a Gas!" an expression meaning, It's an enjoyable experience... I think it comes from the use of Nitrous Oxide gas as a mild intoxicant. If you've seen the comedy movie "Better off Dead" there's a scene where the friend is in the grocery store buying airesol whipped cream by the bagfull. If you take your Reddi Whip and don't invert the can, you get a blast of nitrous oxide and a temporary euphoria. Eventually it leads to coma and death. "It's a gas!"