Trading the Hummer for a Honda (1 Finger Salutes gets to Hummer Owner)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/18/business/18trucks.html?ex=1300338000&en=ce6fe6cf68ea0c24&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

For Janna Jensen, it was the dirty looks and nasty gestures from other drivers that finally persuaded her to give up the family's $55,000 Hummer H2. Her husband, Michael, meanwhile, was tired of the $300 monthly gasoline cost and the quality problems that began soon after they bought it.

So the Jensens of Reno, Nev., dumped the sport utility vehicle this year for a more modest Honda Element, still an S.U.V. but one with better gasoline mileage and a lower profile than the H2. And they are not alone.

Luxury sport utilities are becoming decidedly less cool than just three years ago, when they were the hottest things on wheels and dealers had long waiting lists for the most popular models.

On top of the sales drop that has hurt all sport utilities, fewer than half the people who bought luxury S.U.V.'s are going back for another one. Incentives for the vehicles are at record levels and for the first time, luxury automakers are paying out more for rebates and lease deals to entice consumers to buy luxury S.U.V.'s than to buy cars.

The higher cost of gasoline plays a big role, as it has for the last year of high oil prices. But wealthy buyers, who used to shrug off the expense, are shifting gears, as excessive energy consumption is becoming socially embarrassing.

In the winter time, they didn't hear me anyway, the 1 Finger salute sounds more effective

"How many lives per gallon does that thing get?"

your hummer pays my bills! Thanks!

Hardly. Owning a Hummer has always been "stupid", not "cool".

website (hundreds of pages of people flipping off H2's--funny!).

For Janna Jensen, it was the dirty looks and nasty gestures from other drivers that finally persuaded her to give up the family's $55,000 Hummer H2. Her husband, Michael, meanwhile, was tired of the $300 monthly gasoline cost and the quality problems that began soon after they bought it.

Or the nasty notes I leave on their windshields that say, "Patriots drive Hummers to war. Traitors drive Hummers to the mall."


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Welcome to FUH2.com, home of the official Hummer H2 salute. So...why all the fuss? Well, it breaks down like this:

* The H2 is the ultimate poseur vehicle. It has the chassis of a Chevy Tahoe and a body that looks like the original Hummer; i.e. it's a Chevy Tahoe in disguise.

* The H2 is a gas guzzler. Because it has a gross vehicle weight rating over 8500 lbs, the US government does not require it to meet federal fuel efficiency regulations. Hummer isn't even required to publish its fuel economy (owners indicate that they get around 10 mpg for normal use). So while our brothers and sisters are off in the Middle East risking their lives to secure America's fossil fuel future, H2 drivers are pissing away our "spoils of victory" during each trip to the grocery store.



* The H2 is a polluter. Based on G.M.'s optimistic claim that it gets13 mpg, an H2 will produce 3.4 metric tons of carbon emissions in a typical year, nearly double that of G.M.'s Chevrolet Malibu sedan.

* The H2 is a death machine. You'd better hope that you don't collide with an H2 in your economy car. You can kiss your ass goodbye thanks to the H2's massive weight and raised bumpers. Too bad you couldn't afford an urban assault vehicle of your own. Or could you...?

* The H2 is a tax loophole. Under the current tax laws, business owners can deduct nearly half the cost of their H2s. If you are in the highest tax bracket, that's a tax savings of nearly $10,000! The government rewards you more savings for buying an H2 than you'd get for buying an electric car.

So, if you see it our way, tell a Hummer owner what you think and show 'em the bird. If you do, send us a picture--we'd love to post it on our site.

--Your friends at FUH2.com

who owned one of those p.o.s. Sounded like a garbage truck rumbling down the street. Only difference was, the H never did an honest day of work.

sold it and used the proceeds to buy a different car? Sounds like a good way to reduce what a Honda costs.

I have a Ford Ranger 4x4. I admit much smaller than the Hummer, but I still don't get great mileage (round 20 per gallon city highway combined), and I live in an urban area. Please don't have me, I work in construction, I use this truck, it can haul stuff to the site, it can work it's way into a construction site (can you say, mud, crud, and no paving?). I mostly use the ranger, but I also have on hand a two ton dooley that get MPQ (thats miles per quart), I need it also, but I only use this beast when I will need to haul say 1900lbs of quickcrete or some such. All SUV drivers are not uncaring gas hogs, some of us need these things.

-or even a bag of mulch

No, in fact, when I see these vehicles on the highway (and this was true of the old bigger Hummers as well) they usually have ONE person in them - the driver. H2s and Hummers aren't really made to do anything useful - not even haul a bunch of people. They are too high for people to get in and out of easily. A minivan is way more useful for hauling people or stuff and a pickup is way more useful for hauling stuff.

including drivers and passengers, is usually too small to allow much hauling.

that's what I tell them!