SUV
I recently pulled up behind an SUV at a red light, and was shocked to see several stickers on the back indicating that the owner of the vehicle had several children. One was an elementary honor student,and another was a junior high soccer player (I presume a good one). I don’t know if the SUV owner had any other children, but if so these two were definitely the pride of the family. What surprised me was that these stickers were on an SUV. I always thought that people who drove SUVs were rock climbers, game hunters, off-road explorers and such. According to the media, “family” wagons are supposed to be minivans, not SUVs. As the proud owner of a minivan, I have been hurt by ads that portray minivans as taxis for soccer moms. In particular I remember the ad with the muscular guy in the weight room at a local gym, and an announcement over the loud speaker advising the owner of a “tan minivan” that his lights were on. Humiliated, the guy tried to act like the announcement pertained to someone else. I fail to understand why owners of such a practical transportation solution have to endure this kind of abuse. After all, a minivan is as roomy or roomier than an SUV, better riding since it has a car frame rather than a truck frame, easier to enter and exit because it is lower, more convenient in a tight space since it has sliding doors rather than open-out doors, and more economical to operate since it is more aerodynamic. In a few years we will all be asking “What were we thinking?” As long as we are on the subject of automobiles, I am still in love with oval headlights. That is why I am hanging on to my two ten-year old E Class Mercedes Benzes. I was sorry when Mercedes got away from that headlight design concept, since I feel it was a step backward, but sadly I was not consulted. What I like about the oval headlights is that they seem so retro, and revive the feeling that it is 1940 . When I am driving one these vehicles I like to imagine myself as a high-level Nazi official, on my way to an important meeting.
