Some days I’m optimistic, and I think we’ll change our behaviour in time. We’ll be able to stop destroying our environment quite so recklessly. We’ll stop our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels. We’ll stop fighting ridiculous wars over such fuels…. etc.
Other days, stuff like this happens, and I think “We’re Doomed”.
The scene: Two Fridays ago at Aspen airport. I was there to pick up a rental car that I had ordered over the web. It was needed for a trip I will tell you about. Of course, I had booked for a compact car, and was hoping to get one.
So I filled in the paperwork as usual, checking the boxes, declining the insurance (since I have my own), etc. The usual drill. Then the agent gave me one other form to sign which was weird. It is an agreement to accept a financial penalty if I brought back the car within two hours of renting it. I asked about this and he mumbled something about breach of contract, etc, etc. After giving him a hard stare, I thought nothing more of it.
Transactions with paper done with, the agent smiled at me and handed me the keys. Now remembering what just took place (see end of previous paragraph), observe what he said:
“Well, we don’t have any cars left sir, so we’re giving you a free upgrade to a Chevy Humongous. It is an SUV”.
“But I don’t want an SUV, Chevy Humongous or otherwise”.
He looked at me like I’m nuts.
“You don’t want it?”.
“No, I want the compact car that I reserved, please.”
“But it is an SUV.”
“I know, but I do not want one. How come you did not tell me that you did not have what I ordered before I signed?”
“Well, I’m sorry sir. I can try to call my manager and get permission to cancel the contract.”
I asked him to do that, but not to cancel yet in case I had no other choice. There were five other rental car agencies in that same room, each with someone sitting at a counter, waiting. (No flights had recently come in, and so they were waiting, sometimes chatting with each other, reading, etc.) I went to each in turn, trying to get a car for immediate driveaway. I specified a car, and explained about my situation, which was met with incredulity.
“You already have an SUV and you don’t want it?”
“Yes.”
“You want a compact car?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Explanation about environment, gas, etc, followed. Deaf ears, mostly. They just could not understand why I was not overjoyed to get an SUV for $23 per day, or whatever it was I’d booked….
Several of them were out of cars, and so it seemed that I was out of luck. I was already beginning to feel ill at the prospect of having to drive the 300 miles with an SUV. Please don’t get me wrong by the way – I’ve driven SUVs several times before. It is mostly the principle of the thing that was getting to me -the fact that I chose not to drive one for this trip and was beign forced to do so… and that the act of forcing was thought of as doing me a favour! The good news is that -although I had to pay a $42 a day rate instead- I did manage to find a nice small(ish) car to rent.
But it is so depressing to see such a complete lack of understanding of why I was perturbed about this (and equally depressing to see the huge and increasing number of SUVs in Aspen these days) …. I did manage to get through to one guy… mostly as a result of explaining about the extra cost to me given the poorer gas mileage on such a vehicle. He listened carefully and politely to my going on about the loss of more and more snow days in Aspen every year, but I think that he did not really take me seriously, and was just being polite….
Sometimes, I just think “We’re Doomed”. Sigh.
-cvj
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My 2000 Saturn SL with 1.9 liter engine and 5 speed manual is getting 48 MPG. And a good thing too. I’ve never seen a rental car with a manual transmission, or more than about 27 MPG.
Yes. It’s legal to drive 55 MPH on a 70 MPH highway. You can save 20% in gas. For trips under an hour, you’ll never notice the time. However, it may not be all that safe to drive 55 when others are going 80.
Bush said that there’s no instant fix to the energy crisis. Bull. Bring back the 55 MPH speed limit signs. 15% can be had by tomorrow. Oh. And it will put a dent in our 42,000 traffic deaths per year.
Fortunately, cruise control is seen as a feature. It can save you 10% without changing speed. Lots of rentals have cruise.
My mistake—this is what happens when we stereotype I guess. But you are right—the SUV is a status symbol, if for no other reason than everyone knows how much they cost to drive. Changing this is something that may prove very difficult, like changing the image of cigarette smokers.
Last year when I went to the Aspen Music Festival, an SUV-driver who was talking on a cell phone backed into me. No damage was done. Aspen is all about conspicuous consumption. SUVs are the symbol of conspicuous consumption. No one who can afford to live in Aspen has to worry about the price of gasoline; they might complain about it, but it has almost no effect on their lives. That might be why the rental car people didn’t understand your aversion to renting an SUV. They might live downvalley, but they are influenced by the over-consumers all around them.
It’s the same when you go to Tahoe, SUVs as long as you can see. It’s hard to find your car in the parking lot if you don’t have one beacuse you can’t see it behind those monsters… And then all the SUV drivers think they can go their normal speed on snow just because they have a 4×4. Hilarious.
It’s very funny to see people with SUVs who claim to love nature.
“I’m surprised you ran into this problem in Aspen—they’re usually more eco-conscience than most.”
No. No. No. No. .. and No. There’s a lot of talk about it there, but little evidence of action. Every year I go back there are more SUVs, and more green spaces in the mountains have been cleared to make room for ever-larger barely-used-for-most-of-the-year giant mansions. I don’t believe for one minute -as someone will no doubt try to remind me- that they have more SUVs because of Winter hardships.
Sure, there’s a bike/ped way in some parts of the town, and several bike paths… but that’s not enough… Especially from people who can afford to do better, can see the effects of climate change right on their doorstep every year, and supposedly have the education to make the choice.
-cvj
I’m surprised you ran into this problem in Aspen—they’re usually more eco-conscience than most.
I’ve driven several compact cars, and found most of them crap. It seems that, at least in America, “compact” translates into “cheap”. All of the small cars I’ve ever been in were poorly constructed. I recently rented a Chevy Cobalt, whose quarterpanels rattled when I turned left on a bumpy road. A friend of mine drives an Echo (?) that gets like 40 mpg, but is uncomfortable to sit in and is a very rough ride. The exception is Volkswagen, whose cars are fun to drive and still built with some quality, although my girldfriend’s new Pasat has some real maintenence issues.
Most people still associate big with luxury simply because the big cars are more expensive. (You never see rap stars driving Honda Civics with 20″ rims!) I think that high oil prices, if they continue, will encourage auto companies to offer high quality fuel effecient cars, and the Chevy Humongous will be sold in smaller and smaller quantities. Even if oil prices drop, most people will have learned how volatile the market is, and will continue to take gas milage into account when buying new cars.