End of the SUV culture?

[coppertop]

Well, here goes. I drive a big SUV. I haul bags of EARTAGS home from the vet in it, take my cowdog to the vet in it, haul my books to the accountant in it, and all in all use it for most of my business in town with the exception of hauling bags of salt and mineral which I do with my farm pickup, also a 4x4.

Yesterday, I drove to Red Deer, took Highway 22, then Highway 53 across to Rimbey which was icy, snow on the shoulders etc. I watched three little cars get stuck in the Capri parking lot in the snow, and my big old Durango with the $1000.00 set of tires just trucked right on through. Yesterday, is a prime reason why I drive an SUV. I do not need one in the summer to travel, nor the spring or fall, but I sure as heck am not going to buy one more vehicle to insure just so I don't drive the SUV when I don't need it.

I DO have energy efficient kitchen appliances, have replaced all the light bulbs on the place with energy efficient ones,I have purchased stock waterers that are supposedly more energy efficient than the old ones that wore out. I protect the riparian areas on my farm, I do NOT burn garbage or brush piles and pollute the air, but I will not give up my SUV which is, in my view the safest means I have to travel in an Alberta winter.

By the way, I get better milage with my SUV than I do with the Silverado pickup.

[dalek]

Grassfarmer, in Ontario coloured diesel is just for off-road use too. If you get caught running it in a grain truck or livestock truck, they estimate out how many kms you've put on that vehicle in the past 7 years, get the expected mileage from the manufacturer, and calculate how many gallons of diesel you "should" have used from that. If you can't come up with receipts for clear diesel that are close to the same amount, you get to pay back taxes on the difference.

[cowman]

dalek:In Alberta every man and his dog get a farm plate and burn dyed fuel! Vans, jeeps, SUVs pretty well anything goes! Even the cardlocks have dyed fuel!
About once every five years the cops get off their butts and go down to the curling club and round up a few old boys with dyed gas in their cars, but that is about it!

[coppertop]

I have never had farm plates on any of the SUV's I have owned, and don't know of anyone in this area that does. Most of us have pickups as well, and that is the vehicle with the farm plates.

[dalek]

Saw a Hummer a while back with Ontario farm plates. Not much advantage to farm plates here anymore, they're mostly becoming a status symbol for hobby farmers.
Grassfarmer you can get dyed diesel at the truck stops here but only to run the reefers with.