<p>Here in earthquake land, I like to imagine the Hummer people driving us to the hospital over all the debris after the “big one.” Sometimes I also try to think of them as retired special forces who just can’t quite stop…</p>
<p>We used to have a neighbor with a Suburban and he was always ready to give any group of 9 people a ride, just to reduce his guilt (He also had a chainsaw and he’d come over and help you chop up debris after storms. I think he just really liked the macho machinery.)</p>
<p>We have a CRV - wouldn’t trade it for anything. Took us through the Rockies, to Mount Rushmore, down to New Orleans. Only criticism I have on it it that the road noise can get a little loud. And I only know that when I was driving a Laredo as a rental and noticed the difference. Absolutely no repair issues with the CRV as opposed to my previous Caravans.</p>
<p>The thing about the smaller SUVs though- they are a heck of a lot smaller than a minivan-
I just had a Yakima rooftop box installed so that I have room for our stuff & the dog and now my clearance must be 8ft!
( parking garages are 7 )</p>
<p>Good one, dig! To digress, I was reminded of a sign on the back of a Verizon van–“slow moving vehicle”–so is that a moving vehicle that is slow? Love word plays.</p>
<p>Jeep Grand Cherokee…not great on gas (15hwy), but it’s not huge, it drives and parks like a car. Bought mine used (lease trade-in probably) for less than 18K. Had 42K miles, V8, leather interior, heated seats (live in Vermont), sunroof, dual heat/ac regulators, cruise, electric seats, 10 cd changer, all the bells and whistles. Only carries 5 passengers, but the back hold lots of storage and the rear seats fold down either completely or 2/3, so you can fit something huge and still have one or two kids in the back. We’ve only driven Jeeps for the last 20 years and have NEVER had any part break down!</p>
<p>Own a jeep and all you’ll most likely ever have to do is keep the oil changed, replace brakes, and buy tires. We’ve owned Jeeps for years and they are GREAT! What would Jesus drive during a snow storm? Why, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, of course!</p>
(He also had a chainsaw and he’d come over and help you chop up debris after storms. I think he just really liked the macho machinery.)</p>
)</p>