I drive an SUV.  I am often ashamed of this fact, because I am a graduate student in ecology and it seems like such a paradox to be driving the very thing my colleagues and peers often credit with ruining the planet.  BUt I am a realist; the reality of my life is that my little four door sedan was on its last legs (wheels?) and would not have survived a several hundred mile trip associated with my move for school.  I wonder if other people out there find themselves plagued with similar moral dilemmas that I face for driving my vehicle, so I decided to air some of my favorite and less than favorite parts of my 2002 Bravada.

The Positives

1) I am not afraid of driving in snowy roads.  Beyond reason.

Four wheel drive is awesome in this respect.  I don't worry if I'm driving in a blizzard that my car is not equipped to handle the snow.

2) I am always equipped to move myself or help other people move.

I list this as a positive but I suppose its a matter of your own particular bent.  If you get stuck helping people move too often, owning this type of car will only make your situation worse if there is no one in your immediate social group with a regular pick up truck.

3) The car is tall enough and well built enough I don't have to feel every bump on the road. 

This seems like a minor detail until you ever have to go over a speed bump of any size in something like a Prius.  I love Prius-es, if I had the money I would buy one myself, but honestly they ride about two inches off the ground without the "Look at me, I'm sweet!" effect of other low riding cars.

4) I can tow things.

Once again, may or may not be useful.  Give my field, can be very useful in terms of transporting field equipment to or from sites.

5) I can drive a number of people around and still have space for bags in the back.

Pretty self explanatory.

The Negatives

1) THE GUILT THAT NEVER ENDS. 

I am sometimes ashamed to admit that my car is my car.  Especially when first meeting people.  The conversation usually goes "But I thought you were-" "Yes, I am, I didn't say I'm a good ecologist."

2) The gas bills.

Ridiculously high.  Especially when gas went over $3 a gallon.

3) The "Small-woman-large-car" syndrome.

I find myself driving differently in a large car than I would in a small one- generally more aggressive and potentially even faster to some extent.  I think being further from the actual pavement promotes both.  Also another reason I get mocked for driving one.

4) The threat of rolling it.

Probably not something most people give much thought to, but SUV's have much higher centers of gravity resulting in many more roll over related accidents than in other vehicles.

5) Excessive repair costs.

I don't think the make/model/year of my car means it has any hugely special requirements for parts or labor, but by nature it seems more complicated due to things like four wheel drive that require special attention from the dealer to get fixed.  This is just my experience though, and I don't believe I am excessively hard on vehicles but I certainly have a lot of mechanical problems from them.

Overall I have been  happy to own a car that gets me from point A to point B reliably, but I wrestle with my conscience on a daily basis over the price the planet (and the rest of you who have to drive the roads with me) pay for my convenience.

(For the record, I have never been in a car accident to date.  You really don't have to be scared of sharing the roads with me.)