[W126 Coupe] 300SE meets Sucky Utility Vehicle (SUV)

[Shayegan, Richard]

I'm 100% with you. I don't even get the whole SUV thing (and yes, I know
what you're hinting at). They have so much hanging from the bottom at
the center that they don't have any more ground clearance really, the
government should have set a max bumper height; there are min height
laws so why not max?

I in part blame police. They are all too happy to give speeding tickets,
but have you ever heard of someone getting a ticket for failure to
unsafe lane change? Or how about talking on a cell phone while driving
in states that made that illegal?

They ought to take cell phone cradles/cubbies and cupholders out of cars
if you ask me. Then again, I also think a person should have to display
a compelling reason to purchase an SUV.


> -----Original Message-----

> From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com 

> [mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Dick Spellman

> Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:52 PM

> To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists

> Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] 300SE meets Sucky Utility Vehicle (SUV)

> 

> Richard:

> 

> One other most important set of facts that I know you are all 

> to aware of while driving your pristine 380SE.  SUV's sport:

> higher bumpers causing a lot more damage where they clear 

> sedan bumpers that were initially designed to meet bumpers of 

> equal height; higher headlamps causing very difficult 

> oncoming driving conditions when they are mis-aligned and/or 

> dirty or sport after-market lighting; a wall of metal in the 

> rear coupled with greater tire exposure from increased 

> chassis height causing more windshield stone damage and more 

> wrecks due to restricted fields of view from sedan driver's 

> at the rear.

> 

> Just my 2 and not likely anything anyone will say will ever 

> change my mind.  And I'll add one more wild thought.  The 

> more traffic controls on the roadway the more accidents.  I 

> attribute this last notion to my driving experience where I 

> have had the majority of accidents including today while 

> stopped at a red light or stop sign.  Total lifetime

> incidents: 10.  2 in my youthful stupidity ages17 & 18, and 8 

> EIGHT at controlled traffic points where my vehicle was 

> stopped, planted not moving.  The snow plow in 2006 was bad 

> but, the guy who thought he was Steve McQueen in the movie 

> Bullet while I was visiting San Francisco in

> 99 takes the cake where he totaled my rental at $23k in 

> damages.  The only benefit to that event was not having to 

> hassle with the rental return at SFO which has to be the 

> worst set-up in the country.

> 

> Dick

> 

> Shayegan, Richard wrote:

> > Two things. Small cars can be made fairly safe actually. 

> Look at the 

> > test MB did where they ran a S-Class into a Smart. Smart 

> did quite well.

> >

> > Second, come move to North Carolina where people, even 

> those in SUVs, 

> > actually care about driving.

> >

> >   

> >> -----Original Message-----

> >> From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com

> >> [mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Dick Spellman

> >> Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 7:00 PM

> >> To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists

> >> Subject: [W126 Coupe] 300SE meets Sucky Utility Vehicle (SUV)

> >>

> >> Well for those of you that do not know me, I have a 

> particular rant 

> >> that simply stated suggests that this government and US automakers 

> >> conspired to permit the sale of SUV's at a time when they realized 

> >> they could no longer compete with a sedan or other family vehicle 

> >> made in Japan.

> >> It started with the Dodge/Plymouth Caravan which was in my 

> opinion a 

> >> reasonable compromise and natural evolution of the family station 

> >> wagon.  The caravan even made a reasonable utility vehicle once 

> >> absent the rear seats.  Gas mileage, visibility and safety 

> were good 

> >> as well.

> >>

> >> But, today we have nothing but gas guzzling SUV's on the roadways 

> >> where the drivers are forever thinking they are invincible and do 

> >> more stupid SUV tricks than any other motorists on the 

> road.  100's 

> >> in accidents from a single snow event mostly SUV's (snow rare this 

> >> winter in Btown).

> >>

> >> Now for today's case in point.  Today while stopped at a 

> RED light (a 

> >> long wait I might add) in the left turn lane to enter a 

> MASS highway 

> >> the SUV operator in front of me decides he needs to move 

> to the lanes 

> >> to my right for local traffic and not the highway.  

> Without so much 

> >> as a glance in his OBSTRUCTED rear view mirror, he throws 

> the sucky 

> >> utility vehicle in reverse and slams into the front of my 

> 300SE Euro 

> >> sedan.

> >>

> >> I was polite enough given the adrenalin rush from the stupid event 

> >> (that's why they call them accidents I suppose) but, had he been 

> >> driving a sedan or other similar passenger vehicle his 

> glance in the 

> >> rear view ( I won't bother to comment on not checking his 

> side view 

> >> mirrors) would have given him the visual clue that a line 

> of cars was 

> >> in fact behind him!

> >>

> >> Anyway, rental car tomorrow for the rest of my weeks 

> business, then 

> >> the insurance hassle etc.  Just another day in Boston 

> where driving 

> >> is always an experience.

> >>

> >> By the way, last winter it was a city plow truck that 

> drove into the 

> >> trunk of my other MB sedan at yet another red light where 

> traffic was 

> >> clearly stopped.  There's no escaping the madness!

> >>

> >> Dick

> >> rant off and a glass of merlot in hand.  By the way I 

> don't care if 

> >> you own an SUV, it's all a part of the conspiracy and 

> marketing hype 

> >> that says everyone's gotta have one, not much you can do 

> about it.  

> >> If I had been in a lean, efficient SMART Brabus car it would have 

> >> been trashed by the SUV and I might not be writing this 

> piece at all!  

> >> So, no way I'm getting a smaller car where the roads are 

> nothing but 

> >> SUV's.

> >>

> >> The MB Coupes Website!

> >> W126 SEC Mailing List

> >> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

> >>

> >>     

> > The MB Coupes Website!

> > W126 SEC Mailing List

> > Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

> >

> >   

> 

> The MB Coupes Website!

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> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>