Quote Originally Posted by smilingcat View Post
True to a point. Culturally we are very different than the Europeans or the Asians.

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Not big enough with Big SUVs. Cadillac Escalade (6,800 pounds/almost 3100kilos), Chevy Tahoe (6,500pounds) Ford Expedition (5800pound/2600kilos). Three guys at my office are driving around in Ford F350 4wd, Chevy 3500, and another is driving a F250 4WD. They live in the city. And they don't care about the gas milage being 6-8MPG. (about 2.4km/liter). When the boys get a new truck or high end sports car, they all have to go out and lust over it. and compare against their own truck or car. Yup another set drives a modified Audi R4 (his blown his engine like two or three times already). Another two drives a corvette, My new boss who took over control of this division drives a Bentley 8. And in the same building where we lease out part of the building to another business, guys there are driving Merceds AMG looks very fast. And yet another Bentley 8. Even a tech who can't afford an expensive car is driving around in a Hummer H2. Didn't say a word to the guy. What is the point???

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Culturally, we Americans never have enough of anything.

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Okay. First... I admit to not following this thread at all.
Generally, I agree with what you are saying.

But...
I saw this and what leaped out at me (other than "What's a Bently 8?" I looked at their website and there is no such car...the "Bently 8L (liter)" was I think from the 1930's...(from a 5-second Google search) which would be pretty cool to see driving around, in all honesty.)....is that...not to defend American consumerism, but 3 of those gas guzzling behemoths you mention are not American cars.
I don't think Americans - or American car manufacturers - have a monopoly on building or buying completly pointless vehicles.
One of my DH's favorite shows on t.v. is Top Gear - a British show that glamorizes and highlights ultra-fast, hardly economic, sports cars. Most of those cars are European...or Japanese (in fact, they hate American cars). The things they do to and with cars would freeze a greenie's heart. (That said, the show IS hysterically funny).
And, no, I don't think there is any reason to drive an F350 or a Hummer in a city.
Oh...the other thing that leaped out is that your co-workers are NOT representative of what the "average American" drives...by a long shot.