Do you still love your SUV?
Over the years, giant SUVs have become status symbols.
But as fuel exceeds $4 a gallon, some suburban drivers are changing the way they look at the gas guzzlers. Others aren't ready to squeeze into something smaller. Children, athletic bags and sporting equipment, emotional attachment or lifestyle have them still clutching the keys to their large vehicles.
With General Motors announcing that it's closing four plants making large vehicles, we asked local residents: Do you still love your SUV?
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Stephanie Brown of Lake Zurich, plans to get rid of her full-size conversion van, which she's keeping in the garage because she doesn't want to pay more than $100 to fill it up. The gas bill for the minivan her family of six is using is bad enough.
"Instead of taking six road trips to St. Louis and Eagle River to visit relatives as we have in the past, this summer we'll go one time. And we have to take the minivan instead of the conversion van."
Miki Thomas of Naperville, a stay-at-home mom with two children, sticks with her 2007 Acura MDX for errands and other short trips.
"Right now, we'll keep the SUV because I need more space for the gigantic stroller."
Rather than sacrifice her Volvo XC90 to spiking gas prices, Cheryl Zeller of Wauconda is cutting back on other items, such as her daily Starbucks run. It costs about $75 to fill the tank, which lasts about 330 miles, or about 10 or 11 days.
"We have kids in sports. We have to travel for softball. We need the size for the bat bags."
Jason Beckner of Bartlett needs his 2005 Ford Explorer for camping and snowboarding. He bought it last summer, just before gasoline spiked. Now, he winces when driving 20 miles each way to work. Still, he wouldn't trade it in. He loves the vehicle.
"If gasoline reaches $6 a gallon, well, then maybe I would reconsider."
It costs Rick Champine of St. Charles $130 to fill up his Yukon XL. He's ready to trade it in for a smaller, crossover utility vehicle -- but nothing too small.
"I have six kids, so I need something with some room."
Ed Dowdy of Bloomingdale drives his Lincoln Navigator about 30,000 miles a year for work and spends about $180 a week in gas.
"I'm looking for a new car right now. I've got to get away from the four-wheel drive."
Kristoffer Karlson of Naperville bought a used 2002 Buick Rendezvous in 2006 to have room for his wife and two children. It gets 17 miles per gallon.
"We have to keep it right now with our financial situation. But if we could, we'd trade it in for a Honda Civic hybrid or Toyota Prius."
Jeremy Woods of Aurora drives a 2005 Jeep Liberty because it has the room he needs for his family, but he also has a Saturn SL.
"The way things are going, we'd like to get a hybrid."
Tracy Rieger of Villa Park says her 2007 Nissan Pathfinder is great, but just too expensive to operate, getting about 15 miles per gallon.
"We want to get rid of it, but the dealers won't give you anything for it."
Laura Trujillo of Lake Zurich says her minivan, which costs $70 to fill up, is essential to her family's lifestyle. She's careful, though, not to drive it more than she needs to.
"I have to drive my kids and their friends around."
Ray Kinney of Naperville got rid of his GMC Denali last year and bought a GMC Acadia, a crossover vehicle that was supposed to get better mileage, but found real-life experience doesn't match window stickers. He says it was marketed at 16 city and 25 highway, but he gets 12 to 14 city and 18 highway.
"Needless to say, I am very disappointed."
Nathan Marsh of Chicago spends about $95 to fill up his BMW X5, which he drives about 35,000 miles a year for his job with Pulte Homes.
"I'm looking to trade it in for something smaller, maybe a hybrid. I haven't gotten rid of it yet because it's comfortable driving and handy to haul stuff."