Don't blame me, the gubmint forced me to buy an SUV!

They're gonna require child safety seats and airbags *gasp*! Quick honey, buy that SUV!

"I've been saying this about car seats and seat belts laws causing SUV's popularity for three years now to all the liberals I know in Jackson Mississippi and keep getting blank stares in the process. Maybe since they don't have kids they don't get it. Don't forget the passenger-side airbag effect as well, keeping older kids in the backseats with their siblings deep into the tween years. The bottom line is--if you have more than two children, you HAVE to drive an SUV or minivan. "

Motivations for buying SUVs abound--the annual road-trip with the kids, the need to haul big things from Home Depot twice a year, a few bouts of inclement weather, daily bloodthirst--but more often than not, once that POS is yours it's mostly used like any other vehicle, for the boring daily commute that could have cost 10K less up front and $80 less a week. Uhhm, think you been had?