I could afford a Hummer. I could afford 'most anything I might want, automotive-wise. But I choose to drive something that is economical, yet gets me from place to place in relative comfort and safety.

Face it: any vehicle is just a means to move you (or other freight) from one place to another. I'd rather put my money into my home, or my interests, or traveling, than into a car or truck. Now, if I needed a pickup truck, I'd buy a pickup truck -- gas prices wouldn't disturb me, because I'd have to take them in stride. But we don't need bigger vehicles than we have -- heck, even if I drove across the country again I'm going to sleep in motels, not my car (if I can help it!).

My neighbors, many of them, have a "recreational vehicle" that quite literally cost more than their home, two or three "dirt bike" motorcycles, two or three snow machines, a golf cart (!), and a fast boat in addition to their one or two pickups/SUVs. And then there's their kids....

I can't help but wonder how they're making the payments....