A) She must have a lot of money.
B) That's so bad for the environment.
C) Only people who want to impress people drive those.
D) That's cool. I wish I had one.
E) That's so 2006.
F) Lame.
It's interesting to me some of the stipulations that come along with it.
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| 2004 H2 Hummer |
"Wow. You drive a Hummer. That must be expensive."
"How much gas do you spend on that thing? It must be a lot."
"I wish I could afford that."
"Your husband must really love you, to buy that for you."
*open-mouth*
"Nice ride."
"Your Hummer is sweet."
"You went all out, didn't you?
"Wow."
"I didn't recognize your house, because I didn't expect to see a Hummer in your driveway."
Let me take a minute to educate you. Hummers started coming out in 1992, when GM decided to start marketing the Humvee look to the general population. The H1 was a larger model, more like the original military vehicles, and yeah, they were huge.
From 2002-2009, they started making the H2, a smaller model that is considered to be a larger SUV.
From 2005-2010, Hummer started making the H3, either a smaller, 5 door SUV or the Truck.
Brand new, yes, these things were very expensive. The H2 ranged from $67-25k (the $25k was after price was reduced when the company ran into financial trouble.)
I remember a high school student who had a Hummer when I was in school in 2006. I thought it made him look like a rich jerk whose daddy bought him everything he wanted. Well, whether he was or wasn't, I judged him based on his vehicle.
But, times have changed. What happened in the United States in 2007? If you don't remember, I sure do. The recession hit. Prior to 2007, the US was in a phase of big expensive cars and houses. The people in the US were livin' it up. So, if you had the money for a Hummer, why not?
After that, people got tighter with their money, and were also getting more concerned with Global Warming (thanks Al Gore).
So what happened to the Hummer phase? Hummer tapped out and the company stopped making them at the end of 2009. Now, supposedly, Hummer is trying to make a comeback, but will it? Who knows?
But, when you see my Hummer, or anyone else's for that matter, take what you've learned and apply it.
1) The last Hummer you saw was probably made 2010 or before. That means it's at least 9 years old. Think about that for a moment. If you saw someone driving a 9-year-old car, would you say "Wow, how could you afford that car?" Probably not.
2) The gas is expensive is bad for the environment. Yeah, that's probably true, but how many people do you see driving new trucks around. My husband's 2019 model Nissan Titan is just as bad for the environment. The gas costs the same. The mileage might not be quite as good, but, if you're using that Hummer for only in town driving, it might not make a huge economic impact.
I've rarely been spoken to about any of my previous vehicles by random strangers, because it was a normal car. It really makes me think about how people judge each other on the vehicle they drive. It might be human nature, but people look at your cars and think things about you. They might think you're poor, or messy, extremely clean, a successful business owner, or an unsuccessful business owner, a show off, homeless, rich, a jerk, etc.
Yeah, I know by purchasing the vehicle, I was opening myself up to these comments. I don't ask people I know to necessarily shut their mouths about my vehicle, and I wasn't specifically offended by any of these comments. I mean, I chose to buy a Hummer. I've had it for awhile, and there's a reason I haven't announced that I own one online before now.
For the record, I only fill up about once every two weeks (if even that), and it costs about $60. Most people fill up their tank every week for around $30. Both equal $120 in gas. I spent about $9-10k on it. A brand new truck can cost over $30k. My Hummer has over 200,000 miles on it, and it still runs like a champ.
I'm not bragging, or at least not trying to. I'm trying to say that my vehicle that looks overly priced, is really just a really well running SUV that can fit my kids and their friends, and well, it suits me better than a van. (Not that there's anything wrong with vans, its just not something I would want).
It really makes me think about how human kind struggles on judging people from the outside. We tend to judge people, without even thinking about it, based on their clothes, car, house etc. It's just basic human nature. A trait of humanity that we need to continue to fight against within ourselves. There are so many people in the world. If you make an impact on one person's life, you are important to that person. Just think of how many lives one person can positively or negatively influence another. None of that should have to do with status (other than wow, that person changed their situation because they worked hard etc.). But, that's a flaw of mankind we always have to work to overcome.
