We have a 3/4 ton 4WD Suburban that we use for towing a boat, camping, and hauling our dogs and other things when needed. It mostly sits in the driveway. We put about 3,000 miles a year on it. It has vinyl bench seats, hand-roll-up windows, and smells a bit like dog. Totally classy.

Filling it up is definitely expensive (40-gallon tank), but we don’t have to do it very often. My husband rides his bike to work and I drive a 4-cylinder Accord.

There have always been practical uses for these beasts, even during the gas-crunches of the 70s, but when they became a blingy status symbol things just got ridiculous.