[some_guy282]

Story

Imagine my shock!

Seriously though, I am a little surprised to see this sort of story now. This is more something I would expect at higher gasoline prices, with a nationwide average higher than $3 for instance. I suppose this is illustrative of just how much hardship these still relatively low prices are creating.

[Hegel]

Homo stultus industralis at work.

[o2ny]

I wonder if somebody could take out a theft insurance policy in their SUV, and then just basically leave the keys in the ignition and park it out on the street unlocked everyday. Definitely seems a little less traceable then torching your own car...

[BabyPeanut]

SUDDNELY USELESS VECHICLE

[The_Virginian]

A shame, Trucks (open bed) are great vehicles, but those Hyped up 4x4 mini vans will go the way of "marvin K Moony"
And now you can add the cost of even HIGHER insurance premiums to the list of reasons why.
How many SUV names can we make up?
So You Vote (republican?)
Sucky Under-engineered Vehicles?
Stew Under Volitility?
Slamed Under Vehile?
Simply Underwritten Voodoo?
Shiesse Untermenchen Vehikle? (ooh thats bad)

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Virginian', 'A') shame, Trucks (open bed) are great vehicles, but those Hyped up 4x4 mini vans will go the way of "marvin K Moony"

[Mesuge]

Obviously won't mitigate the doom of post PO world but might help a bit if you can't swap to econobox rapidly and gas station lines are getting longer..

"Phil Knox's streamlined 1994 Toyota Tacoma pickup saw its fuel economy go from 25 mpg to 32 mpg at 70 mph just by improving its aerodynamics, reducing its Cd from 0.44 to 0.25, the same as the Honda Insight gasoline-electric hybrid. "

I think he pushed it even further, he's got a yahoo group as well..

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section ... toryid=870

[Specop_007]

Thats vague reporting at its best.
"For some the answer is torching the vehicle."
Some? 2? 9,000?

"He’s seen suspicious vehicles all over the Peninsula, and in the South Bay."
All over? Every block? Every square mile?

"The list of busted owners has been growing in recent months."
Growing? 1%? 500%?

Theres an awful lot of Oh No The Sky Is Falling here. In fact, the only number I see in the whole article is a pricepoint mentioned for gas..."as much as thee bucks a gallon"....
So our Ace Reporter has time to interview the damned special agent on some spiffy task force, but cant take the time to get hard numbers??
Insurance fraud has happened since there was insurance to fraud. The funny thing is, I bet most people get burned (haha) when they see the insurance check. Most SUV owners are upside down on the vehicle.....
As for the SUV itself, its takes the best qualities of the car and blends it with the best qualities of the truck. Its simply been a victim of commercialization and marketting. Sad realy, such a versatile creature destined for the halls of mall parking lots.

[eastbay]

Yeah, I was happily encouraged by the headlines, believing one of my happiest fantasies (burning SUV's) was coming true at last... but then my bs alarm started going off part way through the article... and was ringing full-blast by the time I was done.

What a stupid article. No facts. No story. But they printed it anyway. Typical. Another reason to quit reading most newspapers. I think I'll quit my last one when the renewal fees comes due.

[bart]

C'mon guys -- this is a news story on a television station. You're getting it for free.
The reporter talked to several identified sources who deal with insurance fraud. They gave their impressions and analyses.
This is not a scholarly study. The story was probably written in a day or two. It gives some indications of the reality. Other reporters or writers may pick up on it, and fill out the story. If the story is a big one, we'll expect more resources devoted to researching it and nailing down the facts
Is torching SUVs really a trend? It's too early to tell yet. As Specop says, there has always been insurance fraud.
On the other hand, it is something to watch. I'd expect the trend to increase if gas prices continue at high levels and especially if SUV owners face $ problems (for example, if there's a recession or depression).

[cube]

Just wait till the housing market crashes and we'll all get to see some interesting "fireworks".

[Andrew_S]

Shame the French don't have so many.

[ALBY]

specop is right. torching your SUV is a great way to lose a lot of money. sure the thing is killing you on gas, but the insured amount will always be minus the depreciation which is only growing larger as gas prices rise. i bet most suv owners will lose over 20% if they had to make a claim on their suv.

[MacG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ALBY', 's')pecop is right. torching your SUV is a great way to lose a lot of money. sure the thing is killing you on gas, but the insured amount will always be minus the depreciation which is only growing larger as gas prices rise. i bet most suv owners will lose over 20% if they had to make a claim on their suv.

[eastbay]

The problem with setting it on fire is that the pollutants are very damaging to the environment. I think a more environmentally responsible way to get rid of your SUV would be to push it off a cliff. In fact, I strongly encourage all SUV owners to do this.

[sventvkg]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ALBY', 's')pecop is right. torching your SUV is a great way to lose a lot of money. sure the thing is killing you on gas, but the insured amount will always be minus the depreciation which is only growing larger as gas prices rise. i bet most suv owners will lose over 20% if they had to make a claim on their suv.

[ALBY]

So, you're telling an insurance professional that I'm stupid or uninformed because I don't carry gap insurance ?

Lets have an experiment.

Go torch your SUV and then tell me how happy you are after you file the claim and get reimbursed.

[ALBY]

and lets be honest here.

most people drive cars they have no business being in. they're in those vehicles with ridiclous financing schemes, balloon leases and dealer blackmail.

the fact that someone is driving around in a financed, depreciating asset already puts you in the shallow end of the gene pool.

[MacG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', 'T')he problem with setting it on fire is that the pollutants are very damaging to the environment. I think a more environmentally responsible way to get rid of your SUV would be to push it off a cliff. In fact, I strongly encourage all SUV owners to do this.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sventvkg', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ALBY', 's')pecop is right. torching your SUV is a great way to lose a lot of money. sure the thing is killing you on gas, but the insured amount will always be minus the depreciation which is only growing larger as gas prices rise. i bet most suv owners will lose over 20% if they had to make a claim on their suv.