Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:29:38 -0500, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:

Jeff Liebermann wrote:

What I usually find on the sticker is a 6004 lb GVW. Yet, when the
vehicle is actually weighed empty (curb weight), it usually measures
considerably less. I have no idea how the GVW is actually calculated,
but I suspect there's a bit of creative number juggling happening in
order to get the weight up to over 6000 lbs. GVW includes payload,
passengers, and all options. They probably crammed a half dozen
aspiring Sumo wrestlers into the vehicle as passengers, while filling
the trunk with lead bricks until the springs almost flattened.

My '73 Chevy Step Van weighed 6150, with five gallons of gasoline,
and me out of the truck. The commercial tag was based on weight, and
would have went up at 6200 pounds.

I wasn't referring to real commercial vehicles. My comments are in
reference to what would normally be considered a large passenger car
(such as an SUV or crew/family pickup), that has been "fattened" to
exceed 6000 lbs to avoid paying the gas guzzler tax.

My long gone 1972 Internationl 3/4 ton 1210 pickup, with service
boxes, had a GVW on the stick of 6300 lbs. However, when I weighed it
empty for the weight sticker at the dump, with 24 gallons of gas, and
all the tools and junk I could hide inside the boxes, they gave me a
sticker for 6200 lbs. If I had been in the drivers seat, it would
have hit 6300 lbs.


The StepVan was my service truck. it had a 292 inline six, and got
more that 22 miles per gallon with a couple tons of cargo.


A short discussion of the tax benefits of buying a Hummer H2 behmoth
is at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummer_H2#Tax_benefits_in_the_United_States


The down side is it makes you look like an impotent fool when you
drive one. 'Viagra on wheels!'


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.