Most of them are based on the tried and true rear wheel drive and full frame setup with a V-8 engine. This means that these vehicles can last twenty years, whereas a front wheel drive econobox is ready for the shredder in half that time. Studies have shown that a V-8 engine lasts on average 160,000 to 200,000 miles as opposed to 100,000 for a 4 cylinder engine. This means quite a few miles of driving without paying a car note-you can't get more economical than that. I'll gladly pay a few cents more for gas in order to drive without a car payment for a few years.
Big cars can be more economical to fix too.
For example, a transmission rebuild is nearly a third less, on the average, for a rear wheel drive vehicle. Replacing driveshaft joints is over twice the price for a front wheel drive car as it is for a rear wheel drive vehicle. In addition, some of the new V-8 engines can go 100,000 miles before the first tuneup. A lot of new technology has made the V-8 engine burn cleaner than it ever has. Sorry, Mr. Becker, but you're wrong.