"My wife's pregnant, so she needs an SUV"

Ugh, no she doesn't.

I manage a company car program for a pharmaceutical company. Our field employees (sales reps and medical positions) who visit doctors, patients, and hospitals have company cars.

I'm continually amazed at the requests I get from employees.

We offer three solid vehicles -- all of which are nicer than the car I drive -- so it's hard for me to empathize with employees when they insist the trunk space isn't big enough or they MUST have a third row of seats.

These are work vehicles. And the last time I checked, sales people weren't bringing their children on their sales calls, nor were they carpooling with colleagues. Of course employees can use these vehicles in their personal life, but that's a perk; it's not the standard we're using in our vehicle decision-making.

My parents drove sedans and managed to fit me and my sister (who was likely still in a car seat when I was born) just fine in their cars when we were young. They didn't even have a station wagon and the only time they drove a mini van was when they moved us to college or the time we drove from CT to Atlanta to visit family.

This person who told me his wife needs an SUV is actually really friendly and seems pretty level-headed. I hope he ends up choosing the hybrid sedan we offer.