As unwanted jumbo SUVs and trucks come off lease, they’re clogging American auto auction and dealer lots. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Oversize vehicles make perfect sense where gas is cheap and you have lots of people to move about. They make even more sense when you can buy them with cheap US dollars.

According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, Jacksonville’s port is booming with auto exports. “The number of autos exported from the port authority’s terminals in the eight months to May 31, 2008, has increased by about 58 percent from the same period to May 31, 2006.”

So where do we send our unwanted American iron?

Iran

No, really … Iran. Maybe we can make nice with these folks and they’ll be nice in return. Wouldn’t it be nifty if we worked out a sweetheart deal to sell Iran a few dozen boatloads of previously owned SUVs and full-sized pickup trucks (with their beds packed full of cartons of good old American cigarettes and DVDs of Hollywood blockbusters)? We can’t throw in any Levi’s blue jeans, unfortunately … since they’re not made here anymore.

Iraq

Hummers for Oil? Perhaps Blackwater and Halliburton can clear the Hummer dealer lots from all their unsold inventory, both new and used. The American taxpayers will be billed accordingly.

Mexico

The wires are clogged with stories about cheap gas in Mexico, but forget about exporting old paint to Mexico if it’s older than 10 years old. Beginning in February 2008, the Mexican government ruled that imported used cars may not be more than a decade old. The measure was passed to prevent an increase in pollution and traffic. According to BuyUSA.gov, “From August 2005 to January 2008, 1,776,284 autos between 11 and 15 years old, and 1,073,654 ten-year-old vehicles were imported in Mexico.”

Russia

Lets go out on a wire and take Vin Diesel’s word for it. Who could forget that big bad GTO that Samuel L. Jackson set Vin up with in the action-thriller Triple X? Okay, so maybe a killer muscle car isn’t the best example (since we’re talking about SUVs), but that doesn’t change the fact that Russia hosts the 7th largest oil reserves in the world and a growing number of parties with disposable income and a taste for quasi-military vehicles and tinted windows.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has the largest used car market in the Mideast, with most of the vehicles imported from the USA and Germany. And that’s a good thing for sellers of the Big 3’s used vehicles. According to BuyUSA.com, “GM, Ford, and Chrysler’s Jeep brands are among the most popular vehicles in Saudi Arabia.”

“The strength of the Saudi economy, reflected in a higher per capita income, led to the increasing popularity of luxury cars and premium automobiles. In addition, Saudis have always opted for large SUVs that can accommodate large families. The market for GMC Suburbans and similar sized SUVs has remained relatively unaffected by the fluctuations in the economy.”

Venezuela

Regardless of the political climate, Venezuela is the third-largest Latin America export market. And courtesy of Venezuela’s President, President Hugo Chávez, government-subsidized Gasoline sells for the equivalent of twelve cents per gallon.

Need we say more?

West Africa

While the West African market is flush in oil and hungry for previously owned American vehicles, their used auto appetite is small when compared to markets like Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

BuyUSA.gov states: “The used automobile market has been growing for the last seven years and has reached a level of 25,000 units annually. Reasons for this growth are the demand for inexpensive automobiles, market liberalization measures, and the lack of adequate credit policies for potential clients and buyers of new cars.”

And if all else fails …

Scrap Your SUV

The price for scrap cars has taken off. With basic commodity prices through the roof due to worldwide demand, there’s never been a more financially rewarding time to send your SUV off to the shredder …