We are thinking of replacing my wife's car. Or, more accurately, my wife is thinking of relacing her car. Given the cost of gas, what are your thoughts of moving to a car equipped with a deisel engine. I read where Volkwagen will be coming out with a new, low sulpher emmiting deisel in 08 for the Jetta and a compact SUV. There seem to quite a few truck owners here and my guess is that a few have deisel engines. Do you enjoy them? Is there a significant gas savings with one? Are they reliable in Winter? I remember the GM deisels of the 80s which usually refused to start once cold weather hit. The other thought is moving to a Civic Hybrid or Prius which Anne could then cover with her (not mine) Gore for President bumper stickers. Your automotive comments would be greatly appreciated.
Bobda, I have nothing to contribute on diesel engines, but your comment on hybrids reminded me of a local TV news story about a year ago which concluded from authoritative sources that by just comparing mileages it would take a long, long time to recover the incrementally higher cost of a hybrid vehicle through gas mileage, in most cases longer than the anticipated useful life of the vehicle. Of course, if your reason for owning a hybrid is to help save the environment, then that is a qualitative decision which can't be measured in dollars and cents.
Bobda, My thoughts are that as the price of fuel goes higher, diesel will be held to a slower ramp rate due to the trucking industry. I own three vehicles: 2005 Chevy regular cab 1500 2wd with a 5.3 liter gas engine, 2005 Chevy club cab 2500 4WD with Duramax Diesel 2004 GMC Envoy 2WD with inline 6 cyl gas engine The Envoy gets the best milage at 18.1 combined City and Hwy. The Diesel, even though it is the heaviest and 4WD gets 18.0 The 1500 2WD gets 17.5 All estimates are with zero lights and siren runs which lowers mileage considerably. I too am looking to replace a vehicle within the next 2 years. The Envoy has over 62000 on it so it will probably be that vehicle. I am not overly concerned on the price range of the vehicle but it will be either diesel or hybrid and I lean more toward diesel. I have also been looking at VW for that reason. I'm not sold on VW but have plenty of time to make up my mind.
I own a Toyota Hybrid Highlander. It's rated 31 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. I get a little less than that, but that depends on your driving habits. The Hybrid is about 3 K more if you are a good bargainer. Minus the $ 650 tax credit and you will recover the difference if you drive a lot and if the price of gas goes up. I do a lot of city driving so I get more out of it than someone who does a lot of highway driving. Even if you don't fully recover the difference, you will be in awe by the power and by the quiet ride. My 6 cylinder Highlander has more power than my old 8 cylinder Grand Cherokee. I will do 0-60 faster than most cars and the passing speed is awesome. That's why you see more and more sports cars with hybrid systems. The downside is that the vehicle is so quiet that you need to be carefull when around pedestrians who may not hear you coming. I highly recommend a Hybrid. I love it ! The Prius is a great car. Does 61 mpg in the city and 54-55 on the highway. I'm not sure about the Prius but the Camry & Highlander still have the $ 650 tax credit if you buy it before 9/30/07. That also depends on other factors such as the AMT tax etc.. I think Toyota still has 0% financing for Tier 1 credit, so that's another reason to go hybrid. Test drive a hybrid before you make any decision. I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.
Buy her a low mileage BMW Z3 ('00-'03) with the 2.5 litre 5 speed and she'll average 27-30 depending upon mix of city/hwy/back roads and how "much fun" she has driving it.
:idea: I don't know doodley squat about cars or mechanics, but the price of gas is going to go higher...a lot higher. Most of America's oil (90%) comes from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Nigeria and Venezuela: USA- The liberal Democrats won't allow drilling in ANWAR or off the coasts of Florida or California. That's where the oil is... Mexico- The Mexican government has been using PEMEX's profits to buy votes for three decades with social programs, instead of reinvesting some of it back into their oil production facilities. Now those plants and refineries are rusting hulks with declining output that will continue to deteriorate... Canada- Canada is reliable, but maxed out, as is our refining capability... Venezuela- Can you say, "Hugo Chavez?" Nigeria- Nigeria has the lightest, sweetest, crude oil in the world, but their latest election is in dispute and this very complicated country of over 100 million people, hundreds of languages, cultures and religions is never far from civil war... No help from OPEC, so forget that. Prices will go higher and higher for the rest of our lifetimes...
A quick thank you for the response to my questions. It looks like Anne is going to buy the Civic Hybrid although her doing that might get me barred from voting in future Republican primaries in Michigan. This could be the start of a big downward spiral for me. If I start posting about Michael Moore movies or my enjoying listening to Air America, maybe someone here can get me into an intervention program sponsored by Dick Cheney or a hunting trip with him to permanently stop my decline....
Bobda, if that happens, I will run - not walk - from wherever I am in Indiana and rescue you from your unspeakable malaise. P.S. Thanks to your wife I'm sure the air over northeast Indiana when there is a north wind will be much cleaner and more breathable. Because I am an asthmatic I thank her.
Congrats Bob, Don't forget to get to ask for the bumper stickers that go with your new Civic. A little late but this website has a lot of usefull information, including driving tips. http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/ Also I forgot to mention that each state has it's own hybrid incentives. Michigan & NJ are nothing to speak of, but Colorado offers a $ 3,600 tax credit. http://go.ucsusa.org/hybridcenter/incentives.cfm Welcome to the "GREEN TEAM "