Your next Vehicle - - green or mean machine

[JRKH]

OK folks there has been a ton of discussion lately about gas prices, alternative fuels etc. So lets get down to the nitty gritty.

We all remember how "up in arms" everyone was during the embargo in the '70's. Suddenly Detroit couldn't sell it's guzzlers anymore, and the call was for "energy independence". That lasted just long enough for the economy to absorb the changes, and the prices and wages to settle out. Then came the Minivans followed by the SUVs -(gulp gulp gulp) and Detroit (and others) couldn't sell them fast enough. Now we are swinging around again.

How "Green" will your next machine be. Will you be looking at Power? - Milage? - Wow factor? - Technology (as in Hybrid)? - Price? What sacrifices would you be willing to make to improve the "Green" factor? And lets be honest with ourselves. To make it interesting lets rate each of the items first to last consideration. I'll go first...

1) Milage (purely economic consideration)
2) Price (this may be affected by tax considerations. see 4 below)
3) Power (Not into muscle but needs to do the job)
4) Technology (could be good for the tax breaks if its not overy expensive)
5) WOW factor (Never been into it anyway)

For myself, I'd love to see the cleaner vehicles come along and am really quite taken by the hybrids, but I have two vehicles that are paid for and don't look to make change for awhile. When I do It will probably need to be a midsize pick-up truck for my (hopefully) business and I will need to see what the hybrid technologies offer.

James

 

[Wes Bucey]

The plain fact is I will buy a vehicle of a size I need and at a price I can afford. If the combination of factors can get me one that's GREEN, OK! If not, it was my free will choice to subject myself to higher fuel costs (total, not per gallon) the same way my costs would rise if I took a job that required me to commute 200 miles round trip to work instead of moving.

The choice would be "Do I have a higher quality of life with or without the commute? Which is more affordable - commute or relocate?

If I have six kids, I can't buy some two door, two cylinder roller skate. If I am a carpenter who hauls tools and materials to job sites, I can't do it on a bicycle.

Every choice has to have good reasoning behind it.

Rich folks just help redistribute the wealth when they buy and use ostentatious gas burners. That's not all bad.

 

[wmarhel]

Not Too Sure About Hybrids

I've thought about a hybrid as a next potential vehicle, but the biggest concern I have is with the batteries. Will the batteries develop a memory before the warranty runs out and cost me loads to replace? I haven't been able to find anything definitive as to their lifespan, but I have heard that the replacement is approximately $2k-3k which I haven't confirmed yet. If that is the case, then any gas savings would likely be wiped out by the replacement cost for the battery system.

Needless to say, I don't drive the "tuner" as much given and I no longer run premium anymore, just plus. But I don't have any plans to sell it anytime soon, unless the price is right of course. It also ends up getting parked for the winter as well so that helps a bit.

Wayne

 

[SteelMaiden]

well, a hybrid does nothing valuable for me. Most of my miles are highway miles, so I'd be burning gas anyway. I did look at getting what I wanted with the best milage I could get when I bought my new car. Was it really good? NO, but for a family sized car, it was about as good as it gets.

 

[Aaron Lupo]

I already decided what my next car was going to be when I saw the Dodge Charger. I will wait at least a year to see what people are saying before I buy one.

 

[H. Majhenich]

H. Majhenich

Does anyone remember / has anyone seen the actual kid Green Machines?
They are like Big Wheels, but longer and they can do spin outs and stuff?
I saw a newer version at a local kid's store, and I'm trying to talk my husband into welding up an adult version for me. So far, no dice. I think he just doesn't like the idea of his wife making an a55 of herself out in public.
Fair enough.

 

[JerryStem]

At this point I don't care if it's "green". The extra up-front $ for the option isn't made up yet in fuel savings (from what I can tell) so no thanx.

I already know I want a Scion Xb or a Honda Element. I want the space of an SUV, but nothing Excursion-like. I just need some room for photo stuff to travel to events up to 5 hrs away. At this point, I'll settle for a small truck with a cap. (Very broke.)

Jerry
(The new Charger is a 4dr w/ automatic transmision... They hacked off the Magnum's trunk.)

 

[Aaron Lupo]

Does anyone remember / has anyone seen the actual kid Green Machines?
They are like Big Wheels, but longer and they can do spin outs and stuff?
I saw a newer version at a local kid's store, and I'm trying to talk my husband into welding up an adult version for me. So far, no dice. I think he just doesn't like the idea of his wife making an a55 of herself out in public.
Fair enough.

I loved those, had one when I was a kid and I think it still may be in my fathers's basement.

 

[SailorWard]

Total cost per mile over the life of the vehicle is a consideration--more so than straight fuel cost.

I put 180k and 186k miles, respectively, on the last two gas trucks I drove into the ground. I had one in between that self combusted which I don't count. I have 165k on my current truck. It's diesel; I hope to get 500k+ out of it before it falls apart.

I paid a lot for a diesel truck to get the better fuel costs--and pulling power. But the bigger consideration for getting the diesel had very little to do with either of those things: I expect to get something close to twice the life out of it compared to a gas powered truck.

Higher up front cost; lower cost per mile over the life of the vehicle through lengthened life.

Assuming I really DO go 500K+ with this truck, the cost per mile will be comparable to most "high mileage" cars that die at 125k, or so. And, in the meantime, I get to drive a big, bad-azz, 4X4, one ton, crew cab, truck that sits up high enough to look into the windows of everyone who passes me (which is just about everyone on the road since I tend to drive the posted speed limit much to the annoyance of the person behind me and unable to pass!).

Reality: is it REALLY less cost per mile over the life of the vehicle? Beats me. But it makes a great excuse to drive what I want!

 

[jmp4429]

I already decided what my next car was going to be when I saw the Dodge Charger. I will wait at least a year to see what people are saying before I buy one.

The charger looks kind of "piggy" to me - I like it!