Where are our high mileage cars?

Home HArvest, perhaps a motor cycle during the summer would help?

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Know why the middle class is screwed? 3 classes, 2 parties...

To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself. ~ Einstein

Yes, I've considered a bike. Rode one when I was younger. Gave it up when we had kids.

If the goal is to save money (a distinction from saving the planet) then any second vehicle is hard to justify.

Based on a quick calculation (driving 10k per year at 17 mpg) I use about 588 gallons a year. at current price of $3.69 per gallon I'm spending $2170 per year on fuel for my truck.

If gas goes to $5.00 per gallon my annual fuel expense will "only" go to $2940. So, my total expense for a second vehicle (bike, car, whatever) would have to be less than $770 per year or I may as well keep doing what I'm doing.

If gas doesn't reach even $5.00 per gallon then it gets almost impossible to justify, unless the expense of owning a second vehicle comes down. Which brings me back to the idea of a break on registration and insurance for a second vehicle.

EDIT: Wait, I need to rethink this. I need to calculate my expected fuel "savings" with a smaller vehicle since I wouldn't be putting 10k on the truck. I'll get back to this.

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The government can't give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
--Dr. Adrian Rogers

That brings up another pet peeve- car insurance! I'd like to have a work truck for when I need it, and a little econo-box for daily running around. But the insurance company charges nearly as much for the second car as they do for the first one. Why? I can only drive one at a time. How much trouble do they think the second car is going to get into while I'm off somewhere in the first one? Arrrgggghhh!!! BTW- I don't carry comp and collision; just liability.

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"What one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces." -John Wesley

Fight back. This is what I do... I have a heavy duty pickup for hauling the heavy stuff but its way too inefficient for me to drive on daily hops. I use the little rig for normal errands and just insure the big one for the days I actually use it. I plan which day I will be hauling, get insurance that day... then call and cancel it the next day. the extra paperwork drives them nuts but it saves me a couple hundred bucks a year!

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Adding a small beater car to your insurance policy really doesn't cost much. We did it awhile back and used it to reduce our gas usage. We didn't have collision, just no-fault. It turned out that we didn't need to use the Explorer for all of our trips. The little car (Plymouth Sundance) was used for grocery shopping, hubby's 20 mile commute in nice weather, etc...

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~TheMartianChick~

My latest novels:
Bystander: A Tale of the End of the World as SHE Knew It!

Christmas in Bystander & Other Village Tales

Coming Soon: A Slice of Heaven

Ever had starter problems?

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"If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun" - President Obama June 14, 2008

nope. I have had to replace the battery, but the starter itself seems to be holding up fine. It does however SOUND like its going to fly apart everytime I fire it up. I used to have a 700... it made the very same horrendous racket.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

It seems a bit ironic, but about right for Americans.

The new Chevy Volt technology, gets 36MPG (highway) worst case scenario on gasoline and uses nearly 1/3 the cost of gasoline, (average) running on electricity-charged batteries.

And all, many Americans can do, is bash the Volt, because it is too expensive, or subsidized by taxpayers, Government Motors, ugly, etc, etc.

Maybe we are the problem here.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/02/auto...iles/index.htm

Mine gets 40 mpg...I love it, wish I could get one with even better mpg. It's def. worth it with my commute.

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It's not that I don't like mankind, I just like nature a whole lot more.

Germany was very retentive about their road worthy inspections when we were
there. Every yr when you had your tag replaced, it had to be inspected, and it
was.....at great length. Up on risers, inspected from the bottom, and the strength of the breaks, etc.
The maint. that goes along with that I assume would help with the length of life in a vehicle.
Our minivan was once denied a tag because the left parking brake was not at the same (tension? I forget the word he used) as the right
This of course had to be repaired before we could drive it.
They actually took our registration and marked it "Undriveable"
one yr when we needed to have regular brake work done around the time
our tag was due.
Any little oil leak had to be fixed, etc. Dealing with auto issues sure
was a headache every year, lol.

You have to love all this "bashing Of Americans", typical from the socialists..

Just because we won't cower before the socialist, ecoterrorists and others, we Americans are bad people..

Shame on Americans continuing to bash other Americans..

It you want to drive a Government Motors Volt, then buy one.. I won't stop you, unlike you wanting to force everyone to buy one....

There is the difference, I won't stop you form driving one or spending your money on one.. Yet if you had your way you would force me to buy one...

Sorry, that ain't freedom and you or your socialistic ideals won't ever force me to buy one..

Oh and yea we do get upset when tax dollars are supplementing companies and individuals such as Volt owners... Why should I have to pay for your choice of what you decide to drive? You don't pay for mine choice of vehicles..

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Pennsylvania Constitution, Article 1 Section 21 "The Right of the Citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned"
www.pafoa.org
http://www.45thpacok.com

What can I say? The taxpayer money has already been spent and Chevy has a car that can average 100mpg.

Whether one likes it or not, the Chevy volt, is a viable and available alternative high MPG vehicle, which is what the OP was about.

Personally, I could care less if one buys one or not.

But that's ok, I'll sit and listen to people continue to whine, about about the high cost of oil and why "the Government" won't do anything to help. Maybe more drilling or a pipeline from Canada, is the answer.

A 100MPG car is just a bad idea, because it came from GM.

Your logic is perfect.

It's not a "bad idea"
It's just not a reality.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

What this country needs is a small 1/2 ton pickup (4or5 speed, 4 cylinders) that gets 30mpg and costs $10K.

People would line up...

My bad, for forgetting to put the "E" at the end (MPGE) and making this concept of the value, of electricty and gasoline power, so difficult to understand.

Apparently, in most cases, it cost much less to drive a vehicle a mile, on an electrical charge, than on x amount of gasoline.

This is not my concept.

Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Not that it matters, but the EPA rates the 2012 Volt at 93 MPGE.

I have to tell you, I get 40mpg from my Nissan Versa stick shift. I don't break any speed barriers but who cares. It was only rated for 36mpg I believe.

I bought the no frills version with the improved braking for 11,100. Couldn't do better on any other lot.

Those old toyota 3 doors got great gas mileage but apparently didn't meet todays safety standards, don't really know the details.

I couldn't afford a hybrid, but am very satisfied. I look forward to the day that hybrids are economical.

The Smart car that I see people driving around town is $12k for a basic model. I liked it but had no room in the back for passengers.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Interesting list by home harvest
It looks like most of the top 10 are using a prius drive system and toy parts and batteries for their version.

I drive a Hummer and a Viper...There is no room for me on this thread...lol

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"For if you start dancing on tables, fanning yourself, feeling sleepy when you pick up a book... making love whenever you feel like it, then you know. The south has got you.”

I agree. I recently bought a new Ford Fiesta to use as a commuter car for good freeway MPG. Had to search dealer inventory in 4 states to find a stripped down stick shift with manual windows. Finally found one in another state and had to had a friend in that region pick it up and get it here.

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"For if you start dancing on tables, fanning yourself, feeling sleepy when you pick up a book... making love whenever you feel like it, then you know. The south has got you.”