12th May 2007, 23:17

Now that was a long read. If you have made it to my comment, God rest your soul.

The long and the short is:

If you are trying to squeeze every dime out of you car and gasoline, buy a cheap 1 liter / 4 cylinder compact. I don't care if it is gasoline or diesel. In the long run you will save money on the price of the vehicle, taxes, and insurance. You biggest expense will be repairs and up keep. Have a mechanic inspect any used vehicle.

If you are worried about the impending doom and end of the world, buy a hybrid. If you like it, buy it. If you want it, buy it. The hybrid may or may not get 60 miles to the gallon, but it will compete with any other vehicle out there.

This is not a political debate. Give a review of the vehicle if you have ACTUALLY DRIVEN IT.

Seth.

23rd Jul 2007, 13:48

What surprised me most about this comment was not the increasing price of gas, but the possible invasion of Iran. Now that would be insane - the invasion, that is, not the price of gas!

23rd Jul 2007, 14:16

A lot of comments on this site! Some good, some not so good. Certainly:

1. Hybrids are a step in the right direction. It's high time there starts to be alternatives to just gas. It's a step, but by no means the overall solution to the world's energy woes.

2. Of course hybrids are pricey, but I don't think that's what their buyers are concerned about. In terms of economy, it may make sense to someone who drives a lot (like over 30 000 km/yr) and "needs" a newer car for business purposes. A taxi cab or a real estate agent's car would be perfect use for the Prius.

3. On a straight economy point of view, several posters have pointed out (correctly) that older is the way to go. If you have an old, but good shape, 1980s whatever, you'll save on everything from depreciation (that's usually nil for a car so old), insurance costs (cheaper repair costs and lower value means lower premiums) and cheaper repair bills (simpler technology means most repairs can be done by backyard and independent mechanics). Even if your car is not very fuel efficient, if you can keep the rust of an old car, thus keeping it on the road longer, the savings will be in thousands of dollars! Gas prices will have to be WAY higher for a new car like a hybrid to make sense on a straight economic point of view.

4. A few Europeans have correctly pointed out that North America is missing out big time on the fuel economy of other cars around the world. The USA and Canada should drop all import restrictions on cars that achieve 5 L/100 km or better. Better yet, these cars should get the same enviro rebates that many States and Provinces already offer.

5. The best efficiency of all: Plan cities that are less car dependent. Cities (especially suburbs) in North America need to be totally rethought so that people can live, work and play all in the same area. Believe or not, driving the Escalade once on the weekend is way more efficient than commuting in the Prius 200 km/day!!

23rd Jul 2007, 20:46

14:16 Thanks for an intelligent, well thought out comment, in my humble opinion. You hit a lot of major points.

Hybrids are definitely a step in the right direction, but the technology is considered transitional by most so called 'experts'.

And yeah, my Tacoma that gets 22 miles per gallon will have to do, because it's flawless, long since paid for, and I'm not about to burden myself with another car payment just to get another 10 or 15 miles the gallon. I guess my mileage would probably double according to what I've heard from most Prius owners (I make an effort to ask them what kind of mileage they are ACTUALLY getting, and it seems to be around 50 in the city and 55 highway), but still, mine is paid for, and having only 72,000 on a Toyota engine is nothing. It's just now breaking in fully.

HOWEVER, I do disagree with you about one thing: driving the Escalade on the weekends still is inexcusable. There is NO reason to own a pretentious, bloated, oversized, overpriced ego-maniacal vehicle like an Escalade. It doesn't matter how often you drive it, it's still wasteful.

Just like you said, other countries do better than this; a car is simply transportation, and once I can afford another monthly payment, I'll most likely buy a Corolla or a Civic and use the truck only when I need a truck for something.

12th Nov 2007, 16:40

Nr. 70! I made Nr. 70!

It's just to inviting to add another comment. I live in the US and I vacationed in Germany and France last summer. We rented VW Passat TDI station wagon with manual 6 speed and achieved 52 miles per US Gallon with 4 people, light luggage and air conditioner on at a cruising speed of 140 km/hr = 90 mph. It was fun to drive and once I took it to 225 km/h = 135 mph just to see what's in there! Audi Turbo Diesels win the Les Mans 24 hours all the time. Thanks, Rudolph!

13th Dec 2009, 13:17

1: When you buy a Toyota you're supporting Japan

2: I swear to god this is the ugliest car ever made

3: Expensive parts

4: $3000 dollars for new batteries, which you will probably need in 5 years

I have a 1986 Chevy Sprint that is rated at 45 mpg out of the factory, and it has no expensive batteries, the parts are dirt cheap, but it has broke down once in the 5 years I had it. At least it's made out of steel and decent quality parts. And as of now I'm having the motor and tranny overhauled just because it has 220,000 miles on it, still runs, but just having it done because I had the money. And it will cost me only $600 for the motor and $1100 dollars for the tranny. (still under the cost of new batteries for the toyota) So what are you really gaining when you buy a Prius?

People are too concerned about looks they just want a new car, when my car is basically new right now with the new motor and tranny. The body is perfect on my car, as long as I keep it clean and put a fresh coat of wax on it every once in a while, it will continue to look nice.

23rd Dec 2009, 17:41

"1: When you buy a Toyota you're supporting Japan"

- So are you. The Chevy Sprint was made for GM by Suzuki. Join the crowd.

"2: I swear to god this is the ugliest car ever made"

- The Sprint isn't what I'd call a shining example of beauty.

"3: Expensive parts"

- Not necessarily. We've had ours 8 years and all the parts (hardly any needed to date) have been inline with conventional cars.

"4: $3000 dollars for new batteries, which you will probably need in 5 years"

- Like I said. We've had ours for 8 years. No battery problems yet. The batteries in these are only charged 40-60%. Thus they get very little wear. Very few of these batteries have had to be replaced in the 10 or more years the car has been in the US.

"I have a 1986 Chevy Sprint that is rated at 45 mpg out of the factory, and it has no expensive batteries, the parts are dirt cheap."

It also has a powertrain that wouldn't meet modern emission requirements. A lot of modern cars have to have massive amounts of emission reduction components, which lowers the overall fuel economy. If your car had to meet these requirements, it would get far worse economy.