Public Opinion Poll
Jul. 19th, 2005 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyspriteFor a little while now my sweetie and I have been bouncing around the idea of getting a second car. It's really a necessity at this point; with me working at various random places around the state it's extremely difficult to drive him to and from work every day, and public transportation for him is an expensive hassle.
We've been kind of assuming we'd get a used car, just to save money, but I'm realizing that that's actually somewhat of a hassle. Neither of us is much of a car guru, and in spite of the help of extremely knowledgeable friends, I've had enough bad experiences that I'd never quite completely trust anything particularly old. So this put us looking for a fairly high-end, gently used car with no known vehicle-health issues.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that it would probably be more efficient, overall, to get a second new car. The car I currently drive is, in fact, a fairly high-end, gently used car with no known health issues. If we bought another used car, odds are we'd need to replace one car or the other within a few years. On the other hand, if we get a new car now, the car I currently use can become my sweetie's, and there would hopefully be no need to buy any more vehicles for at least a while. Part of me feels like I'm being overly extravagant and spendthrifty, but another part realizes that, if we can afford the payments, this may be the most reasonable way to go.
The other reason the new-car concept has so much appeal is that I'm thinking of buying a gas-electric hybrid. With all of the driving I do, and with the ludicrous gas prices, it seems a lot more efficient to have a car that gets much better mileage. However, I also know that my knowledge of cars is not merely woefully lacking, but functionally utterly absent, and I don't want to hop into something like this without a lot more information.
So - does anyone out there reading this own a hybrid car, or know someone who does, or at least have a strong opinion about them one way or the other? And if so, would you be willing to share any info or opinions with me?
We've been kind of assuming we'd get a used car, just to save money, but I'm realizing that that's actually somewhat of a hassle. Neither of us is much of a car guru, and in spite of the help of extremely knowledgeable friends, I've had enough bad experiences that I'd never quite completely trust anything particularly old. So this put us looking for a fairly high-end, gently used car with no known vehicle-health issues.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that it would probably be more efficient, overall, to get a second new car. The car I currently drive is, in fact, a fairly high-end, gently used car with no known health issues. If we bought another used car, odds are we'd need to replace one car or the other within a few years. On the other hand, if we get a new car now, the car I currently use can become my sweetie's, and there would hopefully be no need to buy any more vehicles for at least a while. Part of me feels like I'm being overly extravagant and spendthrifty, but another part realizes that, if we can afford the payments, this may be the most reasonable way to go.
The other reason the new-car concept has so much appeal is that I'm thinking of buying a gas-electric hybrid. With all of the driving I do, and with the ludicrous gas prices, it seems a lot more efficient to have a car that gets much better mileage. However, I also know that my knowledge of cars is not merely woefully lacking, but functionally utterly absent, and I don't want to hop into something like this without a lot more information.
So - does anyone out there reading this own a hybrid car, or know someone who does, or at least have a strong opinion about them one way or the other? And if so, would you be willing to share any info or opinions with me?
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no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 03:37 am (UTC)I bought it at the end of Febuary. It cost about $4000 more than the regular Ford Escape. ($28,000 total)
It's getting about 25 MPG and has a 15 Gal tank. It is rated at 28MPG city. It's costing me about $26-$30 every two weeks. For my average commute from Arlington to MIT. Plus I drive around campus usually once a day.
Compared to my last car which was costing me about $25-$28 / week (Ford Explorer, getting between 12-15 MPG) At this rate It should pay for itself over the corse of the car's life. Though as I have been taking a couple of longer trips the milage is getting better. (Both as I get used to driving it and it's breaking in.)
Now I choose the Escape because I wanted an SUV. I haul enough junk around on a near weekly basis that I felt I needed the extra room. Plus I'm a big guy (6' 250lbs) and I just don't feel as comfortable driving smaller cars.
I choose a hybrid even though they are mor expensive, because I wanted to "vote with my dollars", as well as keep the operational costs down.
I find that it drives really well, there are certain things to keep in mind when driving Hybrids. It does take a little getting used to the fact that the gas engine shuts off after about 5 minutes of "warm up / battery charge" time. It will run on electric under about 30 MPH, or faster if you are coasting downhill lightly on the brakes. The AC compressor and defrost both NEED the gas engine to function. The AC will continue to function in an "energy saver" mood without the gas, but in this heat that lasts about 2-3 minutes before you are ready for more cold... (you can manually switch the gas engine on at that point if you want.) I also notice the 1/2 second hessetation when calling for more power than the electric engine can provide. Usually at points when I'm going uphill, entering a highway, or jumping off a stop light...
I've heard the [Unknown site tag] gets in the 50MPG range...
no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-20 03:51 am (UTC)