Ned Bulken Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 jumped through the appropriate hoops this week. And wound up with this nice 07 Prius. Much better day than this time last week when I was resting after a driver attempted a left turn crossing from my right side... Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted June 20, 2014 Report Share Posted June 20, 2014 Nice choice, those are good cars. ...maybe next week will be even better, that would be pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 20, 2014 Report Share Posted June 20, 2014 I'm certainly not a Prius fan but, glad you're ok and happy with your new car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'm a big proponent of electric drive, but one thing always bothers me...why don't electric cars look like cars, rather than doorstops? A few manufacturers are coming around, but for a long time it seemed like there was a conspiracy to make all electric cars so butt-ugly that no one would buy them. No offense intended, but to me, the Prius design has always screamed "BLAND"!!! I've noticed the later models are beginning to look more like a regular car, so hooray for Toyota. As soon as someone builds an all-electric that won't run out of juice on my daily commute, or starts selling a diesel-electric hybrid in the US, I'll be in the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 We have 200,000 plus on our 02 Prius. Never a problem, and we still average 45mph. That little sucker just keeps going, and trouble free. I love that thing...except I can't haul any wood with it, but that's what the F150 is for. Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk HD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'm a big proponent of electric drive, but one thing always bothers me...why don't electric cars look like cars, rather than doorstops? Um...one word...Tesla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Um...one word...Tesla Pretty, but still a "wedged" doorstop... And expensive as hell. Not to mention how much the house electric bill rises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Nothing about that vehicle says doorstop to me. Very attractive lines, IMO. Progress is expensive. Your great-grandkids will thank them one day for taking the strides. Not to take this thread in that direction, hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Um...one word...Tesla I'm very familiar with Tesla. Been following the development of electric drive since AC propulsion debuted the T Zero concept car, Tesla now licenses AC Propulsion drive systems. My cosmetic complaints are aimed at cars marketed for the average Joe or Jane, rather than ultra-exmensive sports cars. GM's EV-1? Just plain ugly. Toyota Prius? Has a great personality. Nissan Leaf? Just a little "odd". I was excited by early marketing packages for the Chevy Volt, because the concept looked like a down-sized Camero. I was sadly disappointed in the final product. Granted, there have been attempts at hybridizing some existing vehicles ( Ford Escape and Chevy Suburban at least) that looked the same as their fossil-fueled kin. They haven't done well, because the hybrid costs up to 30% more, but delivers far less than 30% increased fuel efficiency. As much as I would love to have an electric drive vehicle for its operating characteristics, I have never been able to justify the extra cost. Initial purchase, battery relacement, inconvenience of limited range and charging station ( for non-hybrids) all add up. Can't really go with the 'green' aspect, either. Battery inefficiencies dictate that as much or more total energy goes into getting me from A to B in an electric, although the generation of that energy may take place somewhere else. I have ready more than one study showing that over the life cycle of the vehicle ( from manufacture to scrap ), a Hummer is actually 'greener' than a Prius, due to the toxic heavy metals in the batteries and the energy cost of producing the battery and otther parts in multiple countries before assembly. I don' t know how valid those studies are, but it does make one stop and think. Anyway, lots of folks love their Prius, and I say more power to them. The current crop of hybrids and electrics may not be ideal, but certainly its a step in the right direction. -- end rant. My aplogies to the OP for hijacking the thread, and for any disparaging statements about his new ride. No offense was intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Bulken Posted June 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 First and foremost, I have a couple of minor lingering aches, but it's just over a week out from the accident. the aveo was a car I bought last year as a 'work' car. I drive for a living... a Lot... I put 80,000 miles on the aveo from time of purchase to the accident. the Prius is my new rolling office. I put 250-300 miles a day on for just my scheduled runs 3-5 nights per week, and I do 'stat' deliveries as well... This isn't a 'dream car' for me, it is a relatively comfortable, affordable and definitely economical vehicle which will save me money vs the car it replaced. There are 20 drivers at the site I work out of, 7 of us have a Prius. Wait, check that, 6 of us do, one got in a wreck just last night and is 'between cars' at the moment. Personally I think that diesel is the way to go in the high mpg 'game'. Unfortunately they're scarce as Hen's Teeth, and priced accordingly. I test drove a 2005 Jetta TDI, it was $5000 more than what I picked the Prius up for and was 2 years older. I really wanted the Jetta, but decided that domestic tranquility was better than driving enjoyment. I'll keep looking however, and if I find a reasonably priced, comparatively low mileage Jetta, I may trade the Prius in on it. I'm averaging 46+ MPG without trying hard. I don't have time to 'hypermile'... I already drove fairly conservatively... on the trips I make, there's no sense in hurrying. I can't count the number of times I've 'caught' some twit who had to pass me... on average the roads, traffic and road construction etc... will only let you go 50-55mph no matter what you do. If you're going interstate, you can bump that up ,but years of travel have taught me that slightly slower is no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Ned, I have to agree with you on the Jetta. A few years back, when gasoline first jumped into the $3.50 per gallon range in my area, I was driving a Dodge Durango. Four wheel drive, and 360 cubic inches. I could never squeeze more than 13 mpg out of that thing, no matter what I tried. I looked around for a replacement, and crunched the numbers pretty hard. A Jetta tdi was the ONLY vehicle available that would have actually paid for itself in 2 years of fuel cost savings. I didn't buy one because I really needed a truck, but I sometimes regret it. Except, of course, when I hear VW owner's horror stories about trying to get service when the nearest dealer is over 100 miles away. Glad you weren't badly injured. Also glad I don't have your job! I thought my 25 - 30k miles per year was a nuisance, but 80k+ truly sucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Bulken Posted June 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 That mileage figure was a little bit skewed; I was the site manager & I picked up many extra runs. I've dialed way back , though I still do 1000 a week easy. Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted July 1, 2014 Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 I'm a big VW fan. I love the concept of the Jetta TDI... and I've known a couple of people who have owned one, and I've never managed to move beyond loving the concept and into loving the reality of the car. There's a lot of possibilities in terms of electric drive vehicles. not just the Tesla, Leaf, Volt, Prius, or BMW. There's a couple of underground or non-mainstream vehicle options, too. And then there's this guy. What I love about him is that he's retrofitted a couple of existing vehicles into hybrids or EVs. So you can keep your existing vehicles, and just change the guts out. He's got a couple of posts about a charge regulator/backup power option for the car, so that the house can charge the car and, if the power goes out, the car backs up the house. Theory works well.... if you have a house with a garage. (I've got a townhome without a garage and no external outlets. I've been looking for solar chargers and local establishments nearby to offer charging. Other than school and the two WalMarts with the Electric Car charging outlets, there's nobody offering a charge. Means I need to stay fossilized for a while. One of those concepts I've kicked around and would love to do is an electric car that recoups the majority of it's expenditures during travel, but there will never be a "zero sum" power cycle/system. I've even kicked around plans on adding the backup power grid concept to a tiny home, so you can run the tiny home off the electric car.... and sent it to Tumbleweed Homes. They were less excited about the concept than I thought they'd be.) Glad to hear you're ok, and I know all that mileage is rough. Cars really need to be comfortable and economical, and that switch from truck/suv to car often justifies much of that switch. I've gotten about 20-22 MPG on my Forester over the past 16 months, and while I'd love more, I'm happy with it. I also just recently passed 20,000 on it (used car, so the odo reads more), but I'm glad I slowed down in my commuting. At my height, I was probably half of your commuting mileage. Congrats on getting something you feel will be justified in paying itself off! Not disparaging any decisions, because I know how much research and pain goes into a car decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderBill Posted July 1, 2014 Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Um...one word...Tesla Yeah, there's a Tesla service facility next door to my blueprint company, drove by the other day and they had several of the Model Ss parked out front. I'm guessing they were loaners for owners that needed service, no stickers or anything. Man, that is one sweet-looking ride! I'd seen pix but you really have to see one in the flesh to appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted July 2, 2014 Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 Yeah, there's a Tesla service facility next door to my blueprint company, drove by the other day and they had several of the Model Ss parked out front. I'm guessing they were loaners for owners that needed service, no stickers or anything. Man, that is one sweet-looking ride! I'd seen pix but you really have to see one in the flesh to appreciate it. A hot rod! There are a few local to me. At first glance, I used to confuse them with certain Jag or Mazeratti models, but my eye has gotten better. Every time I see one leave a parking lot, I expect a sweet exhaust note, yet I'm greeted with eerie but very cool silence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Most electric drives use traction control, so they won't even burn rubber. But man! They are hot off the line! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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