Gas Prices

This is less true for turbocharged diesels.

One big reason is pollution. European diesels are just now coming under
reasonable pollution standards. These will cost some fuel economy, but
they should still end up 20-30% better than gas engines, although the DI
gas engines under development now may change this equation.


Matt

 

You're absolutely correct about the "spot" mileage reports. When most
people give me a number I assume it is probably the best they EVER got, and
not an average.

On a side note, it just cost me $46 to fill up my Sonata. What a joke.
However, this was my best tank ever with a 30.76 MPG number to add to my
average. I had to make a trip to Delaware and to Atlantic City over the
last few days. My average speed for this tank was 61 MPH. My normal speed
average is around 31 MPH. My overall average since I purchased the car on
September 28, 2006 now stands at 23.97 MPG. I will roll 10,000 miles when
I finish the tank of gas I purchased today.

Eric

 

I think I'm on track for another 30+ tank in my Sonata also. I took a
short trip up to Cornell University last Friday and that helped some as
it was a nice warm day and a fairly leisurely drive. The only downside
is I got rear-ended on the way home by a drunk driver in downtown
Ithaca! Fortunately, she was only going about 5 MPH when she hit me
when I stopped behind a line of traffic at a stop sign. It was only
3:30 in the afternoon and she was already either drunk or stoned by all
actions and appearances.

I think the damage is only cosmetic, but I need to have the dealer check
the bumper substructure to be sure.


Matt

 

Amen, Jozef!!! I've wanted one for years but we can't have them. The oil
companies are holding us hostage by buying all the politicians, perhaps????
Just conjecture, of course...........

 

That kind of thing happened to me twice here in Ithaca. I thought getting
rear-ended while waiting at the red light was just my karma.

Glad you survived your visit here.

Sinan

 

Dealing with the insurance company of the other driver will likely be
the biggest problem!

Matt

 

Yes, nothing like a good conspiracy theory. It is funny that most folks
who believe in conspiracy theories (conspiracies take a LOT of skill to
execute effectively!) also think the government and industry are
incompetent. Hey, you can't have it both ways.

I don't know the reason the smart cars aren't sold here, but I'm
guessing it is a combination of the following and probably a few others
I'm not thinking of:

1. Don't meet safety standards.
2. Don't meet pollution standards.
3. Market analysis suggests that they won't sell in sufficient numbers
to make meeting 1 and 2 economically feasible.


Matt

 

1. Don't meet safety standards...............
Who makes the safety standards? Government. Why do the Smart Cars
meet Germany's safety standards, where traffic is very heavy as well as
fast? Could it be that our safety standards are over-Nadirized, as most
government programs are burdened with too much red tape and redundancy?
2. Don't meet emission standards..............
As I said far up this PIA post, Germany is so 'Green' in all aspects
that it is hard to believe that we need emission standards better than them.
Who sets the emission standards? Government. Again, out of control while
we try to save the world at our own expense.
3. Market analysis suggests................
Talk about an oxymoron!!!!!!!!!! Can't blame this one on the
Government, but you sure can blame it on the industry. Yes, this country is
full of fools who still buy huge SUV's just to outdo their friends and
neighbors and the profit margins are much higher on those beasts. In this
case, God forbid, we have to rely on the government to push for smaller
cars. Tax by weight or horsepower as they do in Europe. I've been too
close to Market Analysts all my life to put any credence in their findings.
All I see around here on all the car lots are lines of full sized pickups
and SUV's that have been sitting there forever. Boy, those analysts were
right on, weren't they?

 

Oh, and 'Conspiracy' implies 'intelligence', so when we are talking about
our elected officials, that rules out any implication of conspiracy!!! The
only thing they are smart enough to accomplish is to bullshit us enough to
believe that they will truly represent 'us' and not their special interests.
Wake up, my son.

 

You must live in a special place then. The car lots in all of the areas I
travel to have far more small to mid-sized cars on them than they do full
sized pickups and SUV's.

 

I live in Georgia, where you must own a pickup truck to get a drivers
license and a gun rack to be a 'good ole boy'. Truly, every lot has all
pickups and SUV's. Very few cars. It's a Southern thing.......

 

How do you think the SmartCar would grade out in the NHSTA and IIHS crash
tests?

 

People drive what they can afford. Always have, always will.

Ya, nice comfortable cars are not as affordable as they were 2 years ago.
But that's always been true, and always will be. When gas prices go up, some
people feel the pinch more than others. I'm on a semi-fixed income, and I
admit the gas prices sting. When it hurts enough, I will curtail my driving.
When it hurts more, maybe my next car won't be as comfortable and as gas
hungry. We're evolving, but evolution is slow. Always has been, always will
be.

Oh, and don't wait on the Government. They're slower than evolution.

 

Plain and simple. It is not what America wants. People like to whine,
but then they get in their SUV and drive away. I am happy with my
Elantra GT, sure I'd like to get 50MPG with it, but I'll settle for 30
and feel safe on the road. Sometimes I am glad that the prices are so
high because I like to laugh at all the SUV people when they fill up.


Never Forget!!!
http://www.september11victims.com/september11Victims/VictimInfo.asp?ID=2654

 

If you read the crash test results in Europe, the 'space frame' around the
car provides excellent protection in a crash. The thing doesn't even
deform. I think it even amazed the engineers who designed it (who were, I
believe MB).

 

Right on all counts, Bob! Sad but true.

 

I laugh at them too. It even hurts now when you go to fill up your 5 gallon
gas can so you can mow the lawn. Sheep or goats might be cheaper.

 

Yes fuel is sold by the litre, but we still think in mpg (the litres/100km
is a European thing).

FYI petrol here has just gone up to 93.9p/litre. I make that $6.37 per US
Gallon.

So it's just as well that I'm getting 30 - 36 mpg (25 - 30 mpUSg?) out of my
Hyundai Coupe.

richard

 

How much to hire a goat for the weekend?

 

So why don't you have a full-size MB that gets 50 MPG?


Matt