Originally Posted By DyGDisney Okay, I just checked. I guess they can cost around $3000, but are expected to last most if not the full life of the vehicle. Also, most have an 8 to 10 year warranty.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice <<Are you saying our planet isn't worth a little inconvenience???>> *LOL* fodd! I'll let our tourists shoulder the mass transit responsibility - LV accommodates THEM very well. ;-)
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I'll let our tourists shoulder the mass transit responsibility - LV accommodates THEM very well. ;-)>> You can get from the Grand to the Sahara by monorail. What else could anyone need?? ;-)
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder We were looking into Toyota and Lexus hybrids last weekend. We were told the batteries last about 100,000 miles and would cost about a grand to replace them. "Would cost about a grand to replace" means that in about six or seven years, if a person puts around 15,000 miles a year on a car, they'll be somwhere around 100,000 miles. The cost of batteries in six or seven years is estimated to be about a grand. When people are looking into replacement costs, they are told what it would cost NOW, and a person isn't replacing them now because they're new. So factor that in when checking things out.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn [<<You can invest in Exxon and share the wealth. You can't invest in the sheiks.>> Not really. If you are paying $1 more per gallon of gas it costs you and extra $15/week or $750/year. In order to earn that much in cash dividends from Exxon Mobile (XON) you would need to own about 500 shares. That would cost you about $45,000. I think most people that are concerned about paying $750/year more in gas don't have $45,000 lying around to invest annually just to offset ever-increasing oil prices.] You did not discredit my comment. You can invest in Exxon and share the wealth. You can't invest in the sheiks.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn It's funny that people jump to conclusions to blame the president on colluding with oil companies with the benefits gained by high prices. This "everybody-knows-it" perception is just plain crazy. I guess you're right. Directly east of the Oval Office there exists an old broom closet. In that closet, President Bush has access to a secret computer. On the screen of that computer are three windows: Regular Unleaded, Mid-Grade and Supreme. Each window shows the price of each flavor of gas for that day. Above each window is an up-arrow. Below each window is a down arrow. Each morning, President Bush wakes up, drinks his coffee, proceeds to the broom closet and pushes the up-arrows above each window. This increases the price of gas each day. Yep. He's definitely in on it.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf <<You did not discredit my comment. You can invest in Exxon and share the wealth. You can't invest in the sheiks.>> Invest in the sheiks?? You can't invest in the CEO of Exxon Mobil either so what's your point? If you're talking about sending money overseas to the countries that produce oil then yes of course we are "investing" in them. But what do you think they are doing with their excess cash? Ever hear of sovereign wealth funds? They are investing the cash they got back from people like us where they see investment opportunities - like the US. Welcome to globalization.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains DyG - this might help with your car choice <a href="http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/566/top-13-most-fuel-efficient-cars" target="_blank">http://autos.yahoo.com/article...ent-cars</a> If you read down the article it describe the car choices based on type of commute...you know long drive or stop and go driving...
Originally Posted By tiggertoo DyGI, I know I’m a little late to the party, but as someone how used to drive professionally, let me add perspective on the larger vehicle vs. small vehicle safety question. While it is true, an SUV is built much more rigid than a smaller vehicle and thus able to take more of a beating, that’s only half of the equation. When I was training years ago, they drilled one thing in our head, the bigger and heavier the vehicle, the more dangerous it is to drive. The reason for that is, it is much easier to avoid accidents in a small nimble car, than a tank of an SUV. It goes back to high school physics and the study of kinetics. If you are driving 6000 lbs of steel, it’s much more difficult for you to change directions or stop than if you were driving a vehicle half that weight (not to mention compact size means you can squeak out of situations an large SUV could only dream of). That’s the conundrum to the equation. Which is safer: avoidance or durability?
Originally Posted By DyGDisney Thanks guys. Unfortunately we decided we can't afford two car payments right now, so we have to decide if we are going to sell the truck and buy a hybrid or just keep the truck. I'm stuck with my good ol' Saturn a little longer. Meanwhile, dh took the Saturn to work today and last Friday. At least he's saving a little gas.
Originally Posted By beamerdog So right, tiggertoo. I was hit on I95 outside of Philly by an 18 wheeler while I was driving my little Nissan two seater sports car. I was hit twice (left quarter panel and then broadsided, but managed to steer myself out of going under the trailer. If I had been in my husband's SUV, I would have turned over (over the bridge) after the first hit. DGD, my son has a 3 1/2 yr old Prius which runs great. It has an incredible amount of room on the inside for people and storage. And safe - he hit a deer on the road and had only minor damages and better yet, no injuries. Yes, I am feeling the gas crunch. I have a little Nissan Rogue with great mileage, but I cringe when I have to fill it. I drive a lot less and plan out my trips. But the influence on the price of food and services has had a major influence on my budget. We have no public transportation to speak of here. My commutes would be hours long to get somewhere that I can drive in 20 minutes or less.
Originally Posted By fkurucz ^^^That's another issue with SUVs and pickups. They handle so poorly. Anyone remember the Ford Explorers that would roll if they suffered a high speed blowout?
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains <Ford Explorers that would roll if they suffered a high speed blowout?> Well I am glad Ford fixed that problem - I had a blowout going 80 with 6 kids in my Excursion - no rolling got to the side called AAA and off to Disneyland... I feel very save in my Excursion - and have no trouble handling it... I saw an accident in LA - a miata and a suburban - the yellow tarp was over the miata that had drove under the suburban - I would rather be in a bigger vehicle than one than can easily slide under one...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip << Anyone remember the Ford Explorers that would roll if they suffered a high speed blowout?>> If ANY vehicle suffers a high speed blowout you are in a heap of hurt. The problem there was with the tires, not the vehicle. The rap against Ford was: 1) Ford advised using a lower air pressure to improve the Explorer's ride than the tire manufacturer thought was optimal. 2) Ford was aware of the problem with the tires and had not made it known to the public.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I would rather be in a bigger vehicle than one than can easily slide under one...>> Me too. A vehicle being more maneuverable is worthless if the driver does not have time to react to the incident. I'll take my chances with a heavier vehicle any time. Laws of physics dictate that in a collision between a heavier vehicle and a lighter vehicle the heavier vehicle will win every time.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney See, this is what I've been trying to say! DH took the Saturn to work again today. I guess he's determined to save money on gas one way or another! At least he loves his job!!
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains DyG - may not be the most popular choice for you - but my DH bought motorcycle -
