Thinking about a Hybrid Car?

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Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage

Prime example of the law of unintended consequences.

 

Yup, been aware of that for quite some time now.

Want to be really ecological? Don't buy a new car. Better yet, don't buy a car at all.

It's better to keep your old car in working condition than buy a new one. All these fancy new cars' production costs are huge what with all their fancy parts. Not to mention what it costs to get those new cars repaired, to your wallet and to the nature.

 

I remember when I audited Toyota dealerships being floored that the Prius cost just over $10,000 more than the almost identicle (at that time) Echo. $10,000 will buy you a lot of gasoline even if you don't add interest.

I would note that in that article they are somewhat out of date when it comes to the Sudbury superstack. The article describes how it was there in the 80s. They have greatly improved the pollution control since then. According to all of the people who I know who have lived there, or who have family that live there, the area is no longer the deadzone that is described.

 

Prius drivers around here don't drive with a lead foot. Heck, gasoline here is probably near the cheapest in the States ($2.35 this morning), and yet Prius drivers are usually in the left lane doing 5 to 10 under the speed limit. I guess the figure that they will make a difference by forcing everyone else to drive as slow as they do.

 

I would still rather walk barefoot with a shard of glass in my heel...like I did yesterday.

 

I only know one Prius owner/couple and they bought it mainly because they liked the looks - ??

My humble Accord got almost 42 mpg on a trip last fall that was mostly interstate, mostly on cruise control, with no AC on. I was stunned when I did the math - did it twice, in fact, because I was sure I'd made a mistake. Usually it's not that good because I do so much driving on smaller, slower roads, with a fair amount of stopping and starting. But it's driving style that makes most of the mpg difference.

Wouldn't have a relatively new (3 years old) car except for a wreck totaling the previous one. Stayed with Honda because the old one protected me so well in the crash.

But the article is a reminder that you shouldn't be too taken in by advertising, nor by so-called tests conducted by government agencies, and certainly not by fads.