If you must get a car, get a VW TDI. My family just got a TDI Jetta to replace an old Mercedes from the 80s. After the first tank (which was provided by the dealer), it has run 100% biodiesel. Biodiesel is carbon neutral and produces just a fraction of the carcinogens and unburned hydro carbons that petro diesel yields. The car itself is pretty good. It gets high mileage (diesel engines are naturally more efficient), starts up in no time (you don't have to wait for glow plugs, like we did with the older diesel), is quite, runs smooth (especially with the biodiesel), and is very clean. I rarely smell the biodiesel coming out of the exhaust pipe. When I have to use a car, I try to use that one, since it is better for the environment than most cars.
where do you get the biodiesel?? do you store a bunch at home, what about infrastructure, and is it low sulfer?? does it get different mpg with regular diesel vs biodiesel?? what is the energy content?
I agree i'd get a tdi vw in a heartbeat, but i need a larger vehicle, but i drive 6 miles round trip to and from work. the above is right, less miles less gas used regardless of vehicle. weekends i need the minivan. i'd get a another vehicle to get better mpg, but our state, ky charges you tax each year. so multiple cars costs tooooooo much
Not exactly easy to get ahold of but it is certainly more prevelant than just California. You can also clean up your own although there are some risks involved, such as fire, with that approach based on my limited understanding of biodiesel.
biodiesel has fewer btus of energy then regular diesel, so you get less mileage depending on the mixture the more bio the less mpg. so hmmmmmmmm do a google or check out various car mags etc you can't make up the difference of the cost of the diesel engine with better mileage. do the math. best would be a hybrid with diesel or turbo diesels like europe when sulfer levels fall. but weight matters a lot, i don't want to drive my family around in a car less than 3.3k pounds in europe most are small and the speeds are less the distances are less.(AAA did a study about risk of injury for teens they recommend a car not a suv of at least 3.3k pds so how much gas do you save if you're in the hospital??? injury costs more i bet
Instead of getting a big car to be safe (which isn't always true), just drive defensively and safely.
Here around Seattle there are a few places to get biodiesel. The place we go to is about 15 miles away (but it isn't that far out of the way, the car is driven to the city quite a bit). Do a Google search for Dr. Dan's alternative fuelwerks.
Biodiesel should have zero sulfur content. It is made from vegetable oil, not pulled from the ground. It does contain less energy per gallon, but the mileage isn't decreased very much. Maybe one or two miles per gallon in our VW.
My point is that one should consider total energy cost if one is factoring in the environment seriously.
Ultimately, as far as conserving energy, the best new car you can get is probably a Lotus Elise. It's 1900 pounds and made largely of glass reinforced nylon, which incidentally requires much less fossil fuel to manufacture and fabricate than does sheet metal. An extra thousand pounds of metal requires a phenomenal amount of energy to process. Much more than the gasoline you'll save.
Haha... doing whatever you can to justify that elise to yourself, eh?
However, you raise a good point. We can buy all the economical cars we like, but if we're getting a new vehicle every 3-4 years, we're not doing the environment any favours at all. The environmental costs of such consumption -- manufacturing new vehicles and recycling old ones -- more than eat up any gains in efficiency. If you really want to do right by the environment, run your new car for at least 15 years, make fewer short trips, and don't idle so long in the winter.
Either hybrid or conventional car, now is a good time to start thinking about geting a VERY fuel efficient vehicle. Changes are blowing in the exhaust, er I mean wind. Gasoline and all petroleum based products are going to cost a lot more in the near furture. Buy a vehicle soon before demand jacks the dealer prices sky high.
Go to this link and read the whole thing. Don't get turned off by the first sentence. If even 50% of what these people say comes true, we are in for a world of hurt.
Yeah, considering that gas costs have shot up here and continue to climb over $2.30/gallon, the break-even point for the hybrid premium is coming down all the time, and will continue to do so. I was thinking about a Scion tC and trading in my Civic, but the gas mileage is what I would consider marginal, less than 30 mpg. Gas prices are getting to the point that it's more economical for me to walk to the snooty food store with its marginally more expensive foods than it is to drive a few miles to the chain supermarket and buy the same foods cheaper. I can't fathom why people would buy an SUV or other car with 20 mpg or less and use it day-in and day-out.
I can't fathom why people would buy an SUV or other car with 20 mpg or less and use it day-in and day-out.
5000 miles per year * 20mpg * $2.50/gallon = $625
If you don't drive much (carpooling, walking/biking) gas isn't a big deal. Even at $5 per gallon, I'm paying less for gas than for car insurance. One SUV with four comfortably seated people is better than a hybrid with one person in it. Yes, you could carpool with the hybrid, and that's even better, but my point again is that there are more effective conservation techniques than simply buying a hybrid. I really like the idea of hybrids, biodiesels, hydrogen powered, and electric vehicles, but when you're driving to work and you see maybe 1 out of 20 cars with more than one person in them, you have to question these things. I would hope that buying a hybrid isn't just an excuse not to carpool, or to not reduce the amount of driving you do, but I sense that it often is.
Actually I've tried the carpool thing. Twice. I must be the bad driver because everyone else quit on me each time. You have to go here after work, and I have to go there. He has a meeting in the middle of the day, and she has to skip her day to drive because she has a meeting first thing in the morning. Easier said than done. Other priorities tend to take precedence, and the whole thing falls apart rather quickly.
I hate driving anyway, which is partly why I chose where I live -- so that I can walk to places and have things to do right outside my door.
I think the real problem is the snooty food market. It sells Organic Breakfast Whole Grain O's Cold Cereal in a tiny box for $6.00 when I can buy a box of Cheerios the size of a duffelbag for the same price. The snooty place also charges $1.29 per organic nature-lovin' peace on earth lemon when I can get 3 evil corporate rape the land lemons for the same price at Harris Teeter, which is just a bit out of walking distance.
I have my Prius for a year now. It is hands down the best car I have ever driven (including my 300ZX).
It has tremendous pickup and having the continous transmission makes for a very smooth one.
I live in a mountain area and enjoy chasing BMWs up the winding roads. It is extremely satisfying to tailgate some gas guzzling monster until they finally drive over and let me pass. (I justed costed him $ 10.-
115 is the fastest I have ever taken it. It seemed to peak around there.
My gasmileage is never below 44 mpg (that is when my wife drives it) more normal is about 47mpg.
On slow freeways (stop and go) I get 65mpg (this will be erradicated by my need to go 90 when there is no traffic).
I am a musician and I fit my bass amp and bass easily.
My 20,000mile service costed $ 67.-
The time savings are tremendous:
Time at the pump. (only 12 gal tank)
Electronic key: never take it out of your pocket. walk up car opens, sit down car recognizes key and you can turn on power. No warming up the engine. no starting, no fumbling with the key ever.
Everything is touch screen controlled and most of it from the stirring wheel.
Any other car seems like an antique to me now.
Gas will be at least $ 5.- per gallon by the end of this year. NBC news announced a price per barrel of sweet crude at $ 110.- within weeks.
My next car will be the Toyota Volta:
2 electric motors, same mpg than Prius but 0 - 60 in 4.2 sec. Goodbuy Porsches. C U in the rearview.
Comments
I agree i'd get a tdi vw in a heartbeat, but i need a larger vehicle, but i drive 6 miles round trip to and from work. the above is right, less miles less gas used regardless of vehicle. weekends i need the minivan. i'd get a another vehicle to get better mpg, but our state, ky charges you tax each year. so multiple cars costs tooooooo much
Originally posted by NOFEER
where do you get the biodiesel??
I've only seen it in California.
http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodi...s/default.shtm
Not exactly easy to get ahold of but it is certainly more prevelant than just California. You can also clean up your own although there are some risks involved, such as fire, with that approach based on my limited understanding of biodiesel.
Here around Seattle there are a few places to get biodiesel. The place we go to is about 15 miles away (but it isn't that far out of the way, the car is driven to the city quite a bit). Do a Google search for Dr. Dan's alternative fuelwerks.
Biodiesel should have zero sulfur content. It is made from vegetable oil, not pulled from the ground. It does contain less energy per gallon, but the mileage isn't decreased very much. Maybe one or two miles per gallon in our VW.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
My point is that one should consider total energy cost if one is factoring in the environment seriously.
Ultimately, as far as conserving energy, the best new car you can get is probably a Lotus Elise. It's 1900 pounds and made largely of glass reinforced nylon, which incidentally requires much less fossil fuel to manufacture and fabricate than does sheet metal. An extra thousand pounds of metal requires a phenomenal amount of energy to process. Much more than the gasoline you'll save.
Haha... doing whatever you can to justify that elise to yourself, eh?
However, you raise a good point. We can buy all the economical cars we like, but if we're getting a new vehicle every 3-4 years, we're not doing the environment any favours at all. The environmental costs of such consumption -- manufacturing new vehicles and recycling old ones -- more than eat up any gains in efficiency. If you really want to do right by the environment, run your new car for at least 15 years, make fewer short trips, and don't idle so long in the winter.
Go to this link and read the whole thing. Don't get turned off by the first sentence. If even 50% of what these people say comes true, we are in for a world of hurt.
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
Originally posted by BuonRotto
I can't fathom why people would buy an SUV or other car with 20 mpg or less and use it day-in and day-out.
5000 miles per year * 20mpg * $2.50/gallon = $625
If you don't drive much (carpooling, walking/biking) gas isn't a big deal. Even at $5 per gallon, I'm paying less for gas than for car insurance. One SUV with four comfortably seated people is better than a hybrid with one person in it. Yes, you could carpool with the hybrid, and that's even better, but my point again is that there are more effective conservation techniques than simply buying a hybrid. I really like the idea of hybrids, biodiesels, hydrogen powered, and electric vehicles, but when you're driving to work and you see maybe 1 out of 20 cars with more than one person in them, you have to question these things. I would hope that buying a hybrid isn't just an excuse not to carpool, or to not reduce the amount of driving you do, but I sense that it often is.
I hate driving anyway, which is partly why I chose where I live -- so that I can walk to places and have things to do right outside my door.
I think the real problem is the snooty food market. It sells Organic Breakfast Whole Grain O's Cold Cereal in a tiny box for $6.00 when I can buy a box of Cheerios the size of a duffelbag for the same price. The snooty place also charges $1.29 per organic nature-lovin' peace on earth lemon when I can get 3 evil corporate rape the land lemons for the same price at Harris Teeter, which is just a bit out of walking distance.
It has tremendous pickup and having the continous transmission makes for a very smooth one.
I live in a mountain area and enjoy chasing BMWs up the winding roads. It is extremely satisfying to tailgate some gas guzzling monster until they finally drive over and let me pass. (I justed costed him $ 10.-
115 is the fastest I have ever taken it. It seemed to peak around there.
My gasmileage is never below 44 mpg (that is when my wife drives it) more normal is about 47mpg.
On slow freeways (stop and go) I get 65mpg (this will be erradicated by my need to go 90 when there is no traffic).
I am a musician and I fit my bass amp and bass easily.
My 20,000mile service costed $ 67.-
The time savings are tremendous:
Time at the pump. (only 12 gal tank)
Electronic key: never take it out of your pocket. walk up car opens, sit down car recognizes key and you can turn on power. No warming up the engine. no starting, no fumbling with the key ever.
Everything is touch screen controlled and most of it from the stirring wheel.
Any other car seems like an antique to me now.
Gas will be at least $ 5.- per gallon by the end of this year. NBC news announced a price per barrel of sweet crude at $ 110.- within weeks.
My next car will be the Toyota Volta:
2 electric motors, same mpg than Prius but 0 - 60 in 4.2 sec. Goodbuy Porsches. C U in the rearview.