Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Latest Rage?

Am I the only one that's noticed more and more Toyota Priuses driving around town. I keep seeing new ones every day, or so it seems. I can understand their popularity but I would think that, because of their popularity, the prices would go up and make them less affordable to people.

I have no idea how much they cost. Doesn't really matter. I couldn't afford to buy one, regardless.

But I actually kind of enjoy seeing this trend toward high mileage cars develop. As I posted before here some time ago, owners of non- fuel efficient cars are having a hard time getting rid of their gas guzzlers as this story from the San Jose Mercury News reports.

They're saying my wife's car, the Geo Metro, is also gaining in popularity. I suppose that's good news but that car is too uncomfortable for me to do anything in but short trips around town. Hey, maybe we could take the engine out of the Metro and stick it in my F-150 pick up truck? Hmmm...???

22 Comments:

At 9:04 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Get this- Paul Mc Cartney ordered a Prius for himself because he's all green and in tune with the environment so Toyota shipped him one by cargoplane! That's the equivalent of about a thousand trips around the world in his Prius. The irony!!!!!

 
At 9:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Save the planet, fine, but don't do it in my lane (the one on the left) driving 55 and feeling smug.
Get out of my way.

 
At 9:48 AM, Blogger Anon.R.mous said...

Don't be a ding-dong Fred, you know dropping a smaller engine like the one in a Geo into your F150 would net you a loss in power AND mileage. Pruises cost too much and don't deliver the MPG that you think you'd get, but some people just have to have their iPods, which is what the Pruis really is, a fashion statement.

 
At 10:35 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

Yes, I know that, even if I could put a Metro engine in my truck, I'd probably get 30 mph on the freeway, if that.

As far as Prius goes, even if I could afford one I don't know I'd get one. Among other things, I've heard these hybrid vehicles aren't at their best for non- stop freeway driving. They're at their best in stop and go type driving, or so I've gotten the impression.

I remember reading last summer(?) about the rapid transit buses in the Sacramento during the big heat wave. The ones that spent considerable time on the freeway ended up because there wasn't enough power to run their air conditioners. I've been in buses without air conditioners in 105 degree weather and it's no fun, if not outright dangerous.

They said it was because the hybrids got the most power in stop and go driving. Seems strange to me and I don't know how true that is.

Sure are a lot of people buying those Prius things, though.

 
At 10:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Those cars are a big problem. They make so very little noise that visually impaired pedestrians are being hit by them.

 
At 1:25 PM, Blogger Anon.R.mous said...

Yeah, they charge their batteries with the braking system, which allows them better mileage city driving. Hitting the roads and the only reason they get as good of mileage that they get is because of their superhard and skinny tires and aeroshape. You can get better mileage with VW TDI from what I've been told.

 
At 2:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

somebody call singleton quick, maybe if he made money on toyota he would leave local business alone.

 
At 2:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

They have a bigger carbon footprint than a Hummer due to the type of batteries they use,great mileage though. Run it on corn ethanol and save the world.

 
At 5:48 PM, Blogger ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ said...

Fred,
Forget the Prius. Try this.

 
At 7:52 PM, Blogger Joel Mielke said...

"...the Pruis really is, a fashion statement."

Yes, and the high price of gas at the pump is just a fad.

 
At 10:14 PM, Blogger Rose said...

Best car in the world - the Honda CRX - got 37-39 around town, and 55 on trips (unless you drove over 65, that would cut it down dramatically) - had the lowest drag coefficient, a nice light car, Tires and brakes lasted twice as long as any other car, too.

Just didn't have room for passengers. :)

 
At 7:18 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

I used to have a Volkswagon Rabbit Diesel that supposedly got over 50 miles to the gallon. Never actually tested the mileage, though. Drove that thing for years even after it blew a head gasket. Some guy at an auto parts store suggested trying some of that radiator stop- leak stuff and it actually sealed the head gasket. Finally met its demise when it got smashed (It was parked) and repairs were worth more than the car itself.

BTW; This morning's Sacramento Bee takes a look at progress on developing plug- in hybrids:
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/955111.html

 
At 7:51 AM, Blogger Anon.R.mous said...

At 7:52 PM, Blogger Carson Park Ranger said...

"...the Pruis really is, a fashion statement."

Yes, and the high price of gas at the pump is just a fad.


Joel Joel Joel, when are you going to learn? Did the high cost of gas make you run off and replace your older pick-ups because of the higher fuel costs? The main reason people buy the Pruis hybrid is it looks like a "different" car, it shouts "look at me, I'm eco-groovy" Toyota is of course hamming it up with a waiting list and all that good stuff, while other hybrids sit on the lot, or in Honda's case, they remove it from the line-up. It didn't scream "different" enough. Kind of like the fools who buy Apple computers.

 
At 11:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Only in America do you see the defensive ignorance characterized by some of these posts-

Never mind trying to make the world better, healthier, or cleaner!
Lets just bash lefties! yay!

Never mind the millions Mr. McCartney has given to charity and the work he has done- lets bash him cause he's a lefty!Look! Irony! He screwed up!
Yay!

And the latest? We cant drive those cause they are TOO QUIET??
(WHERE do people get this cr*p?)

Brilliant! What we need here is MORE noise! MORE pollution!

And the comment about the Prius batteries? Ludicrous- but someone will believe you, as long as it sounds like lefty-bashing-they will.

Does ANYone calling themselves 'conservative' or 'right-wing' actually THINK anymore? Or do you all simply repeat the made-up crap O'Reilly said last night?

People like that make me think the human race may indeed be doomed.

We will fight the stupidity to the end though-

 
At 2:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think I want the guy with the code pink sticker on his prius to get out of the left lane. But wait, he's a leftist. Dang. Have to pass on the right. Pass on the right, hilaryous.

 
At 7:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The main reason people buy...is it looks like a 'different' car, it shouts 'look at me.'"

This from a guy who has some sort of fantasy barbarian avatar.

 
At 8:21 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Anonymous Anonymous said...

Save the planet, fine, but don't do it in my lane (the one on the left) driving 55 and feeling smug.
Get out of my way."

I used to drive like you-
then I crippled a young man for life.

because he wouldnt
'get out of my way'

You need to re-think how you behave. Please.

 
At 2:30 PM, Blogger brewbarb said...

I own a Prius. I didn't buy it to save money I bought to save gas. If everyone cut their gas usage in half the country would be better off. My last car got 19 mpg. My Prius gets 44 mpg in the city and 50 mph on the highway. The car has lots of pep and I can go 80 mph.
It cost about $23,000. What's so bad about that?

 
At 2:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon.R.mous- you wrote:

"The main reason people buy the Pruis hybrid is it looks like a "different" car, it shouts "look at me, I'm eco-groovy.."

THAT wins the irony award- sorry!

And the reason a couple million rednecks ran out and shaved their heads, bought wife-beater t-shirts and wraparounds, and Dodge Rams
that weigh 7000 pound empty- complete with 'No.44' and the Bush/Cheney sticker on the back window?

My wife claims THAT shouts;
"LOOK AT ME! I an A**hole with a tiny D**K! who HATES the planet I live off of!"

Oh gee- I just described you, didnt I?

Whoops.

 
At 10:49 AM, Blogger Anon.R.mous said...

Nope, not close. Don't drive a Dodge Ram, don't have a shaved head, and don't you mean a #3 sticker with never forget? Funny thing is that people who drive PRUISES think they are doing better, they are still supporting the war on the middle east for oil, if they believe the bumperstickers on the backs of their cars, while some of those Big Scary Dodge trucks, used B100 biodiesel, no war needed! And why is the left always worried about dick sizes anyway?

PS Joel, have Fred do your yard OK, really, it looks like crap.

 
At 10:19 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon.R.mous-

Um...We're not!
But YOU obviously ARE!

 
At 9:39 AM, Blogger Anon.R.mous said...

Anonymous said...

Anon.R.mous-

Um...We're not!
But YOU obviously ARE!


10:19 AM


Anonymous said...

Anon.R.mous- you wrote:

"The main reason people buy the Pruis hybrid is it looks like a "different" car, it shouts "look at me, I'm eco-groovy.."

THAT wins the irony award- sorry!

And the reason a couple million rednecks ran out and shaved their heads, bought wife-beater t-shirts and wraparounds, and Dodge Rams
that weigh 7000 pound empty- complete with 'No.44' and the Bush/Cheney sticker on the back window?

My wife claims THAT shouts;
"LOOK AT ME! I an A**hole with a tiny D**K! who HATES the planet I live off of!"

Oh gee- I just described you, didnt I?

Whoops.

2:47 PM


Come on, you even fucking posted it.

 

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