Toyota Prius now third-most-popular car in the world... sort of

I have to laugh at this, those cars are ridiculous, 40MPG highway, has everyone forgotten that goofy little plastic Honda hatchback of the 1980's? The CRX I think, got 50MPG highway, with a carburetor. People really will buy anything!

 

I bought a new 1987 Ford Escort 2-door standard shift to tow behind our motorhome. Also drove it for our everyday driver and to work when I didn't drive an old car. This Escort had throttle body carb and got a consistant 50 MPG when not being towed. Much better when towed !
Was so amazing it was the first and only vehicle I kept records on. Even got near 50MPG from Illinois to Pa and back with a turtle pod on roof and loaded with camping gear.
No AC and no special driving habits. Ford garage wanted to buy it back or change carburators after doing a lube job and finding the carb was an experimental unit. I never took the Escort back there. Keep in mind this was when fuel was real gasoline.
Traded the Escort in 1994 for a van to move our junk to Florida.

 

Dam well and blunt expained!!

Many carbed 80's rides got close to that millage if not better..... We had a fleet of Celicas....................

..and you did'nt have a $$$ monthly bank payment on top of the gas millage you 'think" you are saving $ on

 

It's like the Camaro I'm driving, only has about 160HP, 3.1 multi-port fuel injection, or "Crossfire" injection as GM called it back then, it gets about 20 in town and 25-30 highway.

A V6 third generation 1992 Camaro, getting that kind of fuel mileage? Seems absurd right? Hasn't been modified, motor was resealed by the previous owners but they just did that because they had to pull it to put an oil pan on it.

Point is, if that motor, with that horsepower, got that mileage back then, why shouldn't I be able to buy a car today, with twice the power, and twice the fuel economy?

I know for a fact that with an aftermarket ECM for my Camaro and some engine tweaks, I can get way more power, around 250-300HP, and about 25-30 in town, and 40-ish on the highway, bit more if I put a 5 speed back in it like it use too have.

So, if my V6 "Hot rod" can get that kind of fuel mileage (And believe me, if I ever I rebuild the motor I'm going for aftermarket with a valve train setup for a redline of about 8,500 instead of 6,500), then why is a "Hybrid" only getting that much, and slower than anything else on the road?

Point of this rant? Simple, hybrids are a scam on the green movement, the only kind of green I care about is what is (Or, rather isn't currently) in my wallet at the moment.

Another side note, did you know that the ethanol in gasoline today attracts moisture, and it only has a shelf life of a few months before it goes bad? Certain plastics and rubber products, like fuel lines and fuel tanks, can be broken down by the ethanol, plus it corrodes all metal it sits in because of it's acidic and moisture prone nature.

Fact of it, this "green" movement is a sham, I'll keep driving my battle cruiser, and my Camaro, with no regard to the fools who think it'll kill the planet.

 

I totally agree.

Parallel Drive Hybrids are just a scam to give people a warm "green" fuzzy feeling while they continue to burn large quantities of petroleum.

People need to understand the difference between a Serial and Parallel Drive Hybrid.

 

VERY well said, Dead Reckon!!

 

Consumer Reports: Special 'eco' car models don't pay

 

I hate those cars, always in my way in the fast lane, move it over and let a V-8 roar by!! MPJ

 

I think that most of us here measure FPG, rather than MPG, that is to say, feet per gallon, nor do we care, so long as the eight cylinders, four barrels, and two pipes which sound like the trumpets of hell are sounding off.

If I want electric, I'll buy a golf cart. But even then I'd probably get bored and stick a B&S lawn mower motor on it for laughs.

Anyhow, the fact that it is the best selling is further proof, that you can sell anything, to the right person. I'm pretty sure Toyota could sell headphones to a deaf man, and reading glasses to a blind man, all while justifying it as something a lot of people would think made perfect sense.

Nonetheless, our 1973 Fiat (Fix it again tony) Spider, when we got it back on the road just before selling it in '07, after it sat for three years, had an exhaust system that looked like metal eating termites had gone after it, and was running on three year old gas (Just before Ethanol made it's way into the gasoline, it started sitting in about 2004), it got about 33MPG running stale gas.

Best of all? The only thing wrong with it after sitting for three years where corroded points in the distributor, cleaned those, primed the carb, ran like a top, wasn't missing, sputtering, or anything running on three or four year old gasoline. This was of course just before Ethanol, but nonetheless, they do not build anything like they use too. I really miss that car, it was a laugh, it really was.

That car made some fun noise with what basically was no exhaust whatsoever, Japanese cars with no exhaust simply fart, but that little Fiat motor roared, beastly little car, the only four cylinders I like are old ones. I loved that little car, even being a station wagon guy, I'd own one. Just to go rice hunting .

Plus if it ever broke down I could practically fit it in the back of my station wagon.

Anyhow, I'll end this rant with saying, when I want fuel economy, I'll find me something old and cool, something that, sure, may not get 50 on the highway, but it'll go fast, sip gas, and make a lot more fun noises than most modern cars which only whine when you step on the gas.

 

I like to think of it as Smiles Per Gallon.

I've always said that there is something truly magical about the sound of a large bore V8 with the secondaries wide open.

 

Yeah sadly not many people have gotten to experience that, good ole' American small and big block V8's can offer so much fun. That tank of a Custom Cruiser I have is quite quick for being pretty much stock, about 14s to 60 MPH. Though it'll be quicker when I'm done with it, not sure what motor is going in it, but knowing how I am, likely a 455, the definition of anti-green, as it would seem.

I don't even really care that much for air con with that kind of motor, I just want to have the windows down so I can hear it roaring up the road, nothing quite like having more horsepower under the hood than both of the cars in front of (And soon to be behind) you combined.

EDIT,

Love the '76 Pontiac by the way, Steve, the peak of the "Giant isn't giant enough" era. Love that you kept the tank in the family, that's what I'm trying to do with our '86, it wasn't bought new, but it's been in the family for about seventeen years.

 

Thanks, D.R.
There comes a point where these things become like the family dog.


Funny thing is I really don't even think about MPG anymore.
I think about Cost of Ownership.
I have no monthly car payment and insurance is $260 PER YEAR.
High prices at the pump and a lead foot that tends to yield single digit MPG but still, my thirsty girl is cheaper to drive than any Prius.

 

Yup...this is important info that most greenies don't understand. They just want us to stop using "all that gas". Many of our cars get MPG as good as the Prius and we don't have all the other expenses involved. Which are huge on a monthly basis when you consider all you state, Steve, plus depreciation compared to our appreciation etc. I know a guy that has one of the first Priuses built....his batts are screwing up and it needs a $365 tail light. The car has been soting for about a year. Wait until he needs new batts for $8000! He may need them now but maybe he doesn't want to admit it.

 

Exactly, even though I'm 22, once I buy the '86 from my father, it'll be about $70 a month to insure, about $840/yr for me to insure, there is nothing else I could drive that would be that cheap, and once I turn 25, it'll drop to about $50/m or less.

On top of all that, our wagon has been badly abused, used as a truck, it has not failed due to that except with the usual wear on the brakes. The brakes are the only part of the car which do not agree to being abused.

I guarantee you if you abuse a hybrid, it'll just break. Probably into several plastic pieces. On top of that, even though my wagon is a box with rounded edges, somehow the Prius tops her gruff looks being just flat ugly. I cannot find a single thing I like about the Prius except maybe those funky solar panels on the roof that constantly run vents to keep the car cool.

Fun fact, did you know that the seats in the newer (Think post 2009) Prii (Plural for Prius), are biodegradable? So what happens if you leave your window down too many times, make a bad habit of spilling coffee or a corrosive soda? I think the seat might just biodegrade out from under you're green rear end.

So yeah, on that note, and on the note of my not so very "Green" Oldsmobile Battle Cruiser, I'll stick to no features, no GPS, non functional AC, 4/5 windows working, power locks only functioning on the passengers side, missing dash panels, a worn out seat, and barely two digits per gallon. I can fix all of that, and I shall, it'll just take time.

The only complaint I actually have about that my car is that it is painted Tan, and that I'm too lazy to strip it down and paint it something else. Oh well, tan is fine with me, it blinds people in oncoming traffic.