Tuesday, March 21, 2006, 09:06 AM - Cool Stuff
I've noticed that the mainstream media has this unending drumbeat against gas/electric hybrid cars. It usually goes something like this: "The gas money you save doesn't offset the price of the car. The batteries are expensive to replace. Hybrids don't get the advertised gas mileage. You're a fool if you buy one!"
Lemme tell ya: I drive a 2003 Civic Hybrid and it is by far the coolest *and* most reliable car I've ever driven. Since I own one, I'm in a position to make *informed* commentary.
Point 1: If your sole concern is having the car pay for itself, then DON'T buy a hybrid. All cars depreciate -- really quickly. No car pays for itself, hybrid or otherwise. But if you would like to use less gasoline because of the knowledge that this resource is finite and non-renewable, then you SHOULD buy a hybrid.
Point 2: Hybrid batteries are pretty expensive to replace. That's why they are engineered to OUTLAST the car. Only a handful of battery packs have been replaced worldwide, and are typically heavily subsidized by the car maker. I had the batteries tested in my car at the 90,000 mile mark; they still functioned at 92% of original capacity.
Point 3: It is true that hybrid cars *usually* don't deliver the advertised gas mileage. But regular cars don't either. This is because of a long-standing error in the EPA's testing formula. The EPA figures assume a set of "ideal" driving conditions: 75°, low humidity, a flat/smooth road surface, gentle acceleration, 50-55 mph velocity, and no use of air conditioning. If all these conditions are met, ANY car (hybrids included) will get the EPA estimate. The sad fact is that most Americans (hybrid owners included) just don't know how to drive. They slam the gas pedal to the floor when the light turns green and speed at 80 mph with the AC blasting.
Myself included.
If I drive like "Mad Max", my car gets 36 mph (still not too shabby!) But if I drive very conservatively, I get about 47 mph. On a perfect day, I've gotten as high as 52 mph! And that is truly stellar.
Other than the car being expensive, I have not a single complaint about my car. It's very quiet (thanks to the 1.3L i4 vTEC engine), powerful (thanks to the battery assist), and pretty. It has never had a mechanical failure in the hybrid propulsion system.
Of course, it also pollutes a lot less than a regular car. That's an important factor in Baltimore where we get a lot of "Code Orange" and "Code Red" daily pollution warnings each summer.
Would I buy one again? You bet! I don't know when that's going to be, however, since this car seems like it's going to run FOREVER!
Is my hybrid worth the expense? Every last penny!
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( 3 / 1192 )Sunday, March 12, 2006, 08:21 PM - Cool Stuff
My partner and I did one of those New York day trips where you pay $50 for a round trip bus ride. Man! We squeezed a LOT of stuff into just 12 hours!
We got to see a lot of computer and gadget stores. We drank some really awesome coffee and ate some triangle-shaped Jewish pastery. Then we visited the AXA gallery and saw some really creepy Louisiana folk art (it way good, but erie and creepy).
For lunch, we ate at a genuine Irish pub staffed with actual Irish people with actual Irish accents! How delightful! I had "bangers & mash" and Doug had shepherd's pie.
We hung out at a museum art store and looked at books and trinkets. There was a beautiful book on Irish art, but it was REALLY heavy, so I didn't buy it. But I may order it online.
Then we visited Saint Patrick's Cathedral. That was certainly a Thistle-motivated choice! It is a huge old church with beautiful sculptures and a lot of very pretty side-chapels. I bought a set of amethyst Rosary Beads. (Violet is Thistle's favorite color!)
So then it was time for the play! We saw "Mama Mia", which is a musical that features a lot of ABBA music. They even did Super Trooper! The play was a real hoot.
We left New York just as it was getting dark. We avoided the Vampires and CHUDs, thank God!
On the bus ride back, they showed the movie "Walk the Line", the Johnny Cash story. I always admired the Man in Black because he, too, had a lot to overcome and turned his darkness and pain into something truly memorable and lasting.
We're *definitely* going to do this again!
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( 3 / 1352 )Wednesday, March 8, 2006, 05:44 PM - Cool Stuff
My partner and I have been doing well on our respective health plans. Doug is on the Jen-1 Craig diet and has lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks! I have been doing an hour workout at the gym 3x week. I haven't lost weight, but I have slimmed down from 38" waist to a 36". So I guess I'm building muscle and losing fat.
I'm very proud of Doug. Soon, he will be below 300 pounds.I think he might be able to fit on roller coasters then. Yay!
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( 3 / 1328 )Thursday, March 2, 2006, 09:15 PM - Cool Stuff
My partner has been trying to lose weight for the past five years because he is very heavy. I love him very much and his weight problem doesn't bother me, but I have been worried that his obesity will shorten his life.
Well, he's on a pretty comprehensive weight management program with Jenny Craig. After only a week, he lost 4 pounds. He wants to lose 50. So... he's 9% there after only 7 days. That is very, very cool!
I told him that if he loses 50 pounds, he can get a new car. Now, if I can only convince him to buy a hybrid!
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( 3 / 1332 )Monday, February 27, 2006, 07:08 PM - Cool Stuff
My website now has illustrations! Check out the "My Alters" section![ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 1518 )Wednesday, February 22, 2006, 04:09 PM - Cool Stuff
I have to admit that I'm pretty happy with my 2003 Civic Hybrid. After 3.5 years and 93,000 miles, it has only needed *three* repairs, and only one of the three jobs was hybrid-related. Even though my warranty ended at 80,000 miles, Honda still paid for the new catalytic converter because I had taken such good care of my car.
I would certainly buy from Honda again!
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