What kind of car do you drive?

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

True... but older diesels emit a particulate soot that is even more hazardous to the human body than petrol (excuse me) gas fumes and carbon monoxide. The soot is fine enough to filter through the lungs and directly into the bloodstream. This is why many health organizations have opposed extensive rollouts of diesel use in the U.S.

Now that newer designs are emitting much less soot and particulates, they are seeing more interest in the U.S. But of course, now that diesel is more expensive than gas (excuse me) petrol in most of the U.S., they might not be very popular for long.

Edit: Should have read on a bit farther... Vivaldi covered it pretty well, too!

One of the custodians at my school was saying that he gets much better gas mileage with his diesel pick-up truck than he would with a regular gas pick-up. I don't know the veracity of that statement, but I have since heard the same thing from a couple of others. If it is true, I can see why the stations would charge more per gallon.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by kazbates

One of the custodians at my school was saying that he gets much better gas mileage with his diesel pick-up truck than he would with a regular gas pick-up. I don't know the veracity of that statement, but I have since heard the same thing from a couple of others. If it is true, I can see why the stations would charge more per gallon.

Yes, that's usually true.

Diesel cars to tend to be a bit pricier though and the diesel is dearer. When looking at buying diesel or petrol (gas?) you need to do the calculation - I found that there was a cut off number of miles per year that made diesel more cost effective for me. As I comfortably exceed this it made sense for me to go for the diesel.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

These days it's hard to boast about gas-guzzlers, though in the U.S., people are still buying them. I still hear people expressing a desire for SUVs on a regular basis. They still want that BIG vehicle, no matter what it costs to gas it up, because they still believe they are all safer than small cars, and they want all that space. Remember, in America, luxury = big.

I've had one four by four in my life a huge 1984 K5 blazer. I almost killed myself with that thing. Those vehicles have a high center of gravity, that invites trouble in quick maneuvers.

When I take the freeways in a heavy snowstorm guess what kind of vehicles manage to get tranded off the roads the most after a control loss? That security feeling is illusory.

I'll pick a front wheel drive over them any time... on the road that is.

Originally Posted by kazbates

One of the custodians at my school was saying that he gets much better gas mileage with his diesel pick-up truck than he would with a regular gas pick-up. I don't know the veracity of that statement, but I have since heard the same thing from a couple of others. If it is true, I can see why the stations would charge more per gallon.

Diesels are more frugal than gassers, that's a fact.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

True... but older diesels emit a particulate soot that is even more hazardous to the human body than petrol (excuse me) gas fumes and carbon monoxide. The soot is fine enough to filter through the lungs and directly into the bloodstream. This is why many health organizations have opposed extensive rollouts of diesel use in the U.S.

Now that newer designs are emitting much less soot and particulates, they are seeing more interest in the U.S. But of course, now that diesel is more expensive than gas (excuse me) petrol in most of the U.S., they might not be very popular for long.

Edit: Should have read on a bit farther... Vivaldi covered it pretty well, too!

I'd like to specify that diesel is less expensive to refine than gas. The high price is due to the infrastructures the refiners have had to build for the new cleaner diesel and far fetched reasons like vengeance for passing cleaner fuel laws and fleecing the public but we all know the last two reasons are not true!

BTW Steve, I just finished your ebook "Encephalopath". Loved it.
I have a question, those city carts you bring in play, what type of energy would they be using?

And an other subject, is North/Mind also the mysterious leader of the Mob? I would have made him leader of Blue Boson too!

[lala]

Another Prius driver here. I was going to post a picture of my super kitted out Prius (my husband sells and installs aftermarket automotive products) but he took the picture down from his website.

[acprinter]

My fun car is a 1970 Porsche 914-6, I am the original owner.

The car that get around town is a 1999 Subaru outback.

The car that my wife lets me ride in only is her 2009 Infiniti G37 Coupe. My fun car is faster than my wife's.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

the ds ugly ????? heresy !!!! it's the most beautiful car ever made !!!

Talk about beauty in cars, what can beat the Jaguar E-Type and the Mercedes 300SL gullwing?

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Talk about beauty in cars, what can beat the Jaguar E-Type and the Mercedes 300SL gullwing?

that jaguar just looks like a ds who hasn't grown up all the way yet. i like that mercredes though !!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Talk about beauty in cars, what can beat the Jaguar E-Type and the Mercedes 300SL gullwing?

Porsche 912? Any Morgan? (although I like both the e-type and 300sl gullwing)

[zelda_pinwheel]

i think the porsche 912 *also* looks like a baby ds. those morgans are awfully stylie though ! (i've never looked at so many cars on google images in my life. )

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

There's clearly something about that shape, because I also like the look of the SAAB 900, which again could be a baby DS

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i think the porsche 912 *also* looks like a baby ds. those morgans are awfully stylie though ! (i've never looked at so many cars on google images in my life. )

Getting ideas?

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Getting ideas?

no, i just have no idea what most cars look like, so i have to check before commenting.

[kazbates]

As to the comments about US Americans and SUV's, I have a Honda CR-V (technically an SUV) I love the darn thing. It's small enough that I don't feel like I'm driving a school bus (like I did when I drove our mini-van) yet I sit up high enough so that I can see around all the big hulking Chevy Suburbans, Ford F150 extended cab pick-ups, GMAC Tahoes, Hummers, etc. that everyone out here in the boonies seem to drive. When I drive the kids' Civic Hybrid, I feel like the little kid sitting at the adult table on Thanksgiving (without the phone books on my chair)! My CR-V gets okay gas mileage, but, since I only use it to drive to the grocery store and Ryleigh to school, I only fill it about once every 2 weeks.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Porsche 912? Any Morgan? (although I like both the e-type and 300sl gullwing)

I almost bought a Morgan once, it was in 1964 and there was a Morgan dealer in southern PA near where I was stationed in the Navy. The thing looked an awful lot like an MGTD (you know, those boxy ones they made just before the MGA) except it had a funky front grill.

Had I bought and kept that, I don't think I'd need to still be working for a living!

[hidari]

1.Gary Fisher: Wahoo: Mountain bike. I put Snow tires on my bike in the winter, due to the Snow falling almost everyday for 3 months here... In Sapporo:

2. Subway/Underground/metro/Chikatetsu: Rarely,

3. Walk if it is an hour or less: I sometimes walk. walk. Nice change

Not much Salt in Sapporo: They let the snow form a layer on the road and the side walks: about 10cm as a base layer. They do Salt the main motorways but not the side streets or main streets.

Wife has a Honda Fit: 4wd. Need it to get to her hometown in winter.

Originally Posted by wodin

I almost bought a Morgan once, it was in 1964 and there was a Morgan dealer in southern PA near where I was stationed in the Navy. The thing looked an awful lot like an MGTD (you know, those boxy ones they made just before the MGA) except it had a funky front grill.

Had I bought and kept that, I don't think I'd need to still be working for a living!