Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Unfortunately, I did crash in my CRX. The car was totalled around me, but I came out relatively unscathed. I'm convinced to this day that my sweet little CRX saved my life. I will love that car until the day I die. I wish I still had it.
I feel similarly about my CRX, I have pictures of her, I even put my dog in the drivers seat and took pictures of them together. I remember when I would take my cat to the car wash, my dog was always with me, Chelsea was always bothered by the car wash but we had to keep my Red CRX clean and looking good.
I miss the feel of the stick shift in my hand. When I look back, I think that was my favorite car out of all the ones I have had. It was the one that said the most about me.
I have seen some still around but they inevitably have a new engine in them.
because performance didn't equal gas mileage anymore and people desired vehicles that "performed" to keep up with the jones'es.Also the vehicle makers execs had lots of stocks in oil companies like mobil.Driving an 87 accord lxi with 240,000 miles as a grocery getter/local commuter.Gets 35 mpg and is fun to drive.
ive said the same thing, as i drive my festiva down the highway. i have noticed that the new cars mentioned are not as frugile as the old ones were. my 88 festiva is rated at 39/43. i got 45 on the interstate using the a/c and driving 70. while safety equipment can add weight to cars, they continue to improve on technology of using lighter and yet strong materials. look at the little smart car, its been around along time now in europe and canada. by the time it got here it was changed for the worst and the diesel engine wasnt offered. much of safety is about looking at the road, not the cellphone etc, driving defensively. i really dont think adding airbags creates such a gross amount of weight that it would prevent makers from replicating the mpg's of cars we saw many yrs ago. we should be farther ahead than we were in that respect and sadly [only for the consumer] we are not.
when gas was cheap most consumers werent looking at mpg as a major factor for buying. so why build a car thats main claim to fame is excellent mpg. and its true making a car do everything well is more difficult. they have been making econoboxes in europe for yrs, but gas has always been higher there. i would have thought the big 3 might have anticipated the rise in gas and began planning an economy minded vehicle, to launch into prodcuction when needed. but as pple have said, when the auto execs are bed partners with big oil, what can you really expect.
the suv replaced the van as soccer mom choices because many were all wheel, or were 4 wheel drive. and besides pple are sheep, they follow the trends. i recall my moms friend and husband trading in their big buick for a big suv they had trouble getting in and out of. they lived in town and had gotten along fine with their car in past winters. funny thing, a yr or 2 later they traded it and bought another car.
and america likes everything large doesnt it, big fries, big hp, big car. i always thought it was funny making these 4 dr family type sedans with all this horsepower. i get a picture of the family man, kids in the car, drag racing a teenager down main street. so grow up already. why did many of the sports cars like the toyota celica stop production, slow sales. the celica wasnt a 40k car either. pple were buying more suv type vehicles at that time. buying a new car is nice to do once in a lifetime, but as an investment its not to bright. and in my opinion they mostly look all alike anymore. so ill keep my festiva and old toyota 4x4 van. they can pass me on the interstates if they like, but i can pass them at the gas stations.
ive said the same thing, as i drive my festiva down the highway. i have noticed that the new cars mentioned are not as frugile as the old ones were. my 88 festiva is rated at 39/43. i got 45 on the interstate using the a/c and driving 70. while safety equipment can add weight to cars, they continue to improve on technology of using lighter and yet strong materials. look at the little smart car, its been around along time now in europe and canada. by the time it got here it was changed for the worst and the diesel engine wasnt offered. much of safety is about looking at the road, not the cellphone etc, driving defensively. i really dont think adding airbags creates such a gross amount of weight that it would prevent makers from replicating the mpg's of cars we saw many yrs ago. we should be farther ahead than we were in that respect and sadly [only for the consumer] we are not.
when gas was cheap most consumers werent looking at mpg as a major factor for buying. so why build a car thats main claim to fame is excellent mpg. and its true making a car do everything well is more difficult. they have been making econoboxes in europe for yrs, but gas has always been higher there. i would have thought the big 3 might have anticipated the rise in gas and began planning an economy minded vehicle, to launch into prodcuction when needed. but as pple have said, when the auto execs are bed partners with big oil, what can you really expect.
the suv replaced the van as soccer mom choices because many were all wheel, or were 4 wheel drive. and besides pple are sheep, they follow the trends. i recall my moms friend and husband trading in their big buick for a big suv they had trouble getting in and out of. they lived in town and had gotten along fine with their car in past winters. funny thing, a yr or 2 later they traded it and bought another car.
and america likes everything large doesnt it, big fries, big hp, big car. i always thought it was funny making these 4 dr family type sedans with all this horsepower. i get a picture of the family man, kids in the car, drag racing a teenager down main street. so grow up already. why did many of the sports cars like the toyota celica stop production, slow sales. the celica wasnt a 40k car either. pple were buying more suv type vehicles at that time. buying a new car is nice to do once in a lifetime, but as an investment its not to bright. and in my opinion they mostly look all alike anymore. so ill keep my festiva and old toyota 4x4 van. they can pass me on the interstates if they like, but i can pass them at the gas stations.
That is the great thing about this country at the moment. As of right now you can buy a car that gets great gas mileage or opt for one that does not. I personally do not care what anyone else drives at all. I happen to own a 2001 Excursion with a 7.3 turbo diesel that gets better gas mileage than other cars I have owned. I drive it very easy and normally average anywhere from 20 to 24 miles per gallon without towing. I always stay at the speed limit and am not one of the large trucks you will see passing cars on the highway at high speeds.
I also own a 1968 Chrysler Newport with a 383 big block with extensive drive train modifications. It gets around 8 miles to the gallon and I love driving it. Of course, this is not a daily driver and will only be used on nice days for cruising to a car show or something but it is my right to own one and drive one.
I will now say that I do not necessarily NEED the Newport but I like it and it is a hobby for me. Do a lot of people that own boats NEED them, no. They use them for recreation and as a hobby. This can be said about anything. Owning multiple televisions in your home, a dishwasher, multiple computers in a home, etc. Everyone has a right to choose what they want and that is a great thing. I personally hope that this does not change any time soon.
Before people start saying I do not NEED an Excursion I will say that I do a lot of towing old vehicles with it and with the rear seat taken out and the middle seats folded down I can fit 4 X 8 pieces of plywood in it and still be able to close the doors. I also have four children and a wife. Basically, if I had a mini van I would still have to have a pick up as a second vehicle. The Excursion to me is a necessity since it eliminates the need for me to have one vehicle for the family and another for towing and hauling stuff.
egobop, you dont have to justify your choice of vehicles to me or anyone here. in your case, that vehicle works the best for you. its huge, but i see your point regarding the towing and family size. i think some pple have problems with vehicles that size because pple dont realize they arent driving a midsized car and try and drive them the same way. i also see why you enjoy having an old school toy, there are many old cars id love to have. i do agree that many of the suvs are pretty short on space if carrying a full load of pple. they basically have become the new minivan and i believe thought to be more cool than the owning just a dull family oriented van. while pple are welcome to make the choices they want, some would choose to buy a very economical car without the hybrid price tag. but the choices are still far fewer than i had hoped there would be. yes gas might still be higher than we hoped for, but there would be more in reserve, and less reasonable excuses for higher pump prices.
by the way sailordave, you mentioned something about the curb weight of small cars. the 08' yaris 3 door weighs in at 2295, the 09' honda fit curb weight, 2390. my 88' festiva, 3 dr, weighs close to 1800. yes, the newer ones are heavier, but its not a 3000 pound monster either. my tiny 1.3 engine generates a massive 67 hp. the yaris, a 1.5, and about 108 hp. i do like the yaris, its the only 3 door of the group from asia, but im concerned after reading of their "thin paint job" that creates chipping on near new cars. the scion owners make similar complaints about their paint jobs. look at older hondas and toyotas, or my festiva [ford idea, mazda engine, kia built], these cars had quality paint jobs that lasted a long time. so i have to ask how much bang are we really getting for the new car buck? years ago i owned an 86' mr-2, i got 40 on the highway with that, and it handled like a little race car, but of course they no longer make that model in its original form either. i can see why some are frustrated, even angry when they look at the present selection available. good luck on what ever you choose to buy.
egobop, you dont have to justify your choice of vehicles to me or anyone here. in your case, that vehicle works the best for you. its huge, but i see your point regarding the towing and family size. i think some pple have problems with vehicles that size because pple dont realize they arent driving a midsized car and try and drive them the same way. i also see why you enjoy having an old school toy, there are many old cars id love to have. i do agree that many of the suvs are pretty short on space if carrying a full load of pple. they basically have become the new minivan and i believe thought to be more cool than the owning just a dull family oriented van. while pple are welcome to make the choices they want, some would choose to buy a very economical car without the hybrid price tag. but the choices are still far fewer than i had hoped there would be. yes gas might still be higher than we hoped for, but there would be more in reserve, and less reasonable excuses for higher pump prices.
by the way sailordave, you mentioned something about the curb weight of small cars. the 08' yaris 3 door weighs in at 2295, the 09' honda fit curb weight, 2390. my 88' festiva, 3 dr, weighs close to 1800. yes, the newer ones are heavier, but its not a 3000 pound monster either. my tiny 1.3 engine generates a massive 67 hp. the yaris, a 1.5, and about 108 hp. i do like the yaris, its the only 3 door of the group from asia, but im concerned after reading of their "thin paint job" that creates chipping on near new cars. the scion owners make similar complaints about their paint jobs. look at older hondas and toyotas, or my festiva [ford idea, mazda engine, kia built], these cars had quality paint jobs that lasted a long time. so i have to ask how much bang are we really getting for the new car buck? years ago i owned an 86' mr-2, i got 40 on the highway with that, and it handled like a little race car, but of course they no longer make that model in its original form either. i can see why some are frustrated, even angry when they look at the present selection available. good luck on what ever you choose to buy.
The cars you listed are not compact. They fall into the subcompact catagory. I'm talking about cars like the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevy Cobalt, and Nissan Sentra.
egobop, you dont have to justify your choice of vehicles to me or anyone here. in your case, that vehicle works the best for you. its huge, but i see your point regarding the towing and family size. i think some pple have problems with vehicles that size because pple dont realize they arent driving a midsized car and try and drive them the same way. i also see why you enjoy having an old school toy, there are many old cars id love to have. i do agree that many of the suvs are pretty short on space if carrying a full load of pple. they basically have become the new minivan and i believe thought to be more cool than the owning just a dull family oriented van. while pple are welcome to make the choices they want, some would choose to buy a very economical car without the hybrid price tag. but the choices are still far fewer than i had hoped there would be. yes gas might still be higher than we hoped for, but there would be more in reserve, and less reasonable excuses for higher pump prices.
by the way sailordave, you mentioned something about the curb weight of small cars. the 08' yaris 3 door weighs in at 2295, the 09' honda fit curb weight, 2390. my 88' festiva, 3 dr, weighs close to 1800. yes, the newer ones are heavier, but its not a 3000 pound monster either. my tiny 1.3 engine generates a massive 67 hp. the yaris, a 1.5, and about 108 hp. i do like the yaris, its the only 3 door of the group from asia, but im concerned after reading of their "thin paint job" that creates chipping on near new cars. the scion owners make similar complaints about their paint jobs. look at older hondas and toyotas, or my festiva [ford idea, mazda engine, kia built], these cars had quality paint jobs that lasted a long time. so i have to ask how much bang are we really getting for the new car buck? years ago i owned an 86' mr-2, i got 40 on the highway with that, and it handled like a little race car, but of course they no longer make that model in its original form either. i can see why some are frustrated, even angry when they look at the present selection available. good luck on what ever you choose to buy.
Sorry if I seemed a little too offensive. I was actually not trying to make an argument with you at all. That post was basically for the "no need for a large SUV or truck" crowd. Also to those whom think that vehicles that use more fuel than others should be banned.
I definitely agree that there are a lot of people whom do drive the larger SUVs as more of a car than a truck which is not how they were intended to be driven. The way people drive them has a lot to do with them rolling over when in accidents as well.
above is vehicle body weight. I swear I had them lined up properly but when I posted it, the alignment went off.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
