Which type of vehicle would you MOST LIKELY buy?

[eppur_se_muova]

Not which one would you most like to buy, but which one, if you had to make a practical decision in the next two or three years (and assuming all are avaiable at that time) would you most likely buy?

The vehicle models listed are meant as examples, and are not necessarily the only models of that type. Feel free to suggest other models in each category.

What are your most compelling reasons for your choice? Enviromental impact? Cost? Availability? Business use? Location? Driving conditions? etc, etc.?



/grammar

[JI7]

1. at the moment i would say Prius just because i read or know about it more

than the other cars.

but i would most likely do some research and based on what i learned i could end up with another.

[sandnsea]

2. Chevy Volt

I even like how it looks. I travel 20 miles a week. It would be perfect.

[Dr.Phool]

3. I took a new Prius for a test drive last month.

That's my next new car. And very soon.

I've read about a plug-in conversion. I'd love to see that.

[skids]

8. A123 just bought hymotion...

... and announced their power-tuned and energy-tuned cell packs for HEVs. http://www.a123systems.com/html/news/articles/050307_pr.html

...one can hope this will result in a very long lasting PHEV conversion kit. http://www.a123systems.com/newsite/index.php#/news/

With my irresponsibly long commute these days (have to work up the willpower to move, always a trauma for me) mine will be off warranty in about 3 years and maybe I'll give a PHEV kit a go then. If my savings are worth anything by then, given inflation, that is.

[nosmokes]

4. i voted diesel/biodiesel but there's a caveat -

i'm not purchasing a new car but a used mercedes that can run on SVO diesel. me and some neighbors are getting together to recycle it ourselves from local restaraunts and make it in a processor built from garnered parts and a plan we got off the web. we figure if we pay ourselves $25 an hour for the collection of the used grease and operation of the processor and a premium to whoever's barn we end up putting it in for the electricity and whsstever bother for folks coming by to fuel up it'll cost us about 45 cents - 50 cents gallon. not bad for a zero carbon emission vehicle, eh?

[Chemical Bill]

24. FYI...

I've run biodiesel since 2003, I've made biodiesel, and I know greasecar users. You don't process the oil to run SVO, you only filter it. A processor is used to make biodiesel. This involves adding methanol and caustic. To run biodiesel, just pour it in the tank. The greasecar SVO setup requires you to modify the vehicle, adding a separate, heated tank and a system to switch from regular diesel or biodiesel to the SVO. You need to start the car on dinodiesel or biodiesel. The SVO can only be used when it is heated, which in practice usually means it is best for long commutes or trips. Good luck.

Bill

[XemaSab]

5. I want a hybrid, all wheel drive station wagon

with high clearance. :D

[AndyTiedye]

7. How Would That Differ from a Small(ish) Hybrid SUV?

We have a Ford Escape Hybrid for the high-clearance stuff.
It's a very nice car, get the best mileage of any SUV available in the USA,
and is made in the USA by union labor.

[XemaSab]

15. Both Honda and Toyota used to make station wagons

Why don't they still?

(And yes, SUV's are handy, but I don't need all that much. I just want a place to put my stuff in the back. :P )

[AndyTiedye]

22. You Wouldn't Have the Ground Clearance, and They Burn More Gas

Subaru still does make their Outback station wagons, and their SUV (the Forester) is really more of a jacked-up station wagon,
but either the Outback or the Forester burn MORE gas than an Escape Hybrid. So does the RAV4 (which I traded in for the Escape Hybrid).

[XemaSab]

27. Both Honda and Toyota have hybrids though...

Honda used to make a Civic station wagon. Now they make a Civic hybrid.

If they made a Civic hybrid station wagon, it would be awesome. :D

[Dead_Parrot]

30. You could try to get a Previa/Estima hybrid imported...

It's not that they don't make them - they just don't sell them outside of Japan.

http://toyota.jp/estimahybrid/
(or here if you don't speak fluent Japanese :))

Go Figure. :shrug:

[edwardsfeingold08]

6. I just bought a Prius today

I'm very happy with it. I strictly chose by gas mileage and emissions, but it's also a really fun car. I'm a little sad about giving up my truck, but I feel good about not being a gas guzzling pig anymore and not having people assume I'm a gun toting repuke.

[GliderGuider]

9. Ultra-efficient small diesel

If I had to buy a car it would be something like the SMART I almost bought instead of my Jetta TDI. I hope the Canadian market will open up to more of the small European diesels within the next few years.

All things considered though, I would prefer a 0-litre turbocharged NoneOfTheAbove Special Edition.

[razzleberry]

10. one person voted for hydrogen, I think that is about six months

of production at the curent rate

[FogerRox]

11. I voted for the electric car, honorable mention to the plug in hybrid

[4dsc]

12. no SMART car listed??

I would like a SMART car that gets over 50mpg..

[phantom power]

16. I've seen a couple of these around Tempe.

Somebody is buying them out there.

[4dsc]

20. There's one in Des Moines too

They interviewed a lady who bought her's in NY. She stated she had to roll her windows up at stop lights because too many people were asking her questions about the car.. She claimed 50mpg's in the city and more on the highway..

Now why can't American automaker's build the same type of car for less than $20,000!!!!

[SharonRB]

31. There's a good chance that's what I'll wind up with...

or a Mini Cooper, but that's just because the Volt won't be available yet.

[tinrobot]

13. Plug-in hybrid moving towards electric

My personal decision is that every car I buy will be more and more electric. I currently have a hybrid (2007 Ford Escape) and it seems to run on batteries about 20-25% of the time. That's a start, but I want my next car to run on batteries at least 50% of the time, which probably means plug-in hybrid. The Volt seems like a good option, but I hear Toyota and Ford are also working on plug-ins, so I'll decide in a few years.

Ultimately I'd like to have a car that's 100% electric and as soon as I can get freeway speeds and a 200+ mile range for under $30K, I'll make the switch.

[phantom power]

14. I'd go with diesel. Or my bike.

[One_Life_To_Give]

17. Depends which Vehical is being replaced?

For everyday commuting I would prefer a Diesel for the higher efficiency. Although would concider a Hybrid as choices in Diesel are limited. If it's a replacement for the truck I don't know that Hybrid Tech has really caught up in that are and would lean towards Diesel.

[hunter]

18. Some piece of junk.

Is there any other kind of car?

I'd get my cars out of the trash just like I get my computers out of the trash, if only my wife let me. But she knows all about the car I had before we got married. I sold it for $25, and that was a good price, since I'd been worried I'd have to pay to dispose of it as toxic waste.

I drove that car all over the West. Once, when I was pulling into a gas station it caught fire, and the attendant came running out waving his arms screaming, "Get away! Get away!"

But it was just a little leak of gasoline from the carburetor, and I aimed my extinguisher through the grill and put the fire out quickly.

I fixed the gas leak, replaced a few melted vacuum hoses, and was good to go.

Another time it broke down in the parking lot of a K-mart. I had my bicycle in the car, so it was no big deal, I could still get to school and work.

The following weekend, after I got paid, I replaced the head gasket and did some other needed repairs right there in the parking lot. Nobody said a word to me, probably because I looked crazy.

Okay, I was crazy. :crazy:

I also lived for a short time in that car. It was broken again, and a church pastor let me push it off the street into the church parking lot.

Sniff. I sorta miss that car...

[Dogmudgeon]

19. Isn't the Hobie Cat a BOAT?

When I was in school, I had a pal who came from a "yachting" family. They weren't old money, just an old merchant naval family. Several of them sailed professionally. One summer I spent several weeks with them and learned how to "crew" (just a little bit) on a Hobie Cat.

And that was the alpha and omega of my experience as an old salt.

BTW, FYI, IIRC, "Cat" is short for "Catamaran", two parallel hulls with a tarp stretched between.

--p!

[hunter]

21. Strap some wheels on it, and there you go!

Good on both land and water...

Sorry I was late to work, not much wind today!

[eppur_se_muova]

25. Well, a DU poll allows up to 10 options ... ;^)

and I wanted to get as many alternative energy sources in as a could.

I guess if the wind is strong enough, any vehicle is wind-propelled, but I don't know of any normally wind-powered land vehicles. (Although I've had strange images of wagon-mounted windmills applying torque to a driveshaft ... a real 'prarie schooner'!)

[kestrel91316]

23. What I REALLY want? A pluggable biodiesel hybrid.

[NNadir]

26. I'm a hydrogen Hummer kind of guy, just like Governor Hydrogen Hummer.

Only a brazillion Hydrogen Hummers would have enough room for me to carry around a Brazillion solar roofs.

[44mpg by 2010]

28. NONE of THE ABOVE = My Choices

Ford May 2007 Mondeo Estate mpg(US) 40 average 48 highway; CO2 154 g/km;

2009 Honda turbo diesel

Maybe the diesel Ford Focus/Fusion/Fiest
SEE: http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/search/

OR if just going for mpg ... Aygo 1.4 D-4D 3 & 5 door at 70 mpg(US) highway
http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/search/vehicleDetails.asp?id=16843

Then there is the Citroen/Peugeot 308 diesel-electric hybrid which should return as much as 83mpg <70 mpg(US)>. And the firm hopes its CO2 emissions would be as low as 90g per km. Due on the market by 2009.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/207600/peugeot_308.html

Otherwise, I'll stick to my 12 year old machine that gets 45 mpg highway.

"44 mpg by 2010 or WAIVE IMPORT RESTRICTIONS"

[eppur_se_muova]

29. Thanks, that's the first diesel-electric hybrid I've heard of.

It seemed kind of an obvious omission from the list of things currently available.