If you're an ER, do you own "his" and "hers" cars?

[limpid lizard]

Single with 3 cars and a motorcycle. The motorcycle is a '51 Harley that I have not ridden in a few years. I figure I can sell it if I ever become desperate.

Then there is the '79 F250 I bought new. It has 95K on it and runs well. I pull the 5th wheel with it and usually only put 1500 miles per year on it. The 5th wheel is not much newer. It is an '84.

Next is a '94 Wrangler that is the summer fun car. It has about 115K on it.

Last but not least is the '80 El Camino with 120K on it. It is a surprisingly good road car. It has been subbing for the pickup on lumber yard, steel yard and dump trips for a couple of years. It gets the best mileage. It has a six with a stick.

All told, I probably drive 10-11K miles per year and pay $500 for car insurance. My biggest problem right now is that I want to move and I have no idea how to deal with all the vehicles.

[blessed]

Our Morgan sm.jpg Our Morgan

[OldGuy]

blessed,

What can I/we say? Nice wheels (he wrote whilst wiping the drool offin his chin). Have you yet learned how not to smile while tooling around in it?

[ESRBob]

Nords,
I remember driving around in my Prius with you last year in CT/NY. Was that your first ride in one? But as to your question, it is mine and DW asks permission to use (she wants one, too, but I just can't see being a 2-Prius family, though I am sure there are justifications). My car has my stuff in it and if she took it I might need something from it which messes me up.

Blessed -- you got your handle right -- nice Morgan! Always loved that car from when I was a little kid.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by ESRBob

Nords,
I remember driving around in my Prius with you last year in CT/NY. Was that your first ride in one? But as to your question, it is mine and DW asks permission to use (she wants one, too, but I just can't see being a 2-Prius family, though I am sure there are justifications). My car has my stuff in it and if she took it I might need something from it which messes me up.

Yep, it's all your fault, you started it! I've given test drives to half our dojang, too.

Best (and most grownup) car we've ever owned, but now in short supply-- the Prius inventory has shriveled in anticipation of high fuel prices. OTOH you may find a desperate Craigslist seller, especially when the 2009 models come out.

I especially like its interior volume. I thought it'd barely carry my 9'0" longboard inside but it'll easily handle a 10'0" and maybe even a 10'6".

Our kid gave up her $5000 savings for a 23% share and it's hers to drive until she leaves for college. After that we might go down to a one-car family. Heaven forbid I should ride my bike or take the bus once in a while, and the occasional rental or taxi is cheaper than the cost of insuring a second car. Fewer maintenance hassles and more garage.

I've learned a lot of good tips & tricks from PriusChat.com, I've been accessorizing & tweaking our equipment, and spouse is starting to view it as a "geek car". So she doesn't seem especially interested in driving it, especially when I leave surf wax on the seats...

[Milton]

Originally Posted by Nords

We haven't even driven the Taurus in nearly two weeks and I can see that I'm going to have to worry about dead batteries and rusty gas tanks. All this for a vehicle with a $1495 bluebook value.... I think we have more than enough material possessions to keep track of and in running condition.

FWIW: I agree with you.

[lsbcal]

Originally Posted by Nords

...Best (and most grownup) car we've ever owned, but now in short supply-- the Prius inventory has shriveled in anticipation of high fuel prices. OTOH you may find a desperate Craigslist seller, especially when the 2009 models come out.
...

In Santa Rosa, California the Prius's seem to be in good supply. No waiting lists now. There are a lot of them around town. We test drove the Prius and liked it.

We are probably going to buy a Camry Hybrid though because it's a little better for us on longer drives through several states. I guess you cannot really do this in Hawaii but then why would you want to? The DW loves those heated seats which only come with leather and nav system and pushes up the price. Still the price is about the same as a Prius. We're low mileage drivers in general so the Camry Hybrid at 34/35 mpg (probably 38 mpg average according to other drivers) will do OK for us.

[dm]

We trade back and forth with the Chevy Avalanche and the Porsche Boxster, she actually prefers the truck. But the 1973 Porsche 911 is all mine.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Milton

FWIW: I agree with you.

Our Craigslist is full of island bombs between $1000-$2000 (the price of shipping them to the Mainland). Even at $1495 our Taurus would probably be a tough sell, and first I'm gonna have to vacuum out about 20 pounds of beach sand and yard mulch. The floormats might even be worse than the upholstery...

But the nice thing about listing a cheap car is that I can throw the keys at the sellers and say "Let us know how you like it!"

Originally Posted by lsbcal

We are probably going to buy a Camry Hybrid though because it's a little better for us on longer drives through several states. I guess you cannot really do this in Hawaii but then why would you want to? The DW loves those heated seats which only come with leather and nav system and pushes up the price. Still the price is about the same as a Prius. We're low mileage drivers in general so the Camry Hybrid at 34/35 mpg (probably 38 mpg average according to other drivers) will do OK for us.

One thing that surprised me about the Honda Civic hybrid (as well as our Nissan Altima) was that the rear seats in some cars don't fold down. We liked the Civic hybrid but we need a fold-down seat. I don't know if that's an issue with a Camry but I wouldn't have thought to ask if I hadn't already been burned once.

[lsbcal]

The Camry seats fold down but not to a fully flat position like the Prius. The Prius has about 40% more cargo space then Camry & Civic hybrids. I brought a flight bag to the dealer and a few of them will fit easily into the Camry trunk but the batteries take up a good deal of room that a standard Camry trunk has. It will be OK for us but is not really a positive for the Camry hybrid.

[RE2Boys]

We don't have much variety in our vehicles that it really doesn't matter which vehicle anyone takes:

2001 Windstar minivan, 72K miles
2005 Freestar minivan, 42K miles
2005 Freestar minivan, 42k miles

And no, I didn't repeat myself, we have two 2005 vans. but I'm trying to sell one. One is more plain-jane, the other has the separate second row seats and a DVD system which will be better for our long road trips. The only time there is a his/her issue is my wife keeps her workout gear in the 2001 so I just make sure I don't use it when she's going to go to the gym. Otherwise, we grab whatever is the most convenient vehicle. The 2005s have the advantage when need space as the 3rd row folds into the floor giving lots of cargo room. It's great, would never want to downsize to an SUV. They call them "sport" utility vehicles for a reason, they are pitiful cargo haulers next to real utility vehicles, which I define as a pickup truck or a van or minivan.

Since my kids are involved in sports teams and scouts, I'm the one who does much of the kid or cargo hauling since other parent's SUVs are so whimpy when it comes to cargo/people room.

Sorry for the side rant, just find unless your towing or really need AWD, SUVs are a lousy compromise.



RE2Boys

[Milton]

Originally Posted by whitestick

She's talking about a better gas milage vehicle, but also doesn't want to give up the advantages of the Hummer.

And those would be?

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by lsbcal

In Santa Rosa, California the Prius's seem to be in good supply. No waiting lists now.

ABC news just noted there was a 2 month waiting list in Los Angeles...

[Cruisinthru]

We have two cars and are both retired. We don't put many miles on either car during most weeks. We have a Toyota Avalon (2007)that gets 30 mpg on the highway, and a Toyota Yaris (2008) (affectionately called "little red") that gets about 38 mpg on the highway. My neighbors laughed at me last year when I came home with little red, but several are now asking about the mpg and telling me how smart I was to get it.

[Cruisinthru]

Oh, I forgot to mention the golf cart that we use to do most of the running around the community during the week. It gets us to most of our activities during about 9 months out of the year here in Texas.

[whitestick]

Originally Posted by Milton

And those would be?

For her, the high ride so she can see out and not feel claustrophobic,
the squared off windows giving a relatively unobstructed view of things (did I mention that she is a bit claustrophobic),
the higher clearance so she can pull up to the curbs in the parking lot and not hit the fenders or lower dampers,
the "feeling" of security in the event of a crash,
the spaciousness behind the front seats, so that when the grandkids are in their car seats and trying to kick the back of the front seats - they can't reach them - for rider peacefulness,
and the large cargo area for hauling 7-8 5 gallon water jugs from the bottled water place for our water dispensers.
Her mom (93) also enjoys riding in it better then the smaller vehicles, as it gives her room for her walker in the cargo area, along with a couple of strollers, so the two of them can take the grandkids out to the mall for exercise.
Not any hard data, but that's why she likes it.

[rs0460a]

May sound strange but DW/me have 4 cars between us:

Mine:
- '02 Mustang vert
- '05 Caddy SRX

Hers:
- '01 Chevy Impala
- '02 Olds Aurora

I'm retired; she still works (driving 2 miles to work, one-way)

We will be getting down to two cars (someday), as our "stable" ages. Of course, the last car we got rid of was 18 years old, with 120K on it ('89 Old Ciera) - just to show that we do keep them awhile.

Anyway, when the gas lines start up again (been through that twice - it will come again ) we'll have enough "spare vehicles" so we won't have to "panic" if the tank goes low...

- Ron

[ESRBob]

Originally Posted by Nords

Yep, it's all your fault, you started it! I've given test drives to half our dojang, too.


Our kid gave up her $5000 savings for a 23% share and it's hers to drive until she leaves for college.

.

That's a lot of baby-sitting money! Good job.

Got 50.2 mpg on my trip from NY to Boston over the weekend. Worked out that it cost me just 3 gallons each way, or $12 which was even cheaper than the Fung Wah bus from Chinatown which is now up to $15 each way.

Love the way the seats fold down for carrying ladders, skis (and if I were as hip as Nords, a longboard)

Can you tell us if PriusChat has any really cool ideas? I've been interested in the new version with the big battery; the dream is to stick a solar or windmill on top of my garage and load that puppy up every night-- apparently it can go up to 30 miles on a full battery -- then just kick in with the gas engine after that. Getting off the gasoline thing could be really useful in the years ahead. My gas station is hand-writing in all the prices because their pricing kits didn't go to $4 per gallon. He said the new pricing kits are going up past $10 a gallon.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by ESRBob

Can you tell us if PriusChat has any really cool ideas?

Holy cow, the things you can do with/to this car. It's like getting a '67 VW Beetle with a fully-equipped machine shop, an electronics analyzer, and a computer repair facility.

First there's all the cool gear available for purchase. I bought the custom windscreen and the rear bumper protector. Others (who notice such things) have bought underbody stiffener plates, custom wheels, custom trim, and custom high-intensity headlights. The full list is far longer.

Other threads explain all the car's idiosyncracies, like opening a door while the car's at a stop sign, why there's a flashing alarm light on the dashboard when the car is shut down, or how the "Auto A/C" logic is supposed to work. Users describe all the car noises after shutdown, what they're doing, and why.

You won't need to ever go to the dealer again, and if you do you'll be so knowledgable that they might ask you to never come back. The knowledge base archive is extensive. There are threads on finding replacement key fobs, cutting door keys, replacing the cabin air filter, turning off the backup beep, turning off the "Maintenance" light, programming Bluetooth features, and dealing with the GPS navigation package. One poster has entire PDFs, including diagrams, photos, and specs, for mundane tasks like oil changes & new 12v batteries all the way up to installing an engine block heater. (You want an EBH for winter prewarming to avoid using the engine at startup). Then there are the electronics threads for hacking the car's ECUs & data buses, interpreting OBDII codes, installing extra gages, or even giving an American Prius a European/Japan EV button. Of course the latter mods can invalidate the warranty.

There's lots of links to media speculation on the 2009/2010 models, as well as a dozen threads on EV mods. Most of them are far more expensive than the payback, but if Toyota goes factory EV or if entrepreneurs keep working on the homebrew mods then the prices will drop.

If you haven't seen these before, here's some starter links t