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

[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]

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]

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]

Her Car is a Hummer

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]

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]

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 that I've gleaned off the board:
Finally! How to program a non-SKS key/fob. Detailed! - PriusChat Forums
Hobbit's techie-rants and http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/prius-12V/
John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more
http://spectrum.ieee.org/print/6174
Running on Empty: Cars That Never Need Gas> In Your Community > We Can Do It > Sierra Club
Plug-In Supply Inc of Petaluma California
Convert your hybrid electric vehicle into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
Green Wheels: Volvo's ReCharge - MSN Autos

 

[HFWR]

When I was a younger techno-geek, it was fun and exciting to hack. Now I just want my car and my computer to "go" when I press "go"...

 

[Gearhead Jim]

I like our newer Toyota when I'm a passenger, not so much when I drive.
My wife likes our Corvette when she's a passenger, not so much when she drives.
Our adult daughters like our old Toyota when they need to borrow a car. It has 120k but has been well cared for and runs like new. We plan to keep it until it dies.

Everyone is happy!

P.S.
Gas mileage on the 'vette is really low when racing, but that's only a tiny fraction of its life, road trips give us nearly 30 mpg. Not a Prius, but good enough for me.

 

[Milton]

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.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[kathyet]

Not FIRED yet. But when we do, we will have 2 cars. I figure we will have two vehicles until we reach the age where we drive much less... probably when one of us can't frive anymore or drive little enough that 1 vehicle makes sense.

I am afraid if I asked DW about going to one car... she would ask me what I would do for transportation... walk

LOL that is how I /we feel both feel.

Kathyet

 

[Gearhead Jim]

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.
...

I'm pleasently surprised that no one has chastised you for the "false economy" of buying a relatively expensive economy car and spending more money on accessories and customization, just to save "a few dollars" in gas money. Hey, it's your car and your money, and you're happy. Can't get much better than that. Enjoy!
If I lived in The Islands, I'd probably do something similar.

 

[kathyet]

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...

We love our Prius...it is the best investment we made in 2007

Kathyet

 

[Nords]

I'm pleasently surprised that no one has chastised you for the "false economy" of buying a relatively expensive economy car and spending more money on accessories and customization, just to save "a few dollars" in gas money. Hey, it's your car and your money, and you're happy. Can't get much better than that. Enjoy!
If I lived in The Islands, I'd probably do something similar.

Au contraire, but the chastising usually stops when they get their test drive.

The windshield screen is required for Hawaii sunshine and a lot cheaper than tinting, while those cheap Toyota design engineers "forgot" to put the rubber on top of the rear bumper. (They must not use teenagers to test their cars.) Neither of those affects gas mileage.

Most of the rest of the site's accessories don't improve mileage either, with the possible exception of the warranty-voiding EV button and the SCANgauge real-time monitoring of the car's data bus. I don't plan to do any of those... I like a warranty and this car's LCD display is already distracting enough. But the plethora of products reminds me of the enthusiasm reserved for VW Beetles, deuce coupes, and Harleys.

There's a noticeable "Prius effect" on driving effort. When you're getting 19 mpg in a Ford Taurus, everyone thinks you're nuts for trying to raise your mileage by one or two MPG on a loser gas hog-- despite the fact that it's a 5-10% improvement. Yet just about every Prius driver enjoys their 45 mpg performance and goes nuts trying to reach 46 mpg-- a 2% return. I drive that car even more lightly than the Taurus. Ignorance is bliss, but when the LCD display shows you where the power is going you can't help yourself.

I've had my eye on these cars since 2001 but we had no reason to buy until our kid came up with her own idea. Since 2000, when she turned eight, she's had a portion of her allowance diverted into a "Kid 401(k)", with generous employer matching and tax deferral yet also with incredibly low expenses at "Mom & Dad's Brokerage".* The deal was that she'd get the money at age 16 (a lifetime away for an eight-year-old, just like retirement is for a 20-something) to buy herself a car. We expected that she'd have a few thousand bucks for an island bomb, but Berkshire Hathaway (her chosen investment) did her proud and coughed up $5000.

About six months ago she noted $3.50/gallon gas with alarm and started looking at high-mpg cars. Then she proposed that instead of buying her own car (or leaving her money to compound) she'd rather own a share of a family car and sell the share back when she went to a Mainland college. (Most Hawaii kid's don't take their island cars to college.) We talked about expenses (and depreciation) and she settled on a Prius or a Civic. Then she read that the Civic hybrid's rear seat doesn't fold down for longboard storage, and now she owns 23% of the Prius. She also gets first dibs on its use if she pays for the gas, which is going to be pretty light on her wallet. When she goes to college in 2010 she'll probably get back $4000.

I'm doing everything I can to encourage our little engineer-in-training, starting next week with her first oil change.

Finally, there's the long-term payback of owning a car for a decade (or more) and converting it to a plugin. The math isn't so good going from 19 mpg to 45 mpg but it's pretty compelling going from $5/gal gas to free photovoltaic, even if I have to buy fuel stabilizer for the gas tank every year... at this point the average chastiser's eyes start to glaze over.

Most people will get a much bigger payback from cutting their energy use (and their spending) in other ways. We've already gone through those processes and this is the only area not subject to diminishing returns.

It's nice to feel happy, too!

*This and other kid-money ideas were plagiarized from David Owen's "First National Bank of Dad".

 

[CuppaJoe]

We each buy separate bus passes each month and have no cars. This is not irrelevant, it is a major component of my LBYM retirement plan.

 

[Khan]

There's a noticeable "Prius effect" on driving effort. When you're getting 19 mpg in a Ford Taurus, everyone thinks you're nuts for trying to raise your mileage by one or two MPG on a loser gas hog-- despite the fact that it's a 5-10% improvement. Yet just about every Prius driver enjoys their 45 mpg performance and goes nuts trying to reach 46 mpg-- a 2% return. I drive that car even more lightly than the Taurus. Ignorance is bliss, but when the LCD display shows you where the power is going you can't help yourself.

I have been researching the Prius and have noticed that people have said: "The car trains you."

As I have mentioned before: just recording usage (money food electricity...) will often get you decreasing same.

 

[Nords]

I have been researching the Prius and have noticed that people have said: "The car trains you."

The accelerator (can't exactly call it a "gas pedal" anymore) is just a voting machine, not a throttle. And the brake pedal is actually connected to a dummy cylinder just so that you feel you're pushing against some feedback. Most of the acceleration & braking is done by the motor-generator (pushing electrons in the appropriate direction). Under normal use the brake pads don't even come into play until the car slows to 7 mph.

As I have mentioned before: just recording usage (money food electricity...) will often get you decreasing same.

Exactly. That's why 50 years after the invention of automated logging systems, submariners are still walking around with pens & logsheet clipboards.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Exactly. That's why 50 years after the invention of automated logging systems, submariners are still walking around pens & logsheet clipboards.

From an article in Undersea (or whatever that magazine's called) the new Virginia class subs have electronic logs.

 

[Nords]

From an article in Undersea (or whatever that magazine's called) the new Virginia class subs have electronic logs.

[-]To the everlasting humiliation and denigration of the geezer submariners.[/-] It's about time.

We've all been [-]jealous[/-] aware of the phenomenon since the 1970s implementation on surface ships, but Admiral Rickover was not exactly a big fan of computers, simulators, or anything but the actual neutron-spewing equipment accompanied by eyeballs on gauges. When he retired the sub force enjoyed a tsunami of computerized training devices but still no "workplace enhancements".

A generation later we're finally catching up to the end of the 20th century.

The biggest drawback to electronic logs and LCD displays is that you can't argue about gauge parallax and the thickness of the mark on the dial. I don't know what the watchstanders will have left to talk about...

 

[Gumby]

..

 

[Nords]

Call me a geezer, but I think Rickover had the right idea -- make it manpower intensive, and then train the hell out of the manpower.

Can't argue with that. Manpower was cheap in his day, too.

I think that the microprocessors started replacing the magnetic amplifiers when the Cold War ended and the submarine force suddenly had to go on a budget.

Automated loggers are a lot cheaper than re-enlistment bonuses... at least until the fire or the flooding starts.

 

[JonnyM]

Two at present, although one would suffice 90% of the time.

DW prefers full-size pickup as "her" vehicle and she wants total reliability which implies reasonably new. Traded 1999 Dodge Pickup (318ci) for 2004 Dodge 4wd Hemi in '04. They truely made us an offer we couldn't refuse, 10k of Factory price plus ZERO percent loan. She wants to pay it off with a year and a half to go, and I keep arguing (so far successfully) that it's other people's money, what's the rush.

She appreciates being above the crowd for good visibility, lots of American Steel to protects us from all those Prius's whose drivers cut us off, (LOL) and most importantly what smaller vehicle could effectively haul the kids around (pack of 3 Irish Wolfhounds). Neither of us would be caught dead in a mini-van, just can't do it.

Invariably she defers (prefers?) to my driving her Truck when we travel so I "get" to drive her Hemi regularly, it is an extremely comfortable "car" for long trips. It's like sitting in a comfy chair, except this giant T-Rex size head keeps popping into your peripheral vision from the back seat (with seat fully folded up and dog pads in place, you can fit two IW's back there) licking your ear which is Wolfhound for "Please put the back window down Dad, I wanna smell the outside world".

While I worked my last three years with DW already ER'd at home, she bought me a Auction car on the cheap, '95 Lincoln Mark VIII with 119K for $3k, and 5 years later it's at not quite 130k, my commute was that far, and I liked her not being stranded, OK what I really liked was her ability to run errands and get things done I didn't want to do after I got home from W**k. Now 2 years into ER it's mostly just a spare although I try to use around town or for trips out to Drummer's house in the sticks for Musical Jamming. If it failed or became to expensive to fix (knock on wood, it's been very economical so far, just tires and a Battery in 5 years, god I hope I didn't just jinx it by writing this!) we'd probably just stick with the pick'em up truck for a few years until we get in a place where we can find reliable dog-sitting. Then she wants a Caddie XLR for cruising the country. I tell her it's too small for packing much luggage, she says we'll just get a teardrop trailer to pull. Gotta lover her...

 

[Gearhead Jim]

...
...
Then she wants a Caddie XLR for cruising the country. I tell her it's too small for packing much luggage, she says we'll just get a teardrop trailer to pull. Gotta lover her...

The trunk on the XLR is REALLY small becasuse of the folding hard top.
The top on a Corvette convertible is somewhat larger because it's a ragtop.
The trunk on a Corvette coupe is BIG, 22 cu/ft. If you don't fill the trunk, you can store the lightweight lift-off cupe top in there for topless driving. If too much luggage, unload it at the hotel and then go topless.
The Corvette is not as luxurious as the XLR but still we find it quite comfortable for long road trips.
The dogs would need to stay home...