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I drive a 99' metalic green Chevy S-10 pickup, extended cab, four-cylinder, stick. As a student, I tend to move around the country every few years, so it has worked out very well for me (all my stuff fits in the bed). The four-cylinder affords good fuel-economy, and the stick is a lot of fun to drive. My next buy will probably be a similar-sized pickup, except probably a V6 with four-wheel drive (for the snow).

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In February we got a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid.  ...I took over driving the Hybrid as it performs better with my highway driving.

I found this odd, since all the car magazines are reporting that the hybrids do WORSE on the highway than they do in city driving. The batteries can't give any benefits under steady throttle demand like they can in stop-and-go. What kind of MPG do you get with it highway vs city?

Also, how many miles do you drive the hybrid and how much did it cost over the standard model? I heard that with most hybrids it is a losing bid to attempt to recoup the added cost at current fuel prices.

I kind of follow a lot of car-related stuff and I'm curious to have some "from the trenches" data. :D

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I didn't even know this thread existed until RC revived it. So, now you will all know that I drive a piece of crap 95 Ford Windstar LX with about 120k miles and filled with band PA and lights. But hey, I'm still a student, it still works after 3 years, and it cost me nothing. (Thanks for the B.A. present, Mom and Dad!)

Someday I will own a BMW Z4. If I do really well, change the 4 to an 8. And if I do REALLY well, change the 4 to an 8 and then add an "and" followed by the words "Ferrari Maranello." :D

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I drive a very beat up '92 Toyota Corolla. It has no virtues other than that it gets me to work and school.

My wife drives our exquisite 2002 Toyota Camry SE. It is an enriching experience to drive this car (especially as a contrast to the other). It is like riding on air, with state of the art climate control and an excellent sound system. My goal after finishing law school (in addition to becoming a California homeowner - no small feat) is to buy a much nicer car than my current "ride".

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I drive a Honda MT5, cc50. It looks pretty much like this:

mt5.gif

It uses extremely little gas, and it is very cheap.

Though if you are in a hurry, you'd better find another kind of transportation.

Do you drive that thing during the Norwegian winter?
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What, you think they have a summer?

Good point. Actually, I was in Norway once many years ago, in the summer. I recall temperatures in the 60s and a sun that practically never set. Norwegian_Objectivist, how is your summer climate?
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I found this odd, since all the car magazines are reporting that the hybrids do WORSE on the highway than they do in city driving. The batteries can't give any benefits under steady throttle demand like they can in stop-and-go. What kind of MPG do you get with it highway vs city?

I'm not sure about the other hybrids, but I posted some performance for this one in my previous post.

It gets around 27-29 MPG city, 35-37 MPT highway. When my wife had to drove a 500 mile round trip to pick up my son from a camp, she got 43 MPG!
This is the first year of the Accord Hybrid, which has second generation hybrid technology. One of the things that helps with the highway mileage is the variable cylinder management. If you are going a steady speed, it cuts off 3 of the 6 cylinders. You can literally watch your gas mileage go up on the dashboard readout the longer you drive in this mode. Since the gas mileage is constantly displayed, it actually causes me to have a tendency to drive "smoother" since you can also watch it go down if you have aggressive driving habits.

There are a couple of articles out there on the internet about the Accord Hybrid.

From one article:

Honda's hybrid system — IMA, for integrated motor assist — always uses the gas engine, then kicks in the electric motor for more power when needed. Toyota and Ford do the opposite, relying on the electric motor as long as possible, then starting the gas engine when needed.

Honda's IMA hybrids typically get better fuel economy on the highway, as conventional gas engines do. Toyota and Ford systems are better in town.

source - http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/review...rd-hybrid_x.htm

It's not the same kind of hybrid as most others, and it's not really trying to get 50-60 MPG or the like. Rather, it's a very nice "luxury" car with good performance that still gets good gas mileage.

Also, I was making a comparative statement regarding my using the hybrid for highway driving. I drive 36 miles round trip to work, mostly highway. My wife drives 10 miles round trip, mostly city. We get the better mileage out of both vehicles if she does her city driving in the Civic, and I do my highway driving in the Accord. Granted, there difference is not great, but it's there.

We paid $3000 more for the Accord Hybrid over the loaded standard Accord EX. It probably will take us quite a while to recoup the cost difference over if we had purchased a standard Accord. The quoted fuel efficiency differences are 21/30 for standard V6 Accord and 29/37 for the Accord Hybrid. None the less, I like option of the slightly bumped up performance over the standard Accord (255 vs. 240 HP), or the fuel efficiency when that's needed. And even though it isn't a cost thing, I like fewer stops at the gas station. This car nearly has the performance of the Mustang GT, but has considerably better gas mileage.

Of course the other comparison we used was versus what are second vehicle was before, a '98 Toyota Tacoma 4WD.

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Thanks, RationalCop, a lot of good info there. Not sure if you'll recoup that cost, but as I suspected a lot of it has to do with having the more power available. (something I can appreciate :( ) The Accord hybrid is kind of unique that way, in that it offers the full-power gas engine with the hybrid stuff, while a lot of the competition uses a smaller 4-banger instead of shutting off cylinders. Of course, the added weight of the batteries means you won't feel every one of the added horses, but you're still ahead by a little.

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Good point.  Actually, I was in Norway once many years ago, in the summer.  I recall temperatures in the 60s and a sun that practically never set.  Norwegian_Objectivist, how is your summer climate?

I try my best to drive it in the winter, then using studded tyres.

As to the climate in Norway, it depends a lot on where in the country you are, as Norway is very long. I would estimate that the length of US, excluding Alaska, isn't much longer than Norway (though it's much wider).

In the north we have the midnight sun, so the sun never sets.

In the summer, the temperature varies from 60 F to 95F, with much rain and thunder.

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Guest RationalEgoist

Right now I'm feeding a pearl-white `98 Ford Explorer Limited, V8 (ouch) with all the bells and whistles. 110k miles.

I'm not the type to drive an SUV, being more of a Japanese car person, but about two months ago, my `82 Nissan Sentra finally died at 230k miles, and rather than get jacked by interest and taxes, I bought it from my father, who has been trying to get rid of it.

Of course, the only one of the million gadgets and toys on this thing that doesn't work? The AC!! :(

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Last week I bought a 2005 Dodge Stratus. The "new car magic" will fade, but every day I drive to work, I celebrate the fact that I have achieved the next rung in my career (thus allowing me to afford a new car!). The car is my way of celbrating that achievement.

Pics HERE.

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Another Subaru owner here. I had a Silver 2002 WRX but when the baby was born decided to trade it for a 2005 Outback ( non turbo ). The Turbo Version only got 23 mpg hwy which is what I get in the city with mine AND I can use 87 gas. The Turbo models want 93 and its hard to get good mileage because its so easy to go fast. I really miss my WRX though and will get another one eventually. Another reason I traded is my wife can't drive a stick and that makes long trips difficult since she can't help drive. This new one is an automatic which is not as fun! It has pretty good pickup too and the seats are more comfortable. :lol:

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  • 3 months later...
What's the source of your stress? I hope it's not broken or anything. :(

No it's not broken. The stress is from having to always take precautions so that very thing doesn't happen :P. Also, the sound system is always having problems because I play it too loud (To clarify, I play it too loud while on the freeway. I know how intruding loud music can be, especially when played in a residential area). . . . oops.

:P

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Aha! So that is where the bike in your profile picture came from. My only question is who/how did you take it?

Actually, it's not. It is a bike just like mine (VTX1300), but it came off a Honda site. It will have to do until my wife can take one like that for me. :D A rear passenger with a digi-cam and a wide angle lens could easily get that shot.

And to Inspector: Thanks! I'm enjoying the heck out of it. Getting around 38-43 mpg is nice also. Of course, I spend more time riding than I would otherwise have been driving a car, so I'm burning more gas. However, anywhere I go on the bike makes the journey that much more enjoyable.

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I'm currently driving an Audi A4 Avant. Great for packing in lots of mountain bikes & dirty riders, or for heading up to the mountains for a weekend of snowboarding, etc. My friends & I are getting older & fatter though, so I might have to upgrade to an A6 so we can fit. :huh:

audi6004qp.jpg

I used to drive a 98 BMW M3. I miss that car so bad it hurts. :( Truly a phenomenal automobile.

m3169ta.jpg

I also used to ride a Ducati SuperSport 900. The hurt from missing that one is ten times worse than the BMW. :worry:

900ss6007pb.jpg

Here's my favorite summertime vehicle (a MasterCraft Maristar 210 VRS for those who are interested)...

mastercraft6002nw.jpg

I also enjoy cruising around in a Mooney (or any of several other types of airplanes). :D

Mooney-Bravo-Flight.jpg

And here's my self-powered vehicles...

Downhill bike - Ellsworth Id

id6002gw.jpg

Freeride / Hucker - Banshee Morphine

banshee6005id.jpg

Cross Country - Maverick ML7

maverick6004ni.jpg

Yes, I have a lot of vehicular-related interests. :P

(Disclaimer that the airplane pictured isn't actually mine. The Ducati also isn't me, but I did own that bike & it's a much better picture than any I have of myself. :) )

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I purposely and proudly own an evil, politically incorrect, gas-guzzling SUV. :) 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition with a V-8 that gets a whole 12 mile per gallon. I love it although to be truthful the gas does get a little expensive. Oh well, I wish I could find a "I LOVE WAL-MART" sticker to put on the back to really p*ss off all the lefties here in Michigan.

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I also used to ride a Ducati SuperSport 900. The hurt from missing that one is ten times worse than the BMW. :)

Nice selection of vehicles. I like the Ducati, though I'm not much for sport bikes (but variety makes the world go 'round :worry: ). I recently saw a show talking about the Ducati Superbike 999R, the fatest production motorcycle in the world. It's basically a street legal racing bike with the emphasis on racing. I think they say it can go around 190. It also costs around $30,000 USC.

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