I'm a new old guy! LENGTHY introduction!

I don't really care why the Prius was built, just that my wife will be saving ariound $180 a month compared to her 2001 Voyager which puts a big contribution toward the payment. The van was EXTREMELY reliable and I kept it in GREAT running condition, new snow tires on 16" Mustang rims, 17" bullets for warm weather, nerw shocks and struts, and oil changes every 3000 miles. But, it had lost its good looks a few months ago when it was side swipped at a concert parking lot by one of those A holes that just plain leave after an accident.

As far as the planetary functions...I don't want to start a war over that....if I was that worried about it I sure would NOT be drag racing! Just for grins I checked my gas mileage on a tank of gas a couple of times that included the 220 mile round trip to the track at 60-65 mph and the drag racing portion also. My normal 42 mpg while driving at those speeds dropped to 26, still decent overall. Also, trips were checked at 55-60 mph with the AC on and other trips off. The result was my normal 46 mpg WO AC and 42 with it. This was all done on my 95 Neon,

 

I REALLY was looking for a used hybred Civic or Prius...BUT the monthyly payments was not affordable. This lease option was the only way that a low enough monthly payment could be found. In the long run the used car makes more sense, but not if the payments were too high and unaffordable.

I didn't realize I was making a anti-enviromental note at the start of my post, I was only telling it like it is. As long as the new vehicle does not run afoul of EPA rules and cause me troubles down the road, I was ONLY concerned with $$$ savings at the pump. It cracks me up about all the talk of plug in cars...how do those people think the electricity is produced? I am all for saving the planet, but I don't think I can offset some hill jacks impact while he's driving a 10 mpg jacked up in the air 4x4 with monster gumbo tires on it. As far as the drag racing...I guess that using a Neon instead of a top fuel dragster saves the planet quite a bit in reality, but again, the costs would be prohibitive for me, just like why I don't buy a truck and trailer, like EVERY one else almost...COST!

 

I DO have thick skin and realize that at the track I get a lot of ribbing for drag racing the "real" race cars with my street driven ones. The year after I raced the 19 second Geo since the 12 second SRT4 was broken the UMTR passed what I call the "Taylor" rule...you must be able to dial quicker than 19.0 to race in the series. That was fine with me since I just bought the 95 Neon that was a replacement for the Geo. At the December banquet they anounced that the new limit was quicker tha 18.0...this I call the anti broken Neon rule since another racer that comes from northern OH to race his 15 second Neon won 2 races when both times he had no 1st gear and dialed 18.99 and won.

As far as being ribbed about the planet, that happened to me once on a Geo forum. He was totally against drag racing and how it was a big waste due to all the gas being used, I pointed out then that EVERY sporting event must be a waste due all of the fans driving there. This is America and EVERY one is entitled to their point of view, even those put off by any remarks that I make.

 

I did not take it as you being rude...the biggest problem with text instead of actual face to face talking is the REAL communication is just not that clear.

Ummmm.....LSx, back in 1993 and 1995 I entered the Corvette Nationals at Indy. They allowed any make of car in so on both Saturdays I raced my high 11 second 85 Omni GLH Turbo that used 150 hp shot of nitrous to give all but one of them a head start and chase them down...except a certain brown convertible that was tuned by a fellow hoosier named Ligenfelter. The owner broke the rear end or axle on his first round of eliminations...which was happening a lot! Both of the Saturday races had me being runner-up. I was having F U N ! On both Sunday parts though I was after blood and brought out the much more consistent 84 Horizon that barely ran 15s...and won!

How do you hypermile a Prius, do you mean pulse and glide? When I tried P & G on my 3 banger Geo on flat land it never improved the mpgs, it took too long to bring it back up to a speed that I could coast from.

 

Shawn Langdon will drive the Silver car with Kahlid Balooshi in the Gold one.

The car that Del drove to the championship is the one that Larry won it with the year before.

This isn't fact yet, but I have it on decent authority that Morgan Lucas is heading over to Alan Johnson Racing to join with Larry Dixon with a Lucas Oil-sponsored Top Fueler for Morgan.

I DON'T want to drive any of those cars..EVER! I am very comfortable in a street driven car that WILL only run in the 120 mph range in the 1/4 later this year!

:rockon:

 

I now stand corrected on Larry Dixon....he will be at Pamona WITHOUT a ride!


Brandon Bernstein will be with Morgan Lucas instead and LD is trying to throw a team of his own together.