Easterbrook on horsepower to weight ratios

Currently our main car is our 2000 Avalon XLS. We get from 25 to 30mph on interstate trips; ~25-26mpg weekend driving around metro Atlanta; unfortunately we only get ~10-12mpg for my wife 4days a week ~30 mile, round trip, commute. That bring ours tank mpg range to anywhere from 17-21mpg, usually ~19mpg.

We still have our '87 Ford Club Wagon, 8 passenger, 120K, probably 10-12mpg, haven't checked it lately, down to less than 1k/year. It's was used in the past for much car pooling of soccer kids, baseball kids, etc. We raised two children and allowed them to take along friends on many vacations. The last fifteen years it has been relegated to the backup vehicle and Home Depot vehicle, both children have their own homes and families now, trips to the local dump, we all share it. It will go when we get our Prius. The Prius will become the wife's commute vehicle and the Avalon will become the second car. I have my own business and work out of our home. Most everything, shoppingwise, that we need on a weekly basis is within a 2 mile radius.
In the past I've owned:
'49 Pontiac, straight 8, 3 speed column shift, 2 door, tarpedo back. first car, a hand-me-down.
'53 Packard Clipper, Straight 8, 5 speed, Automatic, 4 door, first used car I bought and paid for.
'61 Monza, pancake 6, 4 speed manual, 98hpr, first new car I bought and paid for
'63 Nova convertible, V6, 2 speed automatic, very underpowered for automatic, manual may have been O.K., couldn't maintain speed uphill, kept shifting up and down, annoying to me and anyone behind me.
'61 1/2 VW beetle, pancake 4, 4 speed, used
'65 VW beetle, pancake 6, 4 speed, used
'67 Cougar XR7, V8, 390 GT cin, Holley 4 barrell, Mollary capacitive discharge ignition. 3 speed automatic. New. My muscle car. and falls into your not necessary category. Lots of testosterone back then. Before the two wiemaramers and the two children.
'69 Ford Counrty Squire Wagon, V8, 390cube, 2 barrell, automatic, first family car, used, towed Coleman tent camper.
'73 Ford Grand Torino Braughm, 400 cuin, 2 barrell, 2 door, ???hpr, coming down off testosterone, was salesman on the road all day. first and only lease/purchase
'77 Ford Fiesta, 4 cylindar, 5 speed manual, hpr unknown, had enough power with manual transmission, actually quiet quick. New
'83 Ford Club Wagon XLT, V6, automatic, 8 passenger, first family vacation, car pool, home depot, etc vehicle. Used, Hertz fleet.
'87 Ford Club Wagon XLT, V6, automatic, 8 passenger, second above, replaced first. Will be replaced by Prius, maybe, 4 months on wait list, time to rethink, things have changed, don't want to get stuck in "Pike Syndrome". Used, Hertz fleet.
'93 Plymouth Acclaim, V6, automatic, 4 door, first empty nest car, New
2000 Avalon XLS, V6, automatic, 4 door, love it. 110K extremely satisfied miles. New, BTW I'm 6'2" and fell claustrophobic if the side roof is too close too my head/vision. So, I have to try a car on. We started out shopping for a Camry in 2000, but I was so much more comfortable with the headroom clearance in the Avalon. We also tried the Maxima, and Nisson. Avalon won.
2008, now 2009 Prius, Touring model on order since May 28th. May well be our last car purchase, I'm 66 wife is 68. Hope to put another 100K on Avalon or at least keep it till we turn in our licenses.

The only car that I felt unsafe in because of being underpowerd for it's size and transmission was the '63 Nova. It was downright dangerous in highspeed traffic, if you had to respond/avoid the agressive drivers around you. That's why I barely had it for a year. However, it did serve a purpose. It satisfied the " I've got to have a convertible urge", that a twenty one year old single male, goes through, Bright red with a white top. I still have my Stetson.

The only car I ever owned that was overpowered obviously was the '67 Cougar XR7, Car and Driver's car of the year.

The '73 Torino may have been over cubed, but was deffinitely not overpowered with the 2 barrel and automatic and it's weight. I had better acceleration with my 4 cylindar VW beetles and Fiesta.

I hope that this is enough information for you to make an informed judgement on what I should be driving? If not let me know.

 

The key words in your counterargument are "drivers overly
aggressive". It's not your fault that the on-ramps are a nightmare,
but I really think you're trying to compensate in the wrong
area. Think BEYOND your family and grandchildren. Think of
that loaded semi that also gets successfully onto the highway
and to where they're going without getting rammed from behind.
Ask yourself what the real problem is, and why I still call BS
on the "I need a car with balls" thing.
.
I know the Atlanta area is a steaming charlie foxtrot -- so is
Boston, so is just about any area near an american city. They're
all full of aggressive drivers. That doesn't make it right.
.
_H*

 

Chill sistah. No need to get snarky, I was just curious since it sounds like you are toting quite a few people around from time to time. Question though, if you have a Prius why are you using your Avalon with it's shite milage as your main car? Why doesn't your wife drive the prius to work?

 

The thing is, I never suggested the "need" to jump out of an on-ramp already going 70 MPH." as your accused me of in my "kool-aid-drinking argument".
And would think that your 18 wheel semi would command a little more respect from most drivers, when they see it merging into traffic and my little Ford Fiesta did back in the seventies. My '87 Ford Club Wagon 8 passenger van, has nowhere near the acceleration as my 2000 Avalon XLS. But believe me, I notice that it does command a little more respect when entering traffic.

The problem is that you are trying to make your point with extremes and therefore go immediately on the defense. I never disagreed that many vehicles are overpowered and could do fine and still be safe with less horsepower.

It's also a problem when you start dis-ing people that simply try to point out that there are exceptions. Many people pull trailers, campers, boats, etc. Many salespeople or maintence people, I was a Field Rep for IBM, may carry several hundred pounds of extra weight, manuals, tools, parts, around in their cars. What may be sufficient for the average is not sufficient for all. Now, how do you stop people from over buying. I don't know. But it should not be by cutting off everyone and anyone that may have a legitament need the extra HPR.

You have good and valid points. It's a shame you are so quick to though someone who may have a different viewpoint than yours into Jamestown.

 

Sorry, I apologize, you're absolutely correct, no need to get snarky. Not an excuse, but I had just gotten done reading Hobbits diatribe. Don't have the Prius yet. On order since May 28th.

 

No worries, it happens. One of the drawbacks to these boards is that one sort of fills in the tone of the other posters based on what sort of comments they expect from the others. I often finding meself getting defensive with people just because I assume a certain tone with them. One of these days we can ditch the text messages and do video posts. That'll clear up quite a bit. Bloody emoticons only take you so far.

Sorry mate, didn't see that. I just looked at yer profile which shows the 2008 touring. makes more sense now.