New, looking for real world info

Hello all. I'm new here and would like to introduce myself. Some things you should know:

Hobbies include cars, all makes, ages and types.

Dogs, mostly very large or giant breeds.

Research, just about any subject. If it interests me, I find out all I can about it!


Currently in my stable I have:

2005 BMW 745Li.
2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali
1988.5 Ferrari 328 GTB
2001 Aston Martin D7

In the "barn" I currently have:

2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog. (198 lbs!)
2 year old Beagle (My daughter's)
1 year old Great Pyrenees

Current research:

Non traditional automotive technology.
Liver illness.
Kidney illness .

Can you guess which subject I'm here to become an educated consumer about?

Anyway, with fuel prices being artificially inflated and the end of automotive carbon based fuel looming in my lifetime, I figured it would be a good time to buy a car with some different technologies. (As you can see, I am not afraid to put gas into a car!) I am trying to get some ideas, via different forums, one the general real world experiences with these cars.

You may find I ask for opinions on non-Toyota cars. I do the same on other forums. My reasoning is so that I can get a real feel for what people think without brand loyalty getting involved. If I ask about cars like the various Honda Hybrids or even the upcoming Chevy offering, I feel like I will get some honest and truthful answers to my questions.

If you want to talk dogs.... I'll be happy to do that too!

Well, that's me. I look forward to trying to be a helpful and contributing member of the forum.

Thanks for having me!

 

Thanks for the welcome!

I'll start off with one I'm sure is a subject quite frequently on here. How do YOU perceive the attitude towards "Green" cars and the people who drive them?

Honestly, whenever I try to discuss the subject of Hybrid/Hydrogen/Electric cars with fellow "enthusiasts" they become somewhat defensive and don't really like to talk about them. I understand the point they are trying to make, but it does seem inevitable that the change is coming. Someone always throws out "Hippies" or "Tree hugger" or "Feel gooders" when talking about the people who drive Hybrids. As for the cars, You name it and they have called them every name in the book.

People talk about carbon foot prints, fuel economy, costs, savings and environmental issues. Some good, some not so good with regards to Hybrids. Whats the truth? Are they going to be our saviours or our down fall? What do YOU think?

 

Betelgeuse:


Some interesting points. I have to agree with freeing our self (the USA) from our dependency of foreign oil. This in itself is going to be very hard. Everything we buy uses the stuff. We Americans love our plastic!

FWIW, the Ferrari really doesn't have much "raw power". Its more of a finesse car. Its a blast to drive yet requires a lot of work while you are doing it. The Aston on the other hand.... The "V" has ALL the power one could ever want!

Its interesting that you say "next step". I have used that term myself. If nothing else comes from the current oil (insert your term for it here______), I hope the emergence of some new and exciting technologies steer us in an unexplored direction.

What do you think of the proposed Chevrolet Volt? It sounds like an interesting concept. Throw a solar panel up on the roof of your house, and around town wouldn't use a drop of gas. I think GM is taking a bold, if not belated, step into the future. A step that the Prius took some years ago.

Whats your take on hydrogen power? Right now, if the infrastructure was there, I could buy a hydrogen engine from BMW for the 7er. Its clean burning in the end, but does require hefty amounts or energy to produce. I wonder if the use of hydrogen is something we will see in the future.



roxanna:

Thank you for the welcome! Those are some mighty strong words to be used by your "friends"!!!!!!

You speak of ways to actually increase the mileage even more. Can you give me an example? What exactly do you feel like you are doing to help the environment exactly? Again, as you can see, I'm not "A Granola Treehugging Hippie" though..... the damage to the environment from my "collector" vehicles will be minimal. For example:

Both the Ferrari and the Vanquish are lightly driven. (>2000 miles per year) They will be, if cared for, around in their current condition for decades and not polluting a land fill, the ground, water table, etc... So their environmental impact is negligible.

What about people, like me, who need lots of room. Take my Yukon. Do you think that the ability to load lots of stuff (property, dogs, family) into one vehicle is more damaging than say needing two, or in some cases 3 vehicles or trips to accomplish the same task? How do you equate the comfort in a GS to the comfort in a Prius? (That would be roughly equating it to the 745) I too want to do my part to help the earth, but doesn't it sometimes make sense get it over with and not draw it out? (I hope you understand my train of thought on this!)


Now as a general question, what is the real world longevity of a hybrid? I understand that they have only been around for a few years, but what are some of the general long term problems with owning one? Does anyone one here one a strictly electric car? It would be interesting to hear their take on this answer too.

Thanks again folks!

 

Though I am in agreement....I thought we were going to keep the politics out of this!!!

As I understand it, GM has put the Volt on the "fast track" and has a tentative production date for the 2010 model year. They are trying to push this time line up a bit. We all know that it likely won't happen by 2010. GM already has some of the leg work done from the EV1 from back in the late 90's. They know how and were to source the parts from, they have a production plan on file for mass production and they have the available space (re-opening a closed plant) to do so. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

I also have some knowledge that Ford will be bringing it diesel line up to the states for the 2010 model year. They are working on ways to make them meet the US EPA standards as we speak. Many of these get 40+ MPG, are much smaller and are very safe.

I never Actually thought about refueling times. That's a great point. I know that with my Lithium Ion power tools, charging time is down to 1 hour from what used to take 6. (Lithium Ion is what GM hopes to use in the Volt BTW) Still, 1 hour compared to 3-5 minutes is a big difference. There is one other thing that comes into play with refueling......tax.

The federal government gets quite a bit of money from gas taxes. These are the funds that build and repair the roads in America. Now, Personally I do don't see the need for new roads, I think we have enough. On the flips side though, how and where is the DOT going to get these funds in the future? If indeed the pure electric is the way of the future, will we be required to have a separate "DOT" meter for charging our cars? Higher taxes on ALL electricity? As much as many of us dislike how our Government operates and who is operating it, we still need it for many things including roads.

Side note on that thought.....

When Henry Ford built the Model T, there were few if any real roads. There was little if any infrastructure for refueling. Even then there was a $.05 per gallon tax on fuel. Still, the car that he built, built the America we know and love. Could something like this happen again?

It would be ashame for any of the big three to go under. GM is on the verge, Ford isn't too far behind (Though China and Europe are helping both of them) and I hear today that Chrysler is closing one plant and cutting shift at others. It does seem to be their own doing however. They just seem to be too stiff and unwilling to take a chance on new things. GM was the last to go to front wheel drive (and it nearly killed them in the 80's and it took them 25 years to finally get it right!) and it appears Ford will be the last to come back to Rear wheel drive. They just seem to react too slowly.

I will admit here at this point that I am no fan of Asian car companies. Due to antiquated treaties and unfair business practices by certain governments, competition is not fair in this field. I am a firm believer in fair trade. Again, it is our own fault and shortsightedness that has led us to this point.

Have I ever owned an Asian car? Sure I have! In 1971, (remember the LONG lines and rationing??) I traded my 1969 Olds Vista Cruiser (455 ci, 4bbl, 11 mpg) wagon in on a 1971 1/2 Toyota Corona MK II Wagon. It got 17 mpg!!!!! It was great. That was until I had to rebuild the engine every 30,000 miles. (I SOLD it with 389,000+ miles on it) In 1974 I bought a Corolla. That was a basic car. It had a heater, and I added a radio. It also got 32 mpg on leaded gas. Slightly less with unleaded. I can't say much bad about that car. (As far as I know, its still on the road) However, at this time, it would be a real stretch for me to buy Toyota. That said....... its coming down to the wire and Toyota is starting to sound like a plausible answer to one of my needs since no one else seems to be taking this seriously.

 

Thank you for the welcome!

Whoever gets to the car first!!!!! Seriously, that's what the Yukon is for. I have had the two of them in the BMW before....never in the Aston or the F car!

Bless you for being active in any rescue. My heart goes out to the people that do that. It is so hard yet so rewarding. My Pyr is a rescue BTW. I'm lucky that he came to me with no issues. I once fostered a Pyr/Kuvasz mix. He did have issues. It took a lot of work, but he lived a happy and long life in his forever home. It was very hard to let him go, but it was the right thing to do.

As for the forum, unlike many of the other auto based forums, I must say that in my very short time here, I am impressed with the level on which things are discussed. Most forums have people who post up not knowing much at all. Here, people seem to be knowledgeable and honest.

 

I see on the news today that all auto makers took a serious hit here in the US on sales. Toyota surprised me. I figured with all the supposed interest in high mileage vehicles, they would have done well. My biggest surprise was from GM. They still managed to remain top dog. Honda seems to be making a move as they were the only one with good numbers.

Its s real sign of the economy I guess. It sad, but this looks to be the 1970's all over again. Energy crunch, ending a war, housing markets bad, interest rates are about to rise and the overall economy. A lot of parallels. I sure hoped I wouldn't have to live through another decade or so of that. I wonder whats next?

 

Demand it there, no doubt. I'm no longer a buisness man. Goodness knows I never dealt with the size or numbers of an auto maker. However, I still don't understand why any of them still have more than 1 or 2 truck/SUV/Van plant open right now. With the demand as high as it is, it sure would seem like a good idea to shut them all down and prep them for conversion to Hybrid/EV production.

I know this would put a lot of people out of work for the short term. Long term however...its a pure gold mine! The first two companies who come to market with an EV, wether its good or not, will make a killing. They will have waiting and unproduced cars sold lists miles long. (FWIW, I put down a refundable deposit on a Volt!) I really hope that GM beats Toyota to market. It will be a huge boost for the US economy.