Like everyone else, we are looking for ways to be more energy efficient (turning out lights, combining trips to the store, etc.) and “green” in our life style.

Cheers,

Karen

We went to Saratoga Springs this weekend with another couple and I rented a Toyota Prius from Hertz. We drove almost 550 miles (detoured to Long Island the night before we left), and only paid $46 in gas, averaging roughly 48 mpg.

My question - why isn’t every car made with this technology? The prices would come down quickly with the greater economies of scale.

Now, I’m very loyal to Hertz as I love my frequent renter points, among other benefits, but they do not offer these cars with the GPS systems. If they did, I’d rent them every time I had to road trip for client meetings. I hope they make this change soon.

My biggest change was selling my 6 Cyl car for a smaller 4 Cyl.

I enjoy driving - so I have no interest in the hypermiling idea - it was simply that the larger engine was costing about $150.00 per week in gas - the smaller is about $70.00

Regardless, apparently some of these “gallon a day” people drive nice cars. My theory is that while housing prices escalated, a lot of people were living beyond their means by writing checks out of their home equity loans. I get the feeling a lot of those wells are tapped out. In my neck of the woods, “For Sale” signs are competing with trees for space, and a lot of those signs look weathered. Just a few years ago I was living in a three story Victorian, and in the dead of winter my heating bills would be close to a thousand a month. Every time I drive by that old house, I look to see if the current owners have begun demolition so they can erect teepees before the snow falls.

My business had already been beaten bloody by global outsourcing before petrol costs went through the roof. I have employees who are staying home once a week working over the internet precisely so they can save a day’s commute. A few years ago I thought people who drove hummers were obnoxious. Now I just feel sorry for them. Even the rich don’t stand out on their lawns and burn piles of cash. Do they?

I hear a lot of speculation about conspiracy, price rigging, old-boy-networks and so forth. If any of that is true, I don’t suppose the U.S. automobile companies were privy to the secret plan. I drive by auto dealerships with lots full of pick-up trucks, and see a junk pile. Think you’re good at sales? Try selling someone a vehicle that’s going to cost them $100 a week to drive. Watch your local K-Mart. My guess is the Chinese will be importing shrink-wrapped fuel-efficient cars for less than $6000 within a year. Just put it on your Visa – its spit in the ocean at this point anyway. Sure the rear bumper is going to fall off. But you’re not going to care - not when you’re getting sixty miles to a gallon.

The only plausible explanation aside from rank stupidity I can think of which would explain why U.S. auto companies have continued to manufacture and ship gas guzzlers is willful desire to go completely bankrupt and break the unions. But I suppose there is stupidity enough to go around. I mean, haven’t we as a nation recognized this “petroleum dependency problem” at least since Jimmy Carter was in office? Of course, we have been busy all these years, what with all these cable channels, “Sex in the City” reruns, primping at the gym, and so forth. It’s just not reasonable to expect citizens in a democracy to actually concern them-selves with public policy when there is so much to do - but don’t try broaching such subjects with anyone you don’t know really well. Nothing is more tedious to polite society than relevance. Better to level Alaska and suck out every drop we can get than to disturb a poor soul engrossed in operating their channel changer. Just get the bull-dozers up there in the tundra and go for it!

What am I doing? The annual beach trip with my son is ditched. I joined the municipal pool which is lovely, three blocks away, and cost me $120 for two for the season. Ice cream is a dollar a pop, and with any luck, by fall I’ll be fat. If I’m fat and poor, I won’t have to worry about anybody asking me on a date. Another savings…

I do belong to an automotive group here in Chicago and have noticed that our members are either not coming to the monthly gatherings or purchasing additional cars for daily driving and leaving their gas guzzlers for those special occasions.

I would do that all day long now - those were the days.

Merrill

Thanks for sharing your comments and the links to the websites.

Merrill