[DeTomaso] NPC fascinating "financial planner" view of the SUVvs. gas-efficient car argument

[GW]

My job now takes me to the property next to my house. I drive into town 
to get something about once a week. That makes my Ford F-350 a lot more 
viable!

I have a real problem with a push to small cars. Our roads and 
infrastructure are designed for descent size cars. You see a lot of 
small rural communities allowing golf carts and 4-wheelers on the roads. 
The idea is sound but the execution is getting a lot of people killed.

No one wants to be on the rad in a micro car when a semi or large SUV 
pulls up and towers over them. Americans have chosen cars of fair size. 
The only way to change this is to change the infrastructure.

I would propose small car communities where you can get to the community 
externally or internally....but all the internal roads only allow small 
cars from golf carts to a limit of 2000lb 2-liter car and a height limit 
(or something like that) with speeds no more then 35mph. Inside this 
community you would have access to office centers, groceries, and 
perhaps land on the back side of some major stores.

If you drove in a small area where the size of cars are limited I 
wouldn't have an issue driving a small car. My wife has a Jetta. When I 
pull up at a light with a truck behind me and an SUV in front, I can not 
even tell when the light is changing. I can't tell when the car in front 
of them is turning or slamming on the brakes. It is one big reason 
people like big cars. If everyone was in a small car, it would be no issue.

But we also have to realize small cars will help our pocket books but 
won't solve our energy problems. Transportation is less then 50% of 
energy use and this includes trains and semi's. When people look at 
cars, as was sasid, the cost of producing the car is seldom factored in.

Gary




Will Kooiman wrote:
> We did the same math about 5 years ago when we bought a Honda Insight.
>
> Even at 60mpg vs. 20mpg, it takes a lot of miles to justify buying a car,
> just for the MPG savings.
>
> Our Insight averaged over 70mpg when new, but it has dropped to about 54
> avg, probably due to a worn battery.  It was $20K new.
>
> We justified it because we needed a third car, and when we go on road trips,
> we would normally rent an econobox, anyway, so we may as well have one in
> the driveway.
>
> Our Insight is the cheapest car I've ever owned.  It isn't just the gas
> savings.  I've changed the brakes twice, and each time it was about $20.
> Oil changes, even with 0w20 synthetic is about $20.  Tires are cheap too.
>
> But... even at that rate, it still takes over 100,000 miles to justify
> replacing a good working car, with a brand new hybrid, simply for the cost
> savings.
>
> A better choice would have been a fun car with good mpg, like a C5 Corvette.
> I would much rather have 30-35mpg in a fun car, than 50-60mpg in a car that
> is slower than my cousin Ernie.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
> Behalf Of MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2011 9:04 AM
> To: chrisvkimball at msn.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC fascinating "financial planner" view of the
> SUVvs. gas-efficient car argument
>
> I knew this intuitively, but first read a rational analysis in Road & Track 
> a few years back; I think it was Peter Egan's column?   It arrived at 
> almost exactly the same conclusion.
>
> What the article fails to mention is that the cost savings become 
> exponentially larger the longer you hold onto your old car.   Even factoring
> in 
> increased maintenance, it's still far cheaper to drive an older, paid-for
> car 
> than to buy a new one, especially considering that new cars cost more each 
> year.
>
> That's one of the many reasons that my newest car was built in 1981.   And 
> my mom's newest (and only) car was built in 1965!!!
>
> Mike
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