Smart people buy Priuses

Bob Myers > wrote:

> I am, however, far from convinced that the purchase of a hybrid can
> actually be justified NOW on purely rational grounds.

In September, 2004, I bought a Prius for about the same price as a
comparably equipped Camry would have cost, and I've averaged 46 MPG
since then. Let's assume the Camry would have gotten 30 MPG. I've
driven 72,000 miles and have used about 1565 gallons of gas, whereas the
Camry would have used about 2400 gallons. Is that rational enough?

--
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/mac.cgi> Mac and geek T-shirts & gifts
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/musings.cgi> Muckraking T-shirts
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/prius.cgi> Prius shirts/bumper stickers
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/dance.cgi> Ballroom dance shirts & gifts

Tom Ricostronza wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:03:31 -0400, Jeff DeWitt >
> wrote:
>
>> richard schumacher wrote:
>>> In article >,
>>> "Bob Myers" > wrote:
>>>
>>>> It should be noted of course, that -
>>>>
>>>> 1. Smart people do a lot of things, not all of which are necessarily
>>>> smart, and
>>>>
>>>> 2.Therefore, whether or not some smart people do a certain thing
>>>> has very little to do with whether or not that thing is a "smart"
>>>> thing to do.
>>> True enough. I've even heard that a few smart people voted Republican.
>> Yesss... and I've heard a lot of folks that thought they were smart who
>> voted Democrat.
>>
>> Jeff DeWitt
>
> I know a lot of smart Republicans who voted for a moron named Bush who
> thinks he's the Messiah and will never vote Republican again.

That's funny, I know of a smart guy named Bush who keeps outsmarting a
bunch of Democrats in Congress.

Just what have those guys accomplished this year?

Jeff DeWitt

Mike Rosenberg wrote:
> Bob Myers > wrote:
>
>> I am, however, far from convinced that the purchase of a hybrid can
>> actually be justified NOW on purely rational grounds.
>
> In September, 2004, I bought a Prius for about the same price as a
> comparably equipped Camry would have cost, and I've averaged 46 MPG
> since then. Let's assume the Camry would have gotten 30 MPG. I've
> driven 72,000 miles and have used about 1565 gallons of gas, whereas the
> Camry would have used about 2400 gallons. Is that rational enough?
>
What is it going to cost to replace the batteries when they go bad? How
about those two motor/generators?

Some of us keep our cars for a really long time, I've got well over
300,000 miles on my little Cherokee and have no plans to replace it.
What is going to happen to a Prius as it gets really high mileage?
Those cars are a lot more complected then a conventional car.

http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/...technical-info

There is a lot to be said for the KISS principal.

I think the current hybrid technology is very much a transitional
technology, much as the turboprop was. Technologies like GM is
developing for the Chevy Volt are going to become a lot more common than
current hybrid technology.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01...s-the-chevy-v/

Jeff DeWitt

Michelle Steiner wrote:
> In article >,
> Jeff DeWitt > wrote:
>
>> That's funny, I know of a smart guy named Bush who keeps outsmarting
>> a bunch of Democrats in Congress.
>
> He outsmarted them so much that the wrested both houses from his party's
> control.

That wasn't Bush, that was the Republican Congresscritters spending too
much time playing games and not enough time actually doing what they
should have been doing, along with a bit of corruption.

So the Democrats took power, they are playing even more games, getting
less done, are even more corrupt, and have a lower approval rating than
the Republicans they they replaced, and an approval rating less than
have of the Presidents.
>
> Bush is smart only in comparison to those who think that he is smart.
>
See, he's outsmarted you too!

Jeff DeWitt

Michelle Steiner wrote:
> In article >,
> Jeff DeWitt > wrote:
>
>> What is it going to cost to replace the batteries when they go bad?
>> How about those two motor/generators?
>
> What makes you assume that they're going to go bad?

What makes you think they won't? EVERYTHING wears out eventually. That
isn't a dig against Toyota, that's real life/
>
>> I think the current hybrid technology is very much a transitional
>> technology, much as the turboprop was. Technologies like GM is
>> developing for the Chevy Volt are going to become a lot more common
>> than current hybrid technology.
>
> *Any* technology is transitional technology. But I'd rather have a
> hybrid now than have a gas guzzler now. It's like computers; no matter
> when you buy one, a better model will be coming along sooner or later.

Well to a point, but basic automotive technology hasn't changed that
much in over 50 years... the engine and drivetrain in my 1960 Studebaker
Champ isn't much different than the engine and drivetrain in a new
F150... V8, stick, driving the real wheels.

The Prius is very different, and when things settle down again the
drivetrain in a mainstream car may be quite different from today, but it
won't be much like a Prius either.

Jeff DeWitt


>

Jeff DeWitt > wrote:

> > In September, 2004, I bought a Prius for about the same price as a
> > comparably equipped Camry would have cost, and I've averaged 46 MPG
> > since then. Let's assume the Camry would have gotten 30 MPG. I've
> > driven 72,000 miles and have used about 1565 gallons of gas, whereas the
> > Camry would have used about 2400 gallons. Is that rational enough?
> >
> What is it going to cost to replace the batteries when they go bad? How
> about those two motor/generators?

_IF_ I end up having to pay for any of those, how much more will I have
saved on gasoline by then? I'm already down 835 gallons, and at an
average price of about $2.35 per gallon over the time I've had the
Prius, that's a savings of almost $2000 already.

--
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/mac.cgi> Mac and geek T-shirts & gifts
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/musings.cgi> Muckraking T-shirts
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/prius.cgi> Prius shirts/bumper stickers
<http://designsbymike.info/shop/dance.cgi> Ballroom dance shirts & gifts

Michelle Steiner wrote:
> In article >,
> Jeff DeWitt > wrote:
>
>>>> What is it going to cost to replace the batteries when they go
>>>> bad? How about those two motor/generators?
>>> What makes you assume that they're going to go bad?
>> What makes you think they won't? EVERYTHING wears out eventually.
>> That isn't a dig against Toyota, that's real life/
>
> That doesn't mean that they will go bad before the internal combustion
> engine goes bad. That doesn't mean they will go bad before the body
> rusts out. They have fewer moving parts than the ICE, so I'd expect the
> ICE to go bad before either of them do.

BATTERIES?!? If that engine is anything like most modern engines it
should be good for 10 years and 150,000 miles or so, are the batteries
going to last that long? And those motor/generators, does anyone really
know how long they are going to last? I've heard they had real problems
with them in first generation Prius's.
>
>> The Prius is very different, and when things settle down again the
>> drivetrain in a mainstream car may be quite different from today, but
>> it won't be much like a Prius either.
>
> And that's a reason not to buy a Prius today?

Well yes. Oddball technology is harder to get fixed when it starts
aging. It may be (will probably be) that hardly anyone except the
dealer will be able to work on the things, and when it gets to be 10 to
20 years old the dealer may not be able (or willing) to either.

Jeff DeWitt

"richard schumacher" > wrote in message
...
> In article <g20pi.6938$XL4.3247@trndny04>,
> "Richard Warren" > wrote:
>
>> >> It should be noted of course, that -
>> >>
>> >> 1. Smart people do a lot of things, not all of which are necessarily
>> >> smart, and
>> >>
>> >> 2.Therefore, whether or not some smart people do a certain thing
>> >> has very little to do with whether or not that thing is a "smart"
>> >> thing to do.
>> >
>> > True enough. I've even heard that a few smart people voted Republican.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Not true.
>
> :-)




Funny, but what a tragic result. As Mencken once said: "Nobody ever went
broke underestimating the taste of the American people". Hopefully (but I
doubt it), the American people have learned their lesson - never elect a
president who doesn't read books.

On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:47:12 -0400, Jeff DeWitt >
wrote:

>Tom Ricostronza wrote:
>> On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:03:31 -0400, Jeff DeWitt >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> richard schumacher wrote:
>>>> In article >,
>>>> "Bob Myers" > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> It should be noted of course, that -
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. Smart people do a lot of things, not all of which are necessarily
>>>>> smart, and
>>>>>
>>>>> 2.Therefore, whether or not some smart people do a certain thing
>>>>> has very little to do with whether or not that thing is a "smart"
>>>>> thing to do.
>>>> True enough. I've even heard that a few smart people voted Republican.
>>> Yesss... and I've heard a lot of folks that thought they were smart who
>>> voted Democrat.
>>>
>>> Jeff DeWitt
>>
>> I know a lot of smart Republicans who voted for a moron named Bush who
>> thinks he's the Messiah and will never vote Republican again.
>
>That's funny, I know of a smart guy named Bush who keeps outsmarting a
>bunch of Democrats in Congress.
>
>Just what have those guys accomplished this year?
>
>Jeff DeWitt

In Nazi Germany, there was an expression: "If only the Fuhrer knew
what was happening..." The implication was that Hitler was totally
unaware of the abuse and he was such a fair sweetie, if only he knew,
he would stop it. For RIPigs, ignorance IS their religion.

Poll: Most Americans trust Congress over Bush on Iraq

http://www.reuters.com/article/polit...39188020070724

"Jeff DeWitt" > wrote in message
...
> Tom Ricostronza wrote:
>> On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:03:31 -0400, Jeff DeWitt >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> richard schumacher wrote:
>>>> In article >,
>>>> "Bob Myers" > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> It should be noted of course, that -
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. Smart people do a lot of things, not all of which are necessarily
>>>>> smart, and
>>>>>
>>>>> 2.Therefore, whether or not some smart people do a certain thing
>>>>> has very little to do with whether or not that thing is a "smart"
>>>>> thing to do.
>>>> True enough. I've even heard that a few smart people voted Republican.
>>> Yesss... and I've heard a lot of folks that thought they were smart who
>>> voted Democrat.
>>>
>>> Jeff DeWitt
>>
>> I know a lot of smart Republicans who voted for a moron named Bush who
>> thinks he's the Messiah and will never vote Republican again.
>
> That's funny, I know of a smart guy named Bush who keeps outsmarting a
> bunch of Democrats in Congress.
>
> Just what have those guys accomplished this year?
>
> Jeff DeWitt



Bush smart? What flavor Kool-Ade is that you're drinking?