Posted on 08/22/2014 8:50:27 AM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
Well we will have to wait and see I guess. Can Am makes one and its about $60,000. There was one parked outside of our gun range a few mos ago. I went crazy for it. The kid that owned it came out while we were standing there and he was showing it to me. I loved it but I think the Elio is more like a real car. We would use it just to tool around up at our mountain house.
If you are using it just for commuting and you have filling stations in your area, I would think a Honda Civic that runs on natural gas would be a better choice.
We have chargers at work. Co-worker of mine was stuck in traffic for 4 hours, and had a good 40 miles or so left by the time they got home. The key is to have a charging station at work.
Good advice re the Pius. At first when I coined the nickname Pius for the Prius due to the green lefties driving them, I was correct.
Now, a lot of conservatives and non enviral whacko’s own the Priuses, and love them. Our cul de sac has more Priuses than any other car make, and all of the owners love them. Most have a bigger vehicle for vacations and long drives.
I really can’t figure how they can make them for that price. Air conditioning? That would almost be a must for Texas.
Here’s what they have said about the low price:
1. 3 wheels cheaper than 4
2. No dealerships. They will sell the cars out of their own stores like cell phone stores.
3. No service centers. They have contracted with Pep Boys to do the servicing.
4. I guess no union
6. Mostly msde out of parts you will be able to buy at the auto parts store.
7. I think only 5 colors
8. Manual transmission can be upgraded to automatic
9. AC, auto door locks, radio and blue tooth plug in standard.
10. Back up camera and other accessories are extras
The success/staying power of “green” tech is based on it being adopted for non-green (ie: practical) reasons.
CFLs are a good example. They failed when originally released because the emphasis was on “green”. When they were repositioned as long-lasting sales jumped.
I know people in the sailing community that are jumping all over the propane-fueled outboards made by a company called Lehr. They’re actually buying “green” tech in rebellion to the impact of “green” tech: small outboards are notorious for having carbureator problems due to ethanol-infused gasoline. Propane both eliminates those problems and costs less to operate in the long run.
Make sure your comparison is total car cost, not just fuel.
That needs to include maintenance, replacement parts and resale value.
When I buy a vehicle it is based upon utility, dependability and total cost per mile. I don't care about mpg; I care about $pm.
Good point—thank you!
My husband drives around 750 miles a week for work so we just bought our 2nd Prius. Our oldest Prius(2007) has over 200,000 miles and has only been in the shop once for air conditioning problem. Of course with have a Hemi Charger and a BMW for around town driving LOL!! The Prius literally has paid for itself by the savings in gas
Your 2005 civic is a lot smaller with less amenities. It should be getting that kind of mileage.
They might run into the same problem as Tesla trying to sell direct to consumers without a dealership.
It’s an interesting concept, especially considering the price.
Keep in mind on the range for a vehicle you drive daily to work.
You shouldn’t worry as much about the average range on a new set of batteries, but the worst range (coldest day) on the last day you would own the car. Just like anything else with batteries, the battery capacity degrades of time and usage.
No doubt you can be killed in any vehicle, but I obviously would rather chance it in a tank rather than a sardine can.
Utility, resale and total dollars per mile is why I bought a new full size truck in 2007 that only got 15 mpg. I found a closeout deal at under $15,000.
If only I could.....
:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.