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[8D]
Thinking about a new Car, and was wondering about any problems specific to Hawaii and Puna in particular with owning one. I intend to have a PV Solar system to charge it, and do not drive a lot anymore. Maybe 50 miles, but usually much less a week.
Which brand if any are you happy with? [  ]
Thanks
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick
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A lot depends on what roads you think you will be driving on. There are about 750 miles of rather shabby dirt/gravel occasionally compacted with trash roads.... mostly In Puna and Kau.
If your life will be on pavement, that's another thing.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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Hybrid cars are a gimmick.
Do They Save Money?
To answer this question, let's look at the 2012 Honda Civic Sedan and the Civic Hybrid. The Civic Sedan starts at $15,995 and, according to Honda, gets 28 miles per gallon in the city and 39 on the highway. The Civic Hybrid starts at $24,200 and gets 44 miles per gallon in both the city and the highway.
The average amount of miles driven by a person ages 20-34 is 15,098 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Let's round it down to 15,000. Next, let's assume that the average miles per gallon for the traditional Civic is 33. That would make the annual fuel cost $1,818 assuming gas is $4 per gallon. In the Civic Hybrid, the annual fuel cost would be $1,363. That's an annual savings of $455 if you own the hybrid.
But here's where the math isn't so consumer friendly. Since the cost of the hybrid was $8,205 more, it will take 18 years to recoup the extra cost of the hybrid. Asking a car to last 18 years or 270,000 miles isn't practical.
Do they save energy? The jury is still out on that one. Considering that hybrid vehicles take considerably more energy to manufacture (early hybrids had a higher net energy consumption than a hummer over it's useful life span) the jury is still out.
All that being said, there are regular gas powered cars that are nearly as fuel efficient as hybrids and take less energy to manufacture, and won't take you 20 years to recoup any savings. If you want a "green" vehicle go with diesel and gas up at the bio diesel place.
Regarding plug-in hybrids and using a PV solar system to charge it. Sure its possible but if you crunch the numbers it will be the most expensive transportation solution you can come up with. I would guess it would take 50 years to recoup your investment. But of course the car won't last that long and new technologies will become available long before that and will drive prices down.
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Come on, TC, lets not boogey up feelin good with facts.
David
Ninole Resident
Please visit vacation.ninolehawaii.com
Ninole Resident
But you do get to feel smug with a hybrid though.
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In 1904, internal combustion engines weren't as practical as they are now.
Technologies evolve; If Hybrid vehicles aren't the ultimate answer, they are at least moving in the right direction. (Away from our dependence on fossil fuel and Petroleum Cartels).
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In 1990 I bought a new Geo Metro 2 door hatchback with the 3 cylinder engine and 5 speed manual transmission. I commuted from a small town called Bonney Lake to Seattle and back, a distance of about 65 miles. Drove the car about 20,000 miles a year till it had 160,000 miles on it, and traded it in. Best car I ever owned, and the cheapest back then too. It seated 4. It took us over the mountain passes to Yakima with my wife and 2 kids in it. The only thing that ever went wrong was a rusted muffler at about 120,000 miles that I had replaced. Did my own oil changes and tuneups, which were the easiest I could ever imagine. That car averaged 54 mpg. Not quite as good as a friend's VW Rabbit diesel, but almost the same. When I traded it , it still had the original clutch and front and rear brakes, which were still fine.
This car should be brought back. It would sell like crazy. I think I paid $6900 new in 1990. With all the hybrid/battery powered/etc $40,000.00+ cars we have today, they still can't seem to compete with the Geo Metro. The super tiny "Smart Car", even though it only seats 2 and is much smaller than my old Geo, can't get near the gas mileage I got. You could do your weekly driving on one gallon of gas (at the 50 miles you mention in the first post here).
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
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This.
Years ago, I had a crappy old Honda Civic (1.5L 4-cylinder) with over 10 years/150K miles on it, and it still got 35mpg, a little more on long road trips. I'm reminded of this whenever I see a commercial for the latest "eco" car which might almost get 40mpg (in some idealized non-real-world conditions).
The Honda Civic VX got 50mpg (at least 10 years ago) and they're getting 65mpg+ with Volkswagon diesels in Europe, draw your own conclusions about what's driving the US market.
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quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
This.
Years ago, I had a crappy old Honda Civic (1.5L 4-cylinder) with over 10 years/150K miles on it, and it still got 35mpg, a little more on long road trips. I'm reminded of this whenever I see a commercial for the latest "eco" car which might almost get 40mpg (in some idealized non-real-world conditions).
The Honda Civic VX got 50mpg (at least 10 years ago) and they're getting 65mpg+ with Volkswagon diesels in Europe, draw your own conclusions about what's driving the US market.
There have been cars in Japan that get 80 MPG but they aren't legal to sell in the USA due to crash test results, emissions, or other reasons. Some start-ups have tried to get over these legalities by eliminating one of the wheels (therefore making it an enclosed motorcycle, no crash test results required) but so far, no market success.
I had a 1985 Honda Civic CRX that got 49 MPG and it was pretty sporty. The only downside was that it was a 2 seater.
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 we have a 2003 Civic Hybrid. Paid around 6k for it 3 years ago. It gets around 50mpg here in Puna. Its really a Great little car!
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