Do you plan to buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle?

Yes, but…it will have to be significantly higher in fuel economy than our current family car, a 2003 Impala that gets 30+ MPG highway. Otherwise, we’ll drive the Impala into the ground first.

I currently drive an H3. I like the vehicle, however it is a gas- guzzler. There is a lot that can be done to help consumer today. Employing companies need to look at ways to help employees drive more conservatitively. The relationship from my home to the office could be a way to help conserve gas. I drive past one of the companies other offices to get to the one I work out of. There is no reason to travel this far. It has been discussed with management. However they drive company cars and get their gas free so why should they care. There is so much that can be done to conserve energy, it goes on deaf ears.

Two years ago I purchased a more fuel efficient vehicle. Even then, fuel prices were steadily rising and I figured global demand and market instability would continue to increase prices. My last car averaged 26 MPG and my current one averages 36 MPG. Given my round trip to work is 75 miles a day, thats a decent savings for me!

Have had new Civic Hybrid 4 months. We get 35 mpg in ‘hilly’ town, 39 mpg city , and as high as 50 mpg on the highway. Mileage is more sensitive to speed, terrain, driving techiniques and loads than any other vehicle I have owned. Not really a probelm, at least for us but others may not like having to change driving habits to get full benefits. Of course PZV helps environment also.

Waiting on plug-in hybrid before purchasing second new car.

Most driving is done while commuting. Anyone who lives more than a few miles from their job needs to first consider public transportation or simply living closer to where they work - this opens up more options (like biking or even walking). Aside from the fuel costs, traffic congestion in most urban areas is bordering on the ridiculous! Besides, the net energy chain of a hybrid vehicle from manufacture to end of life exceeds that of any conventional vehicle with an internal combustion engine. You may save on fuel, but the overall energy consumption of these vehicles with all of the exotic materials is still very high.

No! 27mpg CITY and 32 highway with 12 year old technology that seats 4 adults, and is paid for. What could I buy new that is enough better to justify purchase? Nothing I see.

I’ve driven a Honda Civic Hybrid for nearly 4 years now and have averaged 48mpg in that time. Great little car! Suck it OPEC

Yes, the next time I need a new vehicle, I will be looking for a hybrid vehicle - but it will have to be a pickup because of the hauling I need to do.
That is really begging the point, though. Oil is too precious as the primary feedstock for nearly every product we touch to burn this declining resource simply as fuel. We need to use every possible technology to drastically reduce our use of fossil fuels. We must come up with a long-term and coherent energy policy to switch from these fuels to renewable ones. We are engineers - let’s use our brains and training to come up with long-term solutions.

No. I am changing my driving habits and arranging a car pool with other people in my neighborhood - this will get me a better return and requires no new investment.

It was time to buy another car, anyway. Of course, the high price of fuel tips us in the direction of cars with better fuel economy for the driving we actually do, 90% city driving. We regard with distaste the non-tech greens who would force a particular technology on us for their semi-religious reasons, unfettered by understanding.

I do not plan to buy a new, more-efficient vehicle soon because my current vehicle gets pretty good mileage (~25 mpg) and still has a lot of life left in it. Furthermore, I think there are many ways consumers can make changes that have a much greater impact on energy consumption. For example, I recognized and appreciated the waste of a long commute 6 years ago and moved my family to within 3 miles of my work. This move reduced my one-way commute by 30 miles, saving over 2 gallons of gas per day in my current car, and raised the possibility of energy-free commuting (e.g., bicycling). The move also entailed a lifestyle change that wasn’t all for the better, but I think it is high time people realized that some sacrifices must be made for the good of society and the nation.

Yes! Absolutely…I can not wait for the Chevy Volt. My inside collegues tell me that it has already reached past the 60 mi/charge milestone on battery power alone. The engine chosen will is a 900 cc high efficiency Diesel. Price? no one is saying just yet. This car is a lot farther along than GM is owning up to. If the price is right - they will never be able to satisfy demand - look for $5.00/gal within 12 months.

When automotive quits inflating prices far beyond the savings that might be seen, I will consider it. Until then, I will stick with my fully paid off truck.

I’d love to get a more fuel efficient vehicle, but the cash flow doesn’t make sense at this point. I have a 10 year old 15 mpg SUV with 163k miles and no payment. With as few miles as I put on it (~150 per week) the extra I spend for more expensive gas is much less than a payment on a newer, more fuel efficient vehicle.

not until i need a new car. a 2 litre turbo diesel would be nice, like they have in all over in europe. good power, driveability, and fuel mileage.

I currently have a 1999 Saturn 4 door that gets 35mpg. Most of the new “fuel efficient” cars are not advertising much better. My other car is an SUV. This weekend my trip mileage was 19.5mpg on the SUV which was loaded with camping gear for three of us. When I look at the cost to change, it does not make economic sense. Also, I expect to see next generation vehicles with even better mileage and I cannot afford to keep chasing this goal. When I need to replace these cars, I will consider the improved mileage, but not now.

I drive a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I want to comment that getting used to the ecomony mode pays royally. This car is rated at 24 mpg as they cannot count on drivers using the economy mode. I am achieving 29 mpg and can always hit the economy button to off when getting on to a busy thruway. It seems that this feature of controlled acceleration would save 10-15% on all vehicles, not just hybrid. Lead footing cost a lot in fuel efficiency, taking that away for all but emergency situitations is something that all car manufacturers should consider.

I drive a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I want to comment that getting used to the ecomony mode pays royally. This car is rated at 24 mpg as they cannot count on drivers using the economy mode. I am achieving 29 mpg and can always hit the economy button to off when getting on to a busy thruway. It seems that this feature of controlled acceleration would save 10-15% on all vehicles, not just hybrid. Lead footing cost a lot in fuel efficiency, taking that away for all but emergency situitations is something that all car manufacturers should consider.

I have been driving the most fuel efficient vehicles that I could find for the last 15 years because I didn’t like paying 1, 2, 3 or now 4 dollars a gallon for gas. Since I live 35 miles away from work, I did some research and found a way to use transit to get to work on a daily basis. My commute by bus and electric light train takes approximately 1 Hr and 15 minutes each way, and cost me me $2.50 round trip. I certainly could not match that by driving my vehicle, and trainsit is actually more time-efficient for me because I don’t waste that time behind the wheel, but rather can read, sleep or work while commuting.

I had the pleasure of driving a Toyota Prius on a recent trip to Florida and found it to be a delightful and confortable vehicle. I would definitely consider buying one of these when my current vehicles are in need of replacement, but I probably will not go out and buy one until then.

My own personal belief is that electrical hybrids (whether plug in or parallel) are not the ultimate answer to this problem but rather some form of lean-burn internal combustion engine coupled with hydraulic hybrid techology that is already seeing use in the commercial fleets. The current fuel prices will drive the solution if we are intelligent enough to leave free enterprise alone to come up with the right answer, and if our own lack of planning and foresight coupled with rapid rise in fuel prices doesn’t kill the economy in the process. The right solution will not be quick and easy (and seldom is) and will cause some economic stress until we arrive at it, but it is out there and worth waiting for.

Ron

No,
my 12 year old corolla is fine for what I need. I will definitely be riding my bike to work more often this year, and look at other ways to cut out driving as well.

Is it a really efficient use of the entire resource chain to replace an existing vehicle for a new one that does not meet the needs of my family? My current vehicle has no offering that is comparable in size, carrying capacity or towing capability. There are many types of efficiency, the absolute measure should not just be fuel mileage for basing a decision. Efficient planning of trips to maximise the use of vehicle, slowing down on freeway trips 5-10 mph has decreased my monthly fuel usage by several gallons. Just as when I purchased initially, I will purchase the most effcient vehicle that meets all the needs of my family. On the technological front, it would be nice to see a more comprehensive development effort by the engineering commonuity to develop some retrofit capability for improving the efficiency of the millions of vehicles that are already on the road and will not likely be replaced in the near future as we wait for politicians to solve our “energy crisis” as efficiently as they done so far over the last 30 years…

As far as purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle is concerned, I already have: a Nissan Versa.

However, as far as the question is concerned, the “sacred cow” appears to be commuting in a vehicle which carries only one occupant. Even the vaunted “Smart Car” is designed with only one occupant in mind, and its fuel economy is mediocre compared with the advertized fuel economy that Geo Metro advertized a few years ago.

Americans appear to be unable to face the fact that commuting this way is at death’s door because there is a finite supply of petroleum on the planet. I remember that forty years ago, economists said we would run out of petroleum in 1987. New sources extended that to 2008. However, the laws of supply and demand are catching up to us at an alarming rate. Accelerated industrialization in China, India, and Russia have taken their fair share of the world’s supply, and the proportion they purchase will continue to grow. We’ve got to ask ourselves why we continue to stoke foreign economies: thus diminishing our supply and increasing our demand, by outsourcing our manufacturing to China, Rissia, and India.

What we really need to do is develop bio fuels and resist sending the raw materials to China, Russia and India despite the premium that such nations will be willing to pay. (Please note that it’s no secret how Chinese demand for scrap metal made the cost of scrap skyrocket in the United States). The same will happen with corn, sorghum, soy beans, and sugar.

We should also monitor who’s buying up land in the United States, and who’s lending money to the purchasers. Land for growing bio fuel crops will become the new international currency. Other nations no longer need to attack us to take over, they just need to buy the land out from under us.

KB

This question might be better suited to people currently driving vehicles that are clearly not fuel efficient. I plan to continue to drive my moderately fuel efficient four cylinder. Perhaps someday people will realize that they don’t need a SUV to maintain their “status” and to go pick up groceries. Perhaps everyone else will realize that they can obtain 8-12% fuel savings simply by adjusting how they drive. Gradual pressure on the throttle at a green light and more coasting to a red light not only saves fuel and melts less brake pad, but also creates a less wear-and-tear situation that saves additional fuel in the long run.

It simply does not make sense from a pure economics sense- considering all the expenses associated with a car- including repairs, insurance, depreciation, car payments… The first may be lower for a new car, but the last 3 are definitely much higher. The cost of gas can’t begin to make up for the other added costs!

If you really, really want electric vehicles, then push for nuclear power- those Watts that magically flow from your outlets come from somewhere!

I plan on buying a SmartCar in the near future. They are rated at 40mpg and for around 13k USD, the price is right. A Prius have a similar fuel efficiency, however it requires more non-renewable resources to build and they are priced in the range of 25k USD and higher. I know there are kits to extend the MPGe of a Prius, but it requires to be plugged to the mains which is not an option for an apartment dweller. I think the SmartCar is a good interim alternative for now.

We purchased a 2005 Toyota Prius new and are quite glad we did. This car gets excellent gas mileage (overall approx. 48-50mpg). Coming out of a major gas-guzzling Ford Expedition (with higher payments and insurance costs), we’ve been very pleased with our decision - it’s amazing to learn how much we can adapt (camping for a family of 4 with ease: canoe on top, bikes on back, 46 mpg…can’t complain!). As costs for plug-in conversions subside, we may consider upgrading to a lithium-ion battery to reach ~100mpg+ but the major drawback is that Toyota states that any modifications such as this void the hybrid Synergy-Drive system warranty.

No. From the selction I see available now I do not feel they are worth it. When an alternative or significant improvment becomes available I will certainly look into it. Currently going from 30MPG to 40MPG, even 50 is a joke. The hybrids have just about everything and normal gas car has plus all the addtional electric components which means more to break. I am very interested in the fuel cell cars; can’t wait for them to make it to my area.

No. I had rather pay an extra $1500 a year for gas than pay an extra $7000 in car payments. I’m a large guy and don’t fit in sub-compacts but my 20 MPG 1995 Olds 98 fits me just fine. Other than a few state run gross polluter buyback programs, I don’t see old vehicles being scrapped before they wear out - if I trade in my car, someone else will be driving in on the roads. In a few years, I’ll retire and drive much less. Perhaps we need a program to encourage the elderly to own the lower MPG vehicles. Another aid would be for insurance companies to insure 3rd vehicles at a very low rate since no more than two of the insured vehicles can be on the road at once. This would encourage families that do need an SUV or truck occasionally to also own high MPG vehicles for most of their driving and only use the large vehicle occasionally.

Back when I was in college, and afraid that gas prices would skyrocket, I decided to trade in my old Plymouth “gas guzzler” for a more fuel efficient VW Rabbit.
After a year or so I calculated what I had saved by buying the VW Rabbit. I lost money!
If you are in the market for a new vehicle, then by all means look for a more efficient vehicle that will reduce pollution However, you will not save the planet if you spend thousands of dollars on a new vehicle that is not significantly more efficient.

Already did, got rid of my 15 yr old minivan that was getting 17-18 and got a 4 cylinder Ranger pick up that is getting 23-25 (20%+ increase) but gas has gone from $3.20 to $4.00 since I got it in Dec.

Since I am currently getting up to 41 MPG with my 99 Honda Civic, I will wait until it’s demise, hopefully 50,000 miles in the future, before getting a hybrid vehicle. In addition, I am now driving slower and planning my trips more efficiently as well as bicycling to work. This should help conserve valuable fuel and reduce emissions.

I cut my weekly fuel useage almost in half, partially since I haven’t had to work over weekends for well over a year, and also by walking to nearby fast food restaraunts or brownbagging for lunch instead of driving longer distances.
Most of the recommendations like car pooling or bicycling to work just aren’t a viable option for most of us in my engineering department. We are just spread out over too large a geographic area. I did pool for about 6 months with a neighbor who worked with me, but there was just too much sudden travel and sudden individual ovetime since we worked on only a small number of common projects. And I challenge people to try walking or cycling 12 or more miles each way to work in a Northern Ohio winter
My current car is a 91 Grand Am that gets about 22 mpg in town and 28 on trips. It has 126,000 miles on it, and when I replace it, I hope to get a Vibe. My wife’s Vibe has the carrying capacity each of us frequently need. She gets about 28 mpg in town, since she rarely drives on highways. When we go on a trip, I can get at least 34 mpg average on a 628 mile trip to SC, with nearly 36 mpg through Ohio and the Carolinas. I also seem to be able to get at least 30 mpg with it in town. Practical and fuel efficient.
Things like the Smart Car are not a practical option for us. No practical carrying capacity.
I also don’t relish the idea of sitting on a Lithium based battery, unless or until they come up with significant safety improvements in that technology. Then, if the price came down to my level, I’d consider a plug-in hybrid, maybe with a solar panel on the roof and hood for stand-by recharging sitting in my drive or a mall parking lot.
Of course, I would only get a more fuel-efficient car for reducing the cost of driving. My viewpoint on global warming agrees with what I understand is the 57% of environmental scientists who do NOT back the idea, not with the apparent measely 17% who get all the press attention.
But, I do believe in reducing the useage of the limited supply of non-renewable fuels.
I also remember being concerned by the Chicken Littles in the early 60s crying about how we had only 20 years supply of petroleum - until I got to Lybia, got to talk to oil field engineers, who said there was a in fact a very limited amount of shallow cheap to extract oil, but they didn’t know how much would be available in deeper, therefore harder and more expensive to locate and extract pools.

I might consider risk of investing in a new car that gets maybe
30-50mpg. Probably an older used car would be a better deal when one considers the high cost of fuel, vs. depreciation, property taxes,
insurance, and periodic maintenance, the higher price of fuel doesn’t
seem to matter much does it?

Saw this coming a year ago and bought a Yaris. Not the most comfortable, or fastest, but it’s hard to argue with 40MPG.

No to the question. I was driving 4-cylinder japanese cars long before “green politics”. When I could finally afford a 4-wheel drive SUV, I was in heaven. As an engineer, I clearly understand the tradeoffs between vehicle types for fuel efficiency. I buy the vehicle for it’s intended use. Some folks cannot own 2 vehicles. For an outdoor-sy individual, a commute vehicle will not get them outdoors for quality time, where they can actually experience a natural environment. For the government to mandate what we drive is beyond the pale. If you want a Prius that would get stuck in a 4-inch washout, that’s your choice. You’re not going past where the pavement ends in that car. And stop it with the global warming nonsense. It’s the sun causing any global warming effects, and the evidence is that Mars’ temperature has increased slightly. SUVs are causing neither Mars nor the Earth to get hotter.

My ‘96 Geo Metro continues to get between 40 and 50 mpg, and my fifty-year-old Schwinn does even better than that. The trouble with the current discussion on ‘alternate fueled vehicles’ is that news directors and columnists seem to think that all technologies can develop as quickly as have digital electronics and communications, which are in fact anomalies. Storage batteries and fuel cells have been developing more slowly than most technologies, somewhat on the order of road-paving materials, which aren’t vastly better than they ever were.

I wish I could ride an electric bus (aka a trackless electric bus) or a train to get places, and the current arrangement of diesel 18-wheel tractor-trailers we use to haul goods overland is the very model of inefficiency in terms of both fuel and labor.

The last new car I bought was in 1989, and I still drive it. The next new car I buy will be a plug-in hybrid or plug-in all electric. We are way past the point to take action on oil consumption, primarily due to poor leadership.

I voted “No” on buying a fuel efficient car as I already have one that averages 32 mpg between tankfuls. It would get 3 to 5 mpg more if I changed my driving style. My plane gets even better mileage at 150 mph. As powerful as they are, both my motorcycle get in excess of 45 mpg.

I have always owned fuel efficient transportation, 2 wheels or 4 or winged.

When I can find an affordable car that delivers 100 mpg with reasonable comfort and adequate performance for day to day use, I’ll buy it. However, as things stand now, it appears more likely that such an option won’t exist unless I engineer and build it myself . . . . which is likely.

Art Bianconi
Milford, NJ

I believe we need to seek alternative methods of transportation for our daily commutes. With co-operation of employers (providing facilities) and suitable highway construction, bicycle commutes of up to 20 miles each way are a healthy alternative, weather permitting, of course. Now … if I can just get TXDOT to do thier part……

I believe we need to seek alternative methods of transportation for our daily commutes. With co-operation of employers (providing facilities) and suitable highway construction, bicycle commutes of up to 20 miles each way are a healthy alternative, weather permitting, of course. Now … if I can just get TXDOT to do their part……

I just bought a Toyota Sienna last October and my desire for 4wd, trailer towing out weighed my desire for fuel economy.
If Toyota made a 4 cylinder, more economical car, I would have gotten it.
So now I am stuck with it and have to limit my top speed to 60mph, put 40psi in the tires, so I can get about 24mpg hwy instead of the 21mpg rated economy. Otherwise it is impossible to achieve the rated economy.

First of all, global warming is nothing more than a commercial ploy being foisted on gullible Americans by the likes of failed politicians in order to put money in their own pockets through carbon trades. Go ahead and send your money but don’t spend my hard earned tax contributions. I will buy a gas hog if that is the type of transportation I need and thanks to all the greenies I’ll save far more on the good deal I’ll get buying their used car than I will ever spend on fuel.

No I wouldn’t purchase an old car. I currently have two older model cars that get better gas milage than the new models, with exception of the hybrids, maybe.

Already did! In 2006 I needed (wanted?) a new van. Most fuel efficient was the Honda (with variable displacement V6). Also made in America and made in the U.S. (mostly). Would rather have had a Toyota hybrid but they have chosen to make V8 hybrids for Lexus (competes with V12s!!!) than move the Highlander drive train to the Sienna van. I want the hybrid because it would be my first electric car (sort of), not just to save gas. I know it doesn’t make economic sense (yet) but the hybrids are so smooth and quiet.

No, I won’t buy a MORE fuel efficient vehicle, as I own a 2006 Toyota Prius, and my commuting vehicle is a bicycle - and has been, year-round, since 2002, in Michigan!

We KNOW that the oil will run out, but our government has had their collective heads in the sand (or elsewhere) since 1980. Until we put pressure on our political leadership to make the hard, and long-term, future-thinking decisions, we will continue our death by a thousand cuts….

I would love to buy a more fuel efficient car, whether a hybrid or just plain gas burning car. Unfortunately I cannot afford to go out and buy another car as I purchased a less efficient fuel burner about 1 1/2 years ago I also have a 1989 Toyota Celica, a real piece of rust, however it gets about 30 miles per gallon. The Jeep sits most of the time unless we just like some comfort or need to haul something.

It is great that they are making more fuel efficient cars, both hybrids as well as working toward increased mileage from gas and diesel models. If you remember diesel was supposed to be the savior when introduced into the automotive market. What happened to that?

The technology has been in place for many years now to operate hybrid cars, however there was no real interest because we wanted our big cars.

Even if we could all afford to go out and purchase a more fuel efficient car, what will happen to the millions of gas burning vehicles already on the road?

Also, mass transportion would be a good alternative if you could get from one place to another more rapidly. I only live 5 miles from my work, however transportation stops about 1/2 mile away and I would have to make 2 transfers just to get there.

I made the jump to eliminate hydrocarbons in my daily commute last year when I bought a Myers Motors NmG Electric Car. It does 75 mph, has more than enough capacity for my 25 mile round trip commute and is currently costing me $0.01 per mile to operate.

When my 13 year old Toyota bites the dust, I will opt for an AMERICAN BUILT hybrid or at least a more fuel efficient commuter car. Based on where I live and my impossible driveway (in winter) I will keep my gas guzzling 4WD Explorer and only drive it to Church on Sundays.

No, I’ll keep my SUV. I tried this during the 70s and my fuel burn went up 40% because I drove 2x as much. I’ve bought a new bicycle and adjusted my driving so I spend less on gas today than I did when it was $1/gal.

I plan to get a new or used Prius asap. Within the last year I sold my beautiful home in the Sierras and moved my family and business into town. So far I am saving about $500.00 per month on gasoline, and another $300.00 on heating and electric. My new home is far less beautiful and peaceful than my own, but my guess is that conservation is the only short term solution to our energy problems. Right now I put about 8K miles per year on my 6-cyl Toyota Tacoma, but I don’t need a 4X4 truck for city living. I figure the Prius should get between 2X and 3X better mileage.

I have been since the oil embargo of the 70s. What took everyone so long to learn that lesson? My best was a 91 Chevy/Geo Metro getting 52 mpg. I drove it 256,000 miles and was saddened that I could not get a new one in 2004. My bet was that they weren’t making as much on that model, as they do on the hybrids that the Metro outperformed!

I allready own a diesel pickup and my next family car will have a diesel engine as well. Although diesel (from petroleum) is currently priced higher than gasoline, i am betting that the price of biodiesel fuels will eventually become much much cheaper. Made from renewable resources such as soybeans or canola, biodiesel stands to become the future fuel of choice as petroleum reserves become more and more strained.

I love to watch some small petite lady trying to maneuver her SUV out of a parking spot. In my opinion, most people who buy SUV’s buy them under the mistaken impression that they are somehow safer than a smaller vehicle. Yes, they are safer when hitting a smaller vehicle, but they roll over far more easily than a smaller vehicle, and are therefore just as deadly. Once we get over this popular myth, buying a smaller vehicle will come more naturally.