Well, let's see... I've had a Pontiac Grand Am that I used as my "4wd"
vehicle for several years--ended up buying a mountain bike to get back
further in the woods. Then I bought a used 1981 Toyota 4WD (long-bed)
truck and absolutely loved the ground clearance. Decided to never be
without a 4wd again. Oops, I foolishly traded it in on a 1988 Mazda RX-7
convertable. Couldn't go anywhere off-road, but boy were the roads fun.
Then the RX-7 got traded in on a 1990 4WD Suburban. You wanna talk about
gas-guzzlers? Try 12-14 mpg on a good day! But when loaded with
passengers the "per-passenger" mileage got pretty good--kinda like a loaded
747.
We are now looking at getting rid of the Suburban and getting a 1997 Mazda
MPV 4WD. Seats eight, and gets 19mpg on the highway!!!! That will be the
family vehicle (soccermomobile) and I will get my wife's Jeep Cherokee
which gets 16-17mpg.
Before every enviro-wannabe on the list starts throwing rotten tofu at me,
I don't commute to work, we live in a snowbelt and I use these vehicles to
access areas for my photography (OM-content). We also like to go places
with other couples while hauling the kids. One vehicle at 14mpg is as
efficient as two at 28mpg--and we get to talk on the way. Our house is
currently partial-solor (next year might be grid-free if I can afford the
battery storage) and I ride my bicycles a lot. If I commuted 70 miles
every day, I'd get another 30-35mph car. I also only use Ethanol-blended
fuels. MTBE is a petroleum product, ethanol is a renuable resource (corn)
and helps the economy of Iowa.
Oh, and George, regarding the parking situation in the south-bay area. My
suggestion is to wrap the winch on your Tahoe around the axle of those Geo
Metros and pull them out into the road (illigally parked, of course) then
take the spot. A tow-strap attached to your frame hook also works well.
I'm personally a fan of removing the cores out of the air-valves of their
tires too (all four). (tape them to the windshield--you don't want to be
arrested for theft). Two minutes of work and the police will be towing
away the "abandoned" vehicle that you have sabotaged. Oh, and a can of
water-soluble spray paint does wonders too. Don't forget to call the
police on your cell-phone to get them there right away. If you are lucky,
the car will be towed away before the "victim" returns to his vehicle. A
power screwdriver is handy for taking the license plates off too.
(Duct-tape them underneath to the frame). Hee-hee, it might be weeks
before the victim gets his car back AND he will have to pay for various
fines and towing and new plates and... Just think of the gas saved because
the wacko can't drive to work for two or three weeks.
Ken (Save the Skeet) Norton
Newton (land of pickup trucks) Iowa
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