Honey? Have you seen the baby this morning?
Sad when it's 40 degrees and it feels balmy outside.
A few months back I wrote that I wanted a truck. But with crazy gas prices (thank you environmentalist), it's kind of a scary time to get one. But I think I may have found what will be my next vehicle. Nissan announced the 2005 Nissan Xterra. I've always been a big fan of the Xterra. They look cool, are solidly built and while they are roomy, they don't take up an entire zip code like an Escalade or a Hummer. The one thing holding me back is their engine selection is a bit weak. Current in the 2004 model it comes with a V6 engine that only puts out 180 horse power. However the 2005 model will come with a much beefier 250 hp engine that puts out 280 foot pounds of torque. What does all that mean? It means while all the bitches in their Mercedes and BMW's are stuck in the snow or mud, Xterra's will be kicking mud in their direction as it frees itself from the murky grip of wet earth. So now I'm sold. I think when they come out this winter, I'll lay low for a while let the initial rush pass and then BAM, XTERRA time!!! A coworker has a 2004 model and loves it. He let me drive it the other day and damn was it cool. It's not nearly as cushy and refined as my Accord, but thats exactly whats wrong with my Accord. The car is too nice, too quiet, too smooth. I want a vehicle with some stones, with a little bit of muscle and a lot of soul. In the immortal words of Eric Cartman...KICK ASS!!!
Robots are our friends. I think its funny how in 2004 we had a movie called I-Robot, which I havent seen yet, but I believe is about a robot that goes over the edge and kills someone. So isn't it Ironic that one of this years hottest gifts is the Roomba, a robotic automatic vacuum made by a company named iRobot. Hello people, have we learned nothing from Will Smith? Was he not correct when he said Uncle Phil was fat? And what about all the life lessons in Independence Day and Men in Black!!! I predict these vacuums will work according to plan during the day, but at night it will undock itself and eat babies!!!! If I ever get one, I'm calling it Rosie.
A few months back I wrote that I wanted a truck. But with crazy gas prices (thank you environmentalist), it's kind of a scary time to get one. But I think I may have found what will be my next vehicle. Nissan announced the 2005 Nissan Xterra. I've always been a big fan of the Xterra. They look cool, are solidly built and while they are roomy, they don't take up an entire zip code like an Escalade or a Hummer. The one thing holding me back is their engine selection is a bit weak. Current in the 2004 model it comes with a V6 engine that only puts out 180 horse power. However the 2005 model will come with a much beefier 250 hp engine that puts out 280 foot pounds of torque. What does all that mean? It means while all the bitches in their Mercedes and BMW's are stuck in the snow or mud, Xterra's will be kicking mud in their direction as it frees itself from the murky grip of wet earth. So now I'm sold. I think when they come out this winter, I'll lay low for a while let the initial rush pass and then BAM, XTERRA time!!! A coworker has a 2004 model and loves it. He let me drive it the other day and damn was it cool. It's not nearly as cushy and refined as my Accord, but thats exactly whats wrong with my Accord. The car is too nice, too quiet, too smooth. I want a vehicle with some stones, with a little bit of muscle and a lot of soul. In the immortal words of Eric Cartman...KICK ASS!!!
Robots are our friends. I think its funny how in 2004 we had a movie called I-Robot, which I havent seen yet, but I believe is about a robot that goes over the edge and kills someone. So isn't it Ironic that one of this years hottest gifts is the Roomba, a robotic automatic vacuum made by a company named iRobot. Hello people, have we learned nothing from Will Smith? Was he not correct when he said Uncle Phil was fat? And what about all the life lessons in Independence Day and Men in Black!!! I predict these vacuums will work according to plan during the day, but at night it will undock itself and eat babies!!!! If I ever get one, I'm calling it Rosie.
7 Comments:
Without getting too preachy, I don't think most people need SUVs and I wish the craze would just go away. I especially think most H2 owners should simply be executed by putting them in a sealed room with one of those suckers running the engine. But, if you have to get a truck, check these hybrids out:
http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/escapehybrid/
Ford Escape Hybrid, just like the normal Escape, only less polluting.
http://www.lexus.com/models/hybrid/
Not much info on the website yet, but the Lexus RX400h will be a hybrid version of the 330, top selling small SUV in America. Swankier than the Xterra, better mileage and heated seats.
http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/hybrid/
For the manly and environmentally responsible. It even has an AC plug in the bed to plug in any standard 120volt appliances/tool/big screen tvs for the ultimate tail gate party.
http://www.toyota.com/highlander/
Starting this year, Highlander comes in a hybrid. I don't know much about this thing, but I think it's pretty much the non-luxury LExus RX400h...
Yeah I agree, most people don't need SUV's, especially the really super huge ones like the Ford Excursion, the Chevy Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, Dodge Durango etc. It's foolish to get a vehicle that gets 8-12 mile to the gallon. I would never get one that big. But companies like Nissan, Toyota and Honda have made huge strides in boosting testosterone quaking horsepower while keeping gas consumpion to a minumum. For example a Honda Pilot is a full sized SUV that seats 8 that gets 20 mpg. Not exactly as thrify as a Corolla or a Civic, but I bet it gets as good if not better gas mileage that many sedans and wagons, including your Taurus wagon. THe current Xterra gets close to the same. Not sure how much gas consumpionw ill go up since the 2004 model is 180 hp and the 2005 will be 250, but I consider anything between 15-20 mpg reasonable.
I would love a hybrid SUV, but there are a few reasons I won't get one. They are anywhere from $5000-$8000 more than the same all gas model. So my monthly payment is going to be a lot more. And I certainly wouldn't be able to afford a Lexus or Toyota Hybrid. Secondly, the technology is new, so you have to be pretty adventurous to buy a hybrid when it's not really clear how well the resale value is going to be, how long they will last, and what kind of longevity the car will have. Any kind of repair on a hybrid is going to be quite costly. So out of all the SUB hybrids out there, the one I could probably come closest to affording is an Escape. My sister had an all gas escape and Ford issued 3 recalls in the 2 years she owned it. Ford has had about 100 years to perfect the gas engine, and they still have some quirky issues. Why would I spend $30,000 on a Ford hybrid with such new, unfounded technology?
And SUV's can be quite handy. Case in point, this past summer I transported a 36 inch television up to my moms house. Loading something that large and heavy into a 4 door sedan is not easy. Much easier with a vehcile with a tail gate in the back. Secondly, living where I do now, there have been several occasions where we've gone to events like county fairs, pumpkin patches, apple orchards etc where I've had to park my car in a dirt or grass field. An Accord or Civic doesn't do too well on grass and mud :-).
My current car is a Honda Accord. My wife drives a Civic. Both cars are low emissions vehicles. The Accord gets one of the best gas mileages for a V6. I get close to 30 mpg on the highway and around 22-25 city driving depending on traffic and weather. So your message isn't falling on deaf ears. I do look for vehicles with low emissions, and realtively good gas milage. So I don't see any real crime in buying an SUV that gets the same gas milage as many mid sized sedans?
I wasn't trying to be a bitch, just pointing out some other alternatives. I don't have many worries for the Toyota hybrids, Mr. Dowd has had a Prius since the first model year and has had no problems with it at all, the RX and I presume the Highlander are using pretty much the same engine.
My Taurus should have gotten 27 when brand new, it's got nearly 150k on it, so that's dropped a bit.
Like I said at the top of my post, my big problem is with the monsters that get 8-15 mpg and are a hazard to everyone on the road... I still think even the smaller SUVs are a danger to people, but the environmental impact isn't as bad at least. I wonder how much mileage an Outback or the new Ford Freestyle gets? These new sport wagons get the same benefits of SUVs in terms of space in the back and off road capability, but weigh less and so should use less gas, plus they won't instantly kill anyone you might have a fender bender with.
You can only name it Rosie if it is that same red color. Otherwise, it will be bluebee or something.
Yeah I think we actually agree here for the most part. If I did get a HYbird it would surely be from Toyota, Honda or Nissan. The Prius is pretty sweet, in fact I named it car of the year in my list of best and worst of 2004. The styling just needs a little work. But the Prius technology wise is really impressive. You don't even need a key to start it. It comes with this little sensor you hang on your keyring that is like a keyless entry module. You walk up to the car and it unlocks itself as long as you have that sensor on your keychain. It can be in your pocket, in your hand, in a purse etc. Then you sit in the drivers seat the same sensor sends a signal to the engine and you just press a button and the car starts up. Really cool stuff. Plus like you mentioned, you can plug stuff in to an outlet in the car like an outlet in your house.
I definitely think hybrids are the next big thing. Toyota has already developong a racing prototype that puts out over 300 horsepower from an electric engine. So I think over the next 5 years or so, we'll start to see all gas cars get phased out for the most part. The only people I see sticking with all gas cars are contractors, landscapers etc who rely on the super duty type trucks like the Ford F-350. As of now, I haven't seen any hybrids that deliver a large amount of torque for pulling and towing. But Im sure as the technology gets developed they will develope something that can tow and pull like a regular combustion engine.
What needs to happen in the short term is prices need to come down a bit and more models need to be made available as a hybrid. Honda and Toyota are going in the right direction. In 2005 they will both offer 2 Hybrid vehicles. I think for most people right now if given the choice of a Toyota Corolla for $15,000 which gets around 35-40 mpg or spending an extra $5,000-6,000 on a Prius which gets about 50 mpg, people will buy the Corolla. Plus there is a waiting list on the Prius, so you actually have to pay close to sticker price. No wheeling and dealing on them. I actually looked into get a Prius, and it was price at around $21,000. Kind of pricey for a car that small. So Im hoping as the technology improves, that automakers begin charging the same price for a Honda Civic hybrid as they do for a regular Honda Civic.
I would never buy an SUV that gets 12 mpg. I drive about 60 miles round trip for work. I would be use 5 gallons of gas a day. 25 gallons a week. At the current gas prices down here of $1.65 it would cost me over $40.00 a week. Over $2,000 a year in gas. And gas prices are actually pretty good right now. They were hovering around $2.00 for a while. No way Im spending $50.00 a week on gas.
We did indeed get the red one, but we haven't tried out "Rosie" just yet. I'll let everyone know how she works out...
There used to be a $2000 tax credit available for anyone who purchased a hybrid car, to encourage people to do so, but the administration of George "Failed Oil Baron" Bush repealed it. Now there is a large tax credit for people to drive SUVs.
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