Re: O.T. --- Today's Gas Fill Up --- O.T.

The newest motor vehicle we own is over 17 years old ... and I have the tools to work on all of them .

You should consider an EV. They are simple and low-maintenance, and easier & way more fun to drive than gasbangers. Electricity is also a lot cheaper than gas.

For most people, there's not a very good case for gas cars.

Electric cars are the future, not the present.

I'll wait another decade or two.

The most practical cars are hybrids. Better yet, plug in hybrid. If I were buying a new car, I can't think of one I'd prefer over this.

I may never buy another car though. We own an old Yaris that gets decent mileage for around town, an Infiniti for longer trips and an old beater Acura RDX with 200K+ miles that's mostly for camping or snow. The Infiniti is great, but it guzzles 93 octane. Not that bad these days because gas is cheap, but a dew years ago premium was like $4.50, and it cost $70 to fill up that thing.

We save $200-$300 a year buying gas at Costco. That $65 membership also gets us $5 chickens.

Urban or suburban use favors EVs - road trips not at all.

I don't necessarily agree. We drive a 2009 Corolla and a 2010 Prius. We've never needed a repair on either car, only routine maintenance. Our auto insurance is MUCH lower that it would be if we had 2 cars still in warranty, and the $$ we've saved by not selling/trading every few years and in lower insurance premiums has been invested. Even if we had several $K repairs to both cars, we'd still be way ahead in cost of ownership. Neither car has a rattle or rust and the engines run as smoothly as when they were new. The corolla gets about 30 mpg in town and in the high 30s on the highway. The prius still gets 48-55 mpg depending more on the weather than on driving conditions. We both have clean driving records and would probably be more distracted rather than helped by all the flashing lights and chimes or beeps from all the newer sensors that are now standard equipment in the new cars.

Wut???

You have heard of Tesla, right?

For another mud flood to wipe our records out?

Ok, but those were not listed as unreliable in that video I linked to.

Which is kind of an important sub-point.

Computerization of cars is turning us all into flat screen controls flunkies.

Eyes off the road and searching endless sub-menus for the power window controls...

It's as bad in terms of diminished reaction times as drunk driving or texting while driving.

EVs are great for road trips if you can use Tesla charging stations. The others may be hit or miss.

Which means major interstates only, not 2ndry, US, or state and county roads.

I can't see the sense in anything other than a hybrid unless you only drive around town and never use a car for long trips. At some point my wife and I are going to go one long, long driving trips, alternating between tent camping, moderately priced motels and the occasional neat, quirky or historic hotel. I want to mostly stay off the Interstates unless we're going through the mountains. Short driving days on two lane roads when practical is appealing.

Hybrids are also a great choice. They are economical, but complicated, and still have the maintenance issues of an ICE.

Sadly , no. I made the mystake of basing it on a Fiat, which more or less disintegrated. It was a 1975 Fiat 128 Sport Coupe -like this one:

The ICE of a hybrid should almost never be stressed, so the engine should last virtually forever, and oil changes could be infrequent. Change the coolant every ten years or so. Yeah, eventually they'll need exhaust work. In the case of a PHEV, the engine is only experiencing the wear of a backup generator.

I really wish they gave the time/miles it ran on electric vs gas. Oil change recommendations are the same as ICE at 8000 miles.

My average for the 8000 miles is about 45 mpg. Best is on the back roads traveling at 45 to 50 mph and then I can exceed 50mpg/ Cold weather reduces the mileage as the engine runs for heat.

Less so the starter motor which has a regular and tough duty cycle.

Basically true.

They tend to hide that vital statistic - they don't brag about going ~ 35 miles < at best > on battery only .. .. that's on a fully charged, new, perfect weather, etc My neighbour has a Kia Sorento hybrid - a couple years old now - I'm curious about how he'll feel about it in a couple more years .. John T.

That makes a difference to you because you trade in when the warranty is expiring, but for a vehicle out of warranty, oil changes can be extended with top of the line oils.

Yes, ans the starter motor, though I would think that would only be used when the car is stopped, or when the ICE is used for added acceleration for a slow speed, but I don't know the workings of the system.

If we ever inherit a bunch of money, maybe we'll get the Lexus PHEV, but absent that unlikely event, or a wreck, I think we've got a lifetime supply of cars.