hybrid or gas guzzler (research for english paper)

[cripwalk10]

:racing: WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER DRIVE A HYRID OR A GAS GUZZLER? YOU TELL ME..... AND TELL ME WHY WHETHER IT BE...

*SAFTEY
*ROOMY
*CUZ YOU HAVE THE MONEY
*OTHER

[JonzMgnm]

Gas Guzzler for me because I enjoy the heck out of my HEMI!:racing:

[Bandit]

Gas Guzzler.

For purely selfish reasons. Someday perhaps they will create a high horsepower hybrid, and then I might look into it, but for now I need as much power as I can get.

Also Hybrids right now are kind of a joke. The money you save in the extra mileage is spent right up front because all Hybrid versions are more expensive (by a few thousand) over their gas-only versions. The last report I read on a particular vehicle was that you would have to own the car for 3 years to break even on the extra you paid vs. the money saved on gas over a standard fuel vehicle. So right now while the technology is expensive, it really means nothing unless you plan to own the car for a very long time.

[Phil Hunter]

I would consider a hybrid, provided the make them with performance comparible to the type of vehicles that I buy. The new Lexus LS 460H is an example of the type of hybrid I would consider. I would not consider the Honda, Toyota and Prius type hybrids. Not becasue they are bad cars, but because I would not buy the regular versions of these cars either. When the industry starts to deliver high performance hybrids, other than the very expensive LS460H, I will consider them.


Phil

[Allevon]

:racing: WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER DRIVE A HYRID OR A GAS GUZZLER? YOU TELL ME..... AND TELL ME WHY WHETHER IT BE...

*SAFTEY
*ROOMY
*CUZ YOU HAVE THE MONEY
*OTHER



GAS GUZZLER ALL THE WAY!!!!!!

the choice reason will ALWAYS BE PERFORMANCE.

I will NEVER buy a Hybrid or other fuel cell type. Im not into nor care about Baterry/Solar/Corn power or anything junk dealing Japan makes. I want and enjoy combustion. Plus with technology progression, combustion is burning much cleaner than ever before and I dont care about the impact on the planet. Science will find a cure for that anyway.

My only regret? That I know some of my cash pays the Middle Sandpile because SOME people here wont let us drill in Alaska. So until the Middle Sandpile dries up and they all starve, im stuck with having to support their economies.

Let the whack jobs in Bezerkley drive the Hybrids to Siberia where they belong and make sure the sun dont shine so they cant re-charge and come back. :mrgreen:

Ok theres my opinion like it or not. lol :racing:

[nick_danger]

Given the facts behind arguments regarding the environment, fuel, etc. I'm going to stick with gas guzzlers for quite a while... The idea of a hybrid sounds nice, but until Smiles Per Gallon meets or exceeds Miles Per Gallon, I'm gonna continue to rock the V8.

[Cdoggown]

Gas Guzzler with MDS. If I was still getting 13MPG like I was in my 97 STS I would have to seriously look at a hybrid, but I get nearly 21MPG with my 5.7l HEMI compared to my 4.9l Northstar...

[bipto]

Gas prices would have to double again before I would consider "Miles Per Gallon" more important than "Fun Per Mile" in any automobile purchase.

I've driven a couple of Priuses - there aint a lot of fun there... :roll:

[Bandit]

HA!

Bipto drove a Prius.....

[WIMP]

Would never trade my Magnum in on a
hybrid... No room, + IMO it would be more efficient for the mostly higheay driving I do, to get a compact FWD car with a gas motor & manual tranny. In the real world the Hybrids aren't efficient enough to payback the Higher sticker price.

[formerice]

Is 22 mpg a gas guzzler or 25 mpg highway? If I trade my RT Magnum in, its gonna be on a SRT8 Magnum or the Challenger. Not gonna drive a rollerskate or motorized phonebooth!

[bipto]

HA!

Bipto drove a Prius.....
LOL - I only admit that when I think I'm among friends... :wink:

[COOKZ32]

Nobody saved me any buffalo!

[brewman]

Somehow I think you are asking the wrong crowd this question if this is supposed to be a scientific sampling....

Seriously, I spend way too much time each day in my car to drive a boring vehicle just for fuel economy's sake. Fun rules!

[hawkxp]

Here are my 2 bits as to why people should NOT buy a hybrid:
1) Environment- The batteries are toxic to say the least. Not just lead, but lots of hard metals. Estimated lifespan I last read from either a consumer reports/pop sci mag was ~10-11 years.

While that may be longer then a typical engine (with typical use), an engine can, and often does get recycled (steel is one of the best materials for reuse). Batteries DONT recycle very well.

So in 6-10 years we are going to see SoCal (does anyone else buy them :)) having major problems with battery disposal.

2) Safety pt1. I dont care what anyone says. Until everyone is driving the same size & weight vehicles. I want the heaviest beast there is to protect my family. I want big tires for better road handling. Part of the way that the prius/honda get such millage numbers is they narrow, aerodynamic, small, and light. Ever seen one in a wreck with a surburban? I have. Basically, the suburban (not at fault in the one wreck I saw) looked like it did a little hard four wheeling..... And bent up the tire well... The prius, required the jaws of life and had at least 1 compound fracture.
I got two boys and my wife... I want to be in my wifes surburban. Or heck... My magnum :)

And when the hybrids get heavier and behave like a normal SUV/guzzler they only get 5% better millage, and make NO sense.

3) Safety pt2- There was an article (cant find it from work) where a prius got in a wreck and the fire department could NOT help the person, before hazmat because the battery cracked and was leaking toxic fumes. I beleive the firemen, being well... firemen... got in and help anyway, and got chemical burns. The driver also suffererd chemical burns.

4) ROI- As stated previously, you will NEVER break even on the gas vs extra cost. until the extra cost is gone, and its more like a auto vs a manual option, any premium is a ego cost.

5) Fun factor- Actually, you can have a TON of fun in a prius. A friend of mine (Portland Area) bought a prius for the engineering novilty, and found mods for the system, allowing you to eliminate the HP limiter on the DC motors. Esssentially producing for a VERY SHORT TIME almost 500 hp. He did have it dynoed... but couldnt maintain it for more then 2-3 seconds before the batttery started to way overheat.

But they are so light, 500 hp for 2-3 seconds will stomp any LX.. but if you dont shut it down... you just bought your self a really cool paperweight until you replace the battery and lots of wire.

Scott

[bklynmag]

As I only drive the Magnum on the weekends since I use mass transit daily, I'll take the gas guzzler with more power, room, style, etc. every time.

If I commuted to work daily, I would seriously consider the hybrid or atleast a more efficient vehicle. I have to do my part to make sure the world is in good shape for my kid when he grows up!

[BobF's 6POINT1]

Mine is Both (http://videos.streetfire.net/search/magnum+srt/0/7942cf9a-68e9-47f8-9c1b-c6331ce8ea1a.htm)

Maybe you can use this in the multimedia portion of your presentation.

[razman131]

GAS GUZZLER ANY DAY!!!

i luv my MSRT8... bought it to carry around the wife, kids and wither sets of paretnal units.... jsut dont and never will have the room in my Dakota R/T....

gots to have a heavy and safe vehicle these days with all the big SUVs out there. hit a hybrid in one, well, call the coroner after you call teh HAZMAT unit or BIO-WASTE unit depending on whats left of the occupants inside a hybrid.

SoCal already has a recycling prob, you already have to pay to dump a TV or a PC.... or any other type of hard to recycle stuff. cant wait to see the fees to recycle a hybrid car.... or if your local Pick-Ur-Part or Ecology will take them. though it would be coo lto see what happens to one after you run it through the grinder on Terminal Island.

[Displaced Hokie]

First, a Mag isn't really a guzzler. 15mpg highway is a guzzler. Our cars are pretty efficient compared to other cars on the road. Remember, we are only a few ticks (city or highway) from most other mid-size or large sedans. We are leaps better than large SUV (which also have a purpose in life).

No hybrids for me. Just give me back my '89 Civic SI or our old '80 VW Rabbit pickup. My Civic got 35mpg highway and went 0-60 in 8 seconds. Fun, and frugal. Our old VW truck would haul most of the things you need to haul on a regular basis and got 30mpg all day long. Both were light, simple, efficient vehicles. For commuting, just give me a basic vehicle without all the fluff. People act like it's amazing when a vehicle can get 30-40 mpg these days. Heck, we were doing it 20 years ago without no stinking batteries! I'll trade some power for MPG in my commuter vehicles.

Or, get the best of both worlds - a modern diesel. Many people on this board would trade our cars for the common rail diesel versions offered in Europe. A 30 mpg Mag/300/Charger - hell yeah!

Hokie

[BobF's 6POINT1]

I actually try to make up for using a little more fuel by conserving in other ways.

[COOKZ32]

I actually try to make up for using a little more fuel by conserving in other ways.

I agree with ya, I have changed all the light fixtures in my home to use either an LED or a Compact Flourescent. Energy efficient windows and doors, and over R50 in the attic. I'm also using less gas now then when I was driving Suburbans.

I was only kidding about the Buffalo...:roll:

[gn300]

Is not any hemi car a hybred they all burn gas and rubber!

With todays tec stuff both performance and econamy can be in the same package unless you think in 60 mpg's or have right foot spasms!

Realisticly lx cars 6 or 8 cyl are not that bad but.... Bring on the 3.0 high torque deisel 6 speed and the we will talk!

[NukedSRT]

At this point, it will be my "Gas Guzzler" always. If the hybrid technology advances to provide similar levels of performance as an SRT-8, then I would consider it. But I probably couldn't afford a performance hybrid like that.

Having the all-electric Tesla roadster (http://teslamotors.com) would be awesome.

[OoTLink]

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/hybrid/hybrid-hemi-gaselectric-durango-on-the-way-165464.php

Won't be long until you can get your cake and eat it too. Personally, I'd still stick with the non-hybrid unless the trunk wasn't consumed with batteries. - The little battery on my laptop scares the crap outta me - first because the original got recalled due to a few defective ones that *gasp* ASPLODED and then there's the fact it packs the same amount of energy a typic alarm system battery would (hint: they weigh about 4 or 5lbs). 4Ah? My laptop battery has 4480mAh!

Errr.. anyway... ever see the size of the battery in a prius? It's the size of a friggin spare tire well or something. :\

Totally agreed I'd buy a 300C CRD in a heartbeat! Put a conservative turbo on and it'd be fast nuff. OTOH, ,it wouldn't be a HEMI :\

[COOKZ32]

Thanks OoTlink, that was an interesting find.

[OoTLink]

BTW I heard that since most hybrids use nimh batteries, you don't have to worry about the content since it's not really flammable and won't really hurt ya. Hrm.

[Jaak]

Hybrids are still not mature enough to be a good vehicle long term. Yes, electric motors will kick ass as well, if you have the juice.

I also have a concern for the current battery technology management and disposal/recycling, and there's a factor that's ignored in this thread...

These cars are not basic transportation, they are entertainment. We love how they go, how they handle, how they look, how they sound...

The first time I heard an R/T at idle, it sent a shiver up my spine. Having grown up in the 60's, V8's were a way of life and frankly, a familiar comfortable sound, that I still love to this day. I also love hard acceleration.

So bearing that in mind, when you look at all the other things people blow money on as hobbies, what's wrong with spending it on a car?

Making this comparison with a bunch of enthusiasts, which is what most of us are on this site, will really produce twisted results not representative of the general population.

This car is entertainment, and also fills duty as my basic transportation. But when I arrive, I'm smiling a heck of a lot bigger than any Prius owner.

[Go Mango]

Hybrids are still not mature enough to be a good vehicle long term. Yes, electric motors will kick ass as well, if you have the juice.

I also have a concern for the current battery technology management and disposal/recycling, and there's a factor that's ignored in this thread...

These cars are not basic transportation, they are entertainment. We love how they go, how they handle, how they look, how they sound...

The first time I heard an R/T at idle, it sent a shiver up my spine. Having grown up in the 60's, V8's were a way of life and frankly, a familiar comfortable sound, that I still love to this day. I also love hard acceleration.

So bearing that in mind, when you look at all the other things people blow money on as hobbies, what's wrong with spending it on a car?

Making this comparison with a bunch of enthusiasts, which is what most of us are on this site, will really produce twisted results not representative of the general population.

This car is entertainment, and also fills duty as my basic transportation. But when I arrive, I'm smiling a heck of a lot bigger than any Prius owner.

Well said!!!!!!!:racing:

[Go Mango]

To drive a Hybrid or a Gas Guzzler?? The LX's are only gas guzzlers because we don't care, and we enjoy the pleasure they bring us.
I did a trip this past summer and set my cruise at 120, at times picked up the pace and hit 193 at one point. I spent 2 days driving the mountains of Cape Breton, sped away from almost every stoplight in Halifax Nova Scotia, just to show the Impotents :wink:, how a real car sounds.
What was my average mileage when I got back to Brampton???? just under 30 MPG.
My point is, if you drove a 4 banger (or more likely, TRIED to) at those speeds, with that acceleration, you'd be lucky to get anywhere near the 30 MPG mark, nor complete the trip in two weeks.
These LX's are fun fun FUN!!!! Momma don't take my LX away!
IMHO!!