I work 35 miles from my home. No biking for me. Even if I wanted to (which I don't), it would be out of the question since I have to dress business professional on every day except Sundays (I have to work every other Sunday). By the time I got in to work, I'd be a sweaty mess, my suit would be wrinkled and I'd be just plain annoyed if the weather shifted (which it does a lot in Ohio). I am, however, buying a new car this week and as part of the major downsizing of my life, I'm getting rid of my beloved gas guzzler and trading it in on a hybrid or a four-cyl. ~String
Biking is also impossible for me. I too must dress professionally. Add to that, I have multiple offices, the nearest of which is about 20 miles from my house (my "home office"). The furthest office is about 100 miles from my house ( I don't go to that one much). The office I worked at today is about 75 miles from my house. I work there one or two days a week. As far as hybrids go, I looked into one a few years ago. I wasn't impressed. They're really expensive, really small, and the gas milage isn't as good as I'd expect based upon the premium you pay for them. I've also heard that the batteries aren't covered under the warrenty and cost thousands of dollars to replace. I'd suggest maybe a diesel volkswagon Jetta, it gets 50 mpg and doesn't need any damned batteries! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I wanted to get one when I bought my last new car a few years ago, but at the time they weren't being allowed into the country for some reason. Hell, my old Geo Metro cost me only 6 grand brand new and got over 50 mpg! I don't know why they stopped making that car. It kicked ass. Cheap, simple technology, and reliable. I gave mine to my sister years ago when I bought a new car and she immediately wrecked it.
No point, You get more exercise and less tiresome when you walk. Biking was just a semi solution to my lateness.
what!!! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! It goes totally different for me...if it wasnt for my bike I would be late so many times already...plus I dont just bike from point A to point B I bike all over town Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! You must be living close to school or something than. When I get on a bike I feel free...I can get to a point I think of and just ride there and I get so much adrenaline rush. I luv it.
My dad had a Geo Metro back in the 90's. It was the basest of the base models. Five speed tranny, no AC and no power this-or-that. He had to drive downtown Cleveland (45 mi one way) and at 7 grand, it not only saved him by not destroying his beloved pickup, but it also saved him untold thousands of dollars spent on petrol. As you said yourself, it got like 50 mi per gallon. I can't imagine why they haven't brought it back, especially now considering the prices. On my end, I will admit to a bit car snobbery. I've bought a new car every two years (I put a ton of miles on, so leasing is outta' the question). Two years ago I traded in my SUV (which I absolutely loved) on a nice Ford 500 (now, renamed the Taurus) with all the bells and whistles. I went out about a month ago to buy a Fusion (which I've been drooling over for a year now), but held off. After sitting down and looking at how wasteful I've been over the past 7 years, I have decided to cut back on a number of unnecessary things, including the vehicle and go with a small car. It'll be tough in the winter, but I was looking at Corollas, Colbolts and Civics. I hadn't even considered looking at VW's (shoddy records in the past two decades and overall maintenance costs have kept me away). Long story short, I will take a look at the VW you mentioned (the dealership is right next to the Honda dealership where I live). Thanks for the advice. ~String
Sounds like your dad and I had about the same car. I had just graduated from undergrad and had a temp job working at Delta Faucet as a chemist and was still working nights at seven-eleven. I had no money so I got what was probably even a more base model than your dad. Stick shift, no air. I even made them take out the radio rather than pay the $300 bucks they were charging for it. I just took the old one out of the car I'd just wrecked. Same deal with the floor mats. That's how I got it down to about 6k. But that was a great little car. Despite being a three cylinder, it had decent pick up. When my dad heard about what great gas mileage I was getting, he got one too. But his was a much fancier model with air conditioning and an automatic transmission. It had terrible pick up. PS I was checking out the Prius on line and they're claiming the 2009 model may get 94 mpg. That might be worth a look, after all. The one I looked at a few years ago was getting less than 50 mpg.
HA! My dad did the same thing: he had them take out the radio! What a laugh. I guess, if you're going for a Metro, you're really going for no frills. So why get anything added? When I said "five speed tranny" I meant, "manual tranny". It's how I learned to drive stick. We used to call it the "wannabe" because, as you know, it just wanted to be so much more. I'm going back to a manual transmission too. They get better gas mileage... though, I will MOST CERTAINLY be getting AC. With the stricter guidelines on how they advertise the mileage, that is quite a statement, indeed. Worthy of checking out. ~String
BTW, here is a picture I took this morning of my bike here in my office. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I bike to school everyday - it's about 1.5 miles - and obviously faster than car or bus for such a short distance. Not quite the enormity of 20-mile commutes, but I plan on trying that someday as well. Over the past 3 years I've probably accumulated close to 3000 miles on this cheap Wal-Mart bike. There is a professor here who bikes 17 miles here to campus everyday, and takes the bus back. And don't even start with the stories of breakdowns, because I've had countless numbers of them. Virtually every part of the bicycle, except for the bottom bracket, has at one point or another malfunctioned or obliterated itself. Yet still it's totally worth it - I have learned a LOT about bicycle mechanics in the process of countless repairs. The energy equivalent of bicycling at 5 mph is 2880 mpg, according to MIT professor David Wilson. At 15 mph the efficiency drops dramatically to about 900 mpg. Hey, but still waaaaay beyond cars, don't you think? The exercise sure is worth it too.
I'm about 6 miles from my work, + I don't own a bicycle. I don't own a car either, but when I do get one it'll be standard (not automatic), and 4-cylinder. Easier on my wallet and on the environment -- although to be perfectly honest it is more about the wallet than the environment. The smaller effect on the environment is a bonus, but I am not deluding myself in thinking that I alone can make an impact (contrary to popular slogans Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!)
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! You can add these tiny 2 or 4 stroke engines without too much trouble. Great gas mileage and they extend the practicality of cycling. I don't have one yet...
Well I could NOT bike to work if I wanted, during winter I walk or push scooter to the inter-campus bus, thats a 1.2km walk but I bike 9km a day.
Why would your suit get wrinkled? You don't wear your suit while riding a bicycle. You already have your clothes at the office. I too dress business professional. I clean up when I get to the office and change to business professional dress.
