I Wish I Had a Civic!

forensic · **Posted:** Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:14 pm

Sold my 99TDI to buy my 2005 CRD, Jetta was a great car but could not handle the dirt roads and constant towing,Kids,etc...
I do miss the 42 mpg but Love the 4x4 truck!!!

LEDfoot · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:25 am

nix wrote:

hyedipin wrote:

Only if they let that WV with 72mpg engine come to the states... blue something.. i forgot.

VW, Audi and Mercedes all coined the "BlueTec" term for their new efficient diesel engines.

hyedipin is thinking of the VW Polo BlueMotion. BlueMotion is the term VW uses for their ultra-eficcient cars in Europe. It has nothing to do with BlueTec which in turn has nothing to do with efficiency, just reducing NOx emissions.

chadhargis · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:23 pm

Well...as far as bikes go, sportbikes are not good for economy. I have two bikes. My Suzuki GSX-R600 gets 36mpg if I'm not beating on it (which I usually am), but my Buell XB12X gets nearly 50mpg with twice the displacement of my 600.

Once I use on the street, and the other on the track, but I've know to swap roles just for fun. Nothing as fun as going around the outside of someone at the track on a 500lb adventure touring bike with your knee on the pavement. Anyone can ride a sportbike fast, that's easy....riding a big, heavy, underpowered street bike fast is another matter altogether.

I wouldn't trade my Jeep for anything. I have to have it to tow my bikes to the track.

Probably NOT getting very good fuel milage here. LOL!!

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

Were I able to cajole the wife into allowing another toy in our garage, it would be this:

tugdrivinj · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:53 pm

Threeweight wrote:

Were I able to cajole the wife into allowing another toy in our garage, it would be this:

i love those, maybe one day after 2 more toys.... if i'm allowed

Desert_Busa · **Posted:** Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:00 pm

The hayabusa gets ~40 mpg riding conservatively, so the gas is about 20 bucks to go 250 miles. The tires are $400 installed and last 4k miles. The ratios work out to 10 to 1 on the tires and 12.5 to 1 on the gas. The gas is still a little bit more expensive but put the two together and you're better off in a civic. ohh by the way a civic 1.6 sohc takes less oil to change, but haven't seen a civic do 0 to 60 in less than 3 seconds.

The CRD is a replacement to a 96 civic hatch. In Phoenix it only got 30 mpg

Try riding a bike. It's infinite fuel mileage. Even better then free gas, I've lost 25lbs commuting over the last year.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:40 am

Try pedaling a bicycle to work in this neck of the woods, and you'll probably end up losing a lot more than 25 lbs!!! :shock:

I've got an old '83 CB650 Honda Nighthawk that I bought new and has been down in the barn for quite a few years. I've given serious thought over the past few years into getting it running again, but the thing that always gives me pause is the traffic situation in this area - it's already as much "fun" as I can stand dealing with some of these idiots while driving a 4000 lb Jeep, much less riding a motorcycle, and as far as riding a bicycle on these roads that would almost be in the category of attempted suicide.

Bill.Barg · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 4:10 pm

My wife just took off on I-10 in our 1999 civic. She will get 40 mpg for sure. What she does not have is 4000 lb of steel cage around her, and this is a worry given the average weight of a vehicle on I-10 is 10,000 lb.

An important figure of merit for me is MPG*Ton

CRD 24*4 = 96
Civic 40*1.1 = 41

I believe the CRD is good value for money, all important aspects considered.

Bill

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 4:43 pm

Don't get me wrong folks, I love my CRD. I just wish the price of fuel were more realistic right now.

tugdrivinj · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 4:51 pm

day traders have taken over the whole market....

there is no reason i can see for the prices as they are right now, the oil companies aren't even to blame this time even if they are makin out like bandits.... every time there is a storm or an arab sneezes the market goes nuts.

i can tell you from what i'm seeing sure it's 80some dolars a barrel but no one is buying

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

Tonnage does not exactly equal safety. If it did, those old station wagons from the 70's would be the way to go. Our CRD's have good crash test ratings, lousy stability in panic manuvers, and lousy breaking distances (when compared to a passenger car).

Weight does equal lethality (in a high speed crash between a 5000 pound SUV and a 3000 pound car, the occupant of the car is more likely to die). The US automakers spent a lot of time and money trying to convince soccer moms that a Suburban is safer than an Accord or Camry, when the reality is the cars generally have all around better technology and crash ratings. But in a collision between the Suburban and the Camry, the Camry driver is more likely to die.

We got rid of our 1997 Civic in favor of a 2006 Jetta because the Jetta had side impact air bags, good side impact crash ratings, ABS, and traction control (plus TDI mpg).

Wish there was a domestic alternative to the Jetta with similar performance and safety ratings, but no such luck.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 4:55 pm

Diesel is impacted by winter heating but there is no justification for $3.59 like we are paying here. Some will say it is a refinery capacity issue and I will buy that. The problem is that the oil companies own most of the refineries and have shut many of them down to limit capacity and inflate prices.

Reflex · **Joined:** Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:48 pm **Posts:** 567

Cowcatcher - I have to point out here that many states have refused to allow refineries to be built, especially west of the Rockies(California). Every time one is attempted either lawmakers step in or environmentalists go nuts....

tugdrivinj · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:19 pm

right now, there is no problem with that. the general high prices sure. but this fall has been very mild for most of the country. i can tell you that by observation no body's s maxing out the refineries right now. the ships just aren't coming in for that matter they're not heading back to refill. there is a glut of tankers and tank barges the refineries are doing business but there isn's a load of stuff moving in and out of them.
and yet crude is trading at $88 a barrel there is no reason for it.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:53 pm

Reflex wrote:

Cowcatcher - I have to point out here that many states have refused to allow refineries to be built, especially west of the Rockies(California). Every time one is attempted either lawmakers step in or environmentalists go nuts....

The oil industry's campaign to reduce refinery capacity is well known. You will predictably call the following, or any other indisputable source, biased but the facts here and from dozens of other sources are indisputable:

http://wyden.senate.gov/leg_issues/repo ... action.pdf

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:09 pm

I filled up today for $2.94 and that was ten cents cheaper then unleaded regular :lol:

Desert_Busa · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:24 pm

retmil46 wrote:

Try pedaling a bicycle to work in this neck of the woods, and you'll probably end up losing a lot more than 25 lbs!!! :shock:

I've got an old '83 CB650 Honda Nighthawk that I bought new and has been down in the barn for quite a few years. I've given serious thought over the past few years into getting it running again, but the thing that always gives me pause is the traffic situation in this area - it's already as much "fun" as I can stand dealing with some of these idiots while driving a 4000 lb Jeep, much less riding a motorcycle, and as far as riding a bicycle on these roads that would almost be in the category of attempted suicide.

There are riders in the Mooresville, NC area.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/netw ... rchType=tn

It sounds like you need to ride. It's only a seven mile commute by cage for me. To ride a bike safely on the side streets, it adds up to 10.5 miles. Most people are nice even on the 118 degree days.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:39 am

Threeweight wrote:

Tonnage does not exactly equal safety. If it did, those old station wagons from the 70's would be the way to go. Our CRD's have good crash test ratings, lousy stability in panic manuvers, and lousy breaking distances (when compared to a passenger car).

Weight does equal lethality (in a high speed crash between a 5000 pound SUV and a 3000 pound car, the occupant of the car is more likely to die). The US automakers spent a lot of time and money trying to convince soccer moms that a Suburban is safer than an Accord or Camry, when the reality is the cars generally have all around better technology and crash ratings. But in a collision between the Suburban and the Camry, the Camry driver is more likely to die.

We got rid of our 1997 Civic in favor of a 2006 Jetta because the Jetta had side impact air bags, good side impact crash ratings, ABS, and traction control (plus TDI mpg).

Wish there was a domestic alternative to the Jetta with similar performance and safety ratings, but no such luck.

Good crash test ratings and safety gear are fine and dandy, but everyone always forgets the most important safety feature of ANY vehicle -

The person driving it.

And that's the reason why I would hesitate these days to ride a motorcycle or bicycle on any of the main roads in this area. It's not that I don't have 4000 lbs of armor around me - 20 years in the military I rode motorcycles and bicycles in different areas of the country without causing myself any injury - but I've seen too many other drivers in this area just flat out ignore motorcycles and bicycles to the point of literally running them off the road. For that matter, more than a few seemingly manage to ignore that white tank of a Jeep and it's two huge headlights if their driving is any indication.

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

retmil46 wrote:

And that's the reason why I would hesitate these days to ride a motorcycle or bicycle on any of the main roads in this area. It's not that I don't have 4000 lbs of armor around me - 20 years in the military I rode motorcycles and bicycles in different areas of the country without causing myself any injury - but I've seen too many other drivers in this area just flat out ignore motorcycles and bicycles to the point of literally running them off the road. For that matter, more than a few seemingly manage to ignore that white tank of a Jeep and it's two huge headlights if their driving is any indication.

Amen. I live in what is arguably the most bicycle friendly city in the country, with bike lanes everywhere, speed bumps, traffic circles, and all manner of other devices aimed at giving bikers a break. Unfortunately, even with all that, hardly a month goes by that some bike rider isn't killed by a car/truck/suv driver.

City is actually talking about making some of our streets that are one-way each direction with a greenspace in the middle into one bi-directional street for cars and one dedicated street for bicycles (with auto barriers every block or so.)

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

Reflex wrote:

Cowcatcher - I have to point out here that many states have refused to allow refineries to be built, especially west of the Rockies(California). Every time one is attempted either lawmakers step in or environmentalists go nuts....

Could you give a couple of examples of this? I have read far more specifics on oil companies intentionally reducing "excess" refining capacity in order to maximize returns for shareholders.

Diesel prices rise in the fall and winter, drop in the spring and summer. Been that way since I was a kid. If there is a "villain" in the high prices is increasing demand by China, India, and other developing countries, and America's steadily increasing demand.

Environmentalists just make a better scapegoat.

I Wish I Had a Civic!

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