[Greenbuilding] Off Topic: What car do you suggest?

[Benjamin Pratt]

I've looked into natural gas vehicles. There is a new civic for 24k,
but 4k is tax deductible, and you can use hov lanes. also, you can get
a home
fueling station for 1000, which is tax deductible. (necessary in my
area, but not in others). Also, i looked at autotrader, and there are
several (usually government) pickups, vans, police cruzers, and even
sedans which run on natural gas or are duel fuel (gas and natural gas)
Chevy Cavalier, i think).

As you may know, natural gas is cheaper (around 2 dollars a gallon)
and burns very very clean. The engines also last longer because the
fuel is so clean. The potential issues are accessibility of fueling
stations and less range (250-300 miles with the civic).

-Ben






On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 1:45 PM, Reuben Deumling <9watts at gmail.com> wrote:
> I can carry all of that on my bike trailers, but not for that many miles a
>  week if I wanted to get any work done. Are those 760 miles minimum a
>  constant? Might there be a way to reduce that figure substantially? I mean
>  in advance of much higher fuel prices which will likely help us all move in
>  that direction anyway.
>
>  A 1980-'83 VW rabbit/jetta diesel with a five-speed will probably be your
>  best bet. They're fairly cheap to buy and you can expect 55 mpg or better if
>  you drive slowly. Some even came with a turbo. The rabbit pickup from that
>  era was also available as a diesel and is very sought after over here on the
>  West Coast at least. You can expect mileage near 50mpg with these.  A Honda
>  Civic VX (1992-'95) will get you 60mpg if you work at it, but the seats are
>  terrible (this could be fixed, of course, just letting you know).
>
>  Reuben Deumling
>
>  On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 11:33 AM, AUSTIN SHEATSLEY <asheatsley at msn.com>
>  wrote:
>
>
>
>  > Okay, okay. I know this is wayyy off-topic for this list but this
>  > mostly-a-lurker, y'all are type out some of the most interesting stuff I
>  > read on the web. So, who better to ask their opinion than the other
>  > conscious folks who read this list? The facts: 6'3", 235 pound man, 36"
>  > inseam, drives minimum 760 miles around New England each week, requires
>  > trunk/stowage area for 3 large toolboxes and telescoping ladder, wants
>  > drivers seat comfort, don't care about back seat. Historically, I've
>  > driven
>  > my previous cars "into the ground" and aiming to keep my next car at least
>  > that long.  It would be great if I could also carry my 16-foot-long kayak
>  > on
>  > a cartop roof rack but that's not a requirement.
>  > Thanks for your (anticipated/hoped for) input.
>  >
>  > Aus
>  >
>  >
>  _______________________________________________
>  Greenbuilding email list
>      Environmentally-preferable design, construction, building elements
>  List info: http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
>  List email: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
>  Managed by BuildingGreen, Inc. http://www.buildinggreen.com
>       publisher of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec
>  Hosted and archived by REPP / CREST http://www.crest.org
>  To get on the list:
>   http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
>   or mailto:greenbuilding-request at listserv.repp.org?subject=unsubscribe
>  To get off the list:
>   http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
>   or mailto:greenbuilding-request at listserv.repp.org?subject=unsubscribe
>



-- 
Ben Pratt
Professor, Design