Comments on: Green Muscle Cars http://www.indyhomebook.com/green-muscle-cars/ Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:31:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: richard summers http://www.indyhomebook.com/green-muscle-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-278 richard summers Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:13:39 +0000 http://indyhomebook.com/?p=2821#comment-278 Richard- Am very much enjoying your posts about Indianapolis and its real estate, but your post about GREEN muscle cars, or the lack there of, raises a couple of points I must take issue with. "The hybrid Camry for instance got 33 MPG, which saved about $250/year of fuel cost over the gasoline model Camry. But the sticker price of the hybrid was thousands more, and even if you kept it 12 years, you’d never save enough on fuel to make up for the cost difference of the purchase price." First of all, the premium one might pay for a hybrid vehicle should not be measured against the long term return on investment based on the cost of gasoline. There is such a thing as doing the right thing for the sake of the environment on the planet we all inhabit, and that cost, although difficult to quantify, should take priority. I mean really, bread and milk cost more these days too, so why should we compare the cost of transportation with numbers that will never exist again? "People would like to be greener if they could, but the dollars have to make sense before they will buy the cars." What kind of people are we talking about? "American dependence on oil has caused the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of the world, and we are undermining the future of our children and generations to come if we continue down this path." True. Why can't we as a people apply this to to the choices we make; and can we really blame the American or global automobile manufacturers for selling us what we want to buy? "Maybe if the numbers make sense, I’ll buy something else..." Same old, same old. FULL DISCLOSURE: currently driving an '09 Ford Escape Hybrid. It only gets 29 miles to the gallon (avg), but it is as close to the vehicle I want to drive that I can afford, and I promise not to complain when I have to buy my first $2000 battery. Didn't really mean to unload on you like this, had a stressful day... ;) Richard-
Am very much enjoying your posts about Indianapolis and its real estate, but your post about GREEN muscle cars, or the lack there of, raises a couple of points I must take issue with.

“The hybrid Camry for instance got 33 MPG, which saved about $250/year of fuel cost over the gasoline model Camry. But the sticker price of the hybrid was thousands more, and even if you kept it 12 years, you’d never save enough on fuel to make up for the cost difference of the purchase price.”

First of all, the premium one might pay for a hybrid vehicle should not be measured against the long term return on investment based on the cost of gasoline. There is such a thing as doing the right thing for the sake of the environment on the planet we all inhabit, and that cost, although difficult to quantify, should take priority. I mean really, bread and milk cost more these days too, so why should we compare the cost of transportation with numbers that will never exist again?

“People would like to be greener if they could, but the dollars have to make sense before they will buy the cars.”

What kind of people are we talking about?

“American dependence on oil has caused the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of the world, and we are undermining the future of our children and generations to come if we continue down this path.”

True. Why can’t we as a people apply this to to the choices we make; and can we really blame the American or global automobile manufacturers for selling us what we want to buy?

“Maybe if the numbers make sense, I’ll buy something else…”

Same old, same old.

FULL DISCLOSURE: currently driving an ’09 Ford Escape Hybrid. It only gets 29 miles to the gallon (avg), but it is as close to the vehicle I want to drive that I can afford, and I promise not to complain when I have to buy my first $2000 battery.

Didn’t really mean to unload on you like this, had a stressful day… ;)

]]> By: Richard http://www.indyhomebook.com/green-muscle-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-279 Richard Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:16:50 +0000 http://indyhomebook.com/?p=2821#comment-279 No, please...unload whenever you want. I love it. Ideas and honesty is what I'm going for here. I was hoping this post would get people riled up. It's the only one I've ever done that hasn't been about Indy or real estate. But I just couldn't stay away from this car and oil thing, because it's just too important. It really irritated me so much to see the gaul they have to produce 400HP cars after just being bailed out of bankruptcy by all of us. Misreading the market again. It's another car that most people don't need or want. Just because you CAN make something, should you? Although I agree with you (personally) that the environment is more than worth paying for, I just don't think most of the population is ready to embrace hybrid cars unless the cost makes sense. Human nature. The bottom line is usually their wallet. They vote the same way...toward their own self interests. The planet is not as much of a priority to most people as just making ends meet every month. I still think though that if they didn't have to compromise on cost by paying more, they would buy greener cars. From a personal standpoint, why should I spend $40,000+/- to buy a new car if the gas mileage increase is only a few mpg...and why I said the (mpg) numbers have to make sense for me. I would like 50 or even 100mpg. Even better...all-electric cars get infinity mpg. They can make those cars if they just try. Instead they are making 400hp muscle cars? No, please…unload whenever you want. I love it. Ideas and honesty is what I’m going for here. I was hoping this post would get people riled up. It’s the only one I’ve ever done that hasn’t been about Indy or real estate. But I just couldn’t stay away from this car and oil thing, because it’s just too important. It really irritated me so much to see the gaul they have to produce 400HP cars after just being bailed out of bankruptcy by all of us. Misreading the market again. It’s another car that most people don’t need or want. Just because you CAN make something, should you? Although I agree with you (personally) that the environment is more than worth paying for, I just don’t think most of the population is ready to embrace hybrid cars unless the cost makes sense. Human nature. The bottom line is usually their wallet. They vote the same way…toward their own self interests. The planet is not as much of a priority to most people as just making ends meet every month. I still think though that if they didn’t have to compromise on cost by paying more, they would buy greener cars. From a personal standpoint, why should I spend $40,000+/- to buy a new car if the gas mileage increase is only a few mpg…and why I said the (mpg) numbers have to make sense for me. I would like 50 or even 100mpg. Even better…all-electric cars get infinity mpg. They can make those cars if they just try. Instead they are making 400hp muscle cars?

]]>