The Car Connundrum
We have been looking for a new car to fit our needs. I've long been a fan of the subcompact genre because of its affordability and low overall costs.. I still kick myself for selling my 1990 Ford Festiva in the late 90s to a friend's son who promptly wrapped it around a tree. He was unharmed, but the car was toast. Everything about that car was cheap for me in those days of just barely getting by. 40 miles to the gallon went much further in those days of dollar gas.
Since that time, I've owned a succession of small cars with the latest iteration being a Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta is a good car, but lacks the Spartan functionality and durability of the smaller, earlier small car. The fact that a number of Fiestas can still be seen on the roads is a testament to the value of my favorite no frills car. I often wonder if it would still be running if I had kept it. Opportunities missed.
Currently, there are a number of great subcompact cars on the market in standard gas, hybrid and emerging electrics. I am excited about the revolution that is about to take place with electric cars and wish it would hurry up. I sheepishly ask local car dealers about electric options, enduring the dismissals by those who don't believe in the coming revolution. Unfortunately, an affordable, long range electric car that is practical in rural America may be several years away. Elon Musk's fast charging, 200 mile 35,000 dollar Model 3 due next year is a step in the right direction, but not yet cheap enough or rugged enough for wide adoption in this neck of the woods. The electric car, on hold since about 1900, has just been waiting for the battery technology that is now reality. Electric motors are much better for motive power than internal combustion, which is why they have been used in train locomotives since the end of the steam era. A revolution is upon us.
In liu of the electric car we want, our choices are gas or hybrid. Hybrids are fancy toys with marginally better mileage and much higher prices. Why pay a third more just to get 10 or 15 more miles to the gallon? As a former mechanic, the added complexity of a Rube Goldbergian hybrid system just adds up to more parts to fail.
Our options are narrowing. The Honda Fit is a real winner in every way and may make it to the finish line. This is an incredibly versatile car with room, size and power that belie its real cost and size.
We also drove the Nissan Versa, another car that seems bigger than its 11,900 dollar MSRP is in the running. This is a car that can actually be purchased new for less than most used cars and has many high ratings and marks across the internet.
When it comes to modern cars, we won't sacrifice much in safety or performance by purchasing a smaller car. Every time we stop at the gas pump we win when it costs half as much to fill up as well as using half as much fossil fuel as more standard sized cars. As a person that likes to walk the walk regarding my beliefs about reducing use of fossil fuels, a small gas car is the sort of "deal with the devil" we are forced into by a need for transportation. Hopefully, within the next decade, we will have the practical option of an electric car charged by renewable energy.
Since that time, I've owned a succession of small cars with the latest iteration being a Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta is a good car, but lacks the Spartan functionality and durability of the smaller, earlier small car. The fact that a number of Fiestas can still be seen on the roads is a testament to the value of my favorite no frills car. I often wonder if it would still be running if I had kept it. Opportunities missed.
Currently, there are a number of great subcompact cars on the market in standard gas, hybrid and emerging electrics. I am excited about the revolution that is about to take place with electric cars and wish it would hurry up. I sheepishly ask local car dealers about electric options, enduring the dismissals by those who don't believe in the coming revolution. Unfortunately, an affordable, long range electric car that is practical in rural America may be several years away. Elon Musk's fast charging, 200 mile 35,000 dollar Model 3 due next year is a step in the right direction, but not yet cheap enough or rugged enough for wide adoption in this neck of the woods. The electric car, on hold since about 1900, has just been waiting for the battery technology that is now reality. Electric motors are much better for motive power than internal combustion, which is why they have been used in train locomotives since the end of the steam era. A revolution is upon us.
In liu of the electric car we want, our choices are gas or hybrid. Hybrids are fancy toys with marginally better mileage and much higher prices. Why pay a third more just to get 10 or 15 more miles to the gallon? As a former mechanic, the added complexity of a Rube Goldbergian hybrid system just adds up to more parts to fail.
Our options are narrowing. The Honda Fit is a real winner in every way and may make it to the finish line. This is an incredibly versatile car with room, size and power that belie its real cost and size.
We also drove the Nissan Versa, another car that seems bigger than its 11,900 dollar MSRP is in the running. This is a car that can actually be purchased new for less than most used cars and has many high ratings and marks across the internet.
When it comes to modern cars, we won't sacrifice much in safety or performance by purchasing a smaller car. Every time we stop at the gas pump we win when it costs half as much to fill up as well as using half as much fossil fuel as more standard sized cars. As a person that likes to walk the walk regarding my beliefs about reducing use of fossil fuels, a small gas car is the sort of "deal with the devil" we are forced into by a need for transportation. Hopefully, within the next decade, we will have the practical option of an electric car charged by renewable energy.
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