[Stealth]

i'm getting a civic hybrid, or some other prius, or other 40MPG+ car...

http://houston.craigslist.org/car/620382416.html
or
http://houston.craigslist.org/car/591034902.html

[perihelion]

   That's a bit of a change in tune for you, isn't it?  What brought that about?

[Stealth]

yeah i'm used to cars that'll do 60-120mph in under 8 seconds, but i can get used to it.

two things brought it about.
1) i have lived my whole life never oweing anyone any money.  the last few months though, i've gone back on my conviction.  selling this car will again mean i have 0 debts.  the alternative, is to keep the car, and then just slowly pay them off, and in a few months i'll be good, but i'd rather just get them all taken care of in one fell swoop :-/
2) i'm driving more and more.  i find myself filling up the gas tank 2-3 times a week, at ~$60 per fill-up.  i get about 230 miles per tank.  that's with about 75% of it highway driving, the rest city driving.  i need something that'll get much better gas mileage than 14-15 MPG.

this really is a great car.

yeah. it's tough for me, but i'm just trying to be practical.

[Ashrak]

so you bought a car that you cant afford gas for

[perihelion]

Well, I say good on you on both counts.  There's few enough people in this country that have the will to live within their means.  And, as a native of Houston, anyone doing anything to make the sky there a little less yellow has my heartfelt thanks.  I love that town, and miss it terribly.

[Polpolion]

You must be loaded, Stealth. This is what, your fourth car in 10 years?

[Roanoke]

Don't get a Prius. The emergency servies are **** scared of them as they run on silly (and i do mean silly) voltage.

Nice move binning the run-flats, incidentally.   

[Stealth]

so you bought a car that you cant afford gas for

oh i can afford the gas for it... i just would rather not   i mean everything's material.  could i afford to pay two gym memberships?  yeah, but would it make sense?  no.  by the same token, could i afford to have this car, and pay $150/week in gas?  yeah... would it make sense, when i could have a car that gets 3x better gas mileage?  sure
plus, when i bought the car, gas was a good 80 cents cheaper :-/

perihelion: i didn't know you were from houston.  let me know when you come visit someday, we'll hang out.

thesizzler: no, i just work hard (and full-time), that's all
also i save up for everything.  every car i've ever bought has been cash.  so while all my buddies of my late-teen years were driving fancy cars, i wasn't... took me a few years to save up for a nice one, but since then, it's been sell-my-car (or trade it in), and put a little cash down on the table, and get another car.  i never want a car payment in my life =P

and thanks Roanoke.  i'm leaning the same way on the prius.  and runflats are terrible

[Roanoke]

I got a car loan for a nearly new motor a few years ago. Sold the car about 8 months later and only paid off the loan last month. Worst idea I ever had and won't repeat the mistake.

minor hijackage, my current fancy :- http://www.jhindle.co.uk/Alfa1s.jpg (an Alpha 75)

[MP-Ryan]

Y'know, there are a few good articles out there about how hybrids are extremely overrated for the price you pay.  Do a little research; you may find that you're better to buy a non-hybrid but fuel efficient vehicle when it comes down to maintenance costs and overall price tag.

[Mars]

Mechanics I know HATE hybrids.

[Davros]

buy a golf deisel its more efficient

[Stealth]

yeah i was thinking about that, but diesel costs are through the roof.

i figured out, with the miles i drive at the moment, if i got a hybrid, assuming gas prices DIDN'T change (also assuming i get a conservative 45MPG on the hybrid, and a great 17MPG on my car (which is a good 3 MPG off...), i'll save well over $8,000 in 3 years!

*shocked*

[Kosh]

Mechanics I know HATE hybrids.

Why?

[Ashrak]

zzzzap

[IceFire]

yeah i was thinking about that, but diesel costs are through the roof.

i figured out, with the miles i drive at the moment, if i got a hybrid, assuming gas prices DIDN'T change (also assuming i get a conservative 45MPG on the hybrid, and a great 17MPG on my car (which is a good 3 MPG off...), i'll save well over $8,000 in 3 years!

*shocked*

If you can wait...Honda is supposed to be making some announcements soon about a new global Hybrid that will be cheaper than the current Civic Hybrid and look something like the Honda FCX fuel cell vehicle so it'll have a couple of notches up on the styling department.  Not like your CTS tho...

[Roanoke]

A while ago I read that if you take into account the enviromental cost when it comes to creating the materials, building the car, the car's projected lifespan and also the costs of disposal (ie not just the "tailpipe" emissions) the best enviromental car is.........the Jeep Wrangler.

[Stealth]

really IceFire?  That's interesting... i'll look into it a bit further.

why don't you buy it man?

[IceFire]

really IceFire?  That's interesting... i'll look into it a bit further.

why don't you buy it man?

Well...I'm settled on....wait for it....a 2009 Corolla XRS actually.  Long story but I apparently don't fit too well into cars.  I have legs of an unusual length for my height or something.  The Civic, which was my first choice, and Mazda3 which was my second choice are terribly uncomfortable.  Its about proportion and not height.  Anyways the Corolla, at least the 2009 model, fits perfectly on the test drives I did.  Its the XRS so its get a pit of pep...and fantastic fuel economy for what it can do.  Its more stylish than before but its ultimately a practical commuter car which is what I wanted.  Although the 2008 and below are great cars for all sorts of reasons I never bat an eyelid at them...this new model is different.

The CTS I don't think I could afford the insurance on and yours would be US spec so I'd have to go through all the hassles of getting it converted for use in Canada (speed in KPH primary, daytime running lights, Canadian spec bumpers if there are differences, etc.).  I hope someone who is in a good position to and really likes that car will contact you.  Good luck man!

[Stealth]

dude, the 2009 corolla xrs looks awesome.  i had kind of the same problem.  i'm slightly over 6'2", and most of that is legs so finding a car with the right telescoping wheel, seat, etc. is hard.  the CTS-V barely did it, but i don't even have a full inch between my hair and the roof lol.  thankfully it works, and i don't care, as long as my head doesn't brush against the roof.  but i realized how close i was the other day, when i tried sliding my hand between the roof and the top of my head, and it was a snug fit :-/

as far as getting it to work in canada: cadillac sells the CTS line in canada as far as i know.  if they don't, i know quite a few CTS-V owners personally that live in canada the car can improvise to all of the requirements.  converting the speedometer and temperature gauges to kilometers/celcius respectively is a press of a button away.  same with running lights.  by default the running lights are on UNLESS you turn the headlights on, or engage the emergency brake.  don't worry, it would work in canada... and insurance isnt' that much