Foo - Do Hybrids come pre-equipped with liberal bumper stickers?

Why do people who buy hybrids almost invariably feel compelled to tell me about the rest of their political views?

I mean, I guess we should be happy that one of the latest fashion statements is a "greener" car (though the jury is still out on the environmental impact of the battery disposal), but I just can't handle the smugness. And I'm even pretty liberal in my views...

No, but it's in the purchase agreement that the first thing you have to get after you pick up your Prius from the dealership is a "Free Tibet" sticker.

Same reason guys with pickups plaster theirs with right-wing ones I guess.

And I think you save 20% on all scheduled maintenance if you add one of these:

http://www.kalilily.net/weblog/coexist.jpg

:D

Why do people who buy hybrids almost invariably feel compelled to tell me about the rest of their political views?

I mean, I guess we should be happy that one of the latest fashion statements is a "greener" car (though the jury is still out on the environmental impact of the battery disposal), but I just can't handle the smugness. And I'm even pretty liberal in my views...



Totally agree. Check this out. Liberals hate this when they see it. They will even deny the truth to it.

The BMW beats the Toyota Hybrid in fuel efficiency. Hands down, no competition.
http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/03/bmw_beats_prius_in_mpgs.php

I only have a USCF sticker on my Prius. What does that make me? A weenie? :D

The best part about $4-$5/gallon gas is the thought of all those Rush Limbaugh listeners driving Priuses with conservative bumper stickers on them.

I only have a USCF sticker on my Prius. What does that make me? A weenie? :D

A weenie who can actually afford to drive to bicycle races.

I only have a USCF sticker on my Prius. What does that make me? A weenie? :D

I think by Prius standards that makes you an ultra-conservative. ;)

Dr. Will drives a Prius. It's uglier than he is. But not quite as fast.

It's just fast enough to hang in the draft for some motorpacing :D

Totally agree. Check this out. Liberals hate this when they see it. They will even deny the truth to it.

The BMW beats the Toyota Hybrid in fuel efficiency. Hands down, no competition.
http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/03/bmw_beats_prius_in_mpgs.php

American car standards are pretty low, thats all.

Same reason guys with pickups plaster theirs with right-wing ones I guess.


Hey,,,I own a Ford F-150 4X4---we heat our houe with firewood so it comes in very, very handy...no "BACK OFF!" mudflaps (nor any of the nekked woman)...no "Stars and Bars" on the back winder---just a nice white truck that gets put to good use...Heck, I do not even own a gun rack...

And, to think that I am honestly a very liberal person...must be a glitch in my personna.;)

Tim C.

If I get a pickup, I'm going to put a gun rack on it that holds longboards.

I have a few stickers on my little corner windows, but none of them are the lame ass political ones. I have a dura-ace sticker on my car.

American car standards are pretty low, thats all.


I think I'll save some gas and get a BMW. It's better for the environment than the overhyped Prius anyway.

I love it!


The BMW doesn’t have the external look of a green car and you don’t get the same self-righteous glow when you are driving it. There’s no hybrid badge on the back; in fact, because it’s the entry level car of the 5-series many buyers opt for “badge delete” so they don’t show other motorists they went for the cheapest option at £27,190.

:)

You won't be saving any money. That's for sure. Why not go for a civic hybrid? I've test driven one, and I thought they were quite nice.

The BMW gets only 41.9mpg. And diesel is more expensive than gasoline. I get between 49-54mpg in my Prius. No competition.

You won't be saving any money. That's for sure. Why not go for a civic hybrid? I've test driven one, and I thought they were quite nice.

I test drove one too, but at the extra $5000 or so over the EX-L model I bought, it would've taken 3 or 4 years to break even on the up-front cost of the hybrid. That, and my black EX-L with black leather interior is smokin'. :)

I've never been sold on the concept of hybrids (the current designs using today's battery technology); the Prius is just a symbol car for people who want to feel green and who want to prove to everyone how green they are.

The Autoweek Earth Day (Green) Issue dated April 21, 2008 has a bunch of great articles breaking down all the issues, including an article about the efforts to measure the total environmental impact of the manufacture, distribution, life, and disposal of a vehicle. The point is, being green goes far beyond fuel economy. Not surprisingly, by some measure the Prius is not even close to being greenest:

How Green is Your Ride? (http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080422/FREE/653022149/1636/green)

On the other hand, I'm not disparaging the car itself. Honda and Toyota should be applauded for pushing the envelope and being first to bring to market a radical new technology that was a much more practical than the all-electric designs that never went into production. The Prius has its place, being impressively efficient in lower speed urban settings.

It's not Toyota's or Honda's fault that Americans are wary of diesels. But diesels are looking very appealing to a lot of people right now, and I think I read that the Japanese companies are preparing to make diesel engines available in the U.S.

I test drove one too, but at the extra $5000 or so over the EX-L model I bought, it would've taken 3 or 4 years to break even on the up-front cost of the hybrid. That, and my black EX-L with black leather interior is smokin'. :)

^^^Yep. That's the reason I didn't buy one.

I bought a big truck instead...:p *ducks and dodges egg throwers*

Totally agree. Check this out. Liberals hate this when they see it. They will even deny the truth to it.

The BMW beats the Toyota Hybrid in fuel efficiency. Hands down, no competition.
http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/03/bmw_beats_prius_in_mpgs.php

That's hilarious! Thanks! Next time I get someone talking about the benefits of a hybrid, which living in Cambridge MA happens constantly :rolleyes: I know what to say: hey did you see that report.... love it! :D:D

I love it!



:)



Haha. I read that article too and I distinctly remember the sentence where the author totally puts to shame Hybrid users. It's so hilarious that the BMW beat it in miles per gallon. :roflmao2:

Just looked at BMW's website and noticed that none of the EfficientDynamics models are available in the US. What's up with that?

Not that I can really complain--my civic has been averaging 32-34mpg in real-world driving. I think I'll stick with it for a while.

You guys have no experience with a Prius nor driven one on daily basis and yet you think 42mpg is good gas mileage? :lol: Incompetence at it's best.

You guys have no experience with a Prius nor driven one on daily basis and yet you think 42mpg is good gas mileage? :lol: Incompetence at it's best.

My sister drives one and has expressed her disappointment that she's never been above 50 for a tank, with averages in the 40s. I've driven hers and test-driven at a dealer and never did better than 45mpg.

I think it's because I didn't get the extra 5mpg boost from attaching the "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" bumper sticker. :D

My sister drives one and has expressed her disappointment that she's never been above 50 for a tank, with averages in the 40s. I've driven hers and test-driven at a dealer and never did better than 45mpg.

Tell her not to drive 85mph on the highway then. Air resistance is a *****. 75mph = 48mpg.
City traffic = 54mpg

Tell her not to drive 85mph on the highway then. Air resistance is a *****. 75mph = 48mpg.
City traffic = 54mpg

I think the problem is that most of her commute is on a road with a speed limit of 50 and lots of stops/starts, so the gas engine gets a workout.

The BMW gets only 41.9mpg. And diesel is more expensive than gasoline. I get between 49-54mpg in my Prius. No competition.

The article bellweatherman linked to was interesting but I'm sure someone else could design a test where the Prius would win.

However, more importantly, this test was against a European BMW that you can't get here. What are the chances of BMW introducing a 5 series car with a 2.0 liter diesel engine in the U.S.? If you asked the question a couple of years ago the answer would have been "no chance." BMW did announce that the first diesel engine they are going to introduce here is a 3.0 liter twin-turbo. Even with high fuel prices I very much doubt BMW will conclude there is a U.S. market for a 5 series car with a 2.0 liter engine, but with prices skyrocketing who knows what the future will bring?

I'd definitely be interested in a 5- or 3- series hybrid or diesel...

When I read the title I thought you were talking about hybrid bikes! :p

My response would have been that you could always introduce your tire pump to their spokes. I guess that doesn't work to well with a Prius. :o

I'd definitely be interested in a 5- or 3- series hybrid or diesel...

So you would buy a German hybrid, just not a Japanese one. Are you hoping it'll be bundled with one of these?

http://images.cafepress.com/jitcrunch.aspx?bG9hZD1ibGFuayxibGFuazo5MF9GLmpwZ3xsb2FkPUwwLGh0dHA6Ly9pbWFnZXMuY2FmZXByZXNzLmNvbS9pb WFnZS8yNzM4OTY4XzQwMHg0MDAuanBnfHxzY2FsZT1MMCw0MjAsMTQwLFdoaXRlfGNvbXBvc2U9YmxhbmssTDAsQWRkLDMwLDE3M Hxsb2FkPW1hc2ssYmxhbms6OTBfRl9tYXNrLmpwZ3xjb21wb3NlPWJsYW5rLG1hc2ssTWFzaywwLDB8Y3A9cmVzdWx0LGJsYW5rf HNjYWxlPXJlc3VsdCwwLDQ4MCxXaGl0ZXxjb21wcmVzc2lvbj05NXw=

My motorcycle gets 38mpg to 42 mpg 95% of the time (I can do better on longer hwy trips). 40+mpg for CAR gas mileage in the real world is outfrigginstanding. Most people think their cars get better mpg than they do. I know precisely what my cars and bike gets, I clock it regularly. Using a calculator, the gas pump readout and the odometer. You know, with actual numbers, not bs.

Our cars: 2004 Acura TL, up to 30mpg onthe hwy, my wife consistently clocks 25mpg overall, 80% hwy driving.

2007 Acura RDX (small SUV): 18-20mpg in mixed driving. 20+mpg on longer trips (I've gotten as high as 22mpg), the car has a roof bicycle rack which probably costs 1-2mpg.

Our next car will be a gas sipper like a Honda Civic (hybrid or non-hybrid, we'll see) or a Toyota Prius. I'm holding out for a plug-in hybrid that delivers 50-100mpg. They're close.

So you would buy a German hybrid, just not a Japanese one. Are you hoping it'll be bundled with one of these?

I didn't buy a Japanese one because the Toyota dealer tried to take me to the cleaners on my trade-in, and the Civic hybrid didn't make sense in terms of up-front costs.

That, and I'll be looking in a slightly different price point for my next car in a couple years, so the BMW option will be a little more appealing/realistic. I also like the fact that I'd be scowled at by the self-righteous Prius crowd for being a planet-destroying consumerist bourgeoisie glutton while I zip along getting better gas mileage than them. :)

Our next car will be a gas sipper like a Honda Civic (hybrid or non-hybrid, we'll see) or a Toyota Prius. I'm holding out for a plug-in hybrid that delivers 50-100mpg. They're close.

There is the Civic GX, which is a "plug-in" natural gas car. Just need to install the filling unit at home...

http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-gx/

I'm also curious to see how the FCX Clarity does in CA... it's Honda's hydrogen fuel cell model...

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

That, and I'll be looking in a slightly different price point for my next car in a couple years...

Thanks to all the motorcyclists? :roflmao2: (Sorry, I can't remember who you're operating on these days, but I seem to remember you are not in the ER.)

Thanks to all the motorcyclists? :roflmao2: (Sorry, I can't remember who you're operating on these days, but I seem to remember you are not in the ER.)

Nah, I'll actually be primarily indebted to McDonald's, smoking, and diabetes for helping me earn my living (Vascular Surgery)...

I test drove one too, but at the extra $5000 or so over the EX-L model I bought, it would've taken 3 or 4 years to break even on the up-front cost of the hybrid. That, and my black EX-L with black leather interior is smokin'. :)

We went the low buck approach and traded my VW Passat on a Civic LX. We were looking for a solid car value, and have been very pleased. It's a great car with tons of engineering and at around $18000 makes it a super value. Basically I now drive our minivan, and my wife saves almost enough gas money to make the payment.

Plus we don't need to make a statement with a hybird.

This thread brings to mind several disjointed points:

1) The drummer in my band has a Civic Hybrid and routinely gets 50-51mpg. Prius gets a few mpg better.

2) Civic Hybrid has a much higher SAFETY RATING than Prius, and I believe is a better car.

3) Both are better than 41mpg of the BMW.

4) And besides, that article appears to be discussing a non-U.S. version we can't get here.

5) However, 41mpg is close enough to justify the much more usable/desirable driving characteristics of the BMW.

6) There was a Southpark episode in which hybrid owners liked to smell their own farts. Google it.

7) Put environmental concerns aside. The hybrids give you a way to get 45-50 miles for every $4 gallon of gas. Even if it's a wash in terms of environment, it's nice to give consumers a modestly priced car (20s) that will save them gas money.

I like this one (http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u94/donnambr/Environmental.gif) best of all. :)

(might be NSFW)

Keep in mind that the BMW that gets 41MPG is a big, honkin' slug of a luxury sedan. Put a small diesel into a much smaller, simpler vehicle (like a stripped-down 1-series) without all the fussy (and heavy!) luxury trimmings, and that number would only go up.

An efficient drivetrain only helps so much when the weight of the vehicle skyrockets.

That's hilarious! Thanks! Next time I get someone talking about the benefits of a hybrid, which living in Cambridge MA happens constantly :rolleyes: I know what to say: hey did you see that report.... love it! :D:D


Haha! No problem. The Prius is just a status symbol for the tree-hugging liberals so that they have something to say along the lines of, "I'm better than you are." It feels good to drive a big car with the A/C cranked all the way up. :)

http://cache.jalopnik.com/cars/assets/resources/2006/08/South-Park-Toyonda-Pious-Hybrid.jpg

Would the environmental stickers work on a Tahoe hybrid? Its expensive... but yes, its a hybrid.

Why do people who buy hybrids almost invariably feel compelled to tell me about the rest of their political views?

I mean, I guess we should be happy that one of the latest fashion statements is a "greener" car (though the jury is still out on the environmental impact of the battery disposal), but I just can't handle the smugness. And I'm even pretty liberal in my views...

The batteries are fairly effectively recyclable, but for the answer to your question, see this:

http://www.tv.com/south-park/smug-alert!/episode/687553/recap.html

Haha. I read that article too and I distinctly remember the sentence where the author totally puts to shame Hybrid users. It's so hilarious that the BMW beat it in miles per gallon. :roflmao2:

Yes, well done on pointing out that a vehicle you can't buy in the U.S. is more efficient than one you can buy in the U.S. Did you know that the Peugot 107 diesel gets a claimed 57 miles to the gallon? Still can't buy it in the U.S.

There is the Civic GX, which is a "plug-in" natural gas car. Just need to install the filling unit at home...

http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-gx/

I'm also curious to see how the FCX Clarity does in CA... it's Honda's hydrogen fuel cell model...

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

Look into the Volvo Recharge when they start coming out (hopefully soon).

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080316.002/volvo-recharge-will-base-research-plug-in-hybrids
http://www.cars.com/go/features/autoshows/vehicle.jsp?vehicletype=concept&autoshowyear=2008&vehicle=concept_Volvo_ReCharge&make=Volvo&model=ReCharge

Would the environmental stickers work on a Tahoe hybrid? Its expensive... but yes, its a hybrid.

When you go from 10 to 12 mpg, the "green"ness of the whole thing seems lost. :)

The BMW gets only 41.9mpg. And diesel is more expensive than gasoline. I get between 49-54mpg in my Prius. No competition.

Look long term and buy something used. If I can find the link doing a cost comparison about buying something used and driving the wheels off it versus something new, I'll post it. Diesels vastly outlive gas motor in equivelant (sp?) driving.
Plus, a lot of people are missing two parts with hybrids, greater new raw material going to make them, and what it currently cost to replace the batteries. I'm sure that technology will come down in price but the disposal of the batteries right now is rather shocking. I'd buy a hybrid just for the fuel economy if I was looking right now but there is a lot of smugness going around in the hybrid camps right now. It's a lot of short term, look at what I'm doing, I'm "greener than you attitudes.
Nothing personal, just my two cents in the post mind you. Only jumped on yours to post.

I like this one (http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u94/donnambr/Environmental.gif) best of all. :)

(might be NSFW)

Bahahahahahah!!!!! I love it.