Turning over a new (green) leaf
So you see what happens when I quit blogging? All of a sudden I want to blog! lol
I'm addicted to my truck. Sad but true. While the rest of the country seems to be heading in droves to buy the latest in fuel efficiency, I've got absolutely no intention of giving up my Sport Trac. This truck was made for me. It's just the thing when I buy something fairly large and have to haul it home. Or when it's something dirty, like a load of compost, that you wouldn't want dumped in the back of a hatchback or the trunk of a car. I can toss bikes in there when one of the kids needs a ride home late at night. It's small enough to fit in my garage with all my other stuff in there. And, as of three weeks ago, it's all paid off. It's mine!
Dennis DesRosiers, the negative auto analyst who's always putting down Windsor/unions/the domestic auto industry, has just written an article (below) about how we Windsorites love out "gas-guzzling" SUV's. Well no kidding! There's a lot of reasons for that, including what I've already written. Do I need the extra hauling capacity of a small pickup all the time? Of course not. But let me tell you, it's sure nice to have it when you need it.
So I'm doing other things to be greener which just makes sense to me. I've been doing the "coasting" thing when driving in the city, where you try to keep your foot off the gas more to keep your rpm's down. I find myself watching the tachometer to make a conscious effort to keep it under 2 grand when accelerating away from a stop, and then once I'm a little over the speed limit I coast until I'm a little under the speed limit. I've only done this for one tank of gas so far but it's making a difference in the mileage I'm getting out of a tank.
The other thing I'm doing is riding my bike more. I'm fortunate enough to live fairly close to work, grocery stores, Canadian Tire, and lots of other places I may need to go. I even did a Timmy's run and managed to get two coffees home (mostly) intact! lol I've done some work on my bike (the subject of another post sometime) and I'm actually enjoying riding it! I think I've got the best of both worlds when I'm able to have my pickup for when I need it and also be able to go completely gas-free on my bike while getting some exercise for short trips. I think this is how the Europeans (whose gas prices have been double ours forever) do it; use their bike one day, public transit another, and their vehicle another as needed. It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. It seems to me to be the perfect compromise, being kinder to the environment and my purse without having to go to a small vehicle that I absolutely don't want and won't meet my needs.
So what's everyone else doing to cope with the gas prices?
Windsor addicted to gas guzzlers
BY CHRIS VANDER DOELEN STAR AUTOMOTIVE REPORTER
The Windsor Star
29 Jul 2008
Which Canadian city would you guess is addicted to buying the largest cars and SUVs in the country, the vehicles with the most horsepower, the largest engines — and the poorest fuel economy? It’s not oil-rich Calgary or Edmonton. Perhaps not...read more...
I'm addicted to my truck. Sad but true. While the rest of the country seems to be heading in droves to buy the latest in fuel efficiency, I've got absolutely no intention of giving up my Sport Trac. This truck was made for me. It's just the thing when I buy something fairly large and have to haul it home. Or when it's something dirty, like a load of compost, that you wouldn't want dumped in the back of a hatchback or the trunk of a car. I can toss bikes in there when one of the kids needs a ride home late at night. It's small enough to fit in my garage with all my other stuff in there. And, as of three weeks ago, it's all paid off. It's mine!
Dennis DesRosiers, the negative auto analyst who's always putting down Windsor/unions/the domestic auto industry, has just written an article (below) about how we Windsorites love out "gas-guzzling" SUV's. Well no kidding! There's a lot of reasons for that, including what I've already written. Do I need the extra hauling capacity of a small pickup all the time? Of course not. But let me tell you, it's sure nice to have it when you need it.
So I'm doing other things to be greener which just makes sense to me. I've been doing the "coasting" thing when driving in the city, where you try to keep your foot off the gas more to keep your rpm's down. I find myself watching the tachometer to make a conscious effort to keep it under 2 grand when accelerating away from a stop, and then once I'm a little over the speed limit I coast until I'm a little under the speed limit. I've only done this for one tank of gas so far but it's making a difference in the mileage I'm getting out of a tank.
The other thing I'm doing is riding my bike more. I'm fortunate enough to live fairly close to work, grocery stores, Canadian Tire, and lots of other places I may need to go. I even did a Timmy's run and managed to get two coffees home (mostly) intact! lol I've done some work on my bike (the subject of another post sometime) and I'm actually enjoying riding it! I think I've got the best of both worlds when I'm able to have my pickup for when I need it and also be able to go completely gas-free on my bike while getting some exercise for short trips. I think this is how the Europeans (whose gas prices have been double ours forever) do it; use their bike one day, public transit another, and their vehicle another as needed. It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. It seems to me to be the perfect compromise, being kinder to the environment and my purse without having to go to a small vehicle that I absolutely don't want and won't meet my needs.
So what's everyone else doing to cope with the gas prices?
BY CHRIS VANDER DOELEN STAR AUTOMOTIVE REPORTER
The Windsor Star
29 Jul 2008
Which Canadian city would you guess is addicted to buying the largest cars and SUVs in the country, the vehicles with the most horsepower, the largest engines — and the poorest fuel economy? It’s not oil-rich Calgary or Edmonton. Perhaps not...read more...
Comments
I also have an SUV and love it. It's just so dadgum handy to have for all of the reasons you've listed. Luckily I only drive 5 miles to work each way and don't really drive around a lot on weekends (have no life) so I only have to fill up every couple of weeks or so. Now that Hot Brazilian is out of the country I have his SUV to drive too so I'm only having to buy gas about once every 3 or 4 weeks. It's awesome!