Will the USA ever get the cool vehicles? By turtle8 (Read 721 times)

[turtle8]

[jct842]

That guys is going to get him self killed riding on wrong side of the road! The thing is if we as americans would buy the quanity of bikes and scooters that they do over there, (japan?) we would get all kinds of nice models. Seems like all most here want is 2000cc iron monsters so we get what ever is left over! john

[trailheadmike]

Sweet! Looks like they took styling cues from Kymco on this one. The problem with all of these great named brand bikes to me seems to be the price point. Unless money was no object, I would buy a used Miata for $6,000 before I spent $6,000 - $8,000 on a scooter.

[Bashan]

Aug 2, 2011 0:30:30 GMT -6 jct842 said:

Seems like all most here want is 2000cc iron monsters so we get what ever is left over! john

Oddly enough, I know quite a few guys that worked at Harley and they told me several times that there was a waiting list in Japan for the iron monsters....go figure. Rich

[turtle8]

Aug 2, 2011 5:56:51 GMT -6 trailheadmike said:

Sweet! Looks like they took styling cues from Kymco on this one. The problem with all of these great named brand bikes to me seems to be the price point. Unless money was no object, I would buy a used Miata for $6,000 before I spent $6,000 - $8,000 on a scooter.

I hear ya. I was tempted to bid on an old Miata on eBay recently. Even neat little compact cars never make it to our shores. We'll see what happens in 2013-2014 after gasoline prices have been high for a while.

[jct842]

I would give my left ### for a moris minor, neatest little car I ever had, a 59 that I owned in the early 70s. no speed but gobs of torc you could side step the clutch at idle and it would just jump a roll at low speed. just like a tractor. john

[bobf]

I think the reason most folks in the US buy large sedans, pickups, SUV's, over the years rather than crunch into those cute little cars the government keeps pushing is versatility and value for the dollar and over all safety.

In cities maybe it is different but in much of the country, especially with a family, you need more than a 60mpg motorized wheel barrow to do what is needed. Where I live they sell more large vehicles than economy cars. Folks around here either work or live in rural environments. They need high road clearance. They need multipurpose vehicles for there work and family needs. Crew cab pickups. Carry their hay, fireplace wood, water tanks, in back. Have a trailor hitch for pulling their cattle trailers, load of hay, or whatever in the back. Have their families in the back seat to go on trips or church or town for shopping. We have folks come to our little town from 60 mile radius. Big sedans and SUV's have a much higher safety record than those little cars now being forced on to the market. Not selling too well so far. I am tall and barely can fit into those little cars. The car dealer around here says most older folks like the taller cars that are easy to get in and out of. So they buy into the cross over SUV's, the smaller SUV style cars.

When the government gets out of the job of incorrectly deciding what we need to drive we might just then end up will really good cars and trucks that do not pollute. What we have been having pushed on us is uneconomical hybrid and electric cars. Very expensive and very little utility. Too small for families and luggage for a vacation trip.

Where are the other forms of power that have been proving themselves to be economical and non polluting? Natural gas or Hydrogen, both readily available and non polluting. I guess the government has too many politicians and no engineers making the decisions.

Rant, rant, rant, I will stop for now.
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[turtle8]

I agree that the govt mandates for fuel economy standards aren't working. What will work is $5/gal gasoline. When it hurts even more to fill up, people will demand better fuel economy. There are options: Honda's FCX Clarity hydrogen powered car for one. The VW Blue Motion diesel that gets 74mpg (that isn't sold in America) is another. In the meantime, hybrids and electrics that cost too much and/or don't have long enough range are foisted on the uninformed public.

If you need a truck for work, there really isn't another option at this time. But those soccer moms in their Escalades and Lexus LX's, are gonna have to change their habits. Remember the days of the station wagon before Madison Avenue said we need to buy Hummers? If you'll notice, car advertisers are pushing fuel economy numbers.

My rant is over.

-Michael

[bobf]

Your wish for $5 per gallon gas is definitely of a cruel nature and should never be allowed. That is a pure political thing and not at all fair to the ones that will hurt the most. The middle class and lower income folks that are only able to drive old cars and must give up certain items many folks think are standard. Like driving around and shopping at the malls. Poor folks are glad to have a car good enough to get them to work so they can afford the next gallon of gas. This unnecessary increase in fuel prices should not happen in the US. We have plenty and there should be drilling so we don't have to buy from nations that hate us.

If they would just allow natural gas to be part of our fuel we have sufficient for several hundred years and not at $5 per gallon cost level either. To say we must stop people from living one way or another sound very much like a dictatorship or communist type of government. In they US we are a Republic that is supposed to protect our liberties and freedom. With the way our government has been acting in recent years that is getting hard to believe.

We should be working to make it possible for the low wage and middle class folks can live as well as the better off folks do for their basic needs. Not make it worse so the lower income and middle income folks lose there freedoms and choices of how they live.
.

[turtle8]

bobf: You misinterpret what I said. I don't want to spend $5/gal, but rather, only when gas gets real expensive, will we see much more efficient vehicles.

People (and companies) are not going to choose to stop using up resources if they don't have a personal stake in the matter. Human nature is that we think "that is the other guy's problem, not mine." You said it earlier - government mandates are wrong and don't work.

That is why I say the issue needs to brought home to consumers.When people start demanding better fuel economy it will happen. Otherwise, they will continue with their current driving habits until we really have a crisis.

[jct842]

when the gas prices spiked 5-6 years ago or when ever it was there was one hidden value in it. all most all of the junk pickups and cars went to the junk yard around here. when a tank of gas was worth more than the vehicle, they got gone. most had no insurance around here and had to be replaced by financing a newer model, so for the period of the loan they were insured. It has been a few years since I had a rash of punctured motorcycle tires which I blame mostly on the junk trucks with rusted beds and no tailgates. a couple $180 tires with less than 500 miles that have to be replaced will get you going. john

[bobf]

Aug 2, 2011 19:23:49 GMT -6 turtle8 said:

bobf: You misinterpret what I said. I don't want to spend $5/gal, but rather, only when gas gets real expensive, will we see much more efficient vehicles.

People (and companies) are not going to choose to stop using up resources if they don't have a personal stake in the matter. Human nature is that we think "that is the other guy's problem, not mine." You said it earlier - government mandates are wrong and don't work.

That is why I say the issue needs to brought home to consumers.When people start demanding better fuel economy it will happen. Otherwise, they will continue with their current driving habits until we really have a crisis.

You are right, I misunderstood your post.

When you brought up the $5 per gallon it reminded me of the days back in 1970 when I lived near Boulder Colorado. They have a large percentage of these enviro types and then they were wanting taxes on gas to make it $7 per gallon to discourage people from driving. Pure politics as that kind of action would kill our economy quickly. I just can not stand our lifestyles and ways of living being altered by the government. They think they have the right to control our lives and what we do with regulations and taxes. 2012 won't get here soon enough. I plan on not electing many of those currently in our congress. I think it is time for lots of new faces. Maybe we should have a 2 term limit on them as well.

I also remember back when the government decided that certain station wagon cars could not be sold as they did not meet the new government standards. That did not stop folks that like large vehicles and lots of utilities. Many folks just moved to vans and put seats in them. Detroit saw that and started pushing upgraded vans with seats and windows. Then folks started to modify them into travel vans with beds and sinks.

Then the SUV's came on. All with reasons specific and with the newer models they are also getting quite presentable mileage. Nothing like the 40 mpg cars, but then the 40 mpg cars can't carry many people and they have very little if any luggage room. They are likely only basic transportation but little else in utility usage. There safety ratings are not very good either if in a wreck with a full size car. Their safety rating is only in their 'Type' of vehicles.

I like my big iron and will stay with it for as long as our government will allow me to. I don't buy new as I can't afford it.
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[bobf]

Aug 2, 2011 23:00:58 GMT -6 jct842 said:

when the gas prices spiked 5-6 years ago or when ever it was there was one hidden value in it. all most all of the junk pickups and cars went to the junk yard around here. when a tank of gas was worth more than the vehicle, they got gone. most had no insurance around here and had to be replaced by financing a newer model, so for the period of the loan they were insured. It has been a few years since I had a rash of punctured motorcycle tires which I blame mostly on the junk trucks with rusted beds and no tailgates. a couple $180 tires with less than 500 miles that have to be replaced will get you going. john

Once upon a time I lived in Mississippi. We would take a ferry across the river and visit in Arkansas. Since then we have visited Arkansas several times. We even stayed in Mountain Home and looked for houses for retirement. Instead we retired here in Colorado.

I do remember lots of old beaters back then. I also remember seeing the government buy up lots of very nice looking cars recently and crush them. Those cars should have been left for the low income folks to pick up and use. That 'Clunker' program did nothing but waste lots of money and kept some folks from having the opportunity to buy older cars from the more well to do folks and dealers.

I always buy large comfortable cars that only the wealthy can afford to buy new. I buy Lincoln Town Cars about 4 or 5 years old. They have 50 or 60 thousand miles on them and I run them up into the 120 to 140 thousand miles range. They are big enough for travel with luggage. I get an average of 25 mpg per the dash mileage unit. They are one of the safest cars in collisions. Can't beat that at $20 thousand for a car that sold for $45,000 new.
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[turtle8]

I like Honda's answer: liquid hydrogen fueled, fuel cell vehicles. You fill up at the pump like any regular gasoline car would, then you drive it like any other car. It is electric with unlimited range - as long as there is the infrastructure of hydrogen stations.

[bobf]

That is an interesting film. Enjoyed it. Problem here with this car was it's low height. Many of us older and stiffer folks would have great difficulty getting in or out of it. I am now riding a scooter, or step through motor cycle, as I can barely get my legs over the seat of a motor cycle any more.

The US has been paying for hydrogen power developement for many years. I think that even back with Clinton and Gore there were joint projects with US and also Japanese auto companies and inventors through our Department of Transportation or the Energy Department.

We also have been working with the methods to use hydrogen in our combustion engines and hydrogen buses with hydrogen tanks on top and the batteries underneath. Lots of potential here and it sure beats what Obama has driven GM to do with their ridiculous electric car that goes 40 miles and then needs a long rest period pluged into a electric delivery point. That is no better than 100 years ago and it requires full time, day and night, power plants to make sure it can be recharged. Very expensive to for something no more useful than a grocery cart.

With Natural Gas so plentiful that is also a great source for powering our trucks, buses, and cars.

I wonder just how much water is dripped from these hydrogen power pack cars? With thousands of cars running around on our major highways and in the cities, will it cause a slick situation in the winter time?
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