|
Like I started off with, I was curious about experiences with the HCH and bouncing the idea around. Driving down to the dealership was an excuse to go play on the highway other than my commute, which I quite enjoyed. I actually did my first experiments with drafting (behind a semi by about 4-5 car lengths) and saw some amazing MPGs (45-50 @ 65-75mph!). I lost nothing by testing the waters with the dealership and frankly, could live without the lecture. If it worked out, for $2k I'd be driving a car that I could easily drive normally at 45mpg and hypermile to 55-65mpg. It didn't work out. There's not another 5 speed HCH within 100 miles according to the three websites I use. Sure, I could let a dealer know what I want and they could track one down, but then I have even less bargaining power.
As far as why I'd be willing to give up the RSX, part of it is just boredom with a car I've been driving for five years and a change in interior scenery might be nice. Part of it is concerns over what is going to happen to gas prices over the next 2-3 years and in turn, what's going to happen to the resale value of the RSX and the value of used high mpg cars. Part of it is concerns over safety with driving with the engine off as well as wear and tear restarting at stop lights.
It's certainly not a need and I'm still considering just hanging on to what I have, but with some recent news that affects my income over the next couple years, I really doubt a new (not used) car is not in the cards anyway. I don't think I want to take on anything I can't pay cash for, so my budget is likely to remain sub-10k.
|