Quote:
|
don't want to spend more than $3500 [...] My biggest fear is having to spend sizeable money on serious mechanical issues
|
If you're going to hang around the bottom of the food chain, you gotta be prepared to get bitten!
Quote:
|
Manual or auto: I have no problem shifting a standard motorcycle, but in the past was not good with a manual truck. A lot of my driving could be urban and in heavy traffic. So I lean towards an auto.
|
I'd strongly suggest trying a manual car again. It'll be easier to operate than a truck. You take a massive efficiency hit in sub/urban driving by going with a conventional automatic and giving up several extremely effective ecodriving techniques. You're mechanically minded... you'll figure it out.
Quote:
|
If I get a full gasoline Civic or Corolla, I know I'll be racking my brain trying to find a way to add one of my electric motors/wheels
|
An OEM hybrid would be the easiest route, but that would be FAR more interesting! And it would let you choose a manual transmission. It would actually work best with a manual if you're talking about a electric assist/push arrangement, like this:
From:
http://99mpg.com/ProjectCars/TheBestHybridmix/
Quote:
|
It's looking like a 2nd gen Prius with higher mileage is my best option. Thoughts?
|
It's
possible to find a decent 2nd gen for ~3500, but I wouldn't say it's easy.
I spent many months searching for one around my neck of the woods and
recently got a "cheap" 2004 Prius with above average km on the clock. However it needed repairs (mostly expected) to pass the mandatory mechanical inspection here.