Traded the Insight

[Ryland]

Maybe I just have cooler women in my life, but my female house mate often gets 40 to 45mpg in her Saturn SL1 and lusts after my Civic VX because of it being a hatch back and getting better mileage and my mom has a Geo Metro with moon disk hub caps and I'm hoping to get her to look at a Nissan 300zx that has been converted to electric for my parents to use as their main, shared car, I live 3 miles away so then my Civic VX would be the gasoline car that would be used for the rare trip that gasoline is needed for.
With luck my mom will like the electric car and my dad will fit in it.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

@RH77 I'm confused (easily done) how many cars do you have ?

We have 3 (and to reply to some of the other comments)...

1998 Acura Integra LS 3-Door 1.8L 4AT "The Project Car"
2006 Acura TSX Base 2.4L 5AT-M
2010 Honda Insight EX 1.3L/Hybrid CVT/7M

Early in our relationship and later in married life, my Wife kept driving the Integra while I had newer, sporty cars since it was my hobby (and she can't drive a stick). She bought the Integra new back in '97 and I inherited it after realizing that a 300-hp Mitsubishi EVO wasn't very practical -- EcoDriving was born.

An interim, high-mileage '99 Acura TL was bought for her to get to work and have room to get the folks around. Once the budget stabilized, we traded in for the TSX new in '06. A second 4-door was needed when our Son was born, so it my was turn to pick -- enter the Insight late 2010.

Originally Posted by botsapper

My much older ride would NOT have fared as well.

Originally Posted by botsapper

Another anecdote. Men usually commute with oldest and highest mileage horse in the barn. Wives/mothers get the biggest, spacious, latest, safest, and fully-equipped vehicles. They are the source of humankind and nurturer of our progeny.

Much agreed. It's marginally safer to tote our little guy in the hybrid, with the curtain airbags and other safety stuff. The Integra is out-of-the-question unless emergency transport is needed.

Originally Posted by cfg83

My wife can't drive stick so I get to drive my SW2 all the time. And yes, it's the beater. Technically I could get a better car but I don't want the debt and I don't like all the newfangled electronicos they are stuffing in new cars theze dayz.

Simplicity is definitely something to appreciate. It's a treat to drive the TSX once in a while, since it has XM-Radio, heated seats, and and oomph, but that FE has been dropping steadily over the years -- I blame a crummy tire selection, a warped front undertray, and probably the need for tune-up. So it stays parked while I work the Integra for FE. But the Integra is familiar, simple to mod, repair, and experiment. But yeah, the long hatch slope for hauling robs FE at highway speeds. Fun fact -- we transported a CraigsListed outdoor playhouse (in pieces) in the Insight and Integra recently (with both hatches closed!)

Originally Posted by daox

I just got my Prius back not horribly long ago. My wife used to be the one racking up all the miles. Now my commute is farther than hers

This seems to be our trend, but rotational when school is out (plus, the District has an awesome pre-shool/daycare program for faculty and students-with-children, but it's closed for the Summer). My longest commute is 104 miles r/t to the airport combined with in-town work visits, which is longer than her Summer runs -- so we decided to swap. If work travel is >100 miles, we have to rent a car per company policy, so that keeps the miles off of the fleet in that case.

Speaking of the Prius, I got some feedback on the Insight yesterday (it was pretty hot out), "Your car gets really hot when it stops!". Yeah, auto-stop (with the "ECO" button engaged, often shuts everything down at 7mph down to zero). I know, I know, unlike the Prius that can do it all...

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Ah yes, the old men are expendable thing.

I think it's because we choose to take that risk. But like lots of here, we like our old beaters. Look at the high-powered people that chose to keep it simpler: Mark Zuckerberg still drives his TSX he bought in 2005; Sam Walton drove an old Ford Truck until his last days, despite being a zillionaire.

My In-laws have role-reversal -- she drives an old Mercury Mystique with a busted motor mount, no A/C, Idle Air Control issues, carbon buildup, and well, is basically worn out -- but her commute is 5 miles r/t. Gramps drives around 30K a year in his Civic (160K on an '05). So the situation is not mutually exclusive to gender in all instances. (I would love to get that old Mercury and swap in a 5-speed and make it a project -- but it keeps plugging away).

The next follow-up question -- how many people are concerned about borrowing your modded car

The power-steering removal on the old car often is a deal breaker. Then there's the manual TC-Lockup switch... People tend to not borrow that car.

RH77

[cfg83]

RH77 -

Originally Posted by RH77

...

My In-laws have role-reversal -- she drives an old Mercury Mystique with a busted motor mount, no A/C, Idle Air Control issues, carbon buildup, and well, is basically worn out -- but her commute is 5 miles r/t. Gramps drives around 30K a year in his Civic (160K on an '05). So the situation is not mutually exclusive to gender in all instances. (I would love to get that old Mercury and swap in a 5-speed and make it a project -- but it keeps plugging away).

The next follow-up question -- how many people are concerned about borrowing your modded car

The power-steering removal on the old car often is a deal breaker. Then there's the manual TC-Lockup switch... People tend to not borrow that car.

RH77

I usually "defrock" my car for borrowing and repairs. This involves :

1 - Removing the wheel covers
2 - Removing the Warm-Air-Intake
3 - Removing the rear wheel skirts
4 - Removing the rear side skirts
5 - Removing various interior garbage that has nothing to do with MPG.

This costs me about an hour+ for the on or off.

CarloSW2

[Daox]

Originally Posted by RH77

The next follow-up question -- how many people are concerned about borrowing your modded car

Haha, yeah thats a good one. I wouldn't say anyone is concerned. If they do take the car I just gotta give them a breif run down of what not to do in the Paseo (like play with the kill switch on the shifter and disable the alternator).

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Ryland

Maybe I just have cooler women in my life, but my female house mate often gets 40 to 45mpg in her Saturn SL1 and lusts after my Civic VX because of it being a hatch back and getting better mileage and my mom has a Geo Metro with moon disk hub caps and I'm hoping to get her to look at a Nissan 300zx that has been converted to electric for my parents to use as their main, shared car, I live 3 miles away so then my Civic VX would be the gasoline car that would be used for the rare trip that gasoline is needed for.
With luck my mom will like the electric car and my dad will fit in it.

Maybe? My wife won't get in my car unless the alternative is walking. My daughter is coming around, though. Nine years old and she thinks I should get an Insight. Hahaha.

[RH77]

Caution: Rant...

Here's a problem with the swap: failure to record the odometer at fillup! Sigh. Yes, the trip mileage resets automatically after the second key-turn (which got me once), but it's a recurring trend. So here we are with another estimated tank. I really worked it for a 54 mpg displayed FE at 1/4 tank before the tradeoff, so it's purely an estimate based on previous driver performance... it was 400-something on the trip before it reset.

RH77

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by RH77

Here's a problem with the swap: failure to record the odometer at fillup!

I do my best to remind people who barrow my car how to add to the fuel log, but if they don't it's not a big deal, you know why? because in their use of my car they used less gasoline then they would have borrowing nearly any other car that was available to them, they needed to use a gasoline powered car for whatever reason and in turn they used less gasoline then their other options.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by Ryland

I do my best to remind people who barrow my car how to add to the fuel log, but if they don't it's not a big deal, you know why? because in their use of my car they used less gasoline then they would have borrowing nearly any other car that was available to them, they needed to use a gasoline powered car for whatever reason and in turn they used less gasoline then their other options.

This is true -- very true. Yet, as one molds their life around the odometer and fuel receipt, it is disruptive to the "norm", but ya know it's no big deal: fuel was saved and it was a simple mistake. A reminder to recall the odo on the next fill is all I ask. I know it will happen, but it takes a friendly reminder.