V8 owner, just picked up a Prius (1st Gen 2001)

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

An uncle of mine once had a Suzuki Vitara repowered with a 50hp early Volkswagen Diesel, and could get the very same 42MPG constantly with that old little low-tech rig either in city or highway. I wouldn't expect anybody to get less than 55MPG in an early Prius, unless you were running away the cops

[Cobb]

Just think what would be possible if you added a diesel to a hybrid?

Cant speak for the prius, but a bad starter battery in an insight will cost you 10-15 mpg. Couple that with low air psi in the tires and other maintenance issues like a clogged air filter, wheels out of alignment, dragging parking brakes, plugged egr and other things non hybrid cars suffer it can add up.

[KrautBurner]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

An uncle of mine once had a Suzuki Vitara repowered with a 50hp early Volkswagen Diesel, and could get the very same 42MPG constantly with that old little low-tech rig either in city or highway. I wouldn't expect anybody to get less than 55MPG in an early Prius, unless you were running away the cops

the 01-03 prius was rated for 41 HWY / 42 City
my commute is 2 lane highway @ 55-65mph (with lots of elivation)

I wish I could afford to go with a Diesel economy car (+ I'm a big VW fan)
but you can't find a road worthy rabit around here for the $2200 I paid for my prius

[KrautBurner]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Just think what would be possible if you added a diesel to a hybrid?

perfect combo (IMHO) would be an Electric car, with a Diesel Generator

[user removed]

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ius-10710.html

here's a thread you might want to look at, from 2009.

regards
Mech

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by KrautBurner

the 01-03 prius was rated for 41 HWY / 42 City

That's kinda disappointing they get such a low mileage, in spite of all the praises the Prius gets from the hybrid enthusiasts. But it can also be another reason for me to stick with Diesel

I wish I could afford to go with a Diesel economy car (+ I'm a big VW fan)
but you can't find a road worthy rabit around here for the $2200 I paid for my prius

I'd rather be messing with motorcycles and sidecars instead of a Prius if I couldn't find a Diesel in a close price.

Anyway, if your Prius get some transmission damage, its body may still be a good base for a Diesel conversion project. Altough I'm not into "rolling coal", the Diesel clattering in a Prius would get some funny reactions...

[KrautBurner]

I don't see it as disapointing

but I don't look at it as a "PRIUS"
it's just an economy car to me

for the $2200 I paid for it, I could have gotten a mid 90's civic that gets 5-10 mpg less (and I'd make that up in one year of commuting)

as far as bikes/sidecars
the URAL with a sidecar is going for $13,000 (about 6x the price of my car)

I did commute on a motorcycle for about 2 years
I had the choice of 75 mile ride or 20 miles and a ferry
ended up putting 28K miles on one of my bikes in 16 months

with the hours I'm commuting now (leaving my house at 5am)
and the elivation and likelyhood of snow/ice in the winter
I'm not too interested in riding year round for my commute

again,
I love diesels

but they are just demanding way too much money around here

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by KrautBurner

for the $2200 I paid for it, I could have gotten a mid 90's civic that gets 5-10 mpg less (and I'd make that up in one year of commuting)

That's a good point. Anyway, since I'm more used to the Honda than to the Prius, I'd still go towards the Honda and eventually work around lean-burn, gearing mods, weight-savings and other tricks. It's also easier to perform all the maintenance at home.

the URAL with a sidecar is going for $13,000 (about 6x the price of my car)

I didn't even know the Ural was available back there. In my country is more usual to see side-cars attached to low-displacement motorcycles such as the Honda CG 125.

I did commute on a motorcycle for about 2 years
I had the choice of 75 mile ride or 20 miles and a ferry
ended up putting 28K miles on one of my bikes in 16 months

with the hours I'm commuting now (leaving my house at 5am)
and the elivation and likelyhood of snow/ice in the winter
I'm not too interested in riding year round for my commute

Bad weather is really a matter of concern while riding a motorcycle, not just due to comfort but also safety. No wonder recently I started to get more favorable to side-cars...

I love diesels

but they are just demanding way too much money around here

Seems like oil-burners are overpriced almost everywhere...
Anyway, why not to start looking for a random 3cyl stationary Diesel (or the ones used in side-by-side ATVs) and the manual transmission of an Echo or a Tercel?

[Cobb]

Well, you know the saying, you get what you pay for. Most who buy hybrids dont do it for the mpg as the ROI is never achieved. Use to be you got to ride in HOV lanes, tax breaks, cheaper registration, insurance, etc, etc, etc. Then of course the right to be SMUG to non hybrid owners. All of that has come and gone and in some states they charge you extra to register hybrids. Of course now days many non hybrids achieve or exceed hybrid mpg and are even cleaner than before.

Originally Posted by KrautBurner

the 01-03 prius was rated for 41 HWY / 42 City
my commute is 2 lane highway @ 55-65mph (with lots of elivation)

I wish I could afford to go with a Diesel economy car (+ I'm a big VW fan)
but you can't find a road worthy rabit around here for the $2200 I paid for my prius

[gone-ot]

Toe-may-toe vs. Tah-mah-toe

Six vs. half-dozen

Theater vs. theatre

Us vs. them