My wife has been taking an evening class and since she likes my HCH so much I've been driving the '02 Grand Caravan on my daily commute of 90 miles round trip.

Gosh I've forgotton how bad it really is on gas.
I've been driving it for a week now and topped off the tank after the 1st day, about $15.
Day 5 I filled it up again, just under $30, thinking it will last the rest of the week.
WRONG!
Today I roll into work at 1/4 tank which will get me 1/2 way home.

Just me, driving by myself only to work and back....burning about $65 in gas.....what's wrong with this picture?

Thank God this is her last day at class and I can get my HCH back.
I've truly been spoiled- I really didn't realize how much until now.

Sorry to vent here.

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

Maybe the next time you have to drive it to and from work, you should put things into perspective for her. For this to be successful, you have to be completely and utterly shameless.

"This week, I burned about $65 of gas. Do you mind if we eat in this weekend? :o No, no, pizza is too expensive. :unsure: I'll just have a glass of water. Thanks."

You could take this as far as your imagination will go.

Then, when she's just about ready to explode and tell you to kiss off, ask her if maybe you could replace the van with another hybrid? If you're feeling especially generous, you could offer to let her pick out and drive the new one, and you'll be happy to just keep driving your old, "used", HCH.

I'm here for ya if you need any coaching or encouragement!


You laugh at me now, but I assure you, you'll be laughing last when you put that "for sale" sign on your van. Gifts won't be necessary; just your gratitude! :lol:

I know how it feels! We went to San Antonio last weekend and took the Tahoe, 24.50 just to get there. I told my wife we could have gone there and back for about 10.00 less. I will have to say it was more comfortable in the Tahoe vs MY HCH. Have a great week, Kevin

2004 silverblue 5 sp.

My Insight has spoiled me, too, on so many levels.

It has given me tools for driving that help me be a more conscientious, attentive, and planet-friendly driver. Some of the tools are things I hadn’t even thought of before.

The fun and cool factors of owning a hybrid are great. (Although I’m still not the biggest fan of the wheel covers.)

Having an aluminum bodied car has been wonderful. It has easily withstood the salt-covered, Midwest winters.

The community that surrounds hybrid cars has been a treat as well. The tips, tricks and problem-solving that people share never ceases to amaze me.

When I am forced to buy my next vehicle here are a few features that would make the transition more tolerable:

- An instantaneous mpg meter
- Additional trip meters that show the miles driven and the mpg for the segment.
- Lower/cleaner than average emissions

Although I love the mpg factor of the Insight, in reality, the dollar saving per year on fuel for my Insight is less than $800, as compared to a mid 30’s mpg car.

By the time my Insight needs to retire hopefully there will be other comparable options. I can always hope, right?

Eric Powers

MHG Organizer - www.MadisonHybridGroup.com
Hybridfest 2008 - A Hybrid Electric Car Show and More! www.hybridfest.com
Madison, WI July 19 & 20, 2008

Hi, Eric:

Don't underestimate the potential future fuel savings of your hybrid. That savings of $800 is at today's gas prices, yes?

What if gas goes up to $3.00 per gallon sometime next year? :huh:

Or to $5.00 in two or three years? :o

What if we have gas-rationing again in ten years? :blink:

What if someday, thirty or forty years from now, some of us aren't even allowed to buy gas anymore? :wacko:


Some of you are probably thinking that I'm making a bad joke here, or that maybe I'm just fit for the looney-bin for saying this. Maybe I am. If so, I hope they have really good pasta and tiramisu and coffee on Sundays. I'm Italian, and my mother used to tell us that Sunday was always spaghetti day, not Wednesday like that cheapo-commercial used to say...

Apologies for my digression...

I believe that any of the aforementioned things are distinctly possible, you know. With the price of a barrel of oil pushing at and making new all-time highs, troubles in the middle-East, strikes and upheavals in Venesuela, and Russia's largest oil producer on the verge of being shut down, anything is possible.

And something I brought up over at Priusonline; the slowing of oilfield production in Saudi Arabia signifies the possibility of a very very hard reality; that there are physical limits to what is still in the ground. Or at least there are limits to what we'll be able to harvest from the ground.

I have noticed that more and more often, articles are being written by major press outlets, and they're using the term "permanently higher" when referring to oil prices. Strong word, that word "permanent."

Y'know, we had...

Permanent teeth. Supposed to last you a lifetime.

Permanent record. In school, you didn't want to do anything bad enough to get a bad mark in your permanent record. You might not get into a good college or marry a good woman.

And now, we have permanent high oil prices. Do I hear a bell tolling? :huh:

So I think you should consider your projected $800 annual savings at today's fuel prices as more of a "floor," or a minimum of savings realized.

And you'll realize that your hybrid is spoiling you even more than you originally thought!

You forgot to mention China.
Demand will skyrocket.

They all want cars now.
I can't blame them.

Need fewer troops to support.
Drive a hybrid.
Best tank 71.65 MPG.

Before this car I spent two years learning hypermiling on my 2004 HCH1.