This is a very delayed post and I apologize to my fellow Hybrid family here for being away for so long (my last post before tonight was on May 25). I was reluctant to post photos of the bashed in quarter panel on my car where a '98 Yukon backed into it (while I sat Parked in a parking lot) and then before that was repaired an '05 CRV backed into me in a parking lot in the SAME quarter panel. I was NOT happy. Luckily, the car is as good as new after the Body shop repaired it but I was not pleased to drive around town with a busted headlight and dented quarter panel for 5 months. Imagine how much FE that I lost with the reduced aero package.

Anyway, I apologize for missing the National Gathering as I had promised a few people that I would be there. While I was on vacation in San Fran (end of May) the other Technician at our company quit so I was in quite a bit of work when I returned and am finally getting a chance to read these posts again. I also see that this weekend is supposed to be a Gathering in Kentucky and I have to miss that one too.

I did want to post that I'm finally older than 1 yr with my car (August 7 was the 1-year anniversary) where I hit 35,700 and 49.01 mpg. Not too bad but that also includes lots and lots of Winter driving (the job I had in the winter gave me about 800 miles/week of driving in very cold and wet conditions with low- to mid-40s mpg instead of mid-50s mpg numbers).

Best numbers so far: 07/29/2007 for 487 miles round-trip to Hanover, PA (which is not flat terrain) and yielded 59.6 mpg; 10/29/2006 for 630 miles from the Milwaukee Hybrid Group meeting to home (99% Interstate) and yielded 56.8 mpg.

Worst numbers so far: 08/08/2006 (first day) for 410 miles from Leesburg, VA to home and yielded 39.0 mpg; 02/09/2007 for 445 miles around town in Winter and yielded 41.3 mpg.

Farthest distance driven so far: 10/06/2006 for 688.2 miles and only filled up with 12.139 gallons yielding 56.7 mpg.

Most fuel in car: 09/01/2006 after 590.0 miles and it took 14.233 gallons (don't ask me how though I do remember filling it up to the neck rather than letting it auto-stop ... still ... FOURTEEN AND A QUARTER GALLONS???)!

Most days between tanks: 26 days (05/22/2007 - 06/17/2007) after 564 miles at a paltry 50.1 mpg.

Fewest days between tanks: 1 day (4 separate times); 08/08/2006 (first day of driving at 40 mpg <choke>), 10/28/2006 and 10/29/2006 (600-mile trip to and from my Brother's place), 01/05/2007 (just a short work day of 540 miles driving).

One-year total: 35,700 miles, 730 gallons of gas, $1,814 ($2.48/gal avg), 49.0 mpg (and at 20.0 mpg in the old car that would have amounted to nearly 1,800 gallons of gas for a total of $4,450 so I saved $2,635 in fuel alone!!!).

I have had my fun and had some great times and not really had any bad times. I still do not miss selling the gas-guzzling twin-turbo V6 All-Wheel Drive sports car for the Hybrid. I still look forward to each day of driving as if it is a game and if I can get a higher score than before. I look forward to the next 100,000+ miles.

 

Congrats on your anniversary - you have a good car and a great attitude! Hope you next 38k miles nets you some new personal bests.

 

welcome back.

 

Flash,
I saw another post of yours from yesterday or today, and wondered "where the heck HAS Flash been?" Noflash IS fun to read, but we need that Flash balance, too! Welcome back to the group! And glad that the pace is slowing down just a little for you (relatively speaking).

 

Are you and NoFlash related or something?
PS: congrats on 1 yr!

 

Thanks, Matt. I've seen your posts and wanted to comment a few times but just never had a chance. I was going to mention that "I remember hitting 15k in my car -- it was 5 days shy of the 3-month mark!" I filled up prior to completely empty but I filled up smack dab at 15,000 miles so it looks nice in my spreadsheet. I've always wondered what driving normal and less-than-normal annual distances would be like. Oh well.

 

Thanks also, sparty, gumby, and giant. Oddly enough I was laughing at all the "Driver's window is off track" posts as my car had none of those until it was exactly 1-yr old and the Passenger window now goes off the track at the very top (the window that gets used maybe 3 times a month breaks but not the one that works every day - go figure). That will eventually get fixed when the car has a moment to breathe.

Yeah, I really wanted to get to the Gathering and meet my nemesis "Noflash" but alas it did not happen. I also wanted a vanity plate of "NOFLASH" so we could have fun but PA takes about 16 weeks to make one and you forgot you ordered one when it finally arrives. Glad my banter has been missed. I see that even though I took 4 months off I am still at 1.00 post per day - wow.

And no, giant, I am not related to anyone else on this list though alter-egos and arch-rivals are a possibility.

Time to make the dreaded post about "First accident with the new car" though this happened back in April -- again -- no time. My car is all fixed again but it took 5 months of waiting (since a different person on a different day hit the exact same spot on the car and neither Insurance wanted to pony up for the repair bill). Anyway, off we go.

 

A "NOFLASH" Vanity!!!

Yes, welcome back. I guess I have to go into hiding for awhile.

Oh, and to contrast with your 35k mile year. Out blue HCHII hit 12k at the year mark (in July). (and our other is headed for a 6k mile year!).

Good summary. We should have great fun wathcing our babies grow up together. It happens so fast!!!

Cheers...

 

14.22 gallons? Methinks you found a station with crooked meters.

 

Good point (re: Crooked meters) and I should fill up there again when near the same level of emptiness and see if it is a similar value. Go look through the posts I've made and find one about *gulp* what happens in our car when you run out of gas. That is how I know it was absolutely empty on gas and to help/hurt matters, the car was pointed down and sloped the slightest bit toward the Passenger side thus making it even easier to fill more than normal.

I've thrown down the gauntlet to others but nobody has dared to repeat my feat. Just drive around with a 1-gallon gas can in the car and run out of gas but try to run out within half a mile from a gas station. Put in your 1 gallon of on-board gas then drive as carefully as possible to the nearest gas station and fill 'er up then add 1 gallon to the total. If you put in 13 gallons then it seems correct.

Maybe they published the specs from the '05 Hybrid but gave the '06 a larger tank or maybe the '06-1/2 has the '07 fuel tank even though the book says it holds less. Maybe I overfilled the fill tube and it started to fill up the charcoal canister (ala Prius). I have no idea.