Should I get one for my Hellish commute?
#21
04-09-2007, 12:36 PM
Re: Should I get one for my Hellish commute?
heh heh- asking on the HCH group if you should consider getting an HCH?
Hmm, that's like asking a big oil executive if you should get a Hummer.
Hmm, that's like asking a big oil executive if you should get a Hummer.
#23
04-10-2007, 09:36 AM
Re: Should I get one for my Hellish commute?
I currently own a 2004 Mazda 3s with a 5-speed manual transmission. While it is a great car and somewhat sporty and fun to drive, it has two major downfalls. The first is that my mileage averages only in the low to mid-20's on a typical work week, and the second is that the 5-speed, while fun without traffic, has become a nuisance during my hellish commute to work.
The HCH II is very appealing as I won't have to fuss with the clutch anymore in traffic and I should get much better mileage, plus I'll certainly enjoy the techno factor. In fact, it should add some entertainment to my drive. But I'm concerned that the mileage improvement won't really be that significant because of the amount of stop-and-go traffic on commute. I have a 20 mile one-way commute, which consists of about 7 miles of medium speed city streets with lots of stoplights, a stretch of stop and go for 15+ minutes to wait to get on the freeway, 10 miles of slow to medium speed freeway with some stop and go, and 3 more miles of slow to medium city streets. The total commute takes 45-50 minutes, so that's an average speed of about 24 MPH.
Any advise would be a great help.
The HCH II is very appealing as I won't have to fuss with the clutch anymore in traffic and I should get much better mileage, plus I'll certainly enjoy the techno factor. In fact, it should add some entertainment to my drive. But I'm concerned that the mileage improvement won't really be that significant because of the amount of stop-and-go traffic on commute. I have a 20 mile one-way commute, which consists of about 7 miles of medium speed city streets with lots of stoplights, a stretch of stop and go for 15+ minutes to wait to get on the freeway, 10 miles of slow to medium speed freeway with some stop and go, and 3 more miles of slow to medium city streets. The total commute takes 45-50 minutes, so that's an average speed of about 24 MPH.
Any advise would be a great help.
If it's to reduce your spend on fuel, it sounds like right now you are only using about 9 gallons per week - assuming that you are getting 22 mpg with a daily round trip of 40 miles. So even if gas goes to $4/gallon, you are spending $36/week or about $7/day. Even if you double your mpg to mid 40, you are only saving about $3.50/day or about $1000 year. If that is enough to interest you then, go for it.
If it's to just get out of a manual shift car, then there are a number of convential gas commuter vehicles (i.e. Civic LX) that would cost about $6000 less than a HCH II that you can get with an automatic.
Thread
Topic Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stevenvillatoro
Toyota Camry Hybrid
51
10-13-2006 04:16 PM
Delta Flyer
Journalism & The Media
11
01-30-2006 02:25 PM
