[ba] My trusty old '91 200Q

[quattro + 5 or 8 = fun]

BTW,

do some googling on hybrids and fuel mileage.  i have yet to find ANYONE on
the hybrid forums that actually get the MPGs claimed by the manufacturers.
not to mention you have those nasty batteries you have to deal with when
they finally give up the ghost.  sure parts of them can be recycled.  but at
what cost?  I don't know where I have it, but somewhere out on the net,
someone did a breakdown analysis of how harsh the recycling process is on
the environment.  i will try to find it.  ultimately, i will stick to my
fossil fuel cars...or do what steve does, buy an alternative fuel vehicle
when they become available.  BTW, later this year, i plan to do a diesel
conversion on my jeep yj using an isuzu diesel that burns veggie oil.  that
should be fun.


Shayne


PARTING:  1972 Mercedes Benz 280 SE 4.5
PARTING:  1986 Audi 4000 CS quattro

> 
> No, please do get started -- I really want to hear what the argument
> against them and their eco-friendliness is.  I mean, putting aside brand
> loyalties aside (or assuming for a moment that Audi made a hybrid), and
> further assuming that global warming is indeed  a problem, burning less
> gas and more cleanly is better, isn't it?
> 
> I thought of a TDI, but VW isn't selling them in California (until later
> this year? next year?).
> 
> -Arun
> 
> 
> Buchholz, Steven wrote:
>> ... don't get me started on "hybrids" ... I suppose if your driving matches
>> the strong points of the hybrid it is OK ... but it bugs me that people have
>> gotten in their minds that hybrids run on anything other than fossil fuels
>> ... my brother in law just bought a Camry Hybrid ... sorry, I don't see it.
>> OK, off the soap box ...
>> 
>> One interesting alternative is a TDI ... there's a lady here at work who
>> drives a Jetta TDI, and it works very well for her needs.  Lately it seems
>> like Diesel fuel has not shot up as high as gasoline.  Of course if you want
>> to be true green you can consider bio-diesel.
>> 
>> I too have been contemplating a new (or newer) car ... but for now I will
>> satisfy myself that I'm continuing to do my part by using the motorcycle as a
>> year-round commute vehicle, and knowing I'm cranking a few dozen KW-HRs to
>> the grid on sunny days ...
>> 
>> I'm waiting for true alternate fueled vehicles ... hey, a Tesla'd look good
>> in the driveway!  :-)  You do know that CNG-powered cars get a free carpool
>> lane sticker, right?  There are also hydrogen fueled cars ... not sure when
>> they'll be real though.  Shoot, I'd almost rate a flex-fueled car higher in
>> terms of Eco-friendliness over a "hybrid" ...
>> 
>> I've got an idea for you Arun ... convert your 200Q to electric!  :-)  There
>> can't be that many electric AWD cars out there!  :-)
>> 
>> Good luck with your decision!

>>   
>>> What with gas prices the way they are, and my own new-found
>>> environmental consciousness, I'm contemplating replacing my 200Q (now
>>> with just a tad over 200K on the clock) with one of them new-fangled
>>> hybrids. Too bad there isn't an Audi, or even VW, that fills the bill ...
>>> 
>>> Needless to say, I'm not exactly cock-a-hoop with joy about driving a
>>> dish-cloth around (although I have to confess that a mid-sized popular
>>> sedan made by a large Japanese company is actually quite nice).
>>> Besides, my 15-year-old son is quite bummed: he's quite looking forward
>>> to driving that car starting next month.
>>> 
>>> Anyone care to offer arguments to dissuade me?  The 200Q looks great,
>>> and runs essentially perfectly, but I can't get more than about 21 mpg
>>> if I drive .. ahem .. normally.  Besides, I suspect I'll have to fight
>>> emissions battles again next year, and I find that replacement parts are
>>> already getting hard to get.