Southerly: The Astonishing New Car from Bavaria that Won't Cost the Earth.
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Hi Keith
So what are you trying to say you don't want to be a geek?!? You got something against us geeks?????
As for your scooter plans. I'm guessing how bad the pollution is relates pretty closely to price. Pay more probably get a better (more efficient) motor.
But on the big plus side the carbon cost associated with making and shiping your new scooter to NZ is a fraction of that for a standard car. The same is probably true for the Loremo which sounds as if most of its gains come from being light and using less materials in construction.
On the minus side is riding a scooter is much more likely to get you in hospital, which almost certainly has a huge carbon cost. Besides we don't really want you to end up in hospital:).
On balance I think you'd be drier and better for the environment in a car:).
cheers
Bart
I'm a geek, I've done the test to prove it! -
For your geeky pleasure
the geek test -
I was talking to a friend who is Indian and had recently been back there on holiday after being away for a decade, and when I asked him if things had changed much he immediately said the big cities seemed less polluted. He attributed this to government measures which had forced rickshaw drivers (and maybe other drivers) to use cleaner fuel (CNG he thought).
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Keith
You could also try a four stroke scooter. Or a small motorbike (which are cheaper to buy because they're less trendy). A Suzuki 125 is not too dissimilar to a scooter in terms of fuel economy I'd guess.And as for 2 stroke diesels, I have fond memories of the old Mount Cook Denning buses run by mount cook lines, and later discovered their distinctive engine note relates to them being a big 2 stroke turbo V8. How very american somehow.
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Yes, I have been the rear seat passenger in a Messerschmitt KA, a unique and scary experience as we slowly accelerated to highway velocity and truck wheels thundered by at eye level. Similarly, the Loremo evokes images of a sardine tin with a plastic top; it does the job but is easily squashed flat.
For those interested in efficiency, my Morris 1000 (bought for $475) would travel from Wellington to Auckland for under $5 and never exceeded the speed limit on the open road. No car that I have owned since has ever been so economical.
Didn’t the Ford GT40 V8 sound good? Cars should be rated on sound, not rational stuff.
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This is less related to efficiency than it is to automotive sociology, but if there's one way to reduce the number of Remuera tractors on the road without punishing drivers who actually go dirt-bashing, it would probably take the form of a new driver's licence type for SUVs.
Motorbikes, passenger vehicles, trucks, and what have you, all have separate licence classifications, so it would be logical for SUVs to have the same.
A deliberately hard-to-pass licence test would certainly sort the dirt-bashing men from the status-symbol boys.
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if there's one way to reduce the number of Remuera tractors on the road without punishing drivers who actually go dirt-bashing
Well you could take the attitude that folks who want to go "dirt bashing" should use their vehicles off road only. There really is no reason for a 4WD vehicle to be on the city streets at all. Even farmers mostly don't use their 4WDs on the roads they usually have a street or town car that is easier and cheaper to drive than their farm vehicles.
Whether that would take the form of a complete ban from the roads or merely a ban from town or city roads wouldn't make much difference. For those who wanted to "dirt bash" they'd have to get a trailer or store their dirt bashers near their play area.
cheers
Bart -
A practical question - am on the lookout for a second car and would prefer to buy something that is sustainable and economical.
On the list is the Prius - I've been looking at a second hand one, as on the website: http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/
But not sure of the potential disposal issues of said batteries and/or the disadvantages of buying a second hand Gen 2 version of the Prius. I don't need to tow anything - but small children might be on the horizon - I like the idea behind the Prius - but don't want to be stuck with something that's going to require another mortgage to maintain or service.
Any advice from learned folk here would be much appreciated.
The other option is a relatively new Toyota - that's easy on the petrol, and reliable.
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Tim Kong wrote:
am on the lookout for a second car and would prefer to buy something that is sustainable and economical...
... on the list is the Prius
Your other option is to go for a small diesel like the Citroën C3 1.4SX 5DR, which is actually slightly more efficient than the Prius. This would work around any (potential) battery disposal problems, and have decent room for any (potential) kids.
And if any of the Citroën bits fall off you can just lick-and-stick them back on again. Brilliant!
In case you haven't found it yet, this is a good NZ site for comparing fuel efficiency of different models:
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Dear god in heaven, it's recommending a Skoda
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