I'm in the process of shopping for a new car. It has been my custom, ever since I could afford it, to buy a solid, high performance car and keep it for ten years. I've done that three times now and I've been delighted with my driving experience. Well, it's that time again.
Now, however, I'm rethinking my strategy and I'm looking at other options mostly because I'm not as cavalier as I once was about plunking down $50K for a car I drive maybe 3K miles a year given that I am now paying for it out of retirement money. I have friends whispering "Prius" in one ear and other friends whispering "you deserve to drive whatever makes you happy" in the other. I'm looking at the whole range.
Of course, one factor is gas mileage. I'm too green not to think about gas mileage. For as much as I drive, it doesn't really matter much what gas costs. But should I sacrifice to reduce US oil dependence? That's a factor I take seriously. Pollution is another factor. Should I sacrifice to save a balloon full of CO2 while China is sending great clouds of crap our way. That's just silly. So if I focus on gas mileage, the issue is the global oil scenario, not global warming, although happily the interests coincide.
Now if I could just figure out how much I really care about heated seats, bluetooth connectivity, and being able to take a cloverleaf at 60 mph... <g> |
