I can't afford a hybrid car or an Electric one but I can afford a fuel efficient one, is that good or bad?

Question

Should I feel good or bad that I am buying a fuel efficent car? It is a Toyota Yaris and it is very good on fuel. I want to help the environment so I would have liked an electric car but I can't afford one. I need a car for work as I go to many different homes and work with seniors, so should I feel good or bad? I am happy that I will not be driving my big old car as it was very bad for the planet, but this new car does use gas. The money I am saving by not buying an electric car I am putting that towards buying a house, but would someone who really cares about the planet put the money towards an electric car? What do you think?

Answer 1

Yay!!! your doing a great job!!! it's good just plant a couple trees with your house and you'll be fine

Answer 2

Obviously, wealthy people have more options, but that doesn't mean that us everyday Jen's can't do our little part to help the environment.  Don't panic about what other people think or how you should feel.  Do what you can and don't worry about what you can't do - if we all changed one little thing like moving from an SUV to a fuel-efficient car, the combined difference would be huge!

Answer 3

actually the amount Hybrid is the sme amount you can use the fuel in your whole life! and now i thinkyou should switch to a normal car nothybrid because it also consumes electricity

Answer 4

Hmmm...a 2008 car that gets "good" gas milage?  I looked up what they stated about the Yaris.  29 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway.

My 1996, four door, V6 Merc Sable gets 30 mpg in the city, and 36 mpg on the highway.  No, it has not been altered in any way, shape or form.  No, that isn't with weirdo driving habbits, that some people are doing.  That's simply with standard driving, using cruz control on the highway, and filling with premium gas.

You can buy a very decent used Merc Sable for $1500.  A brand new Yaris (stipped down model) is $11,550.

Be sure to find out what gas (premium, regular, ect) they are reccomending with the Yaris for it to get the best millage.

Then compare all of that with the price of buying something like a used Merc Sable.....then figure out which will do more to save the enviroment, and save your wallet/gas bill.

A used Merc Sable, which was manufatured years ago, and you are giving a longer, useful life to?  Or a bran new Yaris...how many years will you be making payments?

My Merc was built in Canada and shipped to the U.S.A. (in 1996).  What country is your Yaris being made in, and shipped from?

How much will your brand spanking new Yaris be worth the second you drive it off the lot?

There are a suprising number of used vehicles (besides Merc Sables) out there that get great milage.  There's a 1986 four door, diesel, BMW for sale at a used lot where I live.  They get about 40-45 mpg.  Price is $2200.  It's in lovely condition...looks brand new, in fact.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

P.S. Correct....my Merc is a 1991

Answer 5

I currently run ethanol (corn alcohol) in a 1999 Dodge 3500 truck. But all Cummins engines were modified from the factory to run on BioD since around 1992 without any modification.

Most vehicles are already equipped to run on Alternative Energy. In fact you’re probably even driving one right now and didn’t even know it. Go to www agua-luna com for a list of this vehicles

The following are a couple types of products to make ethanol easily. There are however many materials one can use including sugar cane, corn, wood, etc. The information was cut directly from a guide I offer at www agua-luna com, it is complete but if anyone’s interested in other types of foods to use or a more specific step by step of the process, including building your own still legally, visit www agua-luna com

"THE usual sources of raw material for alcohol Ethanol production from starch are cereal grains such as corn, wheat, rye, barley, milo (sorghum grains), rice, etc. Other types of starch are available from potatoes of all kinds, Jerusalem artichokes, and other high-starch vegetables. Starch conversion is the standard method of production and the one we will discuss here.

It is possible, however, to make alcohol from sugar-producing plants (saccharine material) such as sugar beets, sugarcane, fruits, and others. These substances need no milling (as do grains), but they do require some kind of grinding or squeezing process. Rapid, efficient fermentation of these sugars has not been as well explored as the process using starch.

A third source of fermentables is cellulose, as found in wood and waste sulphite liquor. This more complex process requires the use of acids to reduce the material to wood sugars. Consequently, most do-it-yourselfers should stick to either starch or sugar.

MILLING

All grains must be ground before mashing to expose the starch granules and help them remain in suspension in a water solution. The grain should be ground into a meal -- not a flour! -- that will pass a 20-mesh screen. On a hammermill, however, a 3/16" screen will suffice.

Potatoes and similar high-moisture starch crops should be sliced or finely chopped. Since potato starch granules are large and easily ruptured, it isn't necessary to maintain the hard rapid boil which is required of the tougher, dryer "flinty" starches found in grains.

CONVERSION WITH ENZYMES

For small batches (5 bushels or less), fill the cooker with water (30 gallons per bushel), and add the meal slowly, to prevent lumps from forming. (When, cooking with steam, or at higher temperatures, it is possible to save energy by using less water at the beginning. But for the "small batcher" with an ordinary cooking apparatus, the most complete conversion is obtained by using the full amount of water right from the start to encourage a rapid rolling boil.)

Next, add 3 measuring spoons -- as provided -- per bushel of Alpha Amylase Enzyme (mixed in water) to the mixture and raise the temperature of the mash to 170 deg F (77 deg C), the optimum working environment for the enzyme. Hold the solution at that temperature for 15 minutes while agitating it vigorously.

At this point all the starch available at 170 deg F has been converted to dextrins, so it's time to raise the temperature of the mash to the boiling point. The concoction should be liquid enough to roll at its own rate -- if not, add 2 to 3 gallons of water. Hold the boil for 30 minutes to complete the liquefaction stage. All the starches are now in solution.

Now reduce the temperature to 170 deg F, using the cooling coil, and add 3 more measuring spoons per bushel of Alpha Amylase Enzyme (mixed in water). After 30 minutes of agitation at this temperature, all the previously released starches will have been reduced to dextrins, thereby completing primary conversion.

During secondary conversion the dextrins are further reduced to simple sugars (maltose and glucose) by the beta, or -- to be more exact -- glucoamylase enzymes. You need Alpha Amylase Enzyme and the yeast necessary to carry out secondary conversion and proper fermentation simultaneously, you can add 6 measuring spoons per bushel of the fermentation powder (mixed in water) as soon as you've brought the temperature down to 85 deg F (29 deg C) using the cooling coils."

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming, Receive a FREE Solar Panels Now!!!

Answer 6

Every little bit helps...

Are your seniors close enough that you can ride your bike sometimes?

Answer 7

The Yaris does get descent mileage. and not much worse than most hybrids.

so by trading you old car for the Yaris, you should feel good about yourself.

Answer 8

Anything that reduces the amount of gas you are using is a good thing. When deciding which vehicle is more affordable you need to consider all options not just the purchase price.

If you calculate the average number of miles you will drive and how many miles per gallon your car averages and factor in the current price of gas you can figure out how much it will cost you to run. You may also want to take into account any tax credits you will get from a hybrid. I own a Prius and  I got around $2K credit 6 years ago. In CA I also save money because I don't have to get my car smog checked every other year. I can drive in the carpool lane when I'm by myself and I only have to change the oil every 7500 miles most cars recommend oil changes at 3-4000 miles.

Taking all those things into account you may still be better off getting the Yaris. We have to make the best choices given our circumstances and you are going in the right direction. Awareness is the key, you at least thought about the options and their impact, and you should feel good about that. Hopefully when you are in the market to replace this vehicle there are lower impact options that fit your lifestyle.

Answer 9

I had hardly any money, and bought a used Toyota Echo (standard transmission)--which was the sub-compact car Toyota made just before Yaris.  Our family traded in a minivan and recycled an old beater and went to one fuel efficient vehicle, and we feel great about it!  I think you should too!  In many places, electricity is only marginally better than gas in terms of it's impact on the environment (if it comes from a coal-burning generating plant, for instance.)  The main thing is to do the best we can, and to keep putting pressure on manufacturers to do better on their end!