(no subject)
Strap in, this one may take a while.
So last week I took a big plunge and bought a Prius. Those who follow my facebook know that I did this, but I haven't been able to tell many people why (which has been the first question I've been asked when it comes up.)
Well, the why is not hard to explain. My '02 Saturn VUE with 112,000 miles had been showing its age and wear for some time. Prior to September of last year there were a couple items which I would have liked to fix, but the nuisance to cost ratio on them did not make it worth it to do so. (Low nuisance, higher than could be reasonably expect cost.) Then in September of last year the body control computer went. That meant no power steering, among other things. That fix plus a couple other necessary items set me back about $1500 or so.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when I took the car in for service and I'm told the cam cover/gasket is cracked and leaking oil into the engine. Cost for repair: $750. Plus they want to do a few other things they feel are necessary which sent the total over $1,000.
So after thinking about it I decided I didn't want to risk being in the cycle of repairing things that continually break on the car. Also, while the VUE served me well I have been steadily growing tired of paying the ever increasing price of gas. I've had a desire to break free of the traditional dependence on gas and show my support for alternate energy.
I've been driving it a week now and I have loved every minute of it. It's a great car. And I can already see the savings in gas. I reset the trip computer this morning, and it showed me I got 47.9MPG over the 490 miles I drove. I can live with that.
So we're thinking of having two events this month. The first we hope to have on the 19th at Dave & Buster's in Philly. That will be for my birthday. Let us know if you're interested!
The second party will be our normal gaming party on the 26th. We hope this month will be better for everyone. Maybe there will be grilling, if the grill is in shape for it. It took a little abuse the weekend we had the heavy wind/rain storms recently.
So last week I took a big plunge and bought a Prius. Those who follow my facebook know that I did this, but I haven't been able to tell many people why (which has been the first question I've been asked when it comes up.)
Well, the why is not hard to explain. My '02 Saturn VUE with 112,000 miles had been showing its age and wear for some time. Prior to September of last year there were a couple items which I would have liked to fix, but the nuisance to cost ratio on them did not make it worth it to do so. (Low nuisance, higher than could be reasonably expect cost.) Then in September of last year the body control computer went. That meant no power steering, among other things. That fix plus a couple other necessary items set me back about $1500 or so.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when I took the car in for service and I'm told the cam cover/gasket is cracked and leaking oil into the engine. Cost for repair: $750. Plus they want to do a few other things they feel are necessary which sent the total over $1,000.
So after thinking about it I decided I didn't want to risk being in the cycle of repairing things that continually break on the car. Also, while the VUE served me well I have been steadily growing tired of paying the ever increasing price of gas. I've had a desire to break free of the traditional dependence on gas and show my support for alternate energy.
I've been driving it a week now and I have loved every minute of it. It's a great car. And I can already see the savings in gas. I reset the trip computer this morning, and it showed me I got 47.9MPG over the 490 miles I drove. I can live with that.
So we're thinking of having two events this month. The first we hope to have on the 19th at Dave & Buster's in Philly. That will be for my birthday. Let us know if you're interested!
The second party will be our normal gaming party on the 26th. We hope this month will be better for everyone. Maybe there will be grilling, if the grill is in shape for it. It took a little abuse the weekend we had the heavy wind/rain storms recently.