Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 16:49:57 -0800
Reply-To: "Tom L. Salicos" <TomSalicos@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Tom L. Salicos" <TomSalicos@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: gas mileage
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Maybe we should think in terms of "passenger miles". I drive a 50+ mile
round trip for work and would not want to be wasting either the fuel or
longevity of the van by driving it daily. I drive the van to work nominally
once per week to "keep it running" and because I love it.
On my daily freeway commute I see big honkin' F-350 Super Duty trucks that
are used as commuter cars, as well as the Denalii, Excursions, etc, with but
one occupant. I would say that one should not feel bad about driving a
Vanagon for a short commute with a single occupant or on trips with multiple
folks on board. Dogs prolly shouldn't count.
Funny thing, my (daily driver) '76 Bug only gets about 20 MPG on my commute,
but everybody looks at it and assumes it gets 30+. I don't say anything ;o)
Tom Salicos
"It's not a choice, it's a Volkswagen"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Williams" <williams@FIRE.BIOL.WWU.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 8:40 AM
Subject: gas mileage
> So I have my 85 westy with manual transmission running about as perfect as
> this human is able to get it----and I get 16 miles to the gallon. I have
> worked methodically through my 20's list (the things that I was doing to
> get my vehicle to get 20 MPG, but after working through it I'm faced with
> the probability that that ain't never going to happen (unless I go to a
> different engine). I love my beast but I get ridiculed by friends who
> drive really horrible cars (eg, Pontiac firebirds and Cadillac eldorado's,
> really ugly and old cars that I look at as environmental disasters) but
> get
> better gas mileages than I do. I have taken to mumbling when people ask
> me
> about the gas mileage, so that 16 MPG sounds something like 26 MPG. I
> carry a heavy burden in this matter because I parade myself (in some
> circles) as an "environmentalist" and people who know what I drive ain't
> buying it. My wife told me that if I gave a sh** about the environment I
> would be driving a Prius. I carry this burden as best I can but it is
> hell
> to love a vehicle that gets such poor mileage.
> Should I auction it off on Ebay or say to hell with the critics???
>
> Don
| 
