Date:         Thu, 8 Sep 2005 12:52:07 -0700
Reply-To:     Marc Sayer <marcsayer@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marc Sayer <marcsayer@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: The fuel of choice of the world?
In-Reply-To:  <20050908191508.68815.qmail@web33515.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
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Robert Keezer wrote:

>--- Tom Sinclair <neeemo@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>
>
>
>>This sort of bottom line thinking is a disease
>>in this
>>country. We've been conditioned from birth to
>>put
>>everything into dollars and no sense.
>>
>>
>
>So now we should abandon our budgets and accept
>any cost we can't afford because it's the "moral"
>thing to do.
>Conditioned? By whom?  Big-Price Brother?
>
>
No, but we should stop looking only at the initial costs. We should shop
the best value, not the cheapest price. As a former engine builder I can
attest to how this bottom line mentality drives consumers to purchase
the cheapest rebuilt engine available, even though they may only last
30,000 miles. They may end up buying 5 of these $1500 turkeys to get
150k more out of their car, instead of buying one decent $5000 engine
that will get them at least 150k. They'll spend more money in the long
run on the rebuilts themselves, and more money and/or time on the swaps.
A friend of mine who builds the best race engines I have ever seen,
charges between $10k and $15k for his 4 cylinder motors. I have never
known one of his motors to not last at least a full season (unless the
owner did something stupid, I am talking about normal race use) and many
will last several full seasons. But folks hear that cost and balk. So
they go one of his main competitors who sells supposedly similar engines
for $4500. Thing is their engines seldom last more than one or two
races. The average racer will buy 3 or 4 of these engines in a season.
So who is actually paying less? On a per race basis my friend's engines
will average about $1500, whereas the competition's engines on a per
race basis will average out to around $3300. And my friend's engines
will make more power to start with, and a lot more power near the end of
a race. Price does not indicate value, a lesson Americans have seemingly
forgotten.

Environmental costs are as much a part of operating expenses for a
vehicle as anything. Just ask the folks who have had to pay for
pollution clean up through their taxes. And just because others aren't
being responsible, does not excuse us for our actions. This used to be a
concept most kids had mastered by 1st or 2nd grade.

--
Marc Sayer
Journalist, Photographer, Dog Trainer (APDT member #062956)
Board member - Western States Great Dane Rescue Association
Director of Operations & Training - Deaf Dane Rescue Inc.
Springfield, OR USA

My Homepage - http://gracieland.org

Deaf Dane Rescue Homepage - http://gracieland.org/DaneRescue/




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