I wanted to put some more photos up, so any excuse. What would be in your garage if money was no object? You're only allowed ten. I'm not even that into cars or bikes, but there are a few vehicles I can think of straight away I wouldn't mind owning if I could. I prefer sophisticated black, sensible cars like the Lexus here, but something fast, something shiny, something off-road, something classy, something to show off in, a bike or five.
lvlila wrote on Jul 20, '10, edited on Jul 20, '10
Well... I'm a die-hard Volvo fanatic, so I think I'd stick to something from their stable as my primary vehicle.
I like the idea of a cute little Vespa though. Especially in summer.
The only other car I'd actually consider is a vintage Karmann Ghia or the vintage Volvo P1800. That's the car driven by Simon Templar in The Saint. And I have the perfect number plates for it too: NO SAINT!
Yeah yeah, classic movies memorabilia crossed my mind... the General Lee, the A-Team van, Starsky & Hutch, James Bond and so on. Plumped for the KnightRider mobile in the end, the Blues Brothers' Panda police car was a close second. Love a dusty, beaten up old one of those, drive around until you get stopped by the Fuzz.
Triumph Daytona is a good call, forgot them. Looking at Bentleys just now... need to trim this gallery to a more realistic ten.
And Volvo (ptoo) must have something, like Mercedes. Product sells itself, the wealthy around here all seem to drive them. They're boxy but they're good. Reliable family car I suppose. I chose the VW Photon as my 'ordinary' car - pricetag is a tad higher than that, but no less than Jeremy Clarkson calls it the most comfortable thing he's ever driven.
I'd go for an electric car of some variety. Even better, a solar/electric hybrid. And a sailplane.
You read my mind, perhaps unintentionally. See, I'm quite environmentally conscientious, I think. And I'm happier not giving my money to Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Ford and the like...
But if I had the $$$, I WOULD still go and buy myself a few nice motors. I really admire anyone who can come into wealth and not be changed by it, choose not to have the luxuries.
Even cutting this gallery to ten... no Mercedes? No Ferrari? No GSXR?? Unthinkable!
Honda Civic is a great work-horse of a car, ideal for family use. I'm car-less at the moment, but I may opt for one when the time comes. Happy cycling for now, with each journey I make I get slightly less poor and a little bit healthier.
Steve - I've never seen a 'gas' station vending natural gas. Are they common in the States? Availability of fuel would seem to be a snag here. Kudos for choosing the green option... I honestly don't think I would if money was abundant enough. Why drive a green Honda Civic when you can take the Bugatti out?
Steve - I've never seen a 'gas' station vending natural gas. Are they common in the States? Availability of fuel would seem to be a snag here. Kudos for choosing the green option... I honestly don't think I would if money was abundant enough. Why drive a green Honda Civic when you can take the Bugatti out?
CNG infrastructure isn't what it is in Europe lets say. At one time one could drive across the US on CNG alone. However, the Bush Administration abandoned CNG along with the big 3 US auto makers at around 2006. With that, and the lack of renewal of tax incentives, the fueling infrastructure decreased.
Funny though, all the US manufacturers have CNG vehicles in their fleets in Europe. The Ford Focus apparently has a CNG Version as well as Opal for GM in Europe. However, the Big three keep them over in Europe and not over here. The CNG stations here are depended upon whatever municipality or state is supporting them. California, Utah, Oklahoma and some areas in New England have fairly good fueling infrastructure, some of them even at the stations you get your regular gasoline from. I know of a few Shell stations on the East Coast that sell it. There are some cities that have a single station and that is it. Then you are dependent on if the pump works, which may be half the time. Both vehicles I showed above are CNG.
The Ford Crown Victoria is a V8 monster which is based on the ubiquitous car of the same name which is used as a police cruiser and Taxi in many cities in the US. The Crown Vic CNG is a dedicated fuel CNG (which means it uses CNG exclusively as its means of propulsion) and has a 300 US mile range depending on the tanking options. More range means less trunk (boot) space and vice versa, but the Vic has a HUGE trunk so unless you are a mobster who regularly disposes of bodies or a woman who regularly cleans out the local supermarket with 10 bags of groceries its doubtful you will need all that space. Law enforcement likes big trunk space for tactical items and technical items. (DVR for dash cameras are stored in trunks as well as forensic kits and the like). The one above was produced in 1994-1997 and are referred to by CV enthusiasts as "aero-Vics" because of their more aerodynamic styling with the wrap-around headlights and such. The more contemporary Vics are less aerodynamic but are said to be more robust. They were improved after a spate of crashes involving Crown Victoria Police version which resulted in Gasoline tank explosions which resulted in the deaths several policemen. The vehicles are now certified for tank survivability in a 75 MPH crash.
As of today, the Civic GX is the only domestic US produced CNG vehicle in the US. Sad that a Japanese manufacturer is producing the only US CNG car.
If I could afford it really, I would be a Green car owner exclusively. I'd have a solar powered mansion if I could afford it, with wind power and the like. When you are poor in the US, one really can't afford to be green. You have to take what you can get and what you can get is usually the stuff which isn't the best for the planet or for you.
I drive a car with LPG. It costs about one third of petrol fuel and burns almost without pollutants. The net of stations is growing but already sufficient in Germany, in the Netherlands (35 km from here) LPG stations are everywhere for years already. Refueling is a bit more difficult, I still have problems sometimes. However, it's a fossil fuel as well.
I drive a car with LPG. It costs about one third of petrol fuel and burns almost without pollutants. The net of stations is growing but already sufficient in Germany, in the Netherlands (35 km from here) LPG stations are everywhere for years already. Refueling is a bit more difficult, I still have problems sometimes. However, it's a fossil fuel as well.
True, but what I love about CNG is that they can be readily converted to run on Hydrogen gas which we will in all likelihood be using soon given that fossil fuels are running out. I read somewhere that Hydrogen as a vehicle fuel will become economically viable when gasoline reaches $6.00 a gallon in the United States. After that, you will probably see the US finally coming to its senses and getting itself off of Petroleum and going to a Hydrogen economy or despoiling the environment and fighting wars in an ever desperate search for the dwindling supplies of Oil. Care to guess the likely scenario?
I'd go for an electric car of some variety. Even better, a solar/electric hybrid. And a sailplane. 
