Wheel Size: A Study in Contrasts

It boggles the mind.

Why do bros do this? They take a perfectly useful pick-up and spend thousands of dollars to make it far less useful: slammed suspension, gigantic damage-prone wheels with low profile tires.  Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't get it.  It's like taking a NFL player and forcing him into pimp shoes and a zoot suit and then asking him to take the field.

I'll take the Honda Element, thanks.

Dude, That's Just How I Roll [Accessorize]

Like My Farkles?

This late model Honda Gold Wing has been farkled with not one, but two big gulp sized cup holders, an ash tray, and a cigarette lighter.   Don't forget the shiny chrome handle bar grips.  Oy! 

WHY Do You Want a Hybrid?

To be GREEN and save money, right? WRONG.

Earlier this week, Jalopnik reported that Honda was rushing a mid-model refresh of the 2010 Insight to make it more competitive with the Toyota Prius. So I took some time to dig a little deeper.

Turns out that you'd be FAR better off buying a USED Civic than either a NEW Prius or Insight. If you're a typical driver slogging out 15,000 miles a year, you can save more than $5,500 by buying a Civic. Despite promises of efficiency, it will end up costing you nearly 40% MORE to own a nifty hybrid.

Take a look at the spreadsheet below where I've laid out the essential specs:



Here's more food for thought.

The used Civic in the example above is more fun to drive than either Hybrid. For one thing, you can find it in a manual transmission. It's also lighter AND more powerful than the hybrid wonder duo.

Not only is it more FUN and will cost you LESS, you'll also be utilizing something that has already been produced. The dirty, inconvenient truth is that manufacturing a typical new vehicle takes enormous amounts of energy and natural resources. Production of the batteries and other components of hybrid drive systems add even more. A used vehicle has already been produced. Buying a used car means one less new car on the roads.

What about reliability and maintenance costs?

Are you serious? Honda Civics are so reliable that some enthusiasts actually avoid them. They're boring because they hardly ever break down. Even so, in the spreadsheet above, I added in a huge amount for potential maintenance on the Civic. I also used the Blue Book price, and if you can't find a price below blue book, you're not even trying.

If you want to be GREEN, skip the hybrid and buy a used car. Want to see how much GREEN you'd save? Download the spreadsheet and try your own scenario.