** Fix the junker avoid payments for the hybrid fuel-efficient vehicle

Now and then I start thinking we really should figure out a way to get newer and more fuel-efficient vehicles if we are to maintain our tree hugger status.  Well, not really.  The actual contest is between frustration over parts costs and time wasted versus new and trouble free, but follow along with me anyway even if walking and bicycling might as well be for another planet as far as you are concerned..

If we are driving something getting reasonable mileage, say 20 to 30 miles per gallon, it might be easy to buy a hybrid or very-fuel stingy new vehicle and expect that you or we would be doing the world some good and reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere.

BUT,  the June 2008 WIRED magazine page 153 suggest used vehicles might be better choices for lower carbon emissions than buying something like a new Prius because making a new Prius consumes 113 million Btus.  A single gallon of gasoline contains about 113,000 Btus, so "Toyota's green wonder guzzles the equivalent of 1000 gallons of gasoline before it moves one mile. But, buy something like an old Tercel or other vehicle that gets 35mpg and the Prius will have to go 100,000 miles before it catches up.

There is more in the magazine if you can find the issue and the page.  WIRED makes determining which issue you are reading and which page anything is actually on remarkable hard to find and read. The most recent issue has a florescent red cover with Steiger (as in big tractor) green lettering.  But, if you are herding around an older vehicle don't feel too bad about it all.

Cheap out all the way around and push for a new 55mph maximum as are some former SD legislators and you can feel just plain good about your public-spirited world sense even if you would never ever hug a tree no matter how shapely or no matter which blacksmith labored under it.

As for our politicians, they might start working toward more standardization of vehicle repair parts and put pressure on vehicle manufacturers to make it easier to keep older vehicles instead of buying new ones and keeping the build, crush, smelt, build energy sucking cycle going again and again.

**Stay tuned for homesize cogeneration systems and area windpower systems--- Doug Wiken