Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Mr_Shiftright

It's all an illusion anyway. The total carbon footprint of a gas-sipping "regular" ICE or diesel, vs. a full electric vs. a hybrid (total footprint incorporating the energy to build it and/or mine and manufacturer batteries, and the energy to provide electricity through coal or natural gas, and the cost to scrap these vehicles) ...well, from all that I've read, the carbon footprint is more or less the same. There is a small advantage in total carbon tonnage for the EV, over the life of the vehicle, but it isn't very significant--worth about $35 in carbon offsets at todays rates (which are historically rather low).

oldfarmer50

Ha ha gotta love those scammers. I copied the ad before it was flagged.





CLEN/CARFAX/2004 Cadillac CTS 4dr - $2000
image 1

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap
(google map)

2004 cadillac cts

fuel: gas
title status: clean
transmission: automatic

Very clean and well cared for, one owner Outback. This is a superb vehicle loaded with just about every option possible. Adult driven by a very meticulous individual. Here are the stats:

Drivetrain: 3.6-liter H4; 4WD, continuously variable transmission

Output: 173 hp @ 5,600 rpm, 174 lb-ft @ 4,100 rpm

Curb Weight: 3,538 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): 24/30/26 mpg

Keyless entry, remote start, power moonroof, power front seats, 440-watt nine-speaker Harmon/Kardon premium audio system, auto-dimming rearview mirror, XM/Serius Satellite radio, Bluetooth hands-free phone and streaming audio connectivity, AM/FM stereo with one-CD player, back up camera, auxiliary audio USB/iPod port, leather interior, Subaru all weather floor mats, rubber cargo area mat, exterior "puddle lights", heated seats, heated side view mirrors, all scheduled maintenance done at Valley Subaru. 96,000 miles.

snakeweasel

suydam said:

There's no need to label people "idiots" who care about the environment.

No, I am calling people idiots for screwing up traffic. You know those that start off real slow and stay slow making on lane of traffic go much slower than the next one, where those in the faster lane merge into the other lane once they pass the slow car and fill up the area in front of them making the slower car even slower. Then the cars stuck behind the slow poke try to merge to the faster lane as traffic is going by faster increasing the risk of an accident.

Now caring about the environment is one thing but causing a dozen or so vehicles to sit through one or more extra stop lights idling is going to more than undo all the good hypermiling in your Prius does.

Mr_Shiftright

The Prius does seem to be emerging as the "car you don't want to be stuck behind"---a title we once reserved for aging drivers in full size Cadillacs.

PF_Flyer

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Prius does seem to be emerging as the "car you don't want to be stuck behind"---a title we once reserved for aging drivers in full size Cadillacs.

That reminds me of when I was a kid hearing Dad complain about "Volkswagen drivers"

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

suydam said:

There's no need to label people "idiots" who care about the environment.

I think he was saying....they were idiots for hypermiling, I assume following transport trucks closely to save a bit of fuel.....and that is the part that is idiotic........whether it is a battery power car or a gasser.

No I mean the people who when there is a large backup approaching a stop light where they won't make the light when it turns green will go slowly so they can stay in battery power. They do this even though the cars in front of them move much faster leaving a large gap between the hypermiler and the car in front of them. Now in theory this works out because the hypermiler would eventually catch up to the car in front of them while they are waiting for the light to turn green again. In reality the cars in the next lane seeing the huge gap in front of the hypermiler merge into that gap after passing the hypermiler. This means that when the hypermiler stops again there are an extra two, three or more cars in front of them slowing the whole lane down.

So on a two lane road you get one lane going much slower than the other lane.

stever

Not having a commute, I never see that stuff. When I usually notice a Prius, it's blowing by me on the Interstate at 85 mph.

stickguy

Farmer, maybe the caddy owner just liked the Subaru dealer?

Mr_Shiftright

stever said:

Not having a commute, I never see that stuff. When I usually notice a Prius, it's blowing by me on the Interstate at 85 mph.

Must be a UA incident.

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Prius does seem to be emerging as the "car you don't want to be stuck behind"---a title we once reserved for aging drivers in full size Cadillacs.

I see some of these things driving at pretty rapid rates of speed. More than I see the slow rollers clogging up traffic.

Mr_Shiftright

I have yet to experience that treat, but my hope springs eternal. Maybe it's just me fooling myself by "selective validation"---that is, I think Prius drivers are slugs, so I only notice the slow ones, not the speedy ones?

In any event, I have this gut level reaction, perhaps irrational, to immediately get ahead of any Prius in front of me before I'm trapped on a two lane, double yellow line road. I used to have this same reaction behind VW buses.

On freeways, not so much, because if you park in the left lane, peer pressure will annihilate you in short order in California.

cdnpinhead

They don't call them Pious drivers for nothing.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Prius does seem to be emerging as the "car you don't want to be stuck behind"---a title we once reserved for aging drivers in full size Cadillacs.

The old Cadillacs still win that contest down here in Tampa.

abacomike

driver100 said:

The Prius does seem to be emerging as the "car you don't want to be stuck behind"---a title we once reserved for aging drivers in full size Cadillacs.

The old Cadillacs still win that contest down here in Tampa.

And what about Mercury Marquis GS's or LS's?  Older Taurus's?  And down here in FL, Toyota Corolla's! 

suydam

The only thing we worry about getting stuck behind out here are farm implements.

abacomike

suydam said:

The only thing we worry about getting stuck behind out here are farm implements.

Yep, those threshers, tractors, plows and the like are murder to get around! 

PF_Flyer

stever said:

Not having a commute, I never see that stuff. When I usually notice a Prius, it's blowing by me on the Interstate at 85 mph.

Yea, the "commute" downstairs doens't have many Prius drivers on it.

Most of my driving during the week is just around town here, so getting stuck behind a hypermiler is not too common. It happens, but a lot of them do seem to zip around like the rest of us.

Mr_Shiftright

Then it's not a true hypermiler. They're the ones who coast ever....so....slowly....up to a red light so that they don't have to come to a stop.

andres3

tyguy said:

stickguy said:

That was a Toyota thing. Honda had the junky V6 ATs!

The Civic had a run of bad engine blocks, too. No manufacturer is perfect. Not a single one.

Well, perfection is too high a standard. Some are competent, some are not. If they are all competent, then some are criminal fraudsters.

andres3

suydam said:

There's no need to label people "idiots" who care about the environment.

The amount of domino effect one person going too slow causes outweights any gas savings by at least a hundred-fold in wasted fuel, emissions, brake pads, and stress; not to mention wasted time (time is money).

driver100

I think we got the point! :@

abacomike

driver100 said:

I think we got the point! :@

Ditto! 

oldfarmer50

stever said:

Not having a commute, I never see that stuff. When I usually notice a Prius, it's blowing by me on the Interstate at 85 mph.

95% of the Priusssesses I see on the road are speeding like mad. I admire anyone who has a commitment to the environment big enough to spend an extra $5000. What I don't admire is someone who wants to punish others who don't share their commitment.

snakeweasel

Mr_Shiftright said:

Then it's not a true hypermiler. They're the ones who coast ever....so....slowly....up to a red light so that they don't have to come to a stop.

Around here they would have to come to a stop as others pass them and merge into their lane in front of them.

coldinohio

gas update: avon ohio (west of cleveland)
Costc0 RUG 123; PUG 153; temp 25 F
when i test drove - 2014 audi a4 with 19 inch summer tires with temp ~40 f; light rain; traction not great and sales guy says lets get back to store before snow
winter tires a must here: 17 inch so more sidewall so more forgiving
tom

abacomike

coldinohio said:

gas update: avon ohio (west of cleveland) Costc0 RUG 123; PUG 153; temp 25 F when i test drove - 2014 audi a4 with 19 inch summer tires with temp ~40 f; light rain; traction not great and sales guy says lets get back to store before snow winter tires a must here: 17 inch so more sidewall so more forgiving tom

At least "All-Season" tires - but there is no doubt that high performance summer tires have limitations in colder environs.

Today, we were in the mid 70's and my tire pressures were at 36 psi on the Turnpike.  Pressures were at 32 psi early this morning.  Car handled much better in the warmer temperatures. 

PF_Flyer

Heh... mid 70's... it's cold enough here that it takes 2-3 miles before the frozen flat spots on the tires stop thumping

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

Heh... mid 70's... it's cold enough here that it takes 2-3 miles before the frozen flat spots on the tires stop thumping

I had that "flat-spot-thumping" yesterday morning when we were at 39 degrees down here.  The thumping dissipated after a few blocks of driving but these summer tires sure are the wrong tires for temps below 45 degrees. 

stever

Our forecast in the morning paper made for enjoyable reading, even if the high was a bit low (we hit 75°).

stever

Prius drivers have nothing on Jeff the cyclist in Pearls Before Swine.

I miss having a road bike.

ab348

stever said:

Our forecast in the morning paper made for enjoyable reading, even if the high was a bit low (we hit 75°).

Oh, go away.

PF_Flyer

I don't care how cold it is. I'm goin' out to shoot some pool. Maybe a poker game will break out

stickguy

low 20's here, and started snowing. I am spending this weekend in the house working on taxes.

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

I don't care how cold it is. I'm goin' out to shoot some pool. Maybe a poker game will break out

The last time I played pool or went out for a poker game, the only thing I was afraid would "break out" was another ZIT! 

PF_Flyer

stickguy said:

low 20's here, and started snowing. I am spending this weekend in the house working on taxes.

One piece of paper to come and I can get that out of the way

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

low 20's here, and started snowing. I am spending this weekend in the house working on taxes.

One piece of paper to come and I can get that out of the way

Still waiting for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab 1090's! 

murphydog

ha there is a red Prius in my neighborhood with a bumper sticker that reads "Nice Prius...said nobody ever"

stickguy

I got everything but on form from Vanguard. That was really late last year. Holds me up because I have to do the FASFA too with a kid in college.

In the past I was able to "reverse engineer" the one form for the stock funds. I think I took the prior year and looked at the annual statement and figured out where the tax #s came from, then calculated my own for the current year. Came out right too! I was just hoping they would have what I need available by now.

stever

abacomike said:

Still waiting for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab 1090's! 

I got the "late February" notice from Schwab the other day. Oh well. Did get my health coverage form in the mail today.

Scored a tank of gas tonight for $1.37 a gallon.

qbrozen

On that $2500 MGM, if it is clean and runs strong, and checks out at your mechanic, do the miles really matter all that much to you for $2500?

PF_Flyer

abacomike said:

PF_Flyer said:

stickguy said:

low 20's here, and started snowing. I am spending this weekend in the house working on taxes.

One piece of paper to come and I can get that out of the way

Still waiting for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab 1090's! 

MS 1099's are being mailed on the 15th. I think you can get them online now

houdini1

Mr_Shiftright said:

Then it's not a true hypermiler. They're the ones who coast ever....so....slowly....up to a red light so that they don't have to come to a stop.

Then there is the guy who floors it away from a light, cuts in front of the guy beside him, and then jams on his brakes and skids to a stop at the next light. Close call, but all in all, I prefer the hypermiler.

henryn

PF_Flyer said:

Heh... mid 70's... it's cold enough here that it takes 2-3 miles before the frozen flat spots on the tires stop thumping

Back about 5 years ago, I checked out a used F150. It had been left in a storage lot for about 6 years, and this older gentleman bought it at auction and resurrected it to sell on Craigslist. Kind of a hobby for him, to generate a little extra income. Nice guy really, and seemed to do decent work. But the point of my story, this F150 had a really nice set of Michelin tires. They must have been brand new, or nearly brand new when the truck was abandoned.

At any rate, the tires had seriously "flat spotted" after 6 years or so. Which made the truck rather terrible to test drive. The guy who was resurrecting it had hopes that the flat spots were going to "work themselves out", but I really had my doubts. Replacing those Michelins would have run nearly $1,000, and that made the difference on whether or not I would buy the truck (I didn't).

henryn

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Then it's not a true hypermiler. They're the ones who coast ever....so....slowly....up to a red light so that they don't have to come to a stop.

Then there is the guy who floors it away from a light, cuts in front of the guy beside him, and then jams on his brakes and skids to a stop at the next light. Close call, but all in all, I prefer the hypermiler.

+1 to that. In downtown Houston, where I work, they have crazy parking rules. One block will have street parking, the next block doesn't. Inevitably when you come to a block with no parking, there will be some jerk who will whip over in that lane, floor it to pass 5 or 6 cars, and then try to force his way back into the regular traffic stream.

I really think it should be legal to shoot at them. After all, this is Texas, and everybody has a gun anyway, so might as well get some use out of them, right?

graphicguy

A little catching up to do......

Was in Sunnyvale, CA for work. Always enjoy going to Bay Area. Not exactly sure what I did to my travel bookers, but they had a Mustang waiting for me at the Avis lot. Sweet....beats a Cruise, Corolla, some sort of Kia, etc.....

Obviously not a GT, but a pretty spry 6 cyl. Ford has done a yeoman's job of refining the Mustang since I last owned one ('05 GT). Inside's are better. Nice lighting. High resolution screen in the middle. Handled nicely. A little firmer ride than I remember, but that could be a "mis-rememberance". Or, it could be my derriere has become used to the TLs, CTSs, 335i that have graced the GG estate in recent years.

Only real downfalls....I love hearing the motors at work. This 6 banger does not sound good. It has a tractor sound to it. It's quick, just not very sonorous. 2nd, I know sacrifices are made for the sake of style, but I kept banging my head getting into the car.

Still, a good representation of the American sports car.

Didn't attempt to drive into San Francisco. I did take Uber from Santa Clara to Fisherman's Wharf....flat $40 one way. Beats fighting traffic and paying outrageous parking fees. Left Cincinnati, with snow on the ground. Got to Santa Clara, 75º.

CTS is turning into the kind of car I truly enjoy driving. I didn't realize how much it does well until I drive something else.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

Left Cincinnati, with snow on the ground. Got to Santa Clara, 75º.blockquote> Enough! Enough! It was 3 deg F last night. We're in a cold flash. Of course, knowing the cold is reaching into Florida gives me a sense of poetic justice, although I don't wish the severe cold on anyone. But sharing?...

graphicguy said:

CTS is turning into the kind of car I truly enjoy driving. I didn't realize how much it does well until I drive something else.

Good to hear. This is what I'm finding with my Malibu. Despite the haters who try to resurrect negatives, my Malibu has a longer rear legroom than its equivalent year Sonata/Optima. But the one independent video review (out of two that were favorable and somewhat unbiased from the start) said it does everything well in handling various road surfaces and problems, if not excellent in any one type of driving. It's a pleasure to drive with its handling heritage in the chassis that was modified for it. Buick it's not. I also understand why when I test drove a Regal when they were first imported from Germany I found the ride too brisk and taut, even though they're distant relatives.

suydam

PF_Flyer said:

abacomike said:

PF_Flyer said:

stickguy said:

low 20's here, and started snowing. I am spending this weekend in the house working on taxes.

One piece of paper to come and I can get that out of the way

Still waiting for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab 1090's! 

MS 1099's are being mailed on the 15th. I think you can get them online now

If you go paperless can't you get all your tax statements pretty early? All of mine were available by the end of January.

houdini1

suydam said:

PF_Flyer said:

abacomike said:

PF_Flyer said:

stickguy said:

low 20's here, and started snowing. I am spending this weekend in the house working on taxes.

One piece of paper to come and I can get that out of the way

Still waiting for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab 1090's! 

MS 1099's are being mailed on the 15th. I think you can get them online now

If you go paperless can't you get all your tax statements pretty early? All of mine were available by the end of January.


I am still waiting for my on line reports from Scottrade.

snakeweasel

stever said:

Our forecast in the morning paper made for enjoyable reading, even if the high was a bit low (we hit 75°).

Geez and here today at 9:30 on a sunny day driving to work the temperature reading in my car was 6.

snakeweasel

stever said:

Prius drivers have nothing on Jeff the cyclist in Pearls Before Swine.

I miss having a road bike.

Gee I have to start using that. Which reminds me I have to tune up both my bikes this spring, planning a few long rides this summer.