“How much you wanna bet I can drive ‘is here truck over them mountains? Yeahhh”

1st: “You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. Noooo distintegrations.”

Durham is fantastic place to live. That is all.

I think it’s more a case of:

I don’t get the hate for the Compass / Patriot. What’s the big deal? not everybody has $30- $40k+ to spend on an SUV/CUV.

Personally, I think my 25 mpg sedan is a gas guzzler compared to what is possible with hybrid and EV technology these days.

“B-b-b-but cheap gas is here to stay this time!”

Where are you getting this info from? Some Leafs have had battery degredation issues (but that isn’t consistent and is likely due to their using an air-cooled Li-on battery),yes, but Volts, Priuses, C-max and other EVs haven’t shown any such degredation that would lead to having a short life cycle as far as I know.

A fair point. I’m a fan of EV, but it I think it is *A* future, and a very viable one, but not necessarily THE end-all, be-all of automotive travel.

@ BigBlock40: Eventually, though it will run out. Maybe not next year, or the next 20 years even but it will run out because by it’s nature it is non-renewable. And there are long-term consequences for the use and abuse of fossil fuels. So, in postponing the adoption of cleaner, renewable power sources we are wasting…

“If after hundred years we haven’t been able to develop solar and wind alternatives why are you guys still bringing it up?” - Sorry, but this is a completely dishonest and inaccurate claim. Solar and Wind haven’t had anywhere near the investment and prioritization in the US that fossil fuel exploration has. Powerful…

Y’know, it’s possible that your experience with people on funky bicycles could just be due to the fact that you live in Chapel Hill. ;) (you do live there, right? or did i get that wrong?)

Good to know...and good luck! 83k miles on mine.

Plans: Leave schedule open for carting kids/family around and running errands. Hopefully go kayaking and fishing.

Me too! I bought a low-mileage used one last year and I’m hoping it lasts. So far, no major issues.

Question: What is an honest, but not rude answer to the question “So how much do you want to spend per month?”, if I really just want to focus on the final price and not on monthly payments?

Hmm, good to know. I live near this one.

2nd Gear: Fiat Chrysler Is Recalling More Than 400,000 Cars

Why would the manuals be more efficient than (newer) automatics and CVTs? I know this used to be the case, but I thought the newer autos were more efficient than manuals, at least they are rated as such. Also, if true, would the manuals also have better MPGs in both city *and* highway driving, or one over the other?

I have a 2007 Nissan Altima with a CVT. I don’t know if that is the 1st generation that they started having CVTs, but I have not had any issues so far. For a non-guzzling family sedan, it does everything that it needs to. But it is not an enthusiast car in any sense of the word. The 2007- 2013 Altimas actually seem to…