Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Wilson, Wyoming

try hubert vester honda of wilson nc at least to get a price if you get the right sales person you probably will be happy i'd list his name but they say no names so good luck my experience has been pretty good and try cary honda they do a lot of volume a 2007 i would go for at least inv a 2008 i would be happy w 1/3 to 1/2 over inv

"How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?" I drive about 18,000 miles per year so I pay $35-40 for a tank instead of $20 and getting change (although with an ATM card, I don't see the change.) But then I'm burning about 360 gallons per year, a gallon per day roughly. So as gas costs go up, I buy a cheaper lunch. Bob Wilson

One of the best sources of hybrid, EV and diesel sales is the Dashboard report: http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-clean-diesel-sales-dashboard/february-2011.html- - February 2011 2.35% market share, 42,726 hybrids 0.04% market share, 756 plug-in EVs including Volt 0.64% market share, 12,578 diesels Going back to the start of this thread, the systems engineering approach is to first ask, "What are the requirements?" and then see how the diesel matches. Instead, we're seeing a lot of diesel to other car attributes without thinking about the customer first . . . Let me give an example, somewhat extreme but common enough. You are an older couple with no live-in dependents and own your home, debt free. You are still working and bringing in over $100k per year. Your home is your office so you drive 5,000 miles or less each year. What car do you buy? Any that feels good or none at all and call a cab. Mileage doesn't matter. Price doesn't matter. So get whatever you want and consider all forms of transportation ... airplane for speed, boat for a hole to dump excesses of money into, a really nice motorcycle, huge SUV, a limo . . . it doesn't matter because it is a 'toy' or 'style'. Style is what CNW Marketing claimed the Prius was in their 2006 "Dust-to-Dust" report but then they weren't really too interested in accuracy. So here is another case. Someone just got out of the service and are trying to establish a career. The wife is expecting another child and the family lives in an apartment. Given the likely financial situation and absence of self-maintenance resources, get a previously owned but warranty still in effect, reliable, affordable car . . . Ford Focus or Kia class. Really, it comes down to the owner's requirements as we remember that dogmatic thinking that 'you can have any color as long as it is black' is how Ford gave up market share to GM. To paraphrase the original question, 'You can have any car you want as long as YOU must buy a diesel' begs the question, "For what requirements?" Bob Wilson

Perhaps it was a unfair to answer a 2008 challenge based upon ". . . price of the car, price of fuel, practicality (seating capacity, # of doors, etc), MPG, manufacturer, performance (0-60, noise, ride, handling) . . ." using 2011 facts and data. But was it unfair to start without the owner's requirements who pays the bills? Edmunds does a great job of reporting on cars but another source of available USA vehicles documented for a side-by-side comparison can be found at: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm This site includes the interior volume, needed for vehicle classification, and owner reported mileage. Honda Insight owners are getting slightly higher mileage than the Prius yet with Jetta TDI class, interior space . . . unless one want's to stretch out on a sleeping bag. For example, fishing below the local river dams slows down about midnight or 1:00 AM and then pickups at the earliest, dim light. Still, I agree with the use of natural gas as fuel when the car is parked in the driveway. We want a plug-in-Prius as in a 'docking station' that supplies natural gas and the hybrid provides electricity and heat for the house. In the morning, the car is warmed up, our electric bill is reduced and the house and shower water temperatures are perfect. Bob Wilson

So the evaluation criteria are: " . . . price of the car, price of fuel, practicality (seating capacity, # of doors, etc), MPG, manufacturer, performance (0-60, noise, ride, handling) . . ." It helps to understand what we use our car for: 80% city driving :: posted 40 mph or less, limited 50 mph lights and stop signs :: 0.5-1.0 miles groceries, household goods, fishing rods :: sustain our home and weekend fishing trips 20% highway :: posted 65-70 mph 18,000 miles/year :: driving 15-20 years/vehicle :: ownership pattern (wheels fall off) So let's see how this impacts the postulated criteria: price of car -> "wheels fall off" means purchase price tends to be a minor aspect of vehicle ownership. So Reliability of manufacturer becomes important measured by Consumer Reports and past expenses of hydro-mechanical, automatic transmissions and clutch life of manual transmissions. practicality -> internal volume become very important to handle oversized loads, fishing rods and the occasional lumber. Being able to stretch out and sleep overnight, inside away from the insects, is a minimum requirement for two adults. performance 0-60 mph -> city driving, seldom reach 60 mph, useless. performance ride -> we have paved streets in good shape. performance handling -> our two-lane roads are posted with recommended safe speeds on the curves, no surprises, and the rush minute is easily avoided by taking four lane, secondary streets. Due to older joints, my wife insists on an automatic transmission. This just leaves the following, key criteria: performance noise -> living in a city, quieter is better but the Jetta TDI commercials take pride in their noise, "ZOOM ZOOM", versus the quiet Prius. In fact, Congress passed a law to put noise makers on the quiet Prius. Then there are the Jetta 'tire burnout' videos that combine noise, burning tire smoke, and tire wear. But having an engine turn off at speeds under 46 mph in city driving also reduces noise and vibration. Then at night and the evening, a car that silently travels through the neighborhood and driveway is a blessing. Did I mention fishing? MPG and price of fuel -> this becomes a primary cost of ownership especially with the price of gas rapidly increasing. So achieving 50+ MPG in city and highway driving works better than lower mileage of smaller, less practical diesels or substantially lower MPG but equal sized diesels. The last time I tried to test drive a Jetta, my head hit the door jam and once inside visibility to the left was limited by the door jam. We started the engine but it ran all the time and diesel costs more than regular at the stations that carry it. So with diesel, we pay more and get less, . . . we can't afford one. So when diesels are as quiet, practical and efficient as the Prius for our driving, we'll consider it. Bob Wilson