I couldn't agree more. Just can't get behind the idea of the hybrids. I
drive my 91 Sundance, 2.2 with 5 spd, 100 miles round trip to work everyday.
I'm getting about 35 mpg with that. I drive my 2000 Cherokee on the
weekends. They both have over 100k, just your average maintainance and
repairs so far for that amount of mileage. Nothing like what you mentioned
for the hybrids, and i just read an article on one of these boards how the
AC and defrosters really kill the mileage on the hybrids anyway. I recently
heard as well that extra fee's and taxes are in the works for hybrids,
mainly because they "supposedly" don't use as much gas, so the owners aren't
paying as much of the taxes included in a gallon of gas. The one I heard of
was actually putting a mileage counter of some type in the hybrids, so
between the cars computer, and GPS, you would actually get a tax bill based
on how much you drive it.
Thankfully I live in a part of the midwest where gas is just a hair over 2
bucks a gallon, we don't have emissions testing in my area, YET, so I'll
stick with my 14 year old 4 banger and my beloved Cherokee.

The only place the hybrid is design to save gasoline is on
deceleration, as it uses that power to generate electricity to recharge
the batteries. I can go four hundred miles, between Riverside,
California and Cedar City, Utah without touching my brakes. And at a
speed the hybrids can only dream of.
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
mailto:LWHughes3rd (AT) aol (DOT) com http://www.billhughes.com/

"b.clausen" wrote: