7 posts tagged “cars”
This is the picture of the new car I am driving. It is a 2008 Saturn VUE XR. I got the FWD version, as opposed to AWD, and instead decided to spend money on a more upscale interior.
It is that time again. The lease on my 2004 Saturn VUE AWD is up soon and we are looking at our next family car. Our requirements are simple -- in terms of cargo and passenger space it has to be roughly the size of the VUE, it can't have a barn door in the back, and lease payments should be no more than $400/month (the lower the better).
GMAC is running a pull-ahead promotion right now where if I stay with GM I can get out of my lease earlier. However, there is no GM car right now that inspires me to limit my choices to GM. The only intriguing one is the Saturn VUE Green Line hybrid, but our local dealership doesn't have those yet.
So that leaves us with the following options:
- '08 Subaru Outback
- '08 Saturn VUE Green Line hybrid
- '08 Honda CRV
- Worth a shot, but might be too big: '08 Saturn Outlook, '08 Toy Highlander, and '08 Suzuki XL7
- Worth a shot, but might be too small: '08 Subaru Forrester
As it stands now we are keeping an eye on local deals to see if there is anything out there that makes sense. The hybrid VUE is an intriguing GM option since noone else on this list has a hybrid.
Good to see more hybrids on the market. We may be getting a hybrid for our next car. URL: 2008 Chevy Malibu Hybrid to debut at Baseball All-Star Game
- Funny, I was just thinking about The Human Extinction Movement. VHEMT is basically a bunch of losers who for one reason or another chose not to have kids. Now they are making themselves feel better about it by encouraging others to do the same. Their argument ? Kids cause overpopulation. Here is a newsflash: old people are overpopulating the planet! In most Western nations the average population age is rising, not declining. Old sick people live longer and less productive lives. Just observe the looming social security crisis in the U.S. Perhaps stopping life-saving treatment after the age of 70 would be a better solution to overpopulation. URL: British Environmental Group Encourages having Fewer Children
- Maybe we just need to revise how we measure fuel-economy. Perhaps measuring it in dollars-worth-of-energy/mile-driven would make more sense to consumers and encourage car makers to produce more energy-efficient vehicles by seeking out alternative fuels. URL: Carmakers say new fuel economy regulations are unattainable. BS!
Saturday night we went out for dinner with a group of other young parents from our temple. A couple expecting twins said they bought a new family car - a Saturn Outlook - to which everyone at the table responded "Wow! Not bad!"
That contrasts with the response I got 7 years ago when I got my first Saturn: "Why??? Why would anyone want a Saturn ?"
