ELIO - has anybody driven one ? (84mpg)

[3930dave]

I agree - great toad, if you could pull it 3 down. We'll have to wait to see..

I don't RV yet, so I'm probably out of touch with commonly accepted toad wisdom/regs.....

That said, my preference for a front wheel drive car is a tow dolly. For the distances I want to ramble, I'd prefer to have the drive wheels not spinning, regardless of the drivetrain design/OE recommendations.

Rgds, D.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Tow dolly's are hard.. where do you put it? How do you back up (front wheels swivel on a dolly)? How do you keep it from disappearing while out and about? Most people choose to tow four down due to the hassle..

 

[3930dave]

Tow dolly's are hard.. where do you put it? How do you back up (front wheels swivel on a dolly)? How do you keep it from disappearing while out and about? Most people choose to tow four down due to the hassle..

I often don't do things the easy way rolleyes::laughing , esp. for the outcome I want.

People will still use a tow dolly today, to save money. As in Uhaul + towing a car 1,000+ miles.

Personally, I'm not concerned about backing up or tire scuffing. Any trailer I own is either chained up when stored, or locked to the tow vehicle. Nothing is thiefproof, but I wouldn't be any more/less concerned about a dolly than anything else I own.

Agreed, most people today prioritize convenience/minimal effort over anything else. Points taken though.... 20+ years ago dollys + RVs were more common.... if I end up having a coffee with somebody who was towing back then, I'll ask for their experience.

On second thought...... OK, you convinced me....... I'll drop a 25' enclosed Toy Box behind the RV, and stick the Elio inside .

Rgds, D.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Heh.. I always thought about that route too. Then, I was reminded that RV spaces nowadays are barely big enough for the RV with the toad parked on the side. Most who use a trailer find they have no place to put it or have to leave it in the parks front lot. These sometimes cost more..

iRV2.com

 

[Midniteoyl]

Heh.. I always thought about that route too. Then, I was reminded that RV spaces nowadays are barely big enough for the RV with the toad parked on the side. Most who use a trailer find they have no place to put it or have to leave it in the parks front lot. These sometimes cost more..

iRV2.com

Hehe... talk about thread drift..

 

[3930dave]

Heh.. I always thought about that route too. Then, I was reminded that RV spaces nowadays are barely big enough for the RV with the toad parked on the side. Most who use a trailer find they have no place to put it or have to leave it in the parks front lot. These sometimes cost more..

RV's got huge, and spaces stayed the same, or shrunk.... ya got a point there !

What I like about dollys are that they are fairly short (as trailers go). If I was stuck on space, I'd find a way to slide the dolly tongue under the RV, it wouldn't be sticking out much.

If/when I get on the road like that, I'd be interested in heading to places like Glamis, CA. Pretty sure a 25' toybox trailer is considered a mid-sized trailer (or maybe small !) amongst that crowd.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Hehe... talk about thread drift..

Let's hope the OP isn't getting bent out of shape .

S'all good.... I like wide ranging discussion..... and in this case is still relevant, given the Uber-Toad potential for the Elio.

Rgds, D.

 

[HHR]

Yeah, but aside from paying for the car, you'd also have to budget something like $250 for fuel ! Thanks for the animation, I hadn't found that one. Simple, clean design. Accessiblity/serviceability looks good, refreshingly so compared to many engines today. If your trip in an Elio happens, you Have To start a thread on it ! We'd all love to see total avg. (and max, min) mpg, as told by a TBN'er. Rgds, D.

Will do! Last time I went to Alaska, I towed a camper trailer and averaged 8 mpg.

 

[PoorMansCat]

The local news interviewed a guy from that company awhile back. They had entered into negotiations to take over the GM plant in Shreveport La. where GM used to build the S-10 pickups.

 

[3930dave]

The local news interviewed a guy from that company awhile back. They had entered into negotiations to take over the GM plant in Shreveport La. where GM used to build the S-10 pickups.

That's their target location. They're probably dealing with at least 3 levels of govt. I don't envy them that task; as it often makes the engineering look easy in comparison.

Rgds, D.