If anyone is interested in a BIG vehicle w/great mileage, I rode in a Dodge Sprinter last week and was very impressed. This is the same vehicle that UPS has started to use recently and comes in 3 whelbases (118" - 158") and has 3 different roof heights available. It has a 5 cylinder turbocharged Mercedes that gives decent performance and, according to the owner, gets 27-29mpg on the highway and 20-21 around town. It wasn't noisy and handled much better than the normal full-sized van.
Not sold in any stores...
- Thread starter AndyM
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JimR
Elite Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Couldn't own a Chevrolet -- or any GM car. Just can't. Don't matter who actually made it. Not in my lifetime. Never again.
I'd buy a Chevy over any Ford or Chrysler product of the same equivalant. I have had nothing but good luck with my last 3 S-10's. My Chevy days go back to my 56 with 165K on it when I sold it. My friend owns a 2002 GMC quad cab 4x4 with the Dynamax diesel. He said it makes his old Ford F350 quad cab 4x4 look like a POS. He will never buy another Ford. He also has traded in his wife's Durango. The tranny crapped out right after the warranty expired. The dealer would not fix it under warranty. He put in a rebuilt tranny and just traded it in for a GMC Envoy.
To each their own. Everyone likes one kind of vehicle or another for whatever reason. I've owned Ford's, Datsuns, Hondas, Olds, BMW's, and an Acura. We are now sticking with Chevy's and Honda/Acura products.
I'd buy a Chevy over any Ford or Chrysler product of the same equivalant. I have had nothing but good luck with my last 3 S-10's. My Chevy days go back to my 56 with 165K on it when I sold it. My friend owns a 2002 GMC quad cab 4x4 with the Dynamax diesel. He said it makes his old Ford F350 quad cab 4x4 look like a POS. He will never buy another Ford. He also has traded in his wife's Durango. The tranny crapped out right after the warranty expired. The dealer would not fix it under warranty. He put in a rebuilt tranny and just traded it in for a GMC Envoy.
To each their own. Everyone likes one kind of vehicle or another for whatever reason. I've owned Ford's, Datsuns, Hondas, Olds, BMW's, and an Acura. We are now sticking with Chevy's and Honda/Acura products.
Bird, looks like we may luck out -- but just barely. Grandma has 3 wheel chairs -- a travel chair, a new one with removable arms, and an older one. The older one has a seat about 21" high; the other two are 19" high. The newer one, with the lower seat, is the one that she's most comfortable in. The top of the handles is at 36", and sitting as straight as she can. she rises another 11", or 47". The interior of the Windstar, at the lowest point of the roof, is 48". If she was still using the older chair, she wouldn't clear.
There is a minor problem, in that the door opening, at the lowest point, is 45". If she tilts her head a bit, or we tip the wheelchair back a bit after the wheels are inside and solidly on the floor (they go in before her head), she'll clear. She's still alert enough to cooperate. The strap retainers fasten to L brackets outside the wheelbase of the chair; it will sit on the floor without being raised.
I'm quite capable of installing the brackets, but I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of deciding where they should go, so we're going with the professional installation for $600. On the other hand, there's no trick to the Tri-fold ramp, so we're ordering that from discountramps.com for less than $300.
I discovered one interesting fact. We have the dual sliding doors, left and right. The left (driver's) side door only opens to a clear width of a little less than 27". The right side door opens to a full clear width of a bit more than 30", so we can use a standard 30" wide portable ramp on that side. That's the curb side, so it would be the best choice in most cases, anyway.
Overall, we lucked out. I sat in the chair and measured the clearance I would need, and I would have to have 54" clearance with my head rubbing the roof, and there's only 48". Give me the same one inch we're going to give Grandma, and the roof would have to be raised 7" to accommodate me. That would have to increase to 9" if I used the taller chair, which would be more comfortable for me. I'm a not-exceptional smidgen under 6' tall.
There is a minor problem, in that the door opening, at the lowest point, is 45". If she tilts her head a bit, or we tip the wheelchair back a bit after the wheels are inside and solidly on the floor (they go in before her head), she'll clear. She's still alert enough to cooperate. The strap retainers fasten to L brackets outside the wheelbase of the chair; it will sit on the floor without being raised.
I'm quite capable of installing the brackets, but I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of deciding where they should go, so we're going with the professional installation for $600. On the other hand, there's no trick to the Tri-fold ramp, so we're ordering that from discountramps.com for less than $300.
I discovered one interesting fact. We have the dual sliding doors, left and right. The left (driver's) side door only opens to a clear width of a little less than 27". The right side door opens to a full clear width of a bit more than 30", so we can use a standard 30" wide portable ramp on that side. That's the curb side, so it would be the best choice in most cases, anyway.
Overall, we lucked out. I sat in the chair and measured the clearance I would need, and I would have to have 54" clearance with my head rubbing the roof, and there's only 48". Give me the same one inch we're going to give Grandma, and the roof would have to be raised 7" to accommodate me. That would have to increase to 9" if I used the taller chair, which would be more comfortable for me. I'm a not-exceptional smidgen under 6' tall.
Bird
Rest in Peace
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( looks like we may luck out -- but just barely )</font>
I'm glad for you, and you've obviously done your homework. Unfortunately, we had no such luck.
I'm glad for you, and you've obviously done your homework. Unfortunately, we had no such luck.
Bob_Skurka
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2003
- Messages
- 7,615
Paulss . . . I just bought a Sprinter for work. A very nice van indeed and fuel mileage seems to be as good as they claim.
HERE IS AN INTERESTING ARTICL ABOUT GAS I JUST FOUND:
Inflated Gas Prices a Result of Bigger Cars
MAY 17, 2004 -- NEW YORK -- In past years, when gasoline prices shot up, Americans could find convenient scapegoats: manipulation by OPEC, wartime market jitters, price gouging by oil companies. But as gas prices set a new U.S. record, an average of $1.95 a gallon for regular unleaded, consumers can't duck some of the blame, according to USA Today.
Energy analysts say the main reason gas prices are 45 cents per gallon higher than a year ago is that oil supplies can't keep pace with rising demand, up 4.4 percent in the United States in the past year. A chunk of that higher demand is coming from U.S. drivers who have become addicted to cheap gas for their fuel-thirsty SUVs and other vehicles.
While motorists may cringe when they pull into a gas station, prices adjusted for inflation are only about 20 cents per gallon higher than in 1990 and well below the equivalent of nearly $3 in March 1981, according to the U.S. Energy Department. As recently as the late 1990s, inflation-adjusted prices were among the lowest in history.
The fact that gas has been a bargain for so long explains why SUVs account for 25 percent of new sales -- a tenfold increase since 1975 -- and the average vehicle guzzles more gas.
Afterthe trend toward lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles that lasted for nearly two decades, the average 2004 model now weighs 4,066 pounds -- up 26 percent from 1987, according to a report last month by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Automakers also are meeting consumer demand for more powerful vehicles. They now average 10 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph vs. 13.1 seconds in 1987, the EPA said.
More weight and power require more fuel. The miles-per-gallon average is down to 20.8, from a high of 22.1 in 1987.
The prospect of higher prices for the foreseeable future is already prompting modest conservation. Sales of the largest SUVs have softened, while demand for fuel-efficient hybrids that run on gasoline and electricity is soaring. Still, the hybrid market accounts for only a tiny fraction of new sales, according to the news source.
History has shown that a shift to more efficient cars doesn't solve the nation's growing demand for oil. Ultimately, only development of an alternative to the gas-powered engine can break U.S. oil dependence. Last month, the Bush administration released the first installment of a five-year, $1.2 billion private research grant to develop a hydrogen car.
HERE IS AN INTERESTING ARTICL ABOUT GAS I JUST FOUND:
Inflated Gas Prices a Result of Bigger Cars
MAY 17, 2004 -- NEW YORK -- In past years, when gasoline prices shot up, Americans could find convenient scapegoats: manipulation by OPEC, wartime market jitters, price gouging by oil companies. But as gas prices set a new U.S. record, an average of $1.95 a gallon for regular unleaded, consumers can't duck some of the blame, according to USA Today.
Energy analysts say the main reason gas prices are 45 cents per gallon higher than a year ago is that oil supplies can't keep pace with rising demand, up 4.4 percent in the United States in the past year. A chunk of that higher demand is coming from U.S. drivers who have become addicted to cheap gas for their fuel-thirsty SUVs and other vehicles.
While motorists may cringe when they pull into a gas station, prices adjusted for inflation are only about 20 cents per gallon higher than in 1990 and well below the equivalent of nearly $3 in March 1981, according to the U.S. Energy Department. As recently as the late 1990s, inflation-adjusted prices were among the lowest in history.
The fact that gas has been a bargain for so long explains why SUVs account for 25 percent of new sales -- a tenfold increase since 1975 -- and the average vehicle guzzles more gas.
Afterthe trend toward lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles that lasted for nearly two decades, the average 2004 model now weighs 4,066 pounds -- up 26 percent from 1987, according to a report last month by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Automakers also are meeting consumer demand for more powerful vehicles. They now average 10 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph vs. 13.1 seconds in 1987, the EPA said.
More weight and power require more fuel. The miles-per-gallon average is down to 20.8, from a high of 22.1 in 1987.
The prospect of higher prices for the foreseeable future is already prompting modest conservation. Sales of the largest SUVs have softened, while demand for fuel-efficient hybrids that run on gasoline and electricity is soaring. Still, the hybrid market accounts for only a tiny fraction of new sales, according to the news source.
History has shown that a shift to more efficient cars doesn't solve the nation's growing demand for oil. Ultimately, only development of an alternative to the gas-powered engine can break U.S. oil dependence. Last month, the Bush administration released the first installment of a five-year, $1.2 billion private research grant to develop a hydrogen car.
Boone
Gold Member
( I'm curious where all the hydrogen for these fuel cells is supposed to come from? It's not like there is are a lot of 'free' hydrogen atoms out there. Hydrogen likes to bond and breaking that bond is going to cost us energy... where does that come from? )
Why, we burn oil, of course. Or Uranium
=====================================
Not necessary, wind turbines can bust the hydrogen out of water.
Why, we burn oil, of course. Or Uranium
=====================================
Not necessary, wind turbines can bust the hydrogen out of water.
TresCrows
Elite Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ( I'm curious where all the hydrogen for these fuel cells is supposed to come from? It's not like there is are a lot of 'free' hydrogen atoms out there. Hydrogen likes to bond and breaking that bond is going to cost us energy... where does that come from? )
Why, we burn oil, of course. Or Uranium
=====================================
Not necessary, wind turbines can bust the hydrogen out of water. )</font>
Wind turbines are ugly and an eyesore and an environmental nightmare--ask the Kennedys.
It takes energy to make the hydrogen, the trick is getting a net gain rather than a net loss. They will probably use petroleum to produce hydrogen---oil is a hydrocarbon /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
Yeah, messing with splitting and fusing hydrogen is neat isn't --those mushroom clouds sure are purty and the way they make everything glow in the dark is fun at parties. Actually, we could use nuke reactors to provide the energy to produce hydrogen--that is a net gain process, petroleum is a net loss process. J
Why, we burn oil, of course. Or Uranium
=====================================
Not necessary, wind turbines can bust the hydrogen out of water. )</font>
Wind turbines are ugly and an eyesore and an environmental nightmare--ask the Kennedys.
It takes energy to make the hydrogen, the trick is getting a net gain rather than a net loss. They will probably use petroleum to produce hydrogen---oil is a hydrocarbon /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
Yeah, messing with splitting and fusing hydrogen is neat isn't --those mushroom clouds sure are purty and the way they make everything glow in the dark is fun at parties. Actually, we could use nuke reactors to provide the energy to produce hydrogen--that is a net gain process, petroleum is a net loss process. J
