About two years ago,I read somewhere that VW in Europe sells a VW model
that gets over 70 miles per gallon.But folks in America just don't seem
to be interested in buying those models of VW cars.They probally would
be interested nowdays considering the high prices of gasoline and diesel
fuel.Assuming if VW would start importing those models of VW cars.
cuhulin

Think the 70 + MPG are Diesels.. Very small cars with Crummy
acceleration & poor top speed..

I have owned three VW's before.The first one I bought was at Steakley
Chevrolet used car department in 1965 in Killeen,Texas when I was in the
Army.Fort Hood is right next door to Killeen.It was a 1961 VW van and
had been a Chicken On Call van that someone previously owned and used it
to drive around at Fort Hood,selling sandwiches and soft drinks and
candy.One time when I came home on a three day holiday pass from Fort
Hood,I saw an ad in the local Clarion Ledger newspaper about a 1963 VW
car for sale for $1,100 and I bought that car and I drove it back to
Fort Hood,I later on sold my 1961 VW van and later on traded my 1963 VW
car in on a very nice 1967 Ford Car at Blackwell Chevrolet here in
Jackson.In 1978,I saw a 1970 VW van for sale,it was red with a white
roof and I traded my 1967 Ford car in on the 1970 VW van,I should have
hung on to my 1967 Ford car.Those old VW's didn't have enough power to
get out of their own way and you freeze to death in the winter time.I
swore off of VW vehicles forever.
cuhulin

wrote:
Think the 70 + MPG are Diesels.. Very small cars with Crummy
acceleration & poor top speed..


And that is part of our problem, everyone wants macho acceleration and
high speed.

Cmdr Buzz Corey wrote:
wrote:
Think the 70 + MPG are Diesels.. Very small cars with Crummy
acceleration & poor top speed..


And that is part of our problem, everyone wants macho acceleration and
high speed.

another part of the problem is that we NEED that acceleration (and
mondo braking ability) just to drive get ourselves out the mess caused
by a refusal of many drivers to drive safely

www.rhoadescar.com
cuhulin

CHRIS
Guest
Reality check for gas guzzlers
« Reply #5 on Today at 12:30am »

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The car has been playing up a bit... slow when starting... so was going
to take it to the garage today for a check up.

Took the kids to school as usual, and went shopping. Came out loaded to
the gills with junk... like those totally essential flashing Xmas
lights for the garden and the flashing Xmas Hats for us to wear once
but without which the holiday simply wouldn't be a holiday... would
it?? But is it *really* almost that time again - gawd?? It only seems
like a year ago it was this close last time!!

While I was there I took the opportunity of buying a load of frozen
gear... one of the kids is 6 next week and she wants a 'pool party' -
in September mark you brr so we have to have it here... oh joy, oh
rapture, oh god... just the *thought* of 25 screaming 6 year old girls
needing to be entertained fills me with horror - I think maybe I'll
call an 'entertainer'... anyway, I thought I'd get in early to save
time next week... as you do.

So, into the car goes the shopping... into the car goes I... and that's
where I stay... why? No power... well not enough to start her up
anyway.

Luckily this car is leased so I call the support line... who tell me
they use NRMA... who tell me there'll be a 60 - 90 minute wait. (see
"oh joy" etc above and repeat...) This was 10:17.

I sit there... not that I could do much else... I read "That's Life",
listen to classical FM cos the radio still just manages to work... and
listen to the sound of frozen food slowly defrosting itself... and
wait.

Suddenly the screen in the car lights up and tells me to switch off
totally or it will explode in 7 seconds... well ok... it tells me the
power will fail totally in 7 seconds... but it's much the same thing...
anyway I was told to switch off **or else**... I didn't learn what the
'or else' would be because at that moment up came the NRMA guy...
arrived at 11:30... not too bad I suppose.

Utilising the vast store of motoring knowledge I've accumulated over
the years, I let him know that I thought the problem may be a dry
battery... of course I've never looked under the bonnet in 3 years so I
didn't even know for sure it even *had* a battery.. but still. You have
to appear in control don't you?

So he humours me... and looks... and of course it wasn't... typical...
but it *was* shot... he told me... though how could I check? Either
way, after 3 years hard work, the battery was replaced. Symptomatic of
modern life I suppose... give all you have and be cast off once you
can't perform as well as you did. Eh? Cynical moi? Never... !!

Anyway... it turns out that *I* have to *pay* for it because even tho
the NRMA guy was called out by the support line... apparently there is
no way I can charge the battery through the NRMA and back to them...
grrr!!!

And that of course is pretty much the end of the story. Ten minutes
later and $140 lighter, I'm back on the road. I get home safe and
sound... end of story. Except of course I now have to try to get the
$140 back off the lease company... and won't *that* be fun!!

Chris

I hope y'all checked the oil and water and brake fluid and power
steering fluid and fan belts and power steering belts and airconditioner
belts under that hood/bonnet of the car.After about three years,it's
about time.High past time in fact.
cuhulin

I have a set of plans here inside a round cardboard mailing tube.I
ordered the plans from an ad in a Mother Earth magazine back in the
1970's.The plans show how to hook up a three cylinder diesel engine like
the kind in small lawn mower yard tractors to an adapter to a
transmission of an old british Triump car.The plans say it gets up to
125 miles per gallon.
cuhulin

The plans say it gets up to
125 miles per gallon.

I keep kicking around the idea of making a one seater car
out of a small motorcycle drivetrain. Can't decide how to go about
it though. I've considered a trike-car, but I think a trike wheel in
the
front would be too unstable. Not sure about a rear steer trike.
Also have kicked around the idea of just adding frame to one
side and making a four wheeler motorcycle, but with only one
side actually driving power. I'd like to make a light glass
body that looked like the front of a jet plane, to cut wind
resistance. If you used a 125-250 cc range engine, I bet
you could get pretty a pretty decent mpg. Being I once had a
yamaha 250 that probably did 80-90 mph, I think going street speeds
would be a snap. Dunno how if would fare on the freeway...
Could probably do 55 I bet if stable enough.
MK