I drive a truck. I love my truck. I’ve owned trucks since I was 16. Each of them has been a Chevrolet. Two have had V8’s, and I’ve loved every one of them.
I still remember, with perfect clarity, when my dad showed up in the driveway with a bright red ’92 S-10 one week after my 16th birthday. It was in my price range, and a couple days later, I was writing the check. Gas was $1 per gallon.
I pulled up to a pump a day or two ago and put $98.00 in my Avalanche. Regularly checking the maximum credit card authorization at gas pumps around my area is not my idea of fun.
I will sacrifice a lot to keep my V8 monster. I love driving it. I’ve never thought twice about heading off in 10 inches of snow or on a sheet of ice. The Avalanche’s 6000 plus pounds give it traction rivaling that of a farm tractor with studded tires.
So why, now, do I consider letting my baby go? Well, for one, I just bought an airplane. But moreover, gas prices aren’t going to go down. Exxon, BP, and all the other money-hungry companies have figured out that we will pay whatever it costs, no matter how high that price may be. They know this now, and have no reason, no incentive, and no logic to lower the cost.
Regardless of if you blame President Bush’s unwarranted invasion of Iraq or the attitude of Exxon’s top executives, the prices are approaching $4.00 per gallon where I live, and it’s time to consider cutting back.
I appreciate that $600 “economy stimulus package” that Mr. Bush is sending me – I can use that to pay for some gas, or to put a down-payment on a used car. Or maybe, I can use that to pay for food. In any case, I’ll take great pride in knowing I’m stimulating the economy.
I’m getting off the subject, we’re supposed to be on cars. Economical cars. Cars that no truck buyer would ever consider. Right? Well, we’ll see.
There are currently three (yes, really only three) cars on the road that I like. #1 – Pontiac GTO 6.0. I LOVE the GTO, it’s beautiful, it sounds awesome, and it comes in yellow. 400 horses, a real stick-shift, and I can burn through some rubber…at 15 mpg. Well, strike that, the Avalanche does 14, so what’s the benifit?
#2 – Pontiac Solstice GXP – The turbocharged Solstice is rated at 260hp, and 30+ mpg – so far it’s a winner. Except one minor thing, I drove one, and I wasn’t impressed. I’m about 6’2”, and I fit just fine, a little small perhaps, but what do you expect from a tiny car? Overall the Solstice looks cool, but didn’t impress me behind the wheel. It’s noisy, and not really cut-out for the long-haul.
#3 – Mazda6 5-Door – Yep, it’s not only Japanese, it’s missing half the cylinders I usually look for, only two wheels drive it (and they’re on the wrong end), and it’s made by Ford. I’ll be back in a few after I recover from that…. As much as I hate to admit it, the Mazda6 is good looking. Although it’s very hard to find in blue, it’s a fantastic looking car, rides well, drives well, has good handling, and the seats are comfy. The stock stereo is nice, the interior is tight, clean, simple, and not overrun with plastic chrome or woodgrain. It’s 2.3L engine gets 29mpg (on paper) which isn’t that impressive – I’d like to see more there – but it’s alot better than 14.
So am I really going to trade my 285 hp V8 all-terrain truck for a four-cylinder sedan? Yes, I think I am. I’m really disappointed that GM doesn’t make a single car that’s right for me at this point. The new Malibu is nice, but not what I want. Pontiac’s new line-up doesn’t excite me (with the exception of the Solstice, which I’ve thrown out), Cadillac…well, yeah, not in my price range…and Saturn is just….blah.
I’m a devoted, loyal GM owner…and I’m looking at Mazda…seriously looking.
What will come of it? Who knows….maybe nothing….maybe some well needed gas savings.