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Aug. 11, 2005 When looking for a fuel-efficient automobile, don’t look for an American brand vehicle. The top ten list of most fuel efficient cars in this country included only one American brand, Ford Focus. The top cars on the list are the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, and the Toyota Echo, all hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles use a combination of gasoline and electric battery. The Honda Insight boasts highway miles per gallon of 61. In my book, that’s darn tempting. After owning a 1976 Subaru that must have been built by a drunken Japanese sailor, I swore I would never buy another foreign named car, but what do American automakers offer? They have yet to retool and get with the fuel efficiency program. Americans still seem to be obsessed with the sleek and the large. SUVs are still selling and large trucks are a must for some. What part of $3.00 per gallon do we not understand? Hybrid vehicles claim a yearly cost of gasoline to be around $600 or $700. Whereas, large vehicle owners are going to spend over $2000 per year for gas, that is a savings. Can we afford not to begin building fuel alternative vehicles? Sure, if you are getting paid over $100,000 a year, but if not, I don’t think so. My wife has a Pontiac Grand Prix. We love it. It rides nice, has a great stereo system, leather upholstery, and it’s just great on long trips. But, at the end of vacation, I have to remortgage the house to pay for the gas. Americans someday are going to have to decide between luxury and economy. Do we want a nice riding car or do we want to pay for the kids’ education? Luxury, or help pay for our daughter’s wedding? Tough decisions.
Another plus for a fuel-efficient vehicle, a hybrid vehicle will give you a tax break. Yes, you can claim up to $2000 bucks on your year-end tax form if you have purchased a fuel hybrid vehicle in 2005. I don’t know about you, but I need all the deductibles I can get at tax time.
If you’re searching for a new vehicle, consider the hybrids. I’m sure there are negative sides to the equation, eg., size, safety, repair costs. But, it might be worth the savings in gas. Think about it.
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