Comments anwrnews has made

  • Subaru sold out

    I have owned two Subarus previously, but I refused to patronize the company after they decided to take advantage of the SUV loopholes in U.S. law by jacking up their Outbacks. I consider the Outbacks to be a hideous exercise in plastic body cladding, but I was seriously considering a basic Legacy wagon a couple years ago. I walked away because the company opted to join the SUV crowd, and the new car that Neil likes so much is just another example (and just as ugly as the Outbacks, if you ask me). I bought a 25-year-old Mercedes wagon instead and I'm running it on biodiesel. It's the best car I've ever owned, more solidly tacked together after 170,000 miles than all of the new cars I test drove. On Subaru's new line. posted 4 years, 5 months ago 3 Responses

  • Give me a break...

    If Sainsbury had so much trouble getting around Vancouver without a car, I highly recommend he NOT take up residence anywhere in the USA. I visited Vancouver for a week last year and had no trouble getting around by foot and public transit whatsoever. It's public transit system is a greenie's dream come true compared to systems in the U.S. Now, it might not measure up to systems in Britain and Europe, but still I can muster little sympathy for Sainsbury's travails. Perhaps he lives in one of Vancouver's far-flung suburbs. That might explain it. But the downtown and Univ. of British Colummbia environs have great transit and are very walkable. On Can a Brit survive in North America without a driver's license? posted 4 years, 5 months ago 5 Responses

  • Electric is the way to go

    I've used the same electric razor for about 14 years. They don't really wear out, and this was a cheap model to boot. It's a plug-in (so no rechargeable batteries to wear out and dispose) without any fancy LEDs or other junk. I replaced the blades once and kept on using it. It still works great. I shave 'dry' so no fancy creams or fluids to buy and, therefore, no containers to throw away. I don't think I would feel good about throwing away disposable razors or their blades every week.On Umbra on shaving posted 4 years, 5 months ago 28 Responses

  • But cars can be common ground...

    I agree with Melissa to some extent, but what better way to "meet in the middle" than to hot-rod an earth-friendly car? What better way to stake out common ground with the NASCAR constituency? Consorting in a Prius, in my opinion, only furthers the green movement's elitist leanings (just look at the car's popularity in Hollywood). Not everyone can afford a Prius, but almost anybody can afford to hop-up a 20-year-old Mercedes and run it on biodiesel.

    I also want to echo the argument that greening a used car may have a lower overall impact on the planet than buying a new one. For one thing, by using local mechanics and parts suppliers, you are helping your local economy. And you can also engage in reuse-recycling by using used parts whenever possible from junkyards, your local classifieds, CraigsList, etc., etc.

    P.S. -- Here's another great electric car site, with kits for converting the Porsche 914 (and Volkswagen Rabbit) to battery power:

    http://www.electroauto.com/index.htmlOn Umbra on whether to eco-retrofit an old car posted 4 years, 7 months ago 12 Responses

  • Not so fast, Umbra...

    There are other options to consider here. Lucy could convert a classic muscle car to run on propane fairly easily. Few mods to the original engine are required, and it will run much cleaner than gasoline. But it's still a petroleum product, still an inefficient 1970 engine, and still a 35-year-old machine potentially needing a full restoration.

    Another option is to take that 1970 muscle car, and drop in a modern engine from the same vehicle family. For example, you could take your vintage Chevelle and mount a new Corvette engine in it. Not cheap, and not as clean as possible, but still much better than 1970. Such engine swaps are legal in California as long as the engine is newer than the chassis.

    And I beg to differ with your suggestion for a 1970s diesel car. There's no "muscle" in these machines whatsoever. You may be thinking of 1980s-vintage Mercedes turbo diesels, which can offer decent performance if they are in top condition, and they are THE best cars for running biodiesel or straight veggie oil fuels. You can also kit them out with wider wheels and tires to make them look a bit more muscled up.

    Still another option Lucy should consider is a modern Volkswagen with a TDI diesel engine. If Lucy's husband is enamored of the new "green" cars and yet craves a muscle car, this could be the best compromise. The TDI engines are super efficient, run great on biodiesel, and there are tons of aftermarket performance parts available for them (bigger injectors, performance chips, suspension and brake parts, etc.). You can't buy one new in California at the moment due to particulate pollution regs. You can buy a used one, though scarcity means they hold their value quite well (expect to pay close to $20k). Best of all, you can get them in a variety of shapes: Jetta wagon or sedan, hatchback Golf, even the New Beetle comes with a TDI motor.

    And if you have the coin, you could also drop one of these TDI engines into something else...say, a 1970 MGB convertible. THAT would be cool.

    Anyway, this is an elemental question that many of us struggle with in car-crazed California, so thanks for bringing it forward.On Umbra on whether to eco-retrofit an old car posted 4 years, 7 months ago 12 Responses