Stories from the Sales Frontlines

Replying to: venture (May 09, 2008 7:41 pm)

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• mackabee (May 11, 2008 3:15 pm)
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Replying to: obyone (May 09, 2008 3:35 pm)

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Replying to: mako1a (May 09, 2008 7:07 pm)

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• laurasdada (May 11, 2008 2:01 pm)
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Replying to: snakeweasel (May 11, 2008 1:12 pm)

"Does 2 to 3 MPG really make that much difference?
  
Do some people yes, thats why things get priced at $9.99 instead of $10.00. Its all perception."
 
Yes, a 2-3 MPG difference. And that's reality!
 
El Cheapo Grande,
 
Laurasdada

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• snakeweasel (May 11, 2008 2:40 pm)
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Replying to: laurasdada (May 11, 2008 2:01 pm)

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• laurasdada (May 11, 2008 4:56 pm)

Replying to: geffen (May 11, 2008 6:07 am)

Replying to: chikoo (May 11, 2008 8:15 am)

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• chikoo (May 12, 2008 6:00 am)

Replying to: snakeweasel (May 11, 2008 1:07 pm)

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• snakeweasel (May 11, 2008 4:05 pm)

Replying to: mako1a (May 09, 2008 7:07 pm)

I happen to know those things get 28 hwy and 24 when you drive hard. Perhaps a few less when you try to get it airborne.
  
Makes no sense to me. I have a Toyota V6 getting 30.8 AVG MPG for the last 3 years and would trade for a 01 Vette all day long.
 
 
I don't believe in 24 mpg on a hard-driven Corvette for a second. Would not be surprised if it was more like 18 mpg. Big V8s have this thing, you know, called displacement. If you rev the car up to 5-6 thousand rpms, something has to fill it's combustion chambers to get that torque working and those wheels spinning - it's called gas (air, too of course, but gas is needed in large quantities to move those large pistons in large cylinders). Now, when you idle it on highway at 60 mph on the right lane then yes, you may get 28 mpg. Of course I don't believe in 30 mpg on V6 Camry driven hard, either, but I bet the differential is slightly less than the Vette's.
 
However, with car like Corvette the gas mileage is really beside the point. If can't pay $2000 or even $3000 year for gas, you have no business in buying a $50-100K car, period. Even if it's used and I got a good deal, whatever that might mean. So a guy trading Vette for econocar because of gas mileage has much deeper issues with his finances than he wants to admit. Probably should have not gat that car at the first place.
 
BTW, at 25 mpg, 5 mpg more translates to $300/year at 15K miles and $3.5/gal. However, same 5 mpg bump at 15 mpg (say big truck gashog traded to large crossover) translates to $875/year. Coversely, at 35 mpg, another 5 mpg bump is only $187/year, which means from purely economic point of view, there are better choices than hybrids, or in other words, fuel is not enough justification to go from s 4-cylinder to hybrid Camry. The fuel cost curve is a hyperbola approaching infinity at 0 mpg, so drops are large at low mpgs and small at high.
 
After being here for 10 years, I see manufacturers and merchants insulting intelligence of their customers and getting away with that over and over again. Marketing and advertizing is almost everything here. People do crazy stuff all around the world, but it's really astonishing how easy people buy into trends here. Almost unbelievable.
 
Rant finished

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Replying to: dino001 (May 11, 2008 3:37 pm)

I don't believe in 24 mpg on a hard-driven Corvette for a second.
 
For comparison, I own a Viper that gets 12 mpg in mixed driving and that's if I don't drive it hard at all. On the highway, with a tailwind and in 6th gear at 1200 rpm I can practically idle along at 70 mph and get around 22 mpg but who wants to do that?