Hybrid-ey goodness...

Well, about a month ago (the Monday after Rita, actually) I went and gots me a brand spankin' new vee-hick-le. Lazarus the truck had been actin' up of late, with the clutch seals bein shot to hell and if I had evacuated, probably would have been a dead husk on the side of some freeway, and I had been searching for a while, but finally just went ahead and did it.

Yes-sirree, boys and girls, I got one of them new-fangled hybrids all the kids are talkin about.

The vehicle which I am now indebted to until 2010 is a Ford Escape Hybrid. It gets between 26 and 30 mpg, which people might say isn't much for a hybrid, the standard Escape gets 18-22 mpg. The payback on gas is about 1 tank a month savings (15 gal tank) so in about 5-7 years I will start seeing the return on that investment. Good thing I own my cars forever. Lazarus is a 92 ford ranger, and since it is only costing me 20 dollars more a month on my insurance, just having liability on it. Besides, I have been through a lot with that little truck, it would have pained me to part with it.

Anyhow, I am liking the car a lot...I am surprised how quickly I have gotten attached to the finer things like power locks and windows. It's also fun to see how far you can drive on full battery mode, which is about a mile at 20-25 mph. I have gotten it to 30mph on electric, but it takes a real steady foot to get it to creep up there without the gas engine kicking in. The only things I have had trouble with are the Navigation system (which I think must be installed backwards!) and I can't seem to set the damn clock!

...At least it does not blink 12:00