It was easy for me when the epiphany came. :amen:

:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: Whoever dies with the most toys... wins :banana:

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/raw6464/Goldwing0006.jpg)

This post has been edited by raw6464: May 9 2008, 07:25 PM

SweeeeeeT!

Is that a Vespa? Looks kinda big.

Now that is one **** of a motorcycle. Wow. Does it get better fuel economy than the Azera? :bwekk:

50 MPG... if I can control my right hand on the throttle... 0-60 in around 4 seconds is so much fun :banana:... but resisting temptation was never one of my strong ponts. :w00t:

This post has been edited by raw6464: May 10 2008, 08:02 AM

Yeah it is big... I'm having the satellite dish put on next week :)

Where's the sink and shower.

Oh... that's the following week, but I'm having a problem getting a matching shower curtain. :unsure: Don't you hate when that happens. :blush:

Well, I drive an '05 Titan PU. You complain about gas mileage on an Azera? Well, I know poor MPG. 13mpg around town and 17mpg on the freeway.

Reading all the posts about commutes, I'd have to say some of you have no need of a vehicle that gets better mpg. 2 mile commute. Walk. Ride a bike or get a scooter. 7 miles, get a scooter or small motorcycle.

True weather isn't ideal all year long, but if you take advantage of all days when it is good enough, you'll save enough to more than make up for the Azera's less than stellar mpg.

My second vehicle is a '97 Honda ST1100. Smaller than the Gold Wing above, but larger than a scooter by far. It gets about 40mpg when I'm able to keep it below supersonic speeds. I'm riding it as much as the weather will allow and keeping the Titan in the drive.

I'm on this site to learn about Hyundais as I'm thinking of getting a second 4 wheel vehicle. Either the Sonata or the Azera.

Red

Well... not to be difficult, but I didn't complain about mileage - my original question was how others deal with 20+ mile commutes. Mine so so short that gas prices don't effect us so much, even with relatively thirsty cars like XJs and Azeras. BTW, my XJR's economy is worse than your titan :-( :whistling:

The problem with my 2 mile commute is that if I walked, I'd Die. Its a 50mph street with no sidewalks. I'm looking at a motor cycle. Same thing with riding a bike, there are so many accidents on that street and the couple intersections I'd die there too.

I was considering pointing that out too - on my 7-mile commute on anything less than a full-fledged 'real' motorcycle I'd die at any of a dozen places between here and work. A few too many Yukon Moms and Suburban Dads who are (literally) above the need to spot minor road hazards like... pedestrians, cyclists... sedans...

Ever play the game Frogger? That's like driving to work in Raleigh in anything that weighs less than 7,000 pounds. So passé these days!

Well here's something I have a hard time explaining, I topped off my tank last time with 3 gallons and clocked 80 miles on it, but it had some highway, about 30 miles were highway. But today I barely fit in 10 gallons with 214.7 miles clocked - and this time, it's all city, not a mile of highway. I guess I have been driving more lightly... and it is much warmer here now... but does it make THAT much of a difference? 16 --> 21.4 mpg?

If this is real, it's going to be difficult to maintain... behaving that well for 200+ miles of driving was hard enough...

Andyman32;

Congratulations on the better mileage. If you keep up the soft pedal action you will eventually get used to it. It takes a while to make any adjustments to habits we have practiced for a long time. :clap:

Most of all our shopping is 25 miles distant. We also pick up and take our granddaughters to school which is about a 15 mile round trip four times a week. My Dodge diesel truck sits in the garage unless I have a real need to haul something bulky or very heavy. The rest of the time we use the Azera. Our last fuel bill was about $450 for both vehicles.

If we were paying a big mortgage and had to add the fuel bill on top of that we probably would be driving an Elantra or something even smaller. Fortunately our house is paid for. As it is I don't think we will be making any long trips this Summer. Motel and Hotel fees are quite high now, even with a Senior Citizen discount.

Best to everyone! :thumbsup:

Joe

Since I know fuel cost is on everyone's mind, I came across an interesting site that I thought I would share. It is about hypermiling.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

Some of the things I already do, but some are really extreme. I am going to start carpooling.

Enjoy.

[quote=andyman32,May 7 2008, 05:17 PM]
I wanted to make a poll out of this but the forum says I am not allowed. Save me from myself I guess! I still think it should be turned in to a poll. Anyhow, out of curiosity, and relating the Gasoline Prices discussion back to Azeras...

With your normal amount of driving and budget, how much would a gallon of regular gasoline have to cost to force you to reconsider owning the Azera, and look for something more fuel-efficient as a DD?

Knowing the rate rates of the staff in my company I equate the threshold of gas pricing that begins to hurt a large number of people at about $4 per gallon. The average commute to work is about 15 miles and if the 'average' mpg is as much as 15 mpg the cost per week is about $40 per week. The take home pay for most is about $450 so gas begins to intrude on the fixed payments for housing, vehicles, insurance, etc that impact food required. Right now they are impacted but not devestated. The lower half of the wage earners are however because their take home pay is less than $280 a week even though their fixed expenses are lower.
I'm watching the effect of high gas prices on the election this fall. If past issues are continued the economy will be the controlling issue. If the Republicans pin high gas prices on Democrats (for 20 years Democrats have defeated every attempt to open drilling for more oil in good places thus the supply is limited and as demand rises so does prices) will that swing the election?
I'm betting if prices rise to $4.50 it will be.
PS for those clinging to some sort of miracle there is none. supply will lag demand for at least the next 5 years. Buckle up.

[quote=mahout,Jun 20 2008, 06:25 AM]
[quote=andyman32,May 7 2008, 05:17 PM]

With your normal amount of driving and budget, how much would a gallon of regular gasoline have to cost to force you to reconsider owning the Azera, and look for something more fuel-efficient as a DD?

One cent.

Not really sure since MPG was not an important factor to begin with as the car is not economical on gas. Maybe $6.00?
However, the other cars I looked at all got about the same MPG and most required premium vs. regular for Azera. As I recall the Avalon only got a couple of miles better, but on premium and paying about $5,000 more for a comparably equipped one.
Course, I only drive about 7,500 miles per year. Went through the most MPG back in the 70's, Datsum B210 manual, no A/C.
Interestingly, the only negative Consumer Reports gave in its test drive report was on MPG. On the other hand their vaunted Infiniti G35 and M35 both get the same MPG with premium gas and it is not considered a negative. Go figure! :beer: