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<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><EM>"I’ve heard
somewhere that hybrids do not get as good of mileage with mostly highway
driving, which is typically what I do. Have you noticed anything like that, say,
on a long road trip?"</EM></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><EM></EM></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3>It's true
that the Prius mileage is highest under 50 mph - it can be especially
good in the 30 to 40 mph range (that's where I can squeeze 80 - 100 mpg out
of it with some fancy footwork). I have not taken mine on a long trip yet, so I
have not burned a whole tank of gas on the freeway and then checked the actual
mileage, but the computer mileage readout (real time) checks out to be
within one or two mpg of actual and it suggests that I get about 50 mpg at 65
mph.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I'm going to sell one
of our cars (not the Prius) and build an electric
motorcycle.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Terry
Farrell</SPAN></FONT></P></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><FONT
face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I’ve heard somewhere
that hybrids do not get as good of mileage with mostly highway driving, which
is typically what I do. Have you noticed anything like that, say, on a long
road trip?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Mine is a 1999 Honda
Accord with 221,000 miles. I’m hoping for 300K before I retire it. A normal
year sees anywhere from 24K to 30K miles. I have to transport two small boys,
so I need something that will comfortably seat them along with car seats, plus
carry my trunk-full of tools. I’d need to eyeball the Prius to see if it would
do all that. I generally like the idea of reducing emissions (for human
health-not sure yet about any negative effect on the planet), but it’s also a
big difference in price right now between gas-burners and hybrids. I wish we’d
get off our buns and drill for oil in Anwar or in my back yard if there’s oil
here. At the same time, also develop alternative energy at a reasonable cost
so we can virtually eliminate our dependence on oil. Sounds good, don’t know
if it’s possible. Time will tell.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Other cars I’d
consider looking at are the Pontiac Vibe (30/36 MPG), and the Mazda 3 5-door
(26/32 MPG). If I remember correctly, there’s a Volkswagen station wagon with
a diesel engine that gets mileage in the 40’s, but I’m not so sure how stable
the price of diesel is – would have to check that
first.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Lots of decisions,
eh? ;-)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">John
Formsma<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Farrell<BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Friday, April 28, 2006 5:06
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">Pianotech List</st1:PersonName><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: Prius for Piano
Tech?</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Hi Fenton,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I made the switch from a '92 Lincoln Town Car to an
'06 Prius. It was fairly painless. I'm 6-foot and fit in the <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:City> easier,
but 54 mpg (since new - 4-month average) beats 17 mpg any day. I have
already transported a couple grand actions in the Prius. I don't typically
carry more than four or five boxes of tools, so I was able to simply set the
actions directly on the bottom of the trunk area with the rear seats folded
down. The Prius is actually a mid-sized car and there is quite a bit of room
in there - more than meets the eye from the outside. If you carry a mountain
of tools all the time, you might need to do some sort of other arranging -
there is a fair bit of height back there, so yes, an action could go on top of
a layer of tool boxes. My 140 lb. Great Dane fits quite easily back
there.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I am very happy with my Prius. If you've ever enjoyed
driving a stick-shift, you will especially enjoy driving a Prius. It is fully
automatic of course, but if one is willing, there are all sorts of gas-pedal
games one can play to increase mileage significantly. Under no/low-traffic
conditions, where you can drive any speed you want, it is not difficult to
coax 80 to 100 mpg out of the little rascal! The car is FUN to drive! Our
lifetime 54 mpg average represents a combination of urban and freeway driving
- mostly during times when traffic flow dictates our speed. I can easily
imagine that if you do not play any high-fuel-efficiency games with the
gas pedal and drive with a lead foot (gotta beat that other car to the traffic
light!) you might average something closer to 45 mpg - maybe less, I don't
know.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Folks will point out that "it will take you 15 years
to recoup the investment" in the extra cost of the Prius via fuel savings. The
argument is that the Prius costs $25K and a Corolla (or some similar
non-hybrid car costs $15K or whatever). First, I'll be getting a $3K tax
rebate, so my Prius costs $22K. Second, our other car is a '03 Saturn. We
paid $18K for the Saturn - I suppose an '06 Saturn might be more like $19K or
$20K. IMHO, the Prius is much more of a high quality car than the Saturn. It
also has more safety features like side air bags and vehicle stability
control. More car, way more MPG (Saturn only gets 25 mpg), more safety, and
IMHO - as soon as the first bomb drops on Tehran (or another Katrina or
whatever) and gasoline shoots up to $5+/gallon - a
quicker-than-you-think investment payback via fuel savings, AND way
less emissions (if you have a conscience) "89 percent fewer
smog-forming emissions than the average new car, exceeding the standards for a
Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle". For me, the decision was a
no-brainer.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">YMMV<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Terry Farrell <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">----- Original Message -----
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The Volvo wagon has 165K and is eating too much
money between gas and maintenance. BTW, you better be charging at least as
much as your mechanic. I'm researching my next vehicle and wondering if a
Toyota Prius could actually work. Naturally, critical is the ability to
transport a grand or upright action. I would be so grateful for any techs
using one to let me know how they like it, can you fit an action in there on
top of your tools? I've looked in them and they seem pretty big, not
like my Volvo wagon. But, I am willing to scale down some and I sure could
dig 45 MPG. Or, any other vehicles that get high mileage, second choice for
me right now is a Subaru Outback, great car but more dough and only mid 20's
MPG.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Fenton Murray, RPT<BR><A
href="http://www.MurraysPianoTuning.com">www.MurraysPianoTuning.com</A></SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>