[SustainableTompkins] I hate to drought on your hybrid parade but...

[Margaret McCasland]

Please, please, tell me how!  I have been driving more slowly, more 
gradual starts and stops, checking tire pressure, but what other 
techniques might help?  I'm still around 25 mpg, last I checked (I 
stopped filling the tank, so that I'm driving less weight around, so 
I'm not calculating actual mpg).

Thanks, Margaret

PS a hole in your exhaust system is a great way to keep your starts 
gradual--fear of a ticket!  But I do plan on getting it fixed and 
keeping the Subaru a while longer.


>Definitely, the best choice for a car is one that already exists, not
>trading in a 2007 hybrid for a 2008 hybrid. And sometimes the thinking of
>needing something different is just our wonderful American way of
>consumption. I was tired of getting 23 MPG in my 97 Subaru Legacy Wagon, and
>instead of going out and buying a new/different car, I took the time to
>learn how to drive efficiently. We have all heard how to do it, but it just
>takes the patience to actually do it. I can now get 40 miles per gallon in
>the same car, without ANY modifications to the car, simply just changing
>driving technique. I also drive the shortest distance route, even if it
>means taking more time because it saves gas. My drive to see my family a few
>times a year takes a few more hours, but uses 45% of the gas that it used
>to. So if you want to drive a more efficient car, don't empty your pockets
>just yet. Learn how to drive efficiently, find the shortest route, and then
>when your car is really dead, it might be better to buy the new hybrid or
>electric if you are still going to use a car.
>
>Andy Goodell
>1894 Charlotte Creek Road
>Oneonta, NY 13820
>(603) 831-0356
>http://geekguyandy.com
>