<VV> Light, Economical Cars

Dave Keillor dkeillor at ultrex.com
Fri Sep 2 11:35:29 EDT 2005


>>The other real problem DOES have to do with the Corvair. 
>>Thanks to Nader's success in attacking the US automobile 
>>industry, the extraconstitutional 1968 Federal Transportation 
>>rules outlawed lightweight cars overnight.  So all of the 
>>small economical cars that the rest of the world enjoy have 
>>been illegal here since 1968. Even our best "economy" cars 
>>carry around nearly 1000lbs of "safety weight", making them 
>>neither cheap  nor economical nor fun to drive. And who was 
>>behind outlawing small light cars? The same folks now 
>>complaining about how uneconomical cars are.

I have a different perspective.  There are a number of cars available that
are both quite economical and reasonably fun to drive as everyday
transportation.  My wife has both an Olds Alero 2 door and a Miata.  The
Miata is reasonably light (about 2,300 pounds with about 100-200 pounds of
that being safety related) and gets reasonably good gas mileage (mid 20s in
town and 28-29 on the highway).  The Alero (3.4 liter V-6) is an excellent
car both around town and longish trips -- not as fun as the Miata, but
that's not the Alero's design target.  The Alero is also quite economical --
mid 20s in town and 28-29 on the highway at 70-80 mph (same as the Miata).
It would be a little lighter with out the "safety weight", but certainly
nowhere near 1,000 pounds lighter.  In reality, the sound deadening that is
in current cars accounts for about the same extra weight as the safety
equipment.

For comparison purposes, consider our 2003 Alero which weighs around 2,900
pounds and our 1973 Nova 350 coupe which weighs around 3,300 pounds.  The
Nova gets about 12 in town and 15 highway on premium gas -- about 1/2 the
Alero.  Now put our 1966, 110hp Powerglide Corvair convertible into the mix.
It weighs around 2,700 pounds and gets high teens in town and low 20s on the
highway.

Where would we be without government "interference"?  No one can say.  I do
know that cars are more reliable, more efficient, and much safer.

Dave Keillor



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