[SILENTTODD]

This is a question that came up on one of my previous posts from "Waterthrush".

The answer in my own case, knowing what I know now, is possibly 1. But I don't know. I'm really thinking about getting a second, high end road bicycle.

[ClubOfRomeII]

I usually buy one a year. This doesn't count motorcycle purchases. I might wait for a little longer this cycle though, I want that diesel Honda is supposed to bring into the US in 2009. But if someone comes out with a pluggable hybrid prior to that, I might jump that way instead.

[birchm]

As few as possible. My next car is (hopefully) going to be an electric car with carbon nanotube capacitors.

[NEOPO]

does a small diesel tractor count?

[Lighthouse]

I don't know. I usually get a new one when the ashtray is full ...

[rs]

Sit tight, there will be plenty of nearly new models available soon enough

[Waterthrush]

And I'll throw in my original answer, that there is a better than even chance that I am driving my last purely internal combustion engine. It's reasonably new - 2003 - and I try to make my cars last 10-12 years. I assume the cost of gasoline will rise steadily. My next car will at least be a hybrid or some such, and I think it's possible that the crisis will be upon us at that point, and an individual car may be restricted to the rich.

Who knows, there may be a period when, in urban and suburban areas, there may be a fleet like the zip cars, owned by the community and "rented" by the hour.

[Heineken]

The subject line would be more weighty reading, "How many more internal combustion ENGINES will you buy?"

I recently reduced the internal combustion engine population on my place by auctioning off a wood chipper and a brush mower. Although nice to have, I didn't really have to have them, and along with the energy and environmental concerns I have gotten tired of having to maintain all these engines.

That gets me down to a lawnmower, a small tractor, a chainsaw, a power hedge clipper, and a pickup truck. Next to go will be the hedge clipper. Last to go would be the chainsaw (only from my cold, dead fingers).

[mekrob]

I usually buy one a year. This doesn't count motorcycle purchases. I might wait for a little longer this cycle though, I want that diesel Honda is supposed to bring into the US in 2009. But if someone comes out with a pluggable hybrid prior to that, I might jump that way instead.

You buy one vehicle a year? And yet you propose that we all get along with scooters?!? Hahaha. What a hypocrite. Why don't you actually buy a scooter (and only one)?
-----
Probably none for me.

[drew]

Waterthrush, you must fix em yourself, like I do! Still, I don't run a car into the ground so slowly... maybe 8 years instead. As to the original question, my guess is 5 more cars in my life being I'm almost 43. I would love to buy a small boat or another bike so I'll include those too.

Drew

[ClubOfRomeII]

I usually buy one a year. This doesn't count motorcycle purchases. I might wait for a little longer this cycle though, I want that diesel Honda is supposed to bring into the US in 2009. But if someone comes out with a pluggable hybrid prior to that, I might jump that way instead.

You buy one vehicle a year? And yet you propose that we all get along with scooters?!? Hahaha. What a hypocrite. Why don't you actually buy a scooter (and only one)?
-----
Probably none for me.

I prefer a motorcycle for my efficient commuting. Scooters are fine, but they are less useful for highway work. I would recommend a "motorcycle" solution for everyone, but for the commuting lots of city dwellers do, scooters are better, cheaper to run, easier to park, less intimidating to new riders.

And yes, I average about one vehicle a year. Next spring I'll consider another motorcycle to replace the one I just sold two weeks ago.

[lowem]

Best case scenario : 2

I buy 1 current-model hybrid within the next year or two, then replace it with another hybrid (perhaps with better batteries, ultra-capacitors) a few years later. After that it's all-electric from there, as we head towards a Star Trek future. Somebody discovers dilithium crystal technology. Some models of cars start to become regular Star Trek shuttles and are able to reach orbit on their own.



Worst case scenario : -1

The economy collapses as we pass over the peak, and I sell my current car for whatever the scrap metal content is worth at that point. It's not worth as much as it was before. Demand destruction starts to kick in, reducing the formerly voracious demand for resources from China. We head towards a Mad Max future.



In between these two scenarios, I would probably settle for 0 (keep and maintain my current 9-year-old car for however many years) or 1 (buy a hybrid and hang on for the ride till whatever happens, happens).

[ClubOfRomeII]

Best case scenario : 2

Worst case scenario : -1

Good thing its alot more likely to be somewhere between these two extremes.

[Bytesmiths]

The subject line would be more weighty reading, "How many more internal combustion ENGINES will you buy?"

Or better yet, "How many more fossil-fuel burning vehicles will you buy?"

I'm a fossil-fuel-free zone (almost). I buy the cars that most people on this thread are through with, fix them up, convert them to burn waste vegetable oil, then put them to limited use. I don't expect to ever buy another new vehicle, nor do I expect to ever buy a vehicle, new or used, that I can't fuel myself.

That gets me down to a lawnmower, a small tractor, a chainsaw, a power hedge clipper, and a pickup truck. Next to go will be the hedge clipper. Last to go would be the chainsaw (only from my cold, dead fingers).

GAK! LAWNMOWERS! I HATE 'EM!

(Phew! Thanks for letting me get that out!)

I haven't used a lawn mower since 1982, and I didn't intend to start when our coop bought a farm with an acre of "useless" grass around the house. So I got a scythe. I let the grass get real tall -- looks nice, with daisies and cat's paw poking their heads up above the grasses. Then I spend a few minutes each day cutting down some, and putting it on the compost pile. Sometimes I cut the thistles out first and compost them separately for iron-hungry use. We're going to sheet-mulch almost all the grass and turn it into garden, but until then, we scythe.

I am constantly thinking about chain saw alternatives. I haven't seen a diesel one yet, although they apparently exist.

So, we have Veggie Van Gogh, for long trips, powered by waste oil we pick up en-route, a 1982 Vanagon that we pick up WWOOFers from the ferry with -- currently on homebrew biodiesel, but it will get a vegoil conversion next spring, a 1989 biodiesel Dodge Cummins used for farm use, and a 1985 biodiesel Jetta, used for errands and such.

The newest vehicle we have is old enough to vote. With the exception of 10,000 pound Veggie Van Gogh, the worst fuel economy we get is 24 mpg. Again, with the exception of long trips in VVG, we drive the other three vehicles under 5,000 miles a year. They each have about 150,000 miles on them. They're gonna last longer than I do. With good care and judicious use, they may last as long as our newest coop member, 3-month-old Sienna!

[oilfreeandhappy]

I hope that my family currently owns our last car. We have 4 licensed drivers in the household, and I'd estimate that 90% of everybody's trips are by bicycle. But still, that car is there. It kind of depends on whether or not we move, and what kind of Mass Transit is offered at the new location. I'd like to combine Mass Transit with a folding bicycle. If we do buy another car, it will just be for my wife and I, and maybe we'll get a smart car (65 mpg) or something.

My chain saw is electric. I do have a gas-powered lawn mower. When it dies, I will look for an alternative - probably a rechargeable electric mower.

[WisJim]

Currently we have too many cars and trucks, because we sort of collect old Honda motorcycles, and air cooled VWs, but we are slowly selling some of each to people who need cheaper transportation. Probably will never sell my 1965 VW double cab (crew cab) 1ton truck, but I'm not so attached to the beetles. Like the older 100/125cc Honda singles, go 50+ mph and get 80 to 120mpg, and can carry 2 people in town, in a pinch.

What I am really trying to do is reduce the number of smaller engines, such as lawn mowers, chipper/shredder, etc. Got a good deal on a small electric mower, and charge it from the solar system, and use it a lot for trimming etc where I would otherwise use the walk behind gas engine mower, which I haven't used yet this year. From the conmparisons I have made against a gas engine mower, I think it is costing me a fraction of the cost of the gas mower to operate, including the battery cost, but I won't know for sure until I have to replace the battery, and will then know how long a battery lasts in it. So far it is 2 years, and going strong. I put a 1hp electric motor on the chipper/shredder and made up a super heavy duty 100 foot extension cord from some #10 wire that I got for $5US at a garage sale, so we can run the chipper/shredder on solar or wind generated electricity instead of gasoline. And it is quieter and more convenient to use, except that I can't take it to the middle of the orchard.

Cars? We like to have (almost said "need") a usable one, because of where we live, and recentlyl found a late model Chevy/Geo Metro at a good price with low miles, and we really like it. Comfortable enough for me (6 feet tall, 230 pounds) to drive 150 miles, which is about as far as I am willing to get from home, gets good mileage (worst so far is 44mpg, mostly in town), and should last us quite a few years. After that, who knows? Maybe they will be making some good hybrids, or start making some small sensible cars again--it will all depend on what is available used, in good shape, and cheap.

[IslandCrow]

Years ago I said that I was on my last full ICE vehicle, and would go the hybrid route. However, the roll out was slow, and with high vehicle taxes here a Prius would cost half the price of the house I bought last year...so instead I went the cheap route, with a Russian made Lada (butt of lots of jokes, but I am told it is very theft proof--- no self respecting young man wanting a joyride would touch a Lada ).

Having read a lot of the forums here for and against hybrids, I am leaning more towards a full electric car....but the economics and supply at the time of buying will make a big difference ... So in my case the most likely answer to the question is: 1.


BTW. One of the fastest ways of building up a sweat that I know of is using a push lawn mower.

[Exponent]

I do have a gas-powered lawn mower. When it dies, I will look for an alternative - probably a rechargeable electric mower.

My plans for moving out to the country involved the possibility of one of those antique manual mowers that my parents have lying around in their sheds (they're obsessive with mild-value antiques and filling up all the storage buildings they can). Then I found out that they make modern versions of manual reel mowers. I haven't the slightest clue to how good they are, but I will definitely look into them when the time comes for getting a mower.

[strider3700]

I have one of those manual mowers. It works fine if you cut regularly, if you let the grass get a foot tall and/or cut while it's wet you'll be dying pushing it. I love mine

As to the number of cars I'll buy. I seriously hope that it's zero. The wifes car is under warranty for either 3 or 5 more years after that I'll work on it as much as I can. My truck is 10 years old but not a daily driver anymore so I should hopefully get another 10 out of it and I know I can fix almost everything on it easy enough.

The bike is 3 years old and getting so few miles I'm thinking of selling it.

Worse case/best case scenario I end up buying one more car before the SHTF. after that either pure electric or something else will have taken over or cars will be a luxury well out of my reach.

[cs1992]

Well, if you can hold on for about two years, maybe you can buy this:
Chinese Electric Car XS200

GM,FORD...are you watching?