Pain at the Pump

I came to decision the other day that I’ll never let my tank get below a half again. That is not unless I win the lottery or something, then I wouldn’t care and most likely I’d go find a rig around the same size but more fuel efficient. If it didn’t exist then I finance the research to build one. Okay, back to reality.

I own a 1995 Jeep Cherokee (Sport). It doesn’t have power windows or 6-way powered seats nor are they heated. No power anything for that matter except the brakes and no cruise control. The radio works though. All in all this version of the original sport/utility vehicle is just about the same as all the Cherokees that came before it over the last couple of decades albeit with a somewhat less jarring suspension. It’s a tough, ultimately reliable, go anywhere vehicle and my particular rig is also in fine condition. But it’s not fancy and it’s gas mileage, although good for a genuine 4-wheel drive, ain’t too great when it comes to rolling into the local midi-mart to gas up. And with the gas gauge reading between 1/2 and 2/3rd’s, the pump rang up $50.00 before she was full.

Now some of you may ask me why don’t I get something more efficient and environmentally friendly? Okay, that’ sounds like a good idea. So why don’t I?

Read on…

What my Cherokee does have is “ground clearance” which is the main reason that I have it in the first place. I need that extra height off the ground in order to successfully enter and exit the rig due to a back injury I received in the service. The injury has degraded over time where I find myself having an increasingly difficult time getting in and out of a sedan. I chose the ‘95 Cherokee over something like a mini-van or pick up truck simply because the old Cherokee at 136,000 miles is ten times more reliable than any new mini-van with only a loss of a few miles per gallon (and a heck of a lot cheaper sticker price) and there is no way I could ever justify going back to a pick-up. I just don’t have the need for one and the mileage is definitely worse.

The other reason is I live in snow country (northern Vermont) and many times the places one needs to go means traveling anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours one way and letting the weather stop you is usually not an acceptable excuse. And since one of those places is the VA where I receive medical care (4 hours round trip), I need something I know will get me through. These are appointments I can’t miss.

This brings me to a one of the conundrums I think every working class American is facing when it comes to personal transportation what with the gas prices up as high as they are and still climbing. The rather large expense of switching to something more eco-friendly. That plus having to do with less interior room than you might need which would encumber those folks with children or the need to carry bulky items everyday in the course of their job or business. Unless of course they want to shell out better than $30,000 for a hybrid SUV (after dealer prep, tax, registration and various other charges) and have to depend on new technology to get them around everyday. Since the majority of this country is still basically rural and amenities do not lie just around the corner or a short bus/subway/taxi ride away, personal transportation is not a luxury…it’s an absolute necessity. A necessity I might add, that is become more and more costly to maintain along with all the other rising costs that go with our dependency on petroleum.

So here’s an idea I came up with—the automakers can cut us working stiffs a break. To wit…

With the base sticker price of these eco-friendly vehicles (and most are not hybrids by the way) running around $13,000 to $15,000 for the compacts to $25,000 to $35,000 for the hybrid SUV’s, it’s no wonder that the majority of the population of these United States are having to stick to what they have. If it’s so damn urgent to get on the ball and start doing something to decrease the amount of CO2 emissions poured into the atmosphere every year then how about offering an exchange program when it comes to trading up to a more eco-friendly vehicle? For example, taking 40% off the base sticker price for anyone trading in an SUV or standard mini-van or any other type of gas guzzling hogs (mini-vans are not really that fuel efficient) for something that spews less nastiness out it’s tailpipe. Of course there would have to be limits to this “Go Green” exchange policy.

The offer should only exist for around 3 years. After all, we do need the manufacturers of these green vehicles to make enough money to continue development of said vehicles now don’t we? We get our chance to switch and then it’s gone. You can’t cut costs forever you know.

If you’re “comfortably well off” or better and can afford to pay the sticker price then this special offer does not apply. This offer is only for the middle class working Americans who are doing their best to make it in life on an average “working class” monthly income. Say a single person or couple with no children making less than $30,000 a year (gross) or any family with kids making less than $45,000 combined income a year (gross). Sounds like a plan to me.

Now there has to be different policies/exceptions for those non-disabled folks on welfare which I won’t even attempt to surmise simply because anything that’s labeled welfare is such a varied and tangled mess these days it’s best for a layman like me to leave it alone. It’s better left to those who get paid for that sort of thing.

There also should be special policies for those who are legitimately, medically disabled, whether they are able to work or not, that enables certain additional discounts based on the severity of one’s disabilities. This should cover veteran’s and those of the private sector under one umbrella. Any additional special exceptions for the veteran, if any, would fall under the VA’s responsibility if they chose to do so.

I’m sure that such a thing would be much more complicated than just my humble idea but I know I’d jump at the chance if it was offered although personally, I’d be less than confident of my vehicle’s reliability compared to my old and trusty Jeep but one has to make some sacrifice in the name of a cleaner environment. Even if it meant arranging my appointments around the weather conditions if I chose to go to something slightly larger than an enclosed go-cart. Plus I always have my cane to help me get into and out of a small, aerodynamic box with 4 wheels that has all the ground clearance of Dachshund puppy. In the meantime, when that darn gas tank of mine shows anywhere close to half empty, I’m headed for the pumps. It may be silly and psychological on my part but it eases the pain enough to make it worth it.

Technorati tags: green cars, low emission vehicles, environemnt, eco-friendly, emissions, gas prices

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Tags: Environment