No car payment is the only way yo go. We paid cash for our trk.
As far as gas goes, we plan our errands, combine trips and keep the trk well tuned and maintained. A little TLC goes along way.
Make sure that your second car sips gas and use that for all your short in town trips.

 

lol im thinking pf buying prius to counter balance my rover

 

You will never save any money with a hybrid, my brother
has a Toyota Camry hybridto save on emissions and
will never make up the extra cost of the car on fuel over
the non/hybrid Camry.

Save your money and buy the 09 or 2010 LR3 diesel.

 

I've heard the same thing...I think it was on Clark Howard

 

Yup, Hybrids are a joke. There are so many flaws in why people say they are good for the environment, it's really interesting to look into. If you really want to save money on gas just stick with a normal car that gets good gas mileage. Or you can be cool and buy a Mini, thats if you like sticking with the british tradition. At least avoid buying cars that look like eggs on wheels, because I laugh at them when they pass.

 

I don't drive a Hybrid, but in my mind, I salute Toyota and other auto mfgrs for making a first step to further automotive technology.Ultimately it looks pretty clear that vehicles will evolve to utilize different fuel sources (electric, hydrogen, hybrid,or whatever) and some car mfgr will need to take the lead. I think that's good, because hopefully it'll become a cheaper source. The Prium isnot a perfect solution, but meets a market using available, reliable technology.Early vehicles back in their day were anything but perfect either. The prices will definitely come down as technology increases and more competitors step in the ring. Sadly it had to be Toyota pushing the market, rather than Ford or GM. My neighbor works for GM and I remember 3 years ago he went into a long and detailed tirade about how GM spend millions surveying customers and analyizing the market and determined that there was absolutely no dedcent market for hybrid or diesel vehicles. I bet if they had a clean diesel out now that could get 50mpg, they'd sell them as fast as they could make them. The Prius isn't for me, but I think it represents a good first step. There are some really interesting Hydrogen technologies coming out that might bring that technology sooner than predicted. My Jetta TDI averages 40-42 mpg and that really offsets cost so I don't feel the pinch so much driving my L/R.

Also, some electric powered vehicles can be extremely quick. Car and Driver showcased a homebuilt electric drag car that could beat anything on the track. It was like a rocket!