When my family and I moved from New York to Florida for a position at a University, I knew we'd be reluctantly joining "car culture," and looked into some kind of compromise, as far as the environmental impact was concerned. I did some research, and at the top of many lists was to choose a place of living that doesn't involve cars as much, where people live closer together and there is ample public transportation. Well I was just moving away from such a place, New York, which is among the most energy efficient places in the country (mainly because of density). The second option, many sources recommended, was to recycle an older, small, efficient car, so as to avoid the carbon foot print involved in the production of a new car, and to use some kind of alternative fuel with it. Hybrid cars were next on the list.
I had just been through the experience of an old car in New York. It was a hand-me-down car for a brief period and it gave me many problems. Because I now had a full time position in Florida, plus a prefessional art career, I knew better than to get involved with another needy car. I was also not what you would call a "car person," but knew that if I got involved with tinkering on a car, I would get completely hooked.
So I opted for a hybrid car. Being into new technology, this suited me well. I was very curious about all its attempts at lowering emissions and miles per gallon. I chose the Civic Hybrid for several reasons: It was based on an extremely reliable existing line of cars, and the other two options, the Honda insight was too small for the family, and the Toyota Prius was not based on an existing line. There were many warnings floating around at the time about hybrids: they hadn't been around long enough, the secondary batteries would electrocute EMS workers after a car accident, the batteries would die and be very expensive, etc. The Honda Civic Hybrid turned out to be a great choice, though, and I still drive it. At about 40mpg (see this link re: average US mpg), I can safely say that after about 8 years of driving it, I have only used (and spent money on) roughly half the fuel of the average American driver. It wasn't the perfectly ethical solution, but at least a decent compromise. A few years back we moved onto some acreage which is organically farmed and we got several types of animals. My wife drives also and we have two children going to school in different parts of town. The question of a second car arose, but I was very reluctant to go down that road. Then I remembered the original environmentalist recommendation: recycle an old car. We were all settled in, and the university job had become more routine, so I thought maybe I would take on the task of using an old car with an alternative energy source.
I decided on a VW Rabbit diesel manual Pickup from the early eighties, and here were my justifications for a second car and this model:
1. It was the most efficient car during the oil crisis (45-50mpg).
2. It runs diesel, which is more efficient, and can run biodiesel, which has a long list of advantages (more later).
3. We needed a second car, since we both drive, and the kids go to different schools, and we live in a rural area on a farm.
4. We need a car that can haul dirty, heavy stuff for the farm and art related errands, relieving the load on the passenger car.
5. I wanted to learn stick shift, since we often travel in Europe where it is the norm (and cheaper to rent).
6. I wanted to learn more about basic car maintenance, since we often work in less developed countries where cars tend to break down more frequently.
7. The economy was getting really bad, especially in FL, fuel prices were rising, and we wanted to be more self-sufficient (moving towards eventually making our own fuel).
The most important part of this plan was to use alternative fuel. With an oil prince in office and two energy related wars, this was a no-brainer. The main options: ethanol, electric, biodiesel, and svo. I chose biodiesel for many reasons, which I will get into later (mainly, you can get an old diesel and use it right away, and it is practical for normal consumers, not just hobbyists). The long term plan was this:
1. Get old diesel car.
2. Make it work right mechanically.
3. Make it run on biodiesel.
4. Find regular source of biodiesel.
5. Restore the car in other ways, so it's usable.
6. Make your own biodiesel from waste oil
7. Convert to SVO/WVO
8. Grow your own fuel.
Step 6 is manageable, but a bit of a pain, at least for ordinary people like me, so I may not end up going there.
Step 8 is pie-in the-sky at this point, but who knows, we've got land ...
This blog will be divided into four types of entries (see Labels): "Biodiesel" — Biodiesel related entries, "Car Problems" — general mechanical issues, "Explanations/links," "Restoration," which concerns making the car presentable and ergonomic, and "Timeline" which lists events relating to the progress of the project.
