Biodiesel is a great idea (HCN, 8/8/05: The American
dream, sans gasoline). But how long can we ferment potential food?
Yeast exhales carbon dioxide, as do tractors, and those nasty
artificial fertilizers are made from oil. Used cooking oil will not
be readily available for long, as biodiesel fans burn it up.
Some long-term solutions may be as yet undreamed of, but
bicycles and small cars come to mind. I bought a 1986 Chevrolet
Sprint with 125,000 miles on it for $250 in 1999. It sports a
one-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine and an EPA mileage rating
of 58 mpg. I have driven nearly 100,000 additional miles since
then. No, I have never gotten 58 mpg; more like 53, but that sure
beats all the hybrids and diesels. It still runs great, and it is
not slow.
In 1989, Chevrolet changed the name to “Geo”
and began selling a four-cylinder model as well. They dropped the
line in 2000, just in time for the hybrids, costing twice as much,
to hit the market. How timely.
No one seems to know about
Sprints and Geos. Perhaps it is time to request the return of this
great little car.
David
Rigsby
Embudo, New Mexico
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Bring back the great little car.
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