Any sound tree bears good fruit… redux
Gasoline in Guilford
Back in June 2008 I’d been experimenting with hypermiling. I mused over the loss of control in our lives: gasoline was over $4.00 per gallon and as I wrote about it, I posted, “So, hypermiling is about perservering in the face of powerlessness and regaining control of something in life. A very small consolation in a very large stew of challenges facing us now! Are we waking up?” [Any sound tree bears good fruit...]
Since then I’ve been waiting for the time when more sensible, flexible and fuel 
efficient cars would finally reach the mainstream market in the U.S. Well, at least for us in rural Guilford, it’s happened! We’re driving a small, but nicely equipped vehicle that is yielding 40+ mpg–right from the dealership: a base Honda Fit.
I left the 2001 Hyundai Accent that had served me well over the past four years at the dealership, and drove home the 5-door black Fit. We’re standing here next to the car with our vintage 19 year-old Olds Custom Cruiser in the background. With the Fit’s great seating and cargo flexibility, we’ll run the Olds until the end of the summer, and then we’ll be down to a 3-Honda family: 2009 Honda Fit 5-speed, 2006 Accord V6 6-speed, and 2000 Honda Civic 2-door 5-speed.
With a combined fleet fuel efficiency in the mid-30′s… well, we’re in the driver’s seat for a change!
