best electric bike under $500 image
bugbeacon2
I am looking for an electric bike for exercise for under $500. I want electric because my area is very hilly and I want to get exercise but I'm just not in shape enough to make it up the hills without some help. Ideas for the best in my price range?
Answer
Forget the electric bike they are hard to pedal and using the motor wont give you any exercise. If you want exercise get a used stationary bike off of Craig's list or better yet go to the local bike shop and get a good hybrid bike. It will take time to be able to climb hills, if you have to get off and walk.
I'm thinking about buying a Toyota Prius. What is your experience with them?
christians
I'm about to buy my first car. I will put $6,000 down-payment but before I do this I want to make sure that the Prius is worth buying.
1) Does it really save you gas? Is it worth it?
2) When you drive it does it feel comfortable?
3) Does it break down often?
4) Have you had problems with the battery?
5) Is the car nice to drive?
6) Is it roomy?
7) Do you love it?
I'm getting such great answers. Please people give me more of your experience.
Answer
I get 50 mpg in mixed freeway/city driving from March to November, 60 mpg when I drive slower. Drops to around 43-46 in Michigan winter (gas is blended differently in winter, plus the heater causes engine to run even when the car is stopped). Driving 500 miles on a 10-gallon fillup is mighty handy. Twenty Priuses produce as much pollution as one ordinary car. Unfortunately, this is the only high-mileage vehicle made. The Honda Insight is no longer made, and all other hybrid vehicles are 'performance' vehicles or just not hybridized properly.
It's very comfortable, quiet, and has more rear seat legroom than any other car I've ever ever seen, big or small (except the Maybach). The only noise depends on the road surface; it's just about as quiet at 80 mph as it is at 20, unless the road is rough. There is some extremely minor wind noise at 80. And when you go downhill, it's quiet, since the engine shuts off (but even with the engine running, it's very hard to hear it). Ground clearance is 5 inches, so if you have a steep driveway with a nasty bump at the bottom, go slow and at an angle or you'll scrape the front end. Many cars are like this.
I've had two warranty claims; the dealer replaced the pushbutton for the lower glove box (there are two glove boxes) after a passenger carelessly scratched it with her shoe, and the rear cargo cover was replaced after I pulled on it too hard and popped a spring. Hurt me. No charge.
Traction batteries go for about $300 on eBay, pulled from wrecked cars, and the dealer gets $200 for an old one to recycle, so you can do the math. If a cell should fail, they replace the cell, not the whole darn battery pack of 170 cells. I've gone over 50,000 miles (of pretty hard driving) and don't expect to have any issues with the battery. The scuttlebutt is that it will outlast the car. I believe it. The only people worried about the battery don't drive a Prius.
It's a real dream to drive. Everything is very intuitive. Responsive steering and braking, traction control, ABS. My only complaint is that I can't gun the engine and rip-tear into traffic if there's a lot of snow on the ground, as the traction control kicks in to slow me down (can't turn it off). Throttle is not connected to the engine; it controls computers that change electricity and gasoline flows.
It's quick (not sports-car quick, but quicker than any other car I've owned, and I'm 55 yrs. old). Torque is 295 ft-lbs, more than most trucks. Electric motors have full torque even when they're not turning, and the engine doesn't have to rise to a screaming pitch and downshift twice just to pass another car -- it just takes off right now! You should not pull a trailer, but a bike rack is fine (and they sell small trailer hitches). Max load is just under 1200 lbs. If you put three full-size guys in the back seat, the middle one will probably sit a little forward. Three ordinary people will fit. A really big guy fits fine up front.
It is very roomy. The back seat has headroom that prevents anyone over 6' 2" from sitting comfortably for long trips. The windshield is huge, with minor blind spots on each side at the 'A' pillar, but I've gotten used to it. The rear view seemed a little cramped at first, but I've gotten used to that, and it's fine. Headlight glare from the car behind me is usually blocked by a feature between the two rear glasses (nice), and the lower one lets me see a car behind me very easily when parking (double-nice). The passenger's windshield wiper pivots on a special hinge that keeps it out of the driver's vision. (These guys thought of <everything>.) There's a hidden drawer under the console. It has explosive seat belts to tighten them snug against you if the air bags pop. Cabin air goes through a HEPA filter (I just vaccuum mine). The DVD navigation is intuitive and easy to use. Center touchscreen display for radio/discs/tape (6 discs in the dash), heater-A/C, navigation, calendar with notes, phone, maintenance records, and more, so dash is uncluttered but still has more features than you will ever use. Consider getting the hardware hack from ecoastaltech.com to let (the passenger) make map changes while moving. Bluetooth cellphone turns into a speakerphone and copies my phonebook to the car. It has voice commands for everything you can think of, and a few hundred more. All important controls are on the steering wheel. Leave the headlights on all the time -- they turn off when you Power down and exit the car. Get the 'loaded' version. Two 12-volt outlets, but no cigar lighter or ashtray, but you can buy one for one of the cup holders (two in front, two in rear). I put an MP3 player with an FM transmitter plugged into the 12 volt tap, all inside the console. No factory sunroof. New models have leather seats available, and a standard backup camera that shows in the center display when you put it in Reverse. I put my remote in a little velvet bag and stuff it in my sock each morning; no sense keeping it in my pocket, since I never take it out. The front of the car is so short you can't see it. Maintenance is just like any ordinary car, but it goes 100,000 miles on a radiator coolant change. There's no transmission or shifting. Turning radius is VERY small. No power steering pump or belt (power steering and air-conditioning are electric). No starter, starter relay, solenoid, or alternator and belt. You cannot cover a small grille on the extreme right side of the rear seat, as that's the air intake to cool the battery if it's worked hard.
I love it. I plan on keeping this one for 10 years, giving it to my son, and getting another one.
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