AKA SlugBug

[solipsistnation]

Due to the distribution of automobile brands in Santa Cruz, and depending on the route one takes through the city, games of Punch Buggy can easily and quickly degenerate into bouts of bloody fisticuffs.

On the other side of the mountains, however, the dreaded Porsche Poke reigns supreme.

Comments

[ptomblin-lj.livejournal.com]

My step-daughter didn't appreciate it when I introduced the new game of "Slug Pruis".

Volkswagons or ... ???

[quaintance.livejournal.com]

What are you using for the Slug Country Slug Bug game? Classic Beetles or something else?

Been meaning to ask: What kind of mileage are you getting on your Matrix? It's a front-runner in my "something newer to drive" search.

Re: Volkswagons or ... ???

[stophittinyrslf.livejournal.com]

any sort of beetle. convertible beetles (which i never saw before moving to santa cruz) are in. that italian luxury car that's based on a bettle (forgetting the name) is notlegit though.

mileage: josh says about 33.3 to 34 highway miles per gallon, and between 25 and 30 mpg if there's lots of city driving. overall pretty reasonable. he notes that it's supposed to have premium gas, though apparently it doesn't blow up or anything if you give it the next grade down...

Re: Volkswagons or ... ???

[quaintance.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the mileage info! I'm still hoping to have the two of you up here sometime (and meet you, since I never have :).

Watch for the "Classic" Beetles with the upscale grill, too.

One of my profs in college did an annual lecture on the evolution of the Phylum Volkswagan. I think his model gets quite messy, though, if you try to work in any VW after 1982. Of couse, evolution gets messy too, so I bet it's still a great lecture.

Re: Volkswagons or ... ???

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what she said.

The XRS has the silly giant engine and likes to eat the fancy gas (although it does okay, just with reduced gas mileage, with the less fancy gas. And we're only talking going from 34 to 32ish mpg here, not, like, all of a sudden it gets 20mpg). My mileage has dropped since I've been driving over 17 every day, though-- those mountains really kill it. I think I get 25ish going over the hill. It was great for cross-country, though.

The XR version doesn't have the performance engine and should still get decent (if not better) mileage. The Matrix is also basically a Corolla with a more cargo space, so it should be fairly similar to that-- maybe a little lower, since there's more weight.

Overall, after 2 years of driving my Matrix all over the place, including a few extended road trips (Worcester -> DC, Worcester -> Santa Cruz), I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it, although the performance engine thing is silly and can probably be left out (and will lower the cost if you do). If you have any specific questions, I can try to answer them...

Re: Volkswagons or ... ???

[quaintance.livejournal.com]

Thanks, all that info really helps :) I drove one this weekend and it was *FUN*! The seat fit me well, and felt like I was driving something I would like to drive. Like I did 7 years ago when I had my old camry. My current one has almost always been too much car for me.