# Vehicles - Fleet



## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

the old economical choice was the Chevy Astro van-not sure of the fuel economy on them and they've been out of production for quite some time now


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## CSB (Nov 17, 2007)

svronthmve said:


> Sorry to be politically incorrect, but I'm NOT seeking the kind of customer who thinks a Prius is where it's at.:no::no::no: Clues like that often tell me a lot about what will likely happen in my dealings with them as a contractor. Once in a great while, I'm pleasantly surprised otherwise but not usually.
> 
> It's genuinely interesting to me. I've observed, you can very often get a lot of accurate information about someone by the type of car they drive & the bumper stickers (or lack thereof) they have on their car.


You're not interested in working with someone because they drive a fuel efficient vehicle which offers potential tax advantages? Hmmm, okay; to each their own.

The Prius as a vehicle for sales consultations, etc. is a pretty good idea. Not only will you save on fuel but the shape of the Prius is good for maximizing brand exposure. Personally I'd buy one that's a couple years old to maximize cost/benefit. I use a Tacoma and I get 18-22 in the city but I really don't need it and am looking at various cars. The best things you can do to keep costs down are going for basic trim packages; you don't need painted fender flares or a chrome grille, or the high end shocks, power windows and doors, etc. Making sure the guy behind the wheel is a good driver is really important too. Easing into the throttle when taking off, using cruise control when possible, coasting prior to braking, never going more than 5mph over the speed limit (not only is this a crime but the time saved is negligible and its a waste of fuel, it's definitely a negative expected value) etc.


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

CSB said:


> You're not interested in working with someone because they drive a fuel efficient vehicle which offers potential tax advantages? Hmmm, okay; to each their own.
> 
> The Prius as a vehicle for sales consultations, etc. is a pretty good idea. Not only will you save on fuel but the shape of the Prius is good for maximizing brand exposure. Personally I'd buy one that's a couple years old to maximize cost/benefit. I use a Tacoma and I get 18-22 in the city but I really don't need it and am looking at various cars. The best things you can do to keep costs down are going for basic trim packages; you don't need painted fender flares or a chrome grille, or the high end shocks, power windows and doors, etc. Making sure the guy behind the wheel is a good driver is really important too. Easing into the throttle when taking off, using cruise control when possible, coasting prior to braking, never going more than 5mph over the speed limit (not only is this a crime but the time saved is negligible and its a waste of fuel, it's definitely a negative expected value) etc.


You make some reasonable statements about buying / driving vehicles in general. 

But I think you totally missed my point.

I'm not faulting them for buying the Prius. They're more than welcome to do that if it fulfills a need in their life  

I'm just saying it usually tells me (fairly accurately) about other areas of their personality & life outlook that I DO want to know.

And yes, it (usually) ends up that I don't work for them....


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## CSB (Nov 17, 2007)

I didn't miss your point at all - you don't want to deal with them because you feel their ideologies are incongruent with your own - I was just trolling for a good response. I think that's a foolish reason to choose not to make money and it's a little on the bigoted side, but again, to each their own.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

I had my first check bounce the other day. Guess what they drove?


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

CSB said:


> I didn't miss your point at all - you don't want to deal with them because you feel their ideologies are incongruent with your own - I was just trolling for a good response. I think that's a foolish reason to choose not to make money and it's a little on the bigoted side, but again, to each their own.




What is your definition of bigotry that you come up with that kind of assumption?


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

BamBamm5144 said:


> I had my first check bounce the other day. Guess what they drove?


There's honest errors and deadbeats at all levels of society. Pray do tell......


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

I had some insurance claim work done at my house a while back (I decided to use their contractor) and I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed and unimpressed when I saw the guy roll up in his Kia Rio to lay bricks. 

When I worked in corporate america, our trucks were provided by ARI Automotive Fleet Management. Essentially they are a leasing company but I don't know what it actually costs per vehicle. 

But what I did know is that every vehicle had a gas card and a maintenance ticket booklet where you could take it to Jiffy Lube and not have to think about paying them directly.


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