So Obama's idea about change makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? With the way things are going, everyone is looking for some change (that is both pocket change and different alternatives). Well here's something that can definitely satisfy both the "I want change" crowd and the "I want an alternative" crowd.

How would you like to pay $0.86 a gallon of gas for your car? And it's not the type of gas you are thinking about. Well Honda has the car for you. The 2008 Honda Civic GX is a car like no other



While not all it's features out due the average car, this baby's got everyone covered.

Fueled by Compressed Natural Gas for nearly zero emissions - yes it uses natural gas not fossil fuels for all you enviromental wackos and global warming, I mean, climate change wackos out there.

113-hp 1.8 liter 16 Valve SOHC 4-cylinder engine - thats 0-60 in 9.6 secs for all you speed demons.

Averages 250 miles on a full tank - Not as much as your average fossil fueled car, but the price per gallon makes up for it. Perfect for local driving.

And the coolest feature I have seen yet for a car:

Phill - What is Phill you ask? Imagine never having to go to a gas station again to fill up you tank. Imagine avoiding the long lines at the pump or inside the store. Imagine the money you'll save not buying all the junk you they sell (7/11 I'm looking at you). Imagine coming home from work or the store and filling you tank right in you garage. Well, this is where Phill comes in. From the 2008 Honda Civic GX website:



Phill is a compact unit (30" x 14" x 14"), manufactured by FuelMaker, that's easily installed to your home gas line, inside or outside your garage. This is the very same gas line you use to fuel appliances such as your gas stove. Phill is as safe and quiet as a clothes dryer. It's equipped with several built-in features like a methane detector, which can monitor for unlikely leaks and automatically shut down the system if necessary.



I think this is freakin awesome to be able to fill you tank right from your own garage. Of course in case you find yourself running low, you might be able to find stations to refill. I'm sure if you consider buying this vehicle you would make sure you you if there are stations in your area. And averaging between $0.80 to $2.00 a gallon, this definitely is very tempting.

Now, everything has a downside to it and this car is no exception.

Average 250 mile per full tank - Now for a local driver this is no biggy, but this is definitely not for long distance traveling, especially of refulling stations are still not as available as regular gas stations.

Refueling the GX may take up to 16 hours if the tank is virtually empty - This pretty much sucks, but hopefully you do not allow it to empty. Still, one would hope even a half a tank would be fine for local driving like to work or the store.

And maybe the most painful one at the moment:

$25,000 price tag - Considering it's fossil fuel powered cousin, the 2008 Honda Civic, is for a little over $15,000, this could probably be the deal breaking for many potential buyers. The concept of savings goes out the window when having to pay $10,000 more this this car, even if one could find or pay less than a $1 per gallon to fill it up.

There is also the chance of engine problems and maintenance. I doubt you will be able to take this car (not that you will want to) to any mechanic and let him look around under the hood at an engine he may not be familiar with yet, so dealer mechanic prices may be the only option and their prices will definitely make the $0.86 a gallon look not as good as it first did.

So all in all here we have a decent alternative energy vehicle for those who are crying "we are not doing anything about it" and "Big Oil has a grip on alternative fuel technology". It may be years before this car, and many other alternative fuel vehices, can be effective, efficient enough and economically worth replacing all fossil fuel cars, but it's a start.