[02ztsian]

Synthetic oil is not really synthetic....

http://synlube.com/synthetic.htm
As far as environmental impact, it's pretty much a wash...

http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkc.../a/motoroil.htm

"The Pembina Institute has found that for each barrel of synthetic oil, an average of two tonnes of muskeg and trees is removed, two tonnes of tar sand are hauled, and three barrels of water heated by 21.3 metres (or 134 barrels) of natural gas are consumed. That’s for surface accessible bitumen that can be mined. For deeply buried bitumen, the destruction of boreal forest is less severe, but consumption of natural gas and water is doubled."
Quoted from http://cpj.ca/otherwork/Environment/inde...=1&x=86657

Synthetic oil is partially derived from base oils-in other words crude oil. Imported in part from the Middle East, Venezuela and Russia.

"Canada produces 2.3 million barrels of crude oil a day, primarily from the western provinces, of which 1.3 million barrels a day are exported to the United States. (Saudi Arabia is the United States’ major supplier, with Canada and Mexico alternating in second place.) But while Canada exports a significant amount of oil, it also imports oil – about 800,000 barrels a day, largely to Eastern Canada, from a variety of places, including the North Sea, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia."
Quoted from http://www.imperialoil.ca/canada-english/t...440gasoline.htm
So, the gasoline in your non-Focus comes in part from war-torn countries. So stop being a hypocrite.