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Are gas prices fueling your pain?
Will you switch to a hybrid? Will you dump your SUV/ truck for a car/ crossover? Will you drive less? Will you switch to Asian makes? Will you add accessories that help you save gas? Will you drive in a more conservative manner... the so-called light-foot?
Have you already taken steps such as those mentioned above? If yes, please tell us what you did and whether it helped. If not, tell us what you think you are going to do.
Also, if you were driving in 70s when oil rose to all time high, what did you do? And, did that help?
Have you already taken steps such as those mentioned above? If yes, please tell us what you did and whether it helped. If not, tell us what you think you are going to do.
Also, if you were driving in 70s when oil rose to all time high, what did you do? And, did that help?
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Comments
When my 2000 Intrepid finally retires, I've thought about getting a 4-cyl Altima, but I've been thinking about that anyway. $4.00 gas wouldn't change that.
I'd probably cut the grass less often. And let parts of the yard return to forest.
As for the 70's, I was a kid back then and don't remember the first gas crisis. I do remember the second one, though. My Mom traded a 1975 LeMans coupe with a 350-2bbl for a 1980 Malibu coupe with a 229-2bbl. The LeMans rarely broke 15-16 mpg, while the Malibu regularly got lower 20's. That LeMans was getting pretty ratty though, so Mom was probably going to trade, anyway. However, had their been no fuel crunch, she might've gone for a V-8 in the Malibu instead of the V-6.
In 1979 we moved to Southern Maryland, about 40 miles from my grandparents. We had been living with them. Mom ended up getting homesick, so every other weekend we drove up to see them. So needless to say, even though Mom bought a more fuel-efficient car, we didn't do our part to conserve.
2004 Nissan Armada about 10mpg towing the two toys below.
1998 Baja 33ft Cigarette Boat w/Twin 502s getting about 3mpg and a 185gal tank
1994 Subaru Legacy Race car about 4-6mpg on the track
Looking at a 2008 Subaru Legacy SpecB as my "economy" car
-mike
Go Go Hybrids !!!
But if gas does go to $4+ a gallon, I'll probably keep the Civic and add a Hybrid or another Civic to the garage. I do a lot of highway driving, and the difference between the gas and Hybrid Civic in both fuel economy and cost don't tip things in favor of the Hybrid model...
-mike
Thank you, yes, I will echo that sentiment, except that my car is a 40 mpg Echo (and my other car is a 35 mpg Matrix). Saw this gas price spike coming a while back, and made the trade then. I really hope they do bring some ultra-frugal diesel-powered small cars to the U.S. - that would be a hoot! :-)
Now I do a lot of driving, so even for me gas prices will have an impact if they get much above $4/gallon. I already employ some gas-saving habits in the way I drive. If gas gets to $4.50 or $5 I will definitely be reducing the amount that I drive, at least among the discretionary miles.
Which, by the way, is something everyone could probably do a lot of (reduction in miles driven) using simple tricks like combining errands, walking the errands of a mile or less from the house, carpooling for work, etc. You don't have to immediately trade in the old car for a new gas-sipper, which can be a major expense even if you calculate that it will save you money after year 2 or year 4 or whatever.
OTOH, trading out of a full-size V-8 pick-up into a Camry hybrid can save you several thousand dollars a year right off the bat, if you drive more than the average.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Rocky
The economy car for me the specB I think gets 19/25mpg!
Currently however I live in manhattan and take the train to work, so I guess that's a good trade off since I don't burn anything M-F
haaaaa
The way I look at things is that I work 3 blocks from Ground Zero, saw the 2nd plane hit with my own 2 eyes and had to walk home 12+ miles on 9/11 Do I really care how much money I spend in gas? Not really, I'm just glad I am here to be able to spend the money on the gas!
-mike
I'm just glad I am here to be able to spend the money on the gas!
Well I'm glad you are also......
So you have twin 502's on your cig boat ? Where do you take it to run one of those at ? Lake Ontario ???? Two 415 hp engine's :surprise: Holy Smokes !!!
I also would say a lot of us wished we could take the train to work with these current prices !
Rocky
Yep, I take the #1 train down to wall street, not a bad commute.
I replaced my 22ft boat that had a single 454 carburated that got 2.5mpg and if I drive somewhat sanely at 45-50mph I get about 3-4mpg with the bigger 33 with twin 502s since they are fuel injected and sip the gas better.
To put this back on track, yup, after that experience, I could care less where gas prices go, and won't drive a hybrid, just to drive a hybrid, life is way way too short to get caught up in driving or doing something you don't want to do.
-mike
Sunroof open, of course! On weeks that I'm working I probably only put about 10 miles on the car, so that certainly helps with our energy costs!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Drive only to work and back home - wish I could stop that but unfortunately there isn't a bus / train line I could take
Drive at the speed limit (only takes a few minutes longer to get to work)
Cancel all trips
Combine trips/errands, i.e. get fuel on way to work/home, go shopping on way home, take alternate route to accomplish this)
Reduce spending, i.e. no dining out, shopping sprees, maintain the basics
Get rid of all luxury items - my only luxuries are DirecTV and my celly, and unless traveling for work picks up again the celly go bye-bye
At 1000 miles a month, gas going from $3 to $4 does this:
@10mpg, your monthly bill goes up $100 (300-400)
@30mpg, your monthly bill goes up $33 (100-133)
Not too bad.
But from $3 - $6, it looks like this:
@10mpg, your monthly bill goes up $300 (300-600)
@30mpg, your monthly bill goes up $100 (100-200)
And from $3 - $8, it looks like this:
@10mpg, your monthly bill goes up $500 (300-800)
@30mpg, your monthly bill goes up $167 (100-267)
A 30 mpg vehicle looks like effective gas price insurance
If things get really bad - like $8/gal gas, I'll make the wife get a 3rd job.
-mike
If you haven't improved your income by at least 3.27 times since 1994, the problem is NOT the price of gas.
Not many people can triple their income every decade. Talk about an unreasonable expectation.
Some people complain about the smell and oiliness of diesel fuel, but that doesn't bother me. It typically runs about 0-15 cents more per gallon than premium gas around here, but the improved fuel economy more than makes up for higher pump price and it's available at practically every gas station I know of.
Rocky
Not many people can triple their income every decade. Talk about an unreasonable expectation.
I agree fully. I'd imagine that most people would be willing to dance naked with the mailman if they saw their pay go up by 3x since 1994. Heck, I just double checked, and mine went up by about 2.4x over that period. But back in 1994 I had just gotten hired full-time, and was only 24. Now I'm 37, had a couple promotions, countless raises, etc. And after taxes, my take-home pay hasn't even doubled since 1994, although part of that is because I contribute to my 401k these days. Back in 1994 contributing to something like a retirement plan seemed like something only old people do.
But, to put it in another perspective, even if my income had gone up 3x since 1994, which would in theory make $4.00 gas no more of a burden to me than $1.22 gas was back in 1994, that basically means that in the past 13 years, all my work, promotions, raises, etc, has done nothing to get me ahead. And think of the 24 year old today who's just entering the workforce. Chances are he or she isn't making much more than I did back in 1994, let alone what I am now, after 13 years in the workfarce.
In any case, one thing $4 (or $6 or $8) gas will certainly not do is make me a republican :=)
Well, aside from the stench and hassle of finding a station that carries diesel, they don't get THAT much better mileage. Diesel fuel SHOULD be MUCH cheaper than gasoline but the oil companies took care of that!
And being on topic...I'm paying about $3.20 right now...so $4 isn't going to change me at all. I combined trips and all of that back when gas was $1.50...so I will just eat the increase.
Still, ooh-oohh that smell, can't ya smell that smell?
And that nasty sound..they sound like they're not being oiled properly. Yuk! :sick:
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Couple of more questions: do diesel vehicles last as long as gasoline ones do? Is starting diesel vehicles in cold weather very difficult?
However, that's a choice each one of us must make. We can gripe about gas prices and how Big Oil is ripping us off, but there's not much we can do about it. Our government could, but that would mean making the current CAFE standards look like sheer gluttony which would kill SUV and truck sales and put the final nail in Detroit's coffin.
I worked the last 25 years in the Arctic and diesel engines are all that was used. Gas engines would not hold up to the idling for long periods of time. Diesel engines started fine. They have to be plugged in when the temp does not get above 40 below for weeks on end.
The 15% was the interest on buying a home. It was hard to get better than 18% on a new car. Money is too easy to get now. It will be the cause of our next recession. $4 gas will just help it along.
Just watching the numbers the last few years gradually moving upwards and barely moving downwards at all and thinking about foreign dudes making great profits off of us just secures the thought in my mind that we will never, ever, never again pay less than $2.00 for a gallon of 87 no-lead. Ever never.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
But I have tried to stay ahead of the curve on this issue for the last few years. Kept driving my SUV by cutting my commute by about 75 percent about 15 years ago. Cut my cost again by selling the SUV and getting a Diesel Pickup and two compacts about five years ago. I have cut my commute again and sold the pickup and one of the compacts. Of course it is tempting me to reason my way into a Sporster, or even a rice burner V-twin. Right now gas would have to reach more than 9 bucks a gallon for me to spend what I did a year ago. In fact once I got rid of my Boat I don't think I have paid as much for gas a year as I used to for slip rent and insurance.
me: Here's a couple of points to consider - 1) Most of these oil producing countries don't have much else for an economy, and if you look at what they're grossing the number of people in the country and then compare it to the size of our economy, I still feel sorry for them. Oh, sure there are a few in each country who are getting very rich. 2) what are these countries going to do in 20 or 30 years or whatever for an economy when their oil starts declining? Sell sand? If you read up on Iran you find they have this problem of being very reliant on oil revenue, and oil production is declining, with internal demand increasing.
Also everyone should remember that if oil prices increase, oil usage will have to decrease globally based on your ability and willingness to pay for it. Who will be forced to reduce the consumption first? Answer - the poorer people of the world. Don't be among them!
Also if gasoline rises too fast, I'm not worried about $ paid at the pump. The economic consequences are much higher - most people would pay far more in total $, in losses in stocks and retirement, inflation would go up as shipping and raw materials go up (plastics are made from petroleum products) ... And maybe the economy shrinks and you lose your job?
The California Air Resources Board set emission standards for car and light trucks diesels so stringently that no manufacturer in the world could meet them. (Trucks and SUVs over 7500 pounds GVW were exempt, which is why GM, Ford, and Dodge sell heavy-duty diesel pickups.) Other states adopted CARB regulations, with the result that about 40% of the US population was effectively barred from registering new diesel vehicles. With only 60% of the potential market available, most manufacturers elected not to pay the expenses of certifying diesel vehicles for sale in the US. Mercedes-Benz and VW revived their US diesel offerings in the late '90s, apparently deciding that they could make enough per-unit profit to pay for the certification costs.
The advent of low-sulfur diesel (which allows the use of catalytic converters), the alignment of US and European diesel emission standards, and the development of new engines, catalysts, and particulate filters to meet those standards means that the tidal wave of European diesel engines (GM, Ford, Toyota, and everyone else you can think of already sell diesels in Europe) can finally make its way to this side of the Atlantic.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I keep hearing how the newer diesels won't stink so I'll reserve judgement unil then.
I don't see sales taking off but I could be wrong.