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Over the last 25 yr of working I've never driven less than 25000 miles in a year. Most years my driving approached 40000 miles.
In 93/94 in a 20 mpg V6 from Chrysler I drove about 30000 mi using ~1500 gal @ $1/gal.
in 03/04 in a 30 mpg I4 from Toyota I drove about 36000+ mi using ~1200 gal @ $2.25/gal
in 08 in a 48 mpg hybrid I'm also driving 36000+ miles using ~750 gal @ $4/gal.
At some time in the future I will drive something else that gets even better fuel economy or burns NO petro-fuel.
According to IRS statistics 48% of returns have adjusted gross income of 30K or less. That includes all taxpayers including single earners, one person returns teenagers and whatnot. For returns that are married filing jointly just under 21% of returns have income less than $30K. And this is for the 2006 Tax year.
Plus $30K is well above minimum wage.
How many millions of people are on SSI and SS?
Most people on SSI and SS don't have jobs so they are not spending $4/gallon to drive to a minimum wage job.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Well he is going by tax returns which also includes teenagers with jobs. So if your 17 year old earns $4,000 their tax return reflects $4,000 in income as one tax return included in that $30K medium.
In other words you and your spouse earn $45K and you have a 17 year old son that has a part time job and earns $3K your son files a separate return and brings down the average. So that the average between your two returns is $24K. That also throws the percentages out of proportion. Thats why in a previous post I gave the figures for those filing jointly, it leaves out such things as teenagers with part time jobs and give a more accurate figure for households.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Sorry, but "WE" are not at the ragged edge. My guess is that about 10% of the people out there are at the ragged edge. And what does the ragged edge mean? If it means giving up their cable TV or Dish, not getting a $4 cup of Joe at Starbucks, or maybe trading in the Brontosaurus for a higher mpg car, well I don't count that as being at the ragged edge.
You need to be careful when you extrapolate your information. Just because you see a few people complaining or you read a few "sensational" news stories does not mean everyone is in the same boat or that people are not adjusting.
In my own situation, the gas pain index is still under 5%. We adjusted. We moved to a town where commutes are 2 to 3 miles. We traded in the van that got an average 16.5 mpg for a SUV that has been averaging 19.5 mpg (city driving, summer for both). The SUV has the same utility and has windows that roll all the way down in the back. :shades:
We have even been considering getting an electric bike or scooter. So if gas was to go to $8 to $10 a gallon some kind of bike or scooter would be an option for at least 6 months out of the year. Those people that live in warmer climates would have even more incentive to switch.
Wiki has a really interesting graph at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Petrol_use_urban_density.svg
It shows what to expect as gas prices rise. There will be a slow inexorable change to more urbanization and higher population densities as gasoline prices rise.
RUG is going up a few tenths of a cent each day - now at $4.107
(AAA). Are we having fun yet?
I would suggest that you are actually savings a lot more than $4175 a year. The cost to drive a vehicle is up around 50 cents a mile. But, comparing the new cost to the old cost gets a bit tricky. Certainly less oil changes, maintenance, depreciation and tire wear could double your savings. Did you adjust your insurance? Was the cost about the same?
In the news:
Ecomodding: Tuning Your Car for 100 MPG
According to a teacher friend of mine who was repeating the teacher's union mantra, it's all Bush's fault. I guess he had time on his hands after he finished blowing up the levees in NO back in 2005.
In my uneducated opinion, if you take all the theories of why gas is so high, and line them up, I would say "They're ALL right."
The average Joe is getting hosed as usual. :mad:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Gee, I don't get any milage reimbursement from the school district I work for. This despite a double commute due to the 4 hour pause between bus runs. I am allowed to stay in a windowless room and breath paint fumes from the shop for those 4 hours though if I don't want to drive home and back.
I guess they feel that is enough compensation. :sick:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yeah, but do you use your car FOR work, or just to commute to work? Nippon is probably using his own personal car for his job, as well as burning his own gas. He's not going to get reimbursed for driving back and forth to work, but if he uses his car for work, he'll either get reimbursed, or be able to write it off on his income taxes like I did when I used to deliver pizzas.
Well, the main problem is that the old french fries can clog up your fuel filter...LOL just kidding.
I have a friend who is trying to convert his old MB diesel to run on bio. He was able to find another car with the conversion equipment that he plans to strip off and use on his. Otherwise, he was looking at sever thousand just to make the switch.
As I understand it you also have to start and finish using regular diesel to avoid the bio gumming up the fuel lines. That also makes me think you might have problems in the winter in cold climates.
The biggest problem is supply. My friend lined up all the oil used by a chain of restaurants. The only problem was that just as the barrel he used to collect the oil was getting full, some joker would come by at night and steal it.
Good luck.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Check out "Tires, Tires, Tires" board. I just had a discussion with a guy who claims 100K on cheap tires inflated to 38psi.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
LOL. That's a good one. Those who don't learn from history are destine to repeat it.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
The same 10 things also apply to the black death and nuclear war. Wouldn't want to suffer those either.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Sorry to saw off your limb but about 90% of my driving is the work commute. Even if you factor in my wife's household driving (don't you let her catch you saying it's not work) our non work driving is well under 50%.
There is ZERO public transportation to my work. In fact, the nearest bus stop is 11/2 miles away. I might be able to walk that in summer but not winter and that's only if when anywhere near where I work.
For my other job I have to transport several hundred pounds of goods. Tough to carry that very far.
I would consider alternate transportation if it made any sense at all. Unfortunately, outside of cities it does not at present.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That's for households, not individuals, right?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Right. I just did a quick Google, and came up with a household median of $48,201, as of 2006. There's another website, www.city-data.com, where you can search for all sorts of census information by zipcode. They estimate that median household income for my zipcode, as of 2005, was $104,430! At least now I know how they're affording all those $750K-$1Mil McMansions...at least until the teaser rates go up. Still, in 1999, the median household income for my zip was $91,066. That's not much of a rise over the course of 6 years...maybe 15%. A pittance, when you consider that home prices easily doubled around here in that same timeframe.
The 2004 edition of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary states that "eh" is used most frequently by residents of Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick, somewhat less frequently in Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and the three territories, and rarely if ever in Nova Scotia, Alberta and Newfoundland. (Wikipedia)
I know of Canadians from Manitoba that use the phrase on a regular basis. :shades:
3 vehicles caravaned together for 300 miles. we all filled up at the same station to start, then again about 300 miles later. this was not planned, it just worked out.
06 mountaineer v8. 4 passengers, cargo box on top, 2 bikes out back: $63
02 explorer v8, 4 passengers, cargo box on top, 2 bikes out back: $60
04 lexus rx330 v6, 2 passengers, no cargo box or bikes: $47.
someone mentioned 50 cents per mile, so that works out to $900.
gas cost were about $400, so that leaves about $500 for the vehicles expenses.
can you rent something that can carry all that for all those miles and have to work out much cheaper? i kind of doubt it.
otoh, you can load pound upon pound onto an explorer and it doesn't seem to care a whole lot. if you are using it as a commuter vehicle, there are probably better choices.
as an aside to our vacation, the last 2 years we took a friend of the family with us, but it didn't work out this year. when we got home there was a poster on one of the garage doors welcoming us home. it has a drawing of the explorer as part of it.
there are some great kids out there and i glad i know some of them.
You manage to get 48 mpg out of the Prius in almost all-highway driving? That's good, I only managed 45 or so when I had one for a week or so. I think maybe it wasn't enough time for me to optimize my driving style for maximum fuel economy in a hybrid.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Yeah, but do you use your car FOR work, or just to commute to work? Nippon is probably using his own personal car for his job, as well as burning his own gas."
Thanks for clarifying that for oldfarmer, andre. Yes, I use my car on the job several times a week. If I didn't, my annual mileage would be about 8K less.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
This probably falls under the perceived pain vs. actual pain people are experiencing.
I think the "Royal Wees" drive a Land Rover, or at least the queen did in the past.
Funny, my new Cadillac DTS is the first car I EVER bought with a sunroof. My co-worker is going on and on about how great sunroofs are and how cool it's going to be to have one, etc. I tried it out the first time and I don't get it. The sun is beating down on top of my head and creates a strange ambience in the interior. It doesn't make the interior much cooler because the breeze is skipping over the roof. I shut it after a few blocks. I don't get it.
I guess this is a case of different strokes...
I like the sunroof in the cars that I drive that have one, especially my 540. I don't usually have it open, however with my completely black interior, the additional light is a good thing. I am not a huge "open window" driver anyway - just too loud/windy at any real speed, so opening the hole in the roof is not what I really want to do. I sometimes leave it cracked for ventilation when parked.
Is a sunroof worth $1000 or so as an option? Heck no, in my opinion. However many manufacturers are bundling it so you don't really have a choice. Kinda like leather at the higher end of the spectrum.
When I bought my Fit as new, I was forced to get the electric sunroof. With all the mechanism, I estimate the top added weight to be about 10 lbs, which was uncalled for.
High in my list of counter-productive options are the big and large tires + rims often imposed when you choose whatever model or trim level.
I remember my MB 190E 2.6 of 1990 coming with 15X185 tires which were not only long lasting but very silent and comfortable. They were changed not because of wear but because they were getting too old.
Now many econo cars in my country come with low profile 17" X 225 for much less engine power to transmit. Not only are those tires twice as expensive as the smaller ones to replace, they last 50% less, generate more roar and are much less comfortable.
wider tires also increase our pain at the pump by a few %.
French govt is considering extending its bonus/Malus scheme to tires. Larger tires would bear an extra tax that would in turn lower the sticker price of green tires.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_left_story/20080707_Trek_put_cars_on_map- .html
Thank you all for giving me a reason to repeat my 'sunroof rant'. In addition to all the obvious problems (cost, heat, weight (which in some cases can be over 50lbs in the worst place for handling), I can't get them because they kill headroom. As for their popularity, I think it's seen as an instant profit item by the manufacturers, and most people accept them. I bet they'd be on a lot less cars if they were truely optional. I don't think you can buy a Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, or MB without one, and even the better-equipped Hondas all have them. That's one reason I'm looking at the MKX - I can get the options I want without the cursed sunroof
ps-a number of the super large ones (Ford, Cadillac) have been showing up repeatedly in discussions because of problems, even including sheetmetal failure at the corner of one. Ouch :sick:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080707_Police_departments_deal_wit- h_higher_gas_prices.html
One of my 1978 Citroen GS had a sunroof installed as an accessory. No need to tell you how much it leaked. It really wrecked a car otherwise sound.
Tire wise, my 1978 Ami 8 has 15 X 135 tires. many cars comes with twice that width now... it is about 1600 Lbs heavy, so no need for any wider tires. Rolling resistance is so little I can easily push the car by hand when I queue up in a mc Drive (Drive thru).
When I did than, people were smiling before, but $10 /gal gas makes the move pretty sensible now.
speaking about option, my Ami has no power steering, no central locking, no ALB, no power windows, no radio, no aircon, no fog light, no... and is returning about 36 mpg. top speed is 75 mph if going downhill. With its simple mecanics, it is still my cheapest car to run by any aspect
We got a letter a while back from trash company stating that fee going up due to increase in fuel (diesel) costs. It seemed that the percent increase was not in line with actual diesel fuel increases and significantly more. Called them and could not get a straight answer.
One way to save on trash pickup is to cancel it and get an agreement with a neighbor. I know of a lady down the road that does not have trash pickup contract. Each week, she takes her one can of trash and puts it next to the container(s) that her daughter (who lives next door) puts out. Of course, this is done the night before and not in view of garbage truck driver.
I knew what you ment. I was just being a wise-acre. :P
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
My trash bill used to be $31, but got bumped up to $39. Then they added a $1.80 fuel surcharge.
But that's $40.80 a quarter so it's still better than you or Gagrice.
I always hate when they add those little fuel surcharges and other little nickel-and-dime-you fees here and there. I guess it does let you see where the money is going, but it just comes off as petty to me. Otherwise, if they just gave me a total bill, without the breakout, I probably wouldn't notice.
Wind and traction are huge determinants, plus and minus.
Here in Los Angeles, I pay $65 every other month, but that is due to increase by about $20 soon.
Up to the Berkshires and back (about 360 miles round trip)
Avg speed, 72mph, from fill-up on the MJ Turnpike, to back at the foot of the Goethals Bridge... ended measurement there, since the bridge was solidly packed (as usual
Avg economy, 25.4 mpg. Cruise control is my friend.
Tomorrow I get to run out to Stroudsburg Pa.... so I'll see what that looks like.
Yeah, I'm already dreading the price increase from Mr. SnowPlowGuy. Up prices went when gas went up a couple of winters ago, but as it retreated a bit before this massively suspicious runup, his prices did not go down... And, it seems his "only plow 3+ inches policy" was somehow changed to "only plow .3+ inches..." Oh, well. Dude's gotta make a living. Nice if I could just raise my salary at will...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
A lot of towns around here you pay by the bag and recycling bins are free.
In my town there is no separate charge for trash pick up. Its a city paid service (yes I know its buried in our property taxes but those have been pretty steady since there is some major retail building going on and we are flush with sales tax revenue).
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I guess one reason for that is to keep people from 'saving money' by dumping their trash somewhere.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Oh, I don't know about that. I doubt there are very many here who get 217.6 mpg of water out of their commuting vehicles.
And while I'm here it's 34 miles RT to work. I average around 6 days per week. With allowing an average of 3 weeks per year vacation I figure my commuting adds up to around 10,000 miles/yr. I put about 13,000 miles/yr on my car and 5-6,000 miles/yr on my bike.
It appears that my commuting mileage adds up to over 50% of my annual total.
I thought someone predicted that RUG would be pushing $5/gal by the Fourth of July holiday weekend. It never even made it to $4/gal here. Just observed $3.89/gal on my way to work this afternoon.