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What If - Gasoline is $5 a gallon in 2010? - READ ONLY

773 messages,  Last post on Apr 17, 2005 at 4:25 PM

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What is this discussion about? Hybrid Cars, Fuel Efficiency (MPG)

Messages Page 1 of 78

#1 of 773 What If - Gasoline is $5 a gallon in 2010? by electrictroy

Mar 25, 2005 (1:29 pm)

Could people afford it?
 
Assuming typical 20,000 per year commute:
 
88 mpg lupo tdi = $1100 a year
50 mpg prius/civic hybrid = $2000 a year
40 mpg civic or echo = $2500 a year
 
37 mpg accord hybrid = $2700 a year
31 mpg escape hybrid = $3200 a year
20 mpg "generic" suv = $5000 a year
 
Wow. I'd bet we'd see a lot of "under 30mpg" SUVs and cars get traded in. The difference between a 20mpg suv & a prius, the fuel savings alone would pay for the car in just 7 years!
 
troy

#2 of 773 Re: What If - Gasoline is $5 a gallon in 2010? [electrictroy] by gagrice

Mar 25, 2005 (1:35 pm)

Replying to: electrictroy (Mar 25, 2005 1:29 pm)
Assuming typical 20,000 per year commute:
 
If I drove 20k miles per year I would already have a VW TDI or Honda Insight. Probably the TDI to give me the added option of biodiesel and established longevity.
 
For me it is not a case of affording it, I am just very frugal.

#3 of 773 WHAT IF GAS IS $3.00 A GALLON BY NEXT YR? by railroadjames

Mar 25, 2005 (3:29 pm)

This seems more timely and plausable and most of us know it could very well occur. I'm more concerned with supply & demand because that could lead to "rationing" and anyone who listened to their parents that endured WWII can attest to what it was like having limited supplies of gas. We've led a pampered life with "over indugence" our way of life. We all know that transportation is going thru a metamorphis and changes are in the air. I still think that "MASS TRANSIT" is as much a concern as anything else. Maybe because I put 30 yrs in railroading. We engineers could move 40-50 times the weight product of one semi-truck. Next time you're on an expressway count the "big" trucks you have to share the pothole roadways with. Then think how much fuel the trucks and cars are wasting while sitting still going nowhere. Lastly, think about how much time is wasted in those traffic jams....NUFF SAID, don't ya think?
Railroadjames( if only we wised up)

#4 of 773 Re: WHAT IF GAS IS $3.00 A GALLON BY NEXT YR? [railroadjames] by gagrice

Mar 25, 2005 (4:38 pm)

Replying to: railroadjames (Mar 25, 2005 3:29 pm)
We engineers could move 40-50 times the weight product of one semi-truck.
 
Do you think the railroads could ever make a comeback? Freight costs are getting to be a real issue. And trucking companies are probably the biggest barrier to getting cleaner diesel in this country. I'm sure one semi pollutes more than dozens of cars.

#5 of 773 [gagrice]MIRACLES OF MIRACLES!!! by railroadjames

Mar 25, 2005 (8:06 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (Mar 25, 2005 4:38 pm)
The impossible has finally happened....We found something WE agree on. Trucks (Semis not Suburbans) are part of the problem. Way too many clogging our roads and over polluting our air. Trains could make a comeback if only Congress would quit sucking up to the auto industry. Lobbyists run our country make no mistake. I just hope someone or some President has enough guts to do right by America. WE WILL SEE!
Railroadjames(trains are fun)

#6 of 773 Re: WHAT IF GAS IS $3.00 A GALLON BY NEXT YR? [railroadjames] by kernick

Mar 25, 2005 (8:18 pm)

Replying to: railroadjames (Mar 25, 2005 3:29 pm)
you: I'm more concerned with supply & demand because that could lead to "rationing" and anyone who listened to their parents that endured WWII can attest to what it was like having limited supplies of gas.
 
me: well if rationing was ever required, I'd want to make sure that the really frivolous uses of gasoline were curtailed first. No gas use for pleasure boats , RV's, and other purely recreational vehicles, would be a good start. Then everyone can quit wasting gas in lawn mowers, to make your lawn look pretty.
 
And if gas does go to $3, the people who will be hurt are the lower-income. People who have $30K + to spend on a car are not going to buy a Focus because their gas bill is $2000 or $3000/year.

#7 of 773 [kernick]AN OPEN INVITATION TO CAR SALESPEOPLE! by railroadjames

Mar 25, 2005 (9:05 pm)

Replying to: kernick (Mar 25, 2005 8:18 pm)
Since we all agree(for the most part) that there's a change in the air, I think it would be valuable to hear from salespeople if there are any out there willing to share what's going on in the "business". I'm curious as to the trends(if any) on the buying public. Other words...Are they changing over from SUV's even more than the current down turn of approx. 25%-30% thats been released by the business sector so far. Since Rebates are bountifull...do they really matter?
Railroadjames(Big car sales has to be drying up)YES?

#8 of 773 Re: [gagrice]MIRACLES OF MIRACLES!!! [railroadjames] by gagrice

Mar 25, 2005 (11:38 pm)

Replying to: railroadjames (Mar 25, 2005 8:06 pm)
We found something WE agree on.
 
I am sure there are many things we could agree on. I believe that wasting fuel is bad. I also believe the American public are getting the shaft by politicians that pander to lobbyist on both sides of the table. The shipping industry has blocked attempts to clean up the pollution by trucks and ships. The environmentalist's lobby settle for band aids on the pollution issue by forcing higher standards on the little guy. And it is considered a step in the right direction. Consequently the only high mileage cars that are allowed in are overly complex such as the hybrids. If our politicians were interested in clean air we would have clean diesel and 50% of the vehicles sold would get the mileage that we get with a few hybrids. If I buy a car in the next few months it will be a diesel. If gas goes to $5 per gallon I can ship the vehicle to Hawaii and live on my farm and get biodiesel for under $3 per gallon. It will not be affected by high gas prices for a quite a while. I do fine on papaya, bananas & mangos. And I can work on my own car without Toyota to tell me they have never seen that problem before. As much as you feel that hybrids are the answer to gas shortages, I feel diesel and specifically biodiesel is a better answer. Only time will tell which is right for America

#9 of 773 Re: [kernick]AN OPEN INVITATION TO CAR SALESPEOPLE! [railroadjames] by pf_flyer HOST

Mar 26, 2005 (8:38 am)

Replying to: railroadjames (Mar 25, 2005 9:05 pm)
railroadjames, your question about what car salespeople are doing would probably be better asked over on Smart Shopper in the Any Questions for a Car Dealer? topic.
 
I kow it's easy for these discussions to branch off into other areas, but try to stick to the topics as much as possible. Thanks!
 
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles

#10 of 773 Reality check on gas prices by gagrice

Mar 27, 2005 (10:21 am)

Here is a thought on the price of gas. If I were to drive my Suburban 15k miles in a year with a gas price of $5 per gallon. It would cost me about $5000 a year. The average mortgage in San Diego has increased in the last 5 years by over $20,000 per year. Even at $5 per gallon gas is not a big part of the average Americans budget. If the average car gets 27.2 mpg that cuts that expense in half to about $2500 per year. $200 per month compared to the average home mortgage written today being $2800 per month. At $5 per gallon gas is cheaper than drinking bottled water.

Messages Page 1 of 78

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