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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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Messages Page 74 of 78

#724 of 773 what if? by li_sailor

Apr 15, 2005 (9:14 am)

My take on the SUV/PU, etc. thing was that, if gas prices hit $5 anytime soon, I think that will be the death knell for US car companies. That was my point in that "Impala v Altima" comparison.
 
As is evident in the current news (poor financial health of GM/Ford), US companies are hurting. And they are being sustained via the life support of trucks and the fairly large number of Americans that use them as family vehicles.
 
At $5/gallon, I think this will pretty much stop...and the feeding tube will effectively be removed. And if the choice comes down to cars...US vs Japan...I think it will get ugly for the home team.
 
Unless, of course, they can do something about it...improve quality, styling and value. Fast.

#725 of 773 Re: I saw a Taurus... [oregonboy] by electrictroy

Apr 15, 2005 (9:54 am)

Replying to: oregonboy (Apr 15, 2005 8:10 am)
Why can't these cars run on E100 (100% ethanol)?
 
troy

#726 of 773 Is E85... by andre1969

Apr 15, 2005 (10:01 am)

very cost-effective? How much does it cost per gallon? Don't E-85 vehicles usually get horrible mileage on the E-85, versus gasoline?

#727 of 773 Impala by z28_sedan

Apr 15, 2005 (10:01 am)

If gas hit $5.00/gallon (or even $4.00) there would suddenly be a glut of used SUV's and PU's on the market. It would be devastating for the economy not just because of the cost of gas, but the resulting inflation and all the lost equity on SUV's and suburban homes (no one would want to live 40+ miles from work anymore).
 
...but we would survive. We always do. People would have to learn to sacrifice, scrimp, put on a sweater, combine trips, etc.
 
An Impala is a bigger car than an Altima. I don't think it's quite fair to compare them.
My wife's Impala LS (3.8L) got 33.8 mpg on a long trip recently and then 33.1 mpg on the way back.
That was with two large adults, two kids, trunk over-filled with luggage and the cruise set on 78 mph the whole way. GM cars are under-rated mpg-wise...and I'll take the low-end grunt of a 3.8L (or even 3.4L) over a screaming 2.7L 4-banger anyday. It's a real shame that GM put so much of it's future into trucks/SUV's because they make fantastic cars when they put their mind to it.
I think the Malibu Maxx is very attractive and innovative. If they make one with either hybrid, diesel, or (more likely) displacement-on-demand, that will probably be my next car.

#728 of 773 Holy Smoke! by lemko

Apr 15, 2005 (10:04 am)

"...and all the lost equity on SUV's and suburban homes (no one would want to live 40+ miles from work anymore)."
 
But imagine the skyrocketing value of a city home! I Yeah, baby, yeah!

#729 of 773 this kind of sums it up..... by graphicguy

Apr 15, 2005 (10:23 am)

http://borgman.enquirer.com/weekly/daily_html/2005/04/041305borgman.html

#730 of 773 Re: Is E85... [andre1969] by larsb

Apr 15, 2005 (10:51 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Apr 15, 2005 10:01 am)
"cars MPG can drop anywhere from 5 to 15 percent. It depends on the make of the car -- one driver said her Suburban gets 3 mpg less with E85. ..."
 
CAVEAT: "Only a few dozen types of vehicles are equipped to use E85, and Algers' '93 Suburban is not one of them.
 
So it is a little less efficient as a fuel. I would predict that E100 would worsen the MPG even more....
 
As far as price, E85 is about 30 cents cheaper in Illinois this week:
 
http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050411/NEWS0107/504110316/1004/NEWS
 
A quick Excel spreadsheet tells me that if E85 gives the LOW END and reduces fuel efficiency by 15%, then an 18,000 mile year for a car getting 48.5 MPG on regular unleaded, you would save a whopping TWO DOLLARS A YEAR on fuel.
 
If your car only loses 5% of it's regular unleaded efficiency when using E85, then you would save $86 a year.
 
So somewhere between $2 and $86 per year savings using E85 all year.

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

Apr 15, 2005 (11:02 am)

Replying to: electrictroy (Mar 25, 2005 1:29 pm)
Hi there,
I'm trying to find a clear spray product for license plates that keep traffic cameras from reading them. Any ideas?
Amber

#732 of 773 Re: What If - Gasoline is $5 a gallon in 2010? [jamil] by oregonboy

Apr 15, 2005 (11:05 am)

Replying to: jamil (Apr 15, 2005 11:02 am)
Umm, you're way off topic here, but I've seen that stuff advertised in the back pages of Road & Track and/or Car & Driver magazines. Try the Library.
 
james

#733 of 773 Re: clear license plate spray [jamil] by larsb

Apr 15, 2005 (11:06 am)

Replying to: jamil (Apr 15, 2005 11:02 am)
Yes, I have an idea - STOP SPEEDING !!

Messages Page 74 of 78

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