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Automotive News & Views Are gas prices fueling your pain? 
10042 messages, Last post on Jul 12, 2008 at 3:07 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: tedebear (Jul 10, 2008 5:21 pm) One good hurricane (but looks like it won't be Bertha thank goodness. What a name for a hurricane!) and we might yet see spikes to $5+ before Labor Day. |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 10, 2008 6:23 pm) This frequency may be found on some little railways stations deep in French countryside. This shows how train transport is abandoned to oblivion in the US. Standard frequency should be 1 train per hour. >Anyway, he decided on flying this basically represents about 4 hours and I am not sure the transit time from airport to final destination is included or not. High speed train would reasonably take 3 hours, adding the transit time from and to railway station, which makes a draw. To throw in comparisons with prices in Europe, Paris to Marseilles (800 km = 500 miles) would take about 8 hours by car. Return cost for gas and toll would be 315 Euros (as calculated by mappy.fr) Otoh we could expect return high speed train ticket price to be around 200 Euros for 3 hours journey time. Taking the train is definitely interesting for one person, while for 2, driving is a bit cheaper if we don't count extra cost (dining), while the difference between 3 hours train and 8 hours drive is a matter of personal tastes.
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Replying to: vchiu (Jul 10, 2008 9:29 pm) Standard frequency should be 1 train per hour. Oh it gets better. My friend could take the train directly to Detroit if he wanted to. The only problem is, he would have to go to Chicago first and then transfer, and go back to Detroit. I think that stretched the trip out from 13 hours or so to more like 20-21! Amazing. I mean, this sounds more like the Hooterville Cannonball than American rail travel in the 21st century! Or, you can get off the train in Toledo and take a bus to Detroit, which is quicker, but adds about $100. So suddenly, that $200 train ride is up to $300. this basically represents about 4 hours and I am not sure the transit time from airport to final destination is included or not. High speed train would reasonably take 3 hours, adding the transit time from and to railway station, which makes a draw. Well, I left the house at around 4:30 to get him to the airport, and his flight left around 6:10. I think it touches down around 7:50 in Detroit. And by the time he gets his luggage and gets picked up, I'd guess it could very well be 9:00 by the time he actually gets to where he's staying. So yeah, total trip time is at least 4 hours. Still, to get him to Union Station in DC to catch the train or bus, it would probably take me about a half hour to get down there and drop him off. How far ahead of time do you have to arrive if you're taking a bus or train? Is it similar to flying, where they tell you to get there at least an hour early? As an aside, I had to fill up my Intrepid on the way to the airport, as it was getting pretty low. Paid $4.079 per gallon at the local Shell. It gulped down about 14.7 gallons, and averaged about 23.5 mpg. Total bill came out to around $57. That's for about 16 days worth of driving though, so I guess it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm about to repeat the process though, with a '79 New Yorker that I'm taking to a Chrysler show. I want a full tank before I hit the highways. I have a feeling that fill-up's gonna be painful! 
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My wife and I, and another couple, are traveling to Steamboat Springs this weekend for the Balloon Festival. It's about 180 miles from our town to Steamboat, but each couple is taking their own car - we're taking our VUE and the other couple have the new style Santa Fe. We figure it'll be two tanks of gas for the weekend - about $100. The local station here in town raised prices over the 4th of July weekend and RUG is now at $3.95/gal. I'm almost certain it will be over $4/gal where we're going - the mountain towns in Colorado are always more expensive than the urban areas. To offset the price of the gas, we're staying at an Inn that has a kitchenette so we can prepare some of our meals and avoid going out to restaurants. |
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From the Philadelphia newspaper: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080711_One_Last_Thing__U_S__citizens__g- as_money_fueling_Mideast_s_boom.html
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 11, 2008 5:27 am) http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imp- orts/current/import.html Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries) (Thousand Barrels per Day) YTD 2008, Middle East, Other CANADA ---- 1846 SAUDI ARABIA 1519 ---- MEXICO ---- 1471 NIGERIA ---- 1089 VENEZUELA ---- 1070 IRAQ 693 ---- ANGOLA ---- 556 ALGERIA ---- 495 BRAZIL ---- 174 KUWAIT 218 ---- ECUADOR ---- 200 COLOMBIA ---- 100 CHAD ---- 76 RUSSIA ---- 137 LIBYA ---- 56 Total 2430 7270 About 25% of the imports are from the Middle East. The writer goes on to say; "All this adds up to a decline in our standard of living and a huge write-down of American wealth. " Yeah, and we are doing it to ourselves. We are all making selfish decisions. The people in the M.E. are not putting a gun to our head telling us to buy that vehicle that gets 13 mpg. This is another example of how individuals will make decisions to a large degree in their own self interest. Yet, we complain bitterly if the government tries to impose a CAFE standard, increase the gasoline tax, or suggest we conserve... Didn't Phil Gramm just say "We've sort of become a nation of whiners." Indeed. 
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 11, 2008 6:45 am) Didn't Phil Gramm just say "We've sort of become a nation of whiners." Yes he did and the Left was not happy. So McCain had to distance himself from another friend. Seems when politicians tell the truth the media do not want to hear it.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 11, 2008 7:06 am) Someone recently said we're in a mental recession. For most of us we are afraid of spending so we hold back. We also are told by the media relentlessly how bad it is. So we haven't been spending (me and my spouse and son) like we normally would. We are impacting the others who have lost jobs. So we're currently shopping for carpet and a third car again. If it follows the Bush 1 pattern the economy will be terrible (not starting to improve) through the election and soon as a Democrat (Clinton) is elected the media will start soft talking and tell how wonderful the outlook is becoming.
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Jul 11, 2008 7:30 am) Liberal media conspiracy at work again? 
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Replying to: fintail (Jul 11, 2008 7:34 am) Did you see who he beat in his first bid for the Senate. Our friend Ron Paul. I say get rid of em all. I will vote for NO incumbent. Unless they promise to sell me gas for under 2 bucks
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