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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
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 11, 2008 10:23 am) I guess one way to look at it, and soften the blow somewhat, is that whatever the fuel bill for the Suburban is, a car's fuel bill would still be about half of that. At least, going from where he said going from the Suburban to the car would reduce his $330 bill by about $150. That's actually not quite half, but let's say half, for kicks and giggles. So at $550 per month in fuel for the Suburban, the car would still cost $275. So the true savings is "only" $275 per month. That's no small chunk of change, but once you factor in purchasing the newer car, plus extra insurance, and extra maintenance, etc, it begins to look less and less promising. Plus, if you really need what a big truck offers, it's still going to get driven pretty regularly, while the more economical car will just be under-utilized. Still, I'm sure with these jacked up gas prices, a lot of people will think twice about whether they really need a truck.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Apr 11, 2008 10:38 am)
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Replying to: dieselone (Apr 11, 2008 8:28 am) No the large trucks are not going to disappear off the face of the earth because there is a real basic need for a certain number of them. But the 'image buyers' will no longer buy just because 'I gotta have a truck'. What is equally likely IMO is that those that have a real but limited need for a truck will keep the current one for purely truck duties and purchase something more efficient as a daily driver. There will no auto-re-upping from truck to truck to truck. The net result will be one less truck sale for the 6 main truck makers. Repeat 100,000 times until that hardcore nugget of truck-only buyers is reached. It's like peeling away and peeling away the fruit off a peach until the hard center is found. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 11, 2008 10:23 am) |
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Fewer people already are buying pickups. In 2004, Ford sold 900,000+ F-150s. Last year, they sold about 500,000.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Apr 11, 2008 9:48 am) Well a 4.6 powered f-150 probably is far from the most capable pickup. The power to weight ratio of that truck is probably close to that of your Silverado. I don't think a 4.6 powered F150 is rated to tow much more than 5,000-6,000lbs, probably inline with your '85 Silverado. |
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Replying to: 1stpik (Apr 11, 2008 6:01 pm) You'd have to look at the whole market. Lots of reasons truck sales are down, fuel prices is just one reason. The housing slow down etc, is another.
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Replying to: dieselone (Apr 11, 2008 6:10 pm) |
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 11, 2008 10:23 am) I'd say gas would have to hit $6-7 today for me to consider a different or additional fuel efficient vehicle. We do a pretty good job of living below our means, so energy prices have had very little effect on our finances. We're fortunate that my wife has a company car, so we don't have to pay for her gas for her commute and her personal use fees are minimal. I bought the Suburban used with fairly low mileage, put 1/2 down and paid it off in less than 3 years. When I buy another, I'll buy it used too. No way will I give Ford or GM $50k of my money. I'll find a one or two year old model used for 1/2 that amount and pay cash or find a low interest loan for a few years. That way I can have a solid tow vehicle and still comfortably afford our summer hobbies of camping and boating. |
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Replying to: ny540i6 (Apr 09, 2008 7:59 pm) I believe I said from walking out my front door in the morning to walking back in in the evening was 9 hours. Its a little less than an half hour round trip. |
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