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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: explorerx4 (May 31, 2008 2:57 pm) Moving on... 
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Replying to: coontie66 (May 24, 2008 7:29 am) Although I have not towed with it yet, my mileage varies from 15.4 to 16.2. Yes, it will be considerably less towing. But that is the price of having my "home" with me. My own bed at night -- my own bathroom, and the ability to visit friends and relatives and see new areas of the country. I do not plan to be on the road all that often as the point to all this is the freedom to enjoy a place until I'm ready to leave --- rather than the limitations of many years with 1-2 weeks of vacation. I I have looked with shock at the increasing prices --- wondering how someone who often drove compact cars could end up driving a city block. http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/- - emotorcons/emo_blush.gif blushHowever, as a woman I appreciate the safety features the vehicle offers and the ease of operation. I am assured it will meet my needs for a long time. So please don't lump everyone together and stereotype their motives  . Sometimes a person has a particular vehicle for a specific purpose.http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/we- - bxicons/emotorcons/emo_shades.gif shades
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Replying to: fedora (May 31, 2008 5:46 pm) Your comment makes me wonder how many other "baby boomers" will be doing the same. The total number of new RVers could be substantial. One word of caution, you may have already considered this, the price of fuel may not be the big issue in the future. The problem might be availability or shortages. Back in the 70s while on vacation in Florida, we saw a lot of RVs get stranded. They could only get a few gallons. A few gallons doesn't get you very far with your rig. Do you have a small 100mpg scooter you can whip out for short trips to the local store? Scooters would be a great idea as long as the weather is OK. I would guess you will migrate to the warmer part of the country in the winter and that we should not expect to see you up here in North Dakota in January. 
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jun 01, 2008 4:20 am) A small scooter would be great for getting around town when camped or you don't need the Excursion. Make sure you get one small enough that you can get it in and out of the trailer easy. I looked for one when we did our very short RV period. Finding one small and light enough for our MB Cruiser was not easy. Something like a Moped would be good. Maybe an electric bike would work. I don't foresee shortages of fuel as in the 1970s. That was purely political in nature. Had nothing to do with supply. We do need to keep a strong military presence in the Middle East to avoid such occurrences in the future. We also get oil from many more sources than we did in 1973. As long as Congress does not think they can control the World price of oil we should not have any shortages. Though I would like to see a bit more US capacity in refining and storage. That is a NIMBY problem more than anything else.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jun 01, 2008 4:53 am) I guess my crystal ball is a little more cloudy when it comes to the issue of shortages. We saw some diesel shortages last year. A hurricane or fire could knock out a refinery or two or three... I think one has to be prepared for at least a temporary shortage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_refineries " That was purely political in nature. " Does this mean that politics has disappeared or that it cannot happen again?  That's good, I was worried there for a bit. I can now rest easy.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jun 01, 2008 4:53 am) That, to me, is the big reason that shortages are unlikely. OPEC, while still significant, is not the force that it was in the 70s. |
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I love waking up in the morning, grabbing a cup of instant Jo and getting my daily fix of doom and gloom. "Shocked! How the oil crisis has hit the world" http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/shocked-how-the-oil-crisis- -has-hit-the-world-837477.html This was an interesting summary that shows how the current fuel prices are causing headaches around the world and that people will be adjusting. The first reaction is usually anger, however. "The Coming Energy Wars" http://www.newsweek.com/id/139395 "Germans are actually beginning to slow down on the autobahn to save fuel..." Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Is nothing sacred. "Edmunds.com Forecasts May Auto Sales" http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/edmundscom-forecasts-may-auto-sales,4133- 09.shtml But people are adjusting. Subcompacts up 28% and large SUVs down 22%. http://www.autoobserver.com/2008/05/seismic-shift-to-smaller-segments-rocks-us-m- arket-edmunds-analysis-shows.html The new issue of Consumer Reports listed several gas saving cars. What a disappointment. Most are not much better than a mid-sized 4 cylinder car. The wife and I have been thinking about test driving one of those little 100 mpg scooters. It might be fun to have a few around. We figure that 4 scooters will fit in the garage if we move/get rid of the Highlander. Desperate times require desperate measures. 
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One of the important drivers of the cost of gas is the federal reserve interest rate. When they lowered the rate it weakened the dollar and pushed many investors out of the bond market who were happy to collect 5-1/2% interest. At 2% they went looking for someplace else to invest their money: Oil Futures became the better investment which is why there is 10 times as much oil futures being traded as there is oil, and one of the reasons the price has skyrocketed.
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