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Automotive News & Views How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?
2175 messages, Last post on Nov 05, 2009 at 3:05 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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How does gas at $4 and higher impact you? We're looking for personal accounts of how your life has changed now that the national average for regular unleaded gas has passed $4 a gallon. |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jul 14, 2008 10:52 am) My wife took a bag of plums and peaches to her sister this morning. I told her that was going to cost her $9 to deliver 4-5 lbs of fruit to her sister. Her response was SO WHAT! My wife is cheaper than I am except with her family. Then she hands out money like it was nothing. |
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It is not an "impact" per se, but it is a consequence: I now choose to drive my little "commute car" for more of my non-work driving, as my larger car will use 20% more gas for any comparable trip. While I am not forced to do this economically, I'd rather save the gas money whenever I don't need the passenger or cargo space of the larger car. I also find that I have unconsciously cut back on eating out and going to the movies, two things which I probably did to excess before. From what I have read, those are two things a lot of people have cut back on since the gas hit $4. Restaurants and movie theaters must be having a harder time this year.  I know that my local theater has recently raised the Friday/Saturday evening show prices - perhaps to compensate? The Chinese place I frequent has raised its prices incrementally twice this year already too. |
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I do consolidate trips now, and I consider restaurants only in my side of town unless there is a very good reason to go farther distances. I'm always thinking about "this place first, then this place second, then this place next" to minimize my total mileage driven on each errand. I also have redoubled my efforts to find an electric car which meets my three major needs: 1. Seats 4 people. 2. Has an A/C. 3. Is affordable (to me, that means less than $25K) Barring the chance to buy a suitable EV, I'd look for a clean diesel hybrid. If the proposed VW Golf diesel Hybrid hits our shores, I'm on THAT waiting list from Day One. |
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I paid $650 to have my hot-tub repaired (includes new cover), bought $30 of chemicals, and pay for the electric to run the pumps and heaters; so I can stay home rather than spend $15 each trip to drive to a lake or river. I also invested in some requisite tiki-torches and citronella oil. Well if I'm not saving anything, at least I don't have to worry about how much I drink, or having an auto-accident. 
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I never used cruise control before but now I set it at 62 in the 65 zone. I try to stay right as to not inconvience the 6000 pound SUVs that blast by at 80. The only problem is the hypermilers doing 45. They slow you down then you have to gun the gas, get up to 80 as you pass and then slow down and re-engage the cruise. Well, at least THEY'RE saving gas. 
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Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Jul 14, 2008 1:15 pm) However, no-one is doing 45 in my area, no-one at all. In that case, set it at the speed limit and live in the next lane over whenever there is a hypermiler on the horizon (I'm assuming 8-lane freeway here; if it's a 4-lane, then you're out of luck) |
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using the cruise control on my '79 NYer this past weekend when I drove it up to the Mopar show in Carlisle. However, I just couldn't do it for long. Every blessed time, no matter what speed I set it on, I'd end up creeping up on someone in front of me. And I'm not the type to just pass them on the left at one mph above their speed, thereby impeding the flow of faster traffic. So I'd end up having to give it some gas to get on around them. Or I'd get sandwiched in, if the left lane was heavy with traffic, and have to hit the brake. Still, I tried to drive as gently as possible, keeping it at 60-65 for the most part. That car doesn't have a lot of power off the line, but out on the highway, it can creep up on you, so a couple times I found myself doing 75-80. Haven't calculated the total mileage yet on this trip, but last year, making this trip I got around 15.5 mpg. I'm driving that car to work tomorrow, and I'll fill it up on the way in. I started off with a full tank and when I got within about 10 miles of my destination, just off the highway, I filled up at a place that had hi-test for $4.099. Roughly 114 miles, and it took about 5.3 gallons to fill up. So presuming it really did fill up, and not just shut off early, that comes out to 21.5 mpg! Which I find a bit hard to believe with that car. Guess I'll get a more accurate reading when I fill up tomorrow, and combine the miles driven and gallons used for both tanks. Other than driving a bit more gently though, $4+ gas really hasn't affected me too much. I started cutting back on unnecessary driving and tried to consolidate trips, and stuck mainly to my more economical cars once prices started staying above $2.00 per gallon. I have made it a point though, to start checking the air pressure in my tires a bit more religiously. My roommate recently got a membership with the wholesaler BJ's. There's one about 5-6 miles away. He plans on going there instead of Costco, which is about 15-16 miles away. He cited fuel prices as one reason. Oh, and earlier in the year, I started consolidating my trips to the liquor store. I used to go twice per week, but now just go once, and double up on the order. So far it's worked pretty well. I was afraid with more beer around the house we'd just drink it up faster, but it hasn't happened yet! 
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No real impact for me...I combined trips when gas was $2/gallon. I live relatively close to work. I've been thinking my next car likely won't have a big V8...but who knows. I've noticed higher grocery prices more than higher gas bills.
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Replying to: fintail (Jul 14, 2008 3:57 pm) I've noticed other bills affecting me worse than gas bills, too. Groceries, for one. And home heating oil's going to be real killer this year. My current contract is at $3.55 per gallon and renews at the end of Oct. I called the other week though, and the guy said that people whose contracts were renewing at the time were getting locked in at $5.62 per gallon! I'm seriously considering converting to a heat pump.
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