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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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High fuel prices worried everyone early this year and 6 to 8 dollar gas was predicted by every talking head you watched on TV. Like everyone else I was more worried by the falling housing market and how high fuel prices would effect everything else I bought. I had more cars than I needed so I sold off all but my GMC 2500 and my old Pontiac 4 banger. I put my mountain home up for sale and moved to the desert where our place is paid for. The good part was my house was priced right and it sold quickly. I didn't make a killing on it but I could pay every thing I owed money on off. Still there was the price of gas. Then someone took offense to my GMC and set it on fire destroying my truck and killing my dog. Not a happy day. Because of the fuel prices I thought about getting something small like and Edge or even a Outback. But I wanted to travel and I wanted to have a travel trailer so I compromised and got a Tahoe. Used but with low miles and because of the fuel prices it was a very good deal. I decided to get a bicycle for doing light errands around town and ended up joining a bicycle club. I am now losing weight and my doctor is happier than he has been in 15 years. I don't use the Tahoe much unless we are taking an trip out of the state so my fuel useage has dropped by maybe 50 to 60 percent. The Pontiac only get about 25 to26 MPG but it only get gas once every three weeks. we now save up for vacations and plan how much we think we will spend and make sure we have the cash in the bank to take the trip. We decide to take another trip to Colorado this October, I am posting from the camp site as I type. We left California paying $3.58 a gallon. Got hit with a higher price in Needles a bit over $4.00. I had budgeted for $4,00 a gallon. Arizona was $3.48. New Mexico was $3.38. And as we got to Pueblo Colorado a Pilot station was selling gas for $2.99. The stock market may be taking a dive but oil is dropping to less than 90 bucks a barrel. I was thrilled. In Colorado Springs gas at a Chevron on Monday was $3.11 and in Canyon City on Tuesday it was $3.07. If this continues I will have spent far less on gas and bought far more in souveneres. I plan on spending the day at the Garden Of the Gods today and who know were we will go tomorrow. So the good news is my vacation and my choices haven't hurt me as much as I thought and I over reacted. The other good news is the prices of some of these little econo boxes should drop. The bad news is I still haven't found a small EV for around town, I have been looking for a used GEM I can get a deal on so I can pay cash. The Ugly news is the economy is a mess and those of us who took time to protect ourselves will have to bail out those who didn't. But that is life and I would still have done pretty much what I did so why complain?
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Replying to: boaz47 (Oct 16, 2008 7:45 am) The good news we share is probably happening to hundreds if not thousands of other people across the USA and maybe the world. This is my worry about lower prices. How many people like you and me will "revert" back to their wasteful ways and park the bike now that prices are coming down? How many potential heart attacks or early deaths were prevented or postponed which will now get back on track if people park the bike? This is just one of the many ways that lower prices are NOT good for us.
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Replying to: boaz47 (Oct 16, 2008 7:45 am) That's just sick. I just hope that it was some random idiot looking for kicks and not an enviro terrorist. On the plus side, oil is BELOW $70. Ride your bike for your health. conserve gas, buy small but don't worry that you won't be able to afford to eat. COME ON $2 GAS.
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Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Oct 16, 2008 9:59 am) Don't fret for a second about that OldRancher. If Obama wins, he'll take money from Joe the Plumber to feed Harry the Hungry. Gas will be cheap, but Harry can afford to waste all of it he wants to because Joe will be picking up his food tab. Like Obama told Joe the Plumber last week: "Spreading the wealth is good for EVERYBODY !!!"
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Replying to: larsb (Oct 16, 2008 10:15 am) I also think those that ride their bike to work are doing themselves a big favor. If they got a stress test before switching from a sedentary lifestyle. Brent crude is at $66 and WTI under $70. It may hit my price of $65 this week. Wholesale gas is $1.63. It should be hitting $2 retail in the less greedy states. San Diego dropped under $3 today for RUG. Diesel is at $3.09.
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Replying to: gagrice (Oct 16, 2008 10:42 am) NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!! AYA-IEEEEEEE !!!!!!!
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Replying to: larsb (Oct 16, 2008 10:49 am)  It makes little difference man. Al Gore will have US all in EVs within 10 years. That's what he says.... I believe him.... 
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Replying to: larsb (Oct 16, 2008 9:08 am) I don't think I will revert. I am enjoying myself too much. One of the men in our Bike Club is 83 and still riding. He rides a recumbent but he puts in 40 to 60 miles a week. I put gas in the Tahoe during a trip August 19th. I didn't put any more fuel in it till October 8th. I did drive it to Home depot but that was only five miles round trip. Like I said my fuel useage is down close to 60 percent since I moved. Cycling is not only healthy but practical where I live and I have a small trailer for grocery shopping. But $4.00 gas effected me in other ways, the price of goods and food. Trucks are the life blood of any city and if they are paying more they have to charge more. So when I see fuel dropping I am encouraged. At least the economy has people thinking about alternatives now so it isn't so bad if at least in the fuel area we get some relief. I simply wouldn't care to live in a place like Europe where fuel prices take such a large share of my living expenses. Last time I was in London gas was about $9.00 a gallon. Or what ever 1.95 pounds a liter works out to. And even my Pontiac seems big by their standards. No thanks on little French cars as well. I would like to have some service with my vehicle choices and the last time they were here they couldn't even spell service. Many of our cities were designed with the car in mind and I believe that is part of what makes us different. For us to recover as a society we "need" low fuel prices. I think the high fuel prices we saw we the cornerstone to the slide in the economy. I only hope our desire to try alternatives to our car love affair stays with us this time. If I could find a EV city car that gave me a range of 100 miles I would sell the compact and only have the EV and the Tahoe. Oh and my bicycles!
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Replying to: larsb (Oct 16, 2008 10:15 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Oct 16, 2008 11:14 am)  He'll also save us all from Manbearpig! I'm serial! |
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