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Automotive News & Views How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?
2183 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 5:13 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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The $4 a gallon is having a minimal impact so far. Been doing a lot of test driving to see what the next beast might be. So far I have tested, in no particular order, Prius, Fusion, Sentra, Versa, Camry, Accord, Civic, Fit, and a couple of Scooters. None would provide enough of a savings to even come close to offsetting a car payment, so the current beast will likely be around for a number of years. I consider the higher gasoline prices a long term issue. In the future I see gasoline at $4 to $5 (next 5 years). From 2013 to 2018, I see prices in the $5 to $7 range. Still, I plan to wait to see how things shake out. When you only use about 15 gallons a month, you can afford to wait. About a year ago I purchased a set of inexpensive tires that also had good rolling resistance. So far, so good. About the only thing I have done recently is reducing speed on the highway. Before I would drive about 2 mph below the limit, now I have been driving 5 to 10 mph below the limit, depending on traffic. Traffic out here is 2, maybe 3 cars per mile. 
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Replying to: 1stpik (Jul 15, 2008 10:44 am) |
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A year and a half ago, I found a job in another state and moved to a small town where work is only 1.3 miles away. It takes 4 min. to drive to work. I don't even think I've driven over 8000 miles over the last year. I drive a 2002 Subaru WRX wagon that gets 21 mpg city and 27 hwy. It takes me 5-6 weeks before the next fill up. Fill up cost around $50 nowadays, yikes! I also bicycle to work sometimes and jog there sometimes. Its all good. |
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Replying to: bumpy (Jul 15, 2008 4:47 pm)
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I will leave China end of August and I will put the Fit for sale. Local Gas prices have been around 4 USD/ Gal for regular. We bought an electric bike that helps us go around. The gas prices always looks cheap in comparison to the European prices I am used to. The prospect of coming back to France (Paris Area) brings a mix bag of feelings. The 9+ USD per Gallon make me think about solutions. I am considering buying a trailer to attach to my bicycle and take the 2 young kids to school. Although it is not too far away ( 3 miles) I am worrying about the few hills in the area that will kill my pace. I will probably use my 1978 ami-8 for some commuting job. I have a Peugeot 605 V6 that returns 16 mpg in urban area and I don't plan to use it often. High gas will definitely have an inpact on my life, expecially because the closest mass transit station is 15 minutes drive away.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 15, 2008 1:11 pm) Wow, it's something to think that back in 1989 through the early 1990s, I'd drive my Brougham 24 miles one way to work. I wouldn't dare thing of that today. Even under the most ideal conditions, I'd be spending about $9 on gas each day and that is just to get to work. When I was really nuts, I'd take my 1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille with its 500 cid V-8. It used to cost me $35 to fill that car when gas was cheap! By the way, the 2008 Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National show is to be held from Tuesday, August 12th through Saturday, August 16th in Cherry Hill, NJ which is just across the river from me. I should have my Brougham there on the 16th. My chapter, the Valley Forge Region CLC is hosting the event
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Replying to: bumpy (Jul 15, 2008 4:47 pm) The supercharged Buick Regal has around 260hp. |
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"I really hope we don't have to sacrifice the car show circuit!" Like they say, you can hope in one hand and crap in the other. Guess which fills up first? If you want a glimpse of the future of this country, read the previous post by 'vchiu.' "The prospect of coming back to France (Paris Area) brings a mix bag of feelings. The 9+ USD per Gallon .... I am considering buying a trailer to attach to my bicycle and take the 2 young kids to school .... I have a Peugeot 605 V6 that returns 16 mpg in urban area and I don't plan to use it often." We're headed toward European living conditions -- expensive, crowded cities serviced by expensive, crowded mass transit systems. Oh, I should add "inconvenient" to the mass transit description. In vchiu's case, "the closest mass transit station is 15 minutes drive away." Just this week, the Dallas newspaper ran a story about crowding in the city's light rail system. So many people are riding the trains now with gas at $4, that the system can't handle them. The station parking lots are overflowing. People are forced to park on side streets with parking time limits, so by the time they get off work, they've received parking tickets. Of course, the cost of the ticket negates any money they saved on gas by taking the train. But they keep doing it. I can't explain this behavior. But I see a lot more of it in our future. |
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 16, 2008 4:41 am) Oh I have no intention of giving up the car show circuit. If gas ever got so expensive that I had to do that, I imagine it would impact everybody else so badly that the car show circuit would die off, anyway. I spent about $100 total in fuel for the GM show, between driving up and back, and driving around while we were up there. I spent about the same for the Mopar show, and I imagine driving out to Macungie and back will also be about $100. So that's not too horrendous. I wonder what kind of attendance those car shows would have if fuel prices suddenly doubled? Personally, that wouldn't keep me from going to the Mopar show or the Chrysler shows at Carlisle. Instead of entering a car at the Macungie PA show though, I'd probably just drive my Intrepid. I imagine a lot of people who have to travel long distances would stop going, though. I know one guy in my Mopar club usually comes up from Florida. He has a car that he trailers, with a Ram Diesel. He estimated fuel costs would run about $1000 round trip this time around, so he decided to stay home. |
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Replying to: 1stpik (Jul 16, 2008 5:44 am) I may have not expressed myself correctly: The Mass Transit System is not inconvenient per se. it is rather the lack of it that is inconvenient. The Paris area is notorious for the insufficient MTS in terms of network coverage. Regretfully, the High gas tax is not helping fund any key infrastructure project that would significantly improve the situation. >Of course, the cost of the ticket negates any money they saved on gas by taking the train There is a large responsibility from city planners and policy makers. Mass transit stations should provide car accomodation in reasonable quantity, with a reasonable service and price, especially in a country like USA. I hope extensions are being implemented.
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