How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?

Replying to: dave8697 (Sep 08, 2008 8:03 am)

i have been to warren many times. they lost abrams tank production. chrysler had a big pickup truck production facility last time i was there, gm tech center is there.
should i keep going?
i drove by the tech center right after 'black friday'. i still wish i hadn't seen it.

to me that some of you live in places where you actually see new American cars on the road around you. Where I live the imports own about 95% of the car market (trucks are a different story of course). PT Cruisers are fairly popular though, and Mustangs.
 
But tomorrow I will be renting an "American car" (I think I am getting an Aveo) which I will have a week or so while the evidence of a deer colliding with my car is erased (!!). I will let you know if this car, which is smaller and has less power than mine, can top it for fuel economy. My guess is not, but I am open to the other alternative. Luckily, I won't have to drive too much in the next week, as gas here is still running above $3.80/gallon for regular.

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• andre1969 (Sep 08, 2008 7:19 pm)
• fintail (Sep 08, 2008 7:25 pm)
  • nippononly (Sep 08, 2008 7:32 pm)
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• lemko (Sep 09, 2008 6:21 am)

Replying to: dieselone (Sep 08, 2008 2:34 pm)

Replying to: nippononly (Sep 08, 2008 7:08 pm)

I'm guessing they're giving you an Aveo with the automatic? I seriously doubt that would be able to match your Echo. Even with the stick it might not. Also, while the Aveo is smaller than an Echo, isn't it still kinda heavy?
 
Where I live, newer domestic cars are definitely in the minority. Heck, I remember the other day, I went out in the parking lot to check out this old late 70's Nova that always sits out towards the back, and literally walked past examples of FIVE different generations of Accord! There was one 1990-93, a 1994-97, a few '98-02's, a bunch of '03-07's, and a few '08's.
 
Like you said though, trucks are a totally different story. Still, it's actually a bit disturbing how many Accord were out there. I didn't even have to walk 300 feet to go see that old Nova! Now that I think about it, I can usually count on one hand how many Pontiacs I see in the lot at work. There's one guy who has a 2000-2006 Bonneville, in a nice shade of light blue. He also has a new-ish GTO, and a few other cars he rotates through...all of them blue (also has a Corvette, an '00-05 Monte Carlo with Nascar-looking graphics, and a new-ish Mustang). Sometimes there's this beat-up '92-97 or so Grand Am that shows up, an '04+ Grand Prix I see pretty often, and then if I decide to drive my LeMans or Catalina one day, that makes four, tops. And to think that once upon a time, Pontiac was consistently the third most popular brand in America.
 
Maybe I'll drive one of the New Yorkers tomorrow, just so I can say I saw a Chrysler out in the parking lot!

Replying to: nippononly (Sep 08, 2008 7:08 pm)

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• nippononly (Sep 08, 2008 7:32 pm)
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Replying to: fintail (Sep 08, 2008 7:25 pm)

Well, I will only have it a week, or so I am told, and I have "Hertz on my side" if it breaks down I guess.
 
andre: well, I pride myself on being able to name pretty much any car or truck on the street from 20 yards, but one brand I have never been able to identify is Buick, because I never see any on a normal basis so they all run together as sort of one big mish-mosh of overly large GM car with vaguely 90s styling. Ditto Pontiac, although I have seen a few of the G6s at the rental places, and I think the coupe is quite nicely shaped so I can identify that one now. Now that Nissan has redone the Altima, however, I honestly can't tell that pair of two-doors apart! :-/
 
Oh, and it was the Matrix that was hit. There isn't a chance in the world that the Aveo will beat my normal fuel economy in the Echo. The Matrix consumes about 15% more gas than the Echo, and I doubt the Aveo will beat the Matrix either.

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• andre1969 (Sep 08, 2008 7:42 pm)
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Replying to: nippononly (Sep 08, 2008 7:32 pm)

I have to admit, I kinda like the G6 coupe, too. I sort of liked the G6 sedan when it first came out, but didn't care for the interior. One Pontiac I really like is the G8, but if I'm not ready to spend that much money on a car! And this might sound hypocritical considering some of the thirsty old beasts that I drive, but if I'm going to buy a new car, I want better economy than that! So I guess that's one way $4.00 (more or less) gas is affecting me...it's keeping me out of a G8!
 
As for Buick, I really don't see many newer ones, either. The LeSabre is still pretty common, as are the Century/Regal. I'll see a LaCrosse from time to time. The Lucerne seems almost non-existent around here though. And when I do see one, it doesn't always register with me right away as a Buick. At some angles, it makes me think of a '95-99 Maxima, and at others it looks a bit Acura-ish.
 
I gotta admit, I do like the Lucerne (except for the name). But I just don't know if I want to drive around in something that big on a regular basis. Wait aminute...did I just say that out loud?!

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Replying to: nippononly (Sep 08, 2008 7:08 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Sep 08, 2008 7:42 pm)

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Replying to: lemko (Sep 09, 2008 6:25 am)

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