Gas Prices -- the Cause

[Seatacus]

You'd have thought we would have learned that when we are dependent on something we have to import, we might want to conserve what we got.

Yup, those dang 'mericans aren't too bright are they.

And no, you can't control what some people will do,

And it sounds like you want somebody to do this.

 

[KCFlyer]

Yup, those dang 'mericans aren't too bright are they.

Apparently they aren't. While Europe has been busy designing cars that can go fast AND save fuel, since they have to import a lot of their gas, we've been building trucks and burning gasoline like it's a never ending resource.

And it sounds like you want somebody to do this.

I'll tell you what...YES I DO. If we drill all our oil, at our current consumption, it'll last us 20 years. My kid won't even be 35 then. What's SHE going to do? And...what about other products in everyday life that are made from oil? The absolute MOST wasteful use of gas/oil is to put it in a truck that burns gallons of it driving ONE person to and from an office complex on perfectly paved streets 5 days a week. The more we burn on our daily commute means that the prices of other goods that are made from oil will skyrocket. If American's need some incentive to conserve, then I'm all for that.

 

[delldude]

Lighten up. It was a little sarcasm.

He's trying to get your goat....

 

[777 fixer]

That's why I bought a Prius 3 and a half years ago.

Maybe if had bought a smaller car instead of the 300M you would not have "needed" to buy the Prius. Here's a little project for you. Figure out how much money you would have saved if you had bought something more economical than the 300M. Don't forget to include the money you spent on the Prius.

 

[JS]

I'll tell you what...YES I DO. If we drill all our oil, at our current consumption, it'll last us 20 years. My kid won't even be 35 then. What's SHE going to do? And...what about other products in everyday life that are made from oil? The absolute MOST wasteful use of gas/oil is to put it in a truck that burns gallons of it driving ONE person to and from an office complex on perfectly paved streets 5 days a week. The more we burn on our daily commute means that the prices of other goods that are made from oil will skyrocket. If American's need some incentive to conserve, then I'm all for that.

No, the MOST wasteful use of gasoline is to pour it on the ground and set it on fire.

I suggest you look around and see the response to high gas prices rather than crying that the sky is falling, pointing fingers at everyone else from your high horse, and demanding bigger government to "help" us. Bigger government is the last thing we need!

Sales of SUV's are down and sales of small cars are up without some government-mandated "incentives" to do so. The price of gasoline drove this change. The economy works very efficiently when government butts out. Unlike government mandates, market forces don't have any exemptions.

 

[KCFlyer]

Maybe if had bought a smaller car instead of the 300M you would not have "needed" to buy the Prius. Here's a little project for you. Figure out how much money you would have saved if you had bought something more economical than the 300M. Don't forget to include the money you spent on the Prius.

777...and while I'm doing that, why don't you calculate all the fuel for future generations you wasted on your daily commute in your SUV for the past 5 years. I have no doubt I "could have" got something that delivered a little better than the 20 mpg the 300M delivered around town. You could also have bought something that delivered better than the 12 mpg of the typical SUV. Even back then, I wasn't drawn to a "luxury truck" as my daily commuter.

When including the cost of the Prius...can I offset that with the replacement transmission cost on the 300M?

 

[KCFlyer]

No, the MOST wasteful use of gasoline is to pour it on the ground and set it on fire.

I suggest you look around and see the response to high gas prices rather than crying that the sky is falling, pointing fingers at everyone else from your high horse, and demanding bigger government to "help" us. Bigger government is the last thing we need!

I'm still seeing just as many suburban assault vehicles with one driver in them as I did in the "old days". Folks gotta get to work you know. I love it though...when the gas prices drop, it's because WE - the market - made it happen with our actions by driving less. But when the price of gas RISES...it's speculators, the Arabs, democrats and tree huggers at fault.

Sales of SUV's are down and sales of small cars are up without some government-mandated "incentives" to do so. The price of gasoline drove this change. The economy works very efficiently when government butts out. Unlike government mandates, market forces don't have any exemptions.

The price of gas is falling...when it get's near to $3 a gallon, count on a rush for SUV's again. American's are like that.

 

[JS]

I'm still seeing just as many suburban assault vehicles with one driver in them as I did in the "old days". Folks gotta get to work you know....

Read a newspaper.

 

[KCFlyer]

Read a newspaper.

I not only do that, I make observations on the way into the office.

 

[777 fixer]

777...and while I'm doing that, why don't you calculate all the fuel for future generations you wasted on your daily commute in your SUV for the past 5 years. I have no doubt I "could have" got something that delivered a little better than the 20 mpg the 300M delivered around town. You could also have bought something that delivered better than the 12 mpg of the typical SUV. Even back then, I wasn't drawn to a "luxury truck" as my daily commuter.

When including the cost of the Prius...can I offset that with the replacement transmission cost on the 300M?

You know what they say about making assumptions. Hate to burst your bubble but I drive a paid for four cylinder Saturn. Before that I drove another Saturn. So trust me, I have spent a lot less on cars and gasoline the past ten years than you have.

 

[KCFlyer]

You know what they say about making assumptions. Hate to burst your bubble but I drive a paid for four cylinder Saturn. Before that I drove another Saturn. So trust me, I have spent a lot less on cars and gasoline the past ten years than you have.

Good for you. Tell me, how does it make you feel knowing that for 10 years you have driven fuel efficient cars, but still have to pay $4 a gallon because the majority of Americans opted to drive leather clad trucks that get 12 to 15 mpg? BTW...I paid cash for the Prius - so it's been paid for too.

 

[777 fixer]

Good for you. Tell me, how does it make you feel knowing that for 10 years you have driven fuel efficient cars, but still have to pay $4 a gallon because the majority of Americans opted to drive leather clad trucks that get 12 to 15 mpg? BTW...I paid cash for the Prius - so it's been paid for too.

You seem to have convinced yourself that you actually have saved money. Did you crunch then numbers and compare the cost of just keeping the 300M compared to paying cash for the Prius?

 

[777 fixer]

Apparently they aren't. While Europe has been busy designing cars that can go fast AND save fuel, since they have to import a lot of their gas, we've been building trucks and burning gasoline like it's a never ending resource.

Speed and fuel economy have an inverse realtionship. No matter how fuel efficent your car is the faster you go the less efficent it becomes. Drive your Prius at 70mph and the next week drive it at 60mph and see difference.

 

[KCFlyer]

Speed and fuel economy have an inverse realtionship. No matter how fuel efficent your car is the faster you go the less efficent it becomes. Drive your Prius at 70mph and the next week drive it at 60mph and see difference.

Why...when I can drive it at 80 and get 42 mpg?

 

[KCFlyer]

You seem to have convinced yourself that you actually have saved money. Did you crunch then numbers and compare the cost of just keeping the 300M compared to paying cash for the Prius?

Well...let's factor in the cost of a 300M transmission. Replaced one (actually they had to put 3 in to get it right) and it was acting up again. Replaced power window motors twice. None were under warranty. Yeah..I'm saving money. You know how much gas you can buy for the price of a Chrysler tranny?

I bought the Prius because 1) I wanted something more reliable than a Chrysler, 2) I wanted something that was more versatile since I got dogs, 3) I wanted something that got decent mileage. Yes, I could have hung on to the Chrysler...and paid close to $80 a week to fill it (with gas over $4 a gallon). Or I could buy a Prius and pay $40 to go almost 2 weeks.

Yeah...I guess I contributed some to the price of gas when I opted for a 300M in 1999. But even then, it was getting twice the mileage that most SUV's got. And when I bought the Prius, gas was "only" about $2 a gallon. But...how come, when gas hit $4 a gallon, nobody seemed to stand up and say "mea culpa" because their vehicle of choice for the past 20 years got abysmal mileage? Very few. Instead it was speculators, OPEC, democrats for not letting us drill offshore, and treehuggers for not letting us drill in Alaska. Nobody said "gee, I was burning 50 gallons of gas a week for the past 20 years, mostly to and from work...I wonder if THAT had anything to do with today's gas prices".