Gas Prices Rising

[ProdigyofZen]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

actually my wife dated me because i drove a small car. she thought, ah a guy who's not into his car, maybe he will pay more attention to me.
maybe your fishing in the wrong pond POZ

CB that is what I was trying to qualify in my original statement. I have met certain women who have said as you wife has said.

FYI I have a girlfriend, it's really not about attracting women (thats not hard) but more about perception of everyone in society.

[globaleconomicollaps]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

c) Oil companies are taking a bath. If so, we might expect the gap to close up at some point. There might be a big shake out followed by consolidation and price hikes.

This is a chart that I just dreamed up. The idea is that you can measure how much stress the oil companies are under by looking at the percentage difference between the price of oil ( their input cost) and the price of gasoline ( output cost) and dividing by the oil price. I'm not sure if this makes sense. It doesn't square with the stock price.

[evangellydonut]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

CB that is what I was trying to qualify in my original statement. I have met certain women who have said as you wife has said.

FYI I have a girlfriend, it's really not about attracting women (thats not hard) but more about perception of everyone in society.

Hertz just funded a survey that said 40% of women say a car makes a difference on their perception of guys during a date... 60% said clothing... here - http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...-to-her-heart/

Regarding the criticism of "oh, I want to save on gas but also want a luxury car", that's because of the US culture. You simply can't find a BMW 320i in the US, unlike Europe and Asia... same goes for sport-bikes... anything less than 600cc is considered inferior in the US... when all I want is a 250cc sport bike that's offered at rest of the world... (not a touring one like the Ninja 250... a true sport bike)

[LorenS]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/06/news...my/gas-prices/

And yet I bet it won't stop people driving their gas guzzling SUVs.

My commute is under a mile and I don't drive that much anyway.

There are tons of self righteous Prius owners who do 80 mph on their 60 mile commute and burn far more gas than I do.

If folks would learn to drive safely I'd bike even more.

Besides some of us own high ground clearance vehicles for a reason - like not getting stuck - and they are only gas guzzling because we can't get them in diesel.

[shiny!]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

There always seems to be an exaggerated emphasis on fuel economy from a financial standpoint. They say the avg person drives about 12,000 miles per year. At 25mpg that is 480 gallons of gas. Even at 5 dollars per gallon that is $2,400. If they bought a car that go 35mpg instead, they would spend $1,714 per year. So they save $700 a year, which isn't bad, but how much does it cost to get that extra 10mpg without sacrificing on other aspects of the car that are important such as capacity, safety, etc?

I can't help but laugh at the thread in general:

"Man gas prices are high, people need to get efficient cars to save money on gas"
"Yeah, I might buy a new BMW"
"I'm thinking an Audi"
"Or maybe Mercedes"

I realize I'm cherry picking and there are some cheaper options discussed as well. I also understand that if you want a nice car, it doesn't hurt to save on gas. It just seems funny to think about someone buying a 60,000 luxury car to save on gas money.

As EJ said in a recent article, the real money/oil saver is the vehicle that gets used for decades.

Agree with both you and EJ. Another thing people don't take into consideration is the amount of oil and raw materials consumed to build new cars vs keeping older cars on the road.

I drove my '86 Crown Vic for 215,000 miles until it didn't run reliably anymore and nobody could figure out what was wrong with it. The reason why I chose a 2012 Hyundai Accent was because in 2012 they changed the type of steel they use for the frame. Now they use the same ultra-strong steel that Mercedes and BMW use. Ford also switched to that steel in 2012. Until that happened, I avoided sub-compacts because they just didn't seem safe enough in a crash.

I compared the Hyundai Accent with the Ford Focus, Honda Fit and VW Golf Diesel. Nissan Versa wasn't an option because it has such a weak engine. The VW cost many thousands more and had a bad reputation for expensive engine problems and poor customer service.

So comparing the Hyundai Accent to Honda and Ford, the Accent had more interior cargo capacity, roomier seats and more horsepower. It had better soundproofing and better ergonomics. It had a 10-year warranty vs 5 year warranty, disc brakes on all 4 wheels standard (the other brands were disc front and drum rear), and cost thousands of dollars less. Since I really wanted to save on gas, it didn't make sense to spend $3000-$5000 more for a similar car with worse features and only half the warranty.

After a year and a half and 16,000 miles, the Accent has performed flawlessly. Recently I've heard it maintains it's resale value better than Honda and Toyota, so that's a plus if I ever decide to sell it.

I like the Accent. I loved my rusty old Crown Vic. But the car is only to get me from here to there. It doesn't define me. It'll hold me over for 10 years or so until next-generation hybrid car technology improves and prices come down, relative to gasoline-only cars. Maybe by that time I'll live somewhere where I don't need a car at all.

[flintlock]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

One thing to keep in mind the next time you see a gas guzzling SUV on the highway next to you. Some of those folks are on the highway for one or two exits, no more. They might actually have short commutes which amount to a small weekly gas budget, no matter what gas mileage their vehicle gets. As they say, Your Mileage Will Vary (YMWV).

Now, when I"m commuting in northern/central NJ and see pickups and suburbans with Pennsylvania license plates, then I start to wonder when they are going to wake up.

Agree. My wife drove several large SUVs back when she was a stay at home Mom and drove only 5000 miles a year, and gas was under $2 gallon. But now she's working, kids have more activities, and we don't need the space as much. So a car does just fine. We recently took our Hyundai Sonata on a 900 mile round trip. 5 people, luggage, 37 avg mpg. Pretty amazing.

BMWs get great mileage along with performance( just not necessarily at the same time). So do Porsches .

[flintlock]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

I can't help but laugh at the thread in general:

"Man gas prices are high, people need to get efficient cars to save money on gas"
"Yeah, I might buy a new BMW"
"I'm thinking an Audi"
"Or maybe Mercedes"

Yeah, I had a little chuckle myself about that.

[flintlock]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

Unfortunately those people least able to afford to pay higher gas prices are the ones stuck with an SUV and the car note associated with it. They have no way to get out from under it without taking a loss on the car when they sell it.

.

Yeah thats basically what I was getting at. They are stuck driving gas hogs where gas consumes a huge percentage of their already meager budgets. Another reason not to be underwater on a car note. I have a friend who has been working only sporadically over the last 4 years. Wife doesn't make much either, and he has child support payments from a previous marriage. They drive a 1997 Ford Pickup and an old Dodge full size van. Probably average 13-15 mpg. Even without a note on the vehicles, what could they possibly hope to replace them with for what they are currently worth?

[flintlock]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

Agree with both you and EJ. Another thing people don't take into consideration is the amount of oil and raw materials consumed to build new cars vs keeping older cars on the road.

I drove my '86 Crown Vic for 215,000 miles until it didn't run reliably anymore and nobody could figure out what was wrong with it. The reason why I chose a 2012 Hyundai Accent was because in 2012 they changed the type of steel they use for the frame. Now they use the same ultra-strong steel that Mercedes and BMW use. Ford also switched to that steel in 2012. Until that happened, I avoided sub-compacts because they just didn't seem safe enough in a crash.

I compared the Hyundai Accent with the Ford Focus, Honda Fit and VW Golf Diesel. Nissan Versa wasn't an option because it has such a weak engine. The VW cost many thousands more and had a bad reputation for expensive engine problems and poor customer service.

So comparing the Hyundai Accent to Honda and Ford, the Accent had more interior cargo capacity, roomier seats and more horsepower. It had better soundproofing and better ergonomics. It had a 10-year warranty vs 5 year warranty, disc brakes on all 4 wheels standard (the other brands were disc front and drum rear), and cost thousands of dollars less. Since I really wanted to save on gas, it didn't make sense to spend $3000-$5000 more for a similar car with worse features and only half the warranty.

After a year and a half and 16,000 miles, the Accent has performed flawlessly. Recently I've heard it maintains it's resale value better than Honda and Toyota, so that's a plus if I ever decide to sell it.

I like the Accent. I loved my rusty old Crown Vic. But the car is only to get me from here to there. It doesn't define me. It'll hold me over for 10 years or so until next-generation hybrid car technology improves and prices come down, relative to gasoline-only cars. Maybe by that time I'll live somewhere where I don't need a car at all.

5 years from now people may be lumping Hyundai right in there with Toyota and Honda. Huge value when you factor in the great warranty and features for the money. The build quality on them is unbelievable for the price. Hyundai and their sister company Kia have forced car makers like Toyota and Honda to improve and keep a lid on their prices. Some Americans tend to disregard the warranty because they don't keep cars very long, but if you keep them like I do, that can pay big dividends down the road. Smart purchase.

[shiny!]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

5 years from now people may be lumping Hyundai right in there with Toyota and Honda. Huge value when you factor in the great warranty and features for the money. The build quality on them is unbelievable for the price. Hyundai and their sister company Kia have forced car makers like Toyota and Honda to improve and keep a lid on their prices. Some Americans tend to disregard the warranty because they don't keep cars very long, but if you keep them like I do, that can pay big dividends down the road. Smart purchase.

Thanks. The long warranty was a good selling point. I like to drive my cars until the wheels fall off, then replace them with whatever I can afford for 100% cash. I won't take out a loan and pay interest for something that depreciates in value, like a car.

For a very small fee GEICO offers mechanical breakdown insurance on new cars. It covers any mechanical repair not covered under the dealer warranty for up to 7 years or 100,000 miles. All I'll need to pay is a $250 deductible.

[DSpencer]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

5 years from now people may be lumping Hyundai right in there with Toyota and Honda. Huge value when you factor in the great warranty and features for the money. The build quality on them is unbelievable for the price. Hyundai and their sister company Kia have forced car makers like Toyota and Honda to improve and keep a lid on their prices. Some Americans tend to disregard the warranty because they don't keep cars very long, but if you keep them like I do, that can pay big dividends down the road. Smart purchase.

I have driven the Santa Fe as a rental a few times recently. I thought it was very nice and enjoyable to drive. Not quite the power I'm used to but on one occasion I was in the Rocky Mountains and it's easy to feel underpowered on some of those steep hills.

[lektrode]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

..... Not quite the power I'm used to but on one occasion I was in the Rocky Mountains and it's easy to feel underpowered on some of those steep hills.

altho my trusty cavalier didnt really have much of a problem on the 70 or 80, as long as didnt get stuck behind those who think brakes are useful going uphill - or who think snowtires are for everybody else - i will say that if i lived fulltime in the area, a suburban would be my 'weather day' vehicle, for sure - and their stats arent all that bad, considering their utility in the mountains

but a subaru outback is perty tuff to beat too...

[aaron]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

I took a hyundai on a test drive... my wife and I went down the highway. The thing's computer started going haywire, we barely got off onto a side street. Needless to say, we did not buy it. I really wanted to like it. It was great on paper.

[shiny!]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

I took a hyundai on a test drive... my wife and I went down the highway. The thing's computer started going haywire, we barely got off onto a side street. Needless to say, we did not buy it. I really wanted to like it. It was great on paper.

What model and year was this? What did the computer do?

[aaron]

Re: Gas Prices Rising

new model sports sedan thing. I do not remember now (it was 6 months ago). It just stopped functioning, in the middle of the road.

I suspect it was just a bad car out of the bunch. But, it scared the hell out of my wife. She did not want to buy a Korean car to begin with. I hate when she is right too.