Don't Pump Gas On May 15th!

[Smiling JOe]

I happen to think $3.00 a gallon is outrageous. $4.50 would kill the tourist market, which would only drive us into further depreciation!

It could be the catalist for people buying more efficient vehicles, thereby pushing the auto makers to use the technology they already have, and stop making 300hp engines for cars that we drive to the grocery store and work. My dad (muscle car fanatic) called me the other week to tell me that he just bought a new 500hp convertible for his wife.

 

[Beach Runner]

Beach Jacket is using gas prices as an excuse for a new car. She's asking for a hybrid. This would be her third vehicle, and she just turned 22 in January. Gas would have to be pretty expensive to justify buying a new car when hers is paid for.

Of course, there is the environment to consider. I need to get my husband to run some numbers for me -- he's better at financial stuff than I am. I just spend the money.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Be sure to include in the environmental analysis, the environmental harm caused by the production of batteries, as well as the disposal of batteries. ;-) Being green gets a little confusing, and contradictive. Instead, it might be best to live more simply, which gives me an idea for you BR. Tell your daughter that she makes a great point, and that you want to help her be green, buy taking her car, and replacing it with a brand new bicycle with luggage racks for her groceries. :funn:

 

[Indigo Jill]

And part of me wouldn't mind seeing $4.50 a gallon gas because that's what it might take to change behavior and get people to think about what they're consuming. (The other part of me hates the idea because there are a lot of low income workers with hideous commutes and I feel for them)

Look at the high gasoline prices in Europe. We have been spoiled all these years with relatively cheap gas prices. In Europe, hardly anyone owns SUVs - most cars are tiny ... anyone seen the itty bitty "smart cars"? Also, most cars are diesel.

 

[Smiling JOe]

and why don't most European's buy inefficient vehicles? Their countries don't offer immediate financial incentives for purchasing vehicles weighing over 6,000 pounds, and the price of gasoline is around $7 per gallon.

 

[TNJed]

As stated gas is nearly $7/gallon in the UK and many streets are not conducive to driving larger vehicles. Combine that with extreme parking troubles in London and a nearly $9 fee each and every time their vehicle travels into central London and it's no wonder why many choose to bike, walk or ride the tubes and buses.

A pack of smokes is almost $10 as well with HUGE warning stickers which take up nearly the entire package. I guess they don't have quite the lobbying troubles we have.

 

[Beach Runner]

Be sure to include in the environmental analysis, the environmental harm caused by the production of batteries, as well as the disposal of batteries. ;-) Being green gets a little confusing, and contradictive. Instead, it might be best to live more simply, which gives me an idea for you BR. Tell your daughter that she makes a great point, and that you want to help her be green, buy taking her car, and replacing it with a brand new bicycle with luggage racks for her groceries. :funn:

She did use her bicycle and public transportation in Cambridge/Boston. No choice (except when the temperature was in the teens or lower and I gave her extra money to pay for cabs to take her to/from class -- I spent the month of January there, and it was so cold that I had dermatitis for 4 months after my visit). Parking lots in Boston charge almost $20 per hour ... if you can find a place to park.

But Atlanta is different. It wouldn't be safe for many reasons. No way I'd ride a bike from Midtown (where she lives and goes to school) to Buckhead (where she has a part-time job). And I've known too many people having scary experiences on MARTA for her to use that as transportation, at least when she is traveling alone to work. Even when she took the T in Boston, she was always accompanied by a friend.

On second thought, I have run down Peachtree from Buckhead to Midtown many times. Maybe she could just do two 10 K's (10K is the distance from Buckhead to Midtown) every time she works. She'd be in great shape, although the customers would complain about her odor, I'd guess.

 

[30A Skunkape]

A pie chart from New York that might surprise you regarding the pricing behind a gallon of gasoline
http://www.westchestergov.com/consumer/GASOLINE/BREAKDOWN2.htm

 

[Smiling JOe]

A pie chart from New York that might surprise you regarding the pricing behind a gallon of gasoline
http://www.westchestergov.com/consumer/GASOLINE/BREAKDOWN2.htm

Skunky, what is surprising about a difficult to read at a glance (not using %s) pie chart, breaking down cost when they don't also show the final sales price on that gasoline? Cost mean nothing outside of their relationship to sales price, which show profit margin. The chart also fails to have a legend noting the date of the study of these costs. If the costs are $1.999 per gallon, it will make a lot of difference if the sales price of that gallon is $3.799 vs $5.799

 

[Bob]

I've got a neighbor trading a 4runner for a Civic hybrid. Happy folks all around.