Gas Price Check...

[EricMM 0]

That, MX, is not funny at all.

 

It's compeletely reasonable, given the alternatives.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

It's funny if you run through a puddle right next to them. Hahahahahacoughhackwheeze

[Steviekick 0]

Gas was $3.93 this morning. I saw places closer to the beach that were $4.10

[Guest Smues]

I can't remember if it was a radio ad or a TV ad, I think it was radio, but there's a local car place running an ad that runs down the cost difference for gas between a gas gussler and a more efficient car, and then tells you that it's about $52 a month and goes on about how that's a small price to pay for all the added benefits of an SUV or Truck, so buy one anyway because it's worth the extra gas. I actually agree on some of the points the commercial made, but it still made me laugh with prices soaring these days to hear an ad for SUVs and trucks telling you to ignore the high gas and buy a gussler anyway.

[Guest Vitamin X]

That's a really interesting marketing approach. The funny thing is, people still probably ate it up too.

 

Oh, and gas was $4.87 in San Mateo County while I was visiting my mom this past weekend. My mom told me to get out and pump gas, and for a split second I was utterly confused, not having had to do it myself for over a year and a half now (combination of being car-free plus living in Oregon).

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

Sad thing is some families need a large SUV, how else do you move 6 kids with stuff around?

 

It's called a minivan. Yeah, I know a lot of people think "OMG a minivan that's soooooooo stupid I will NEVER drive that!" to which I would reply "Then stop bitching about the price of gas!".

 

Also, a lot of people way over-estimate what they "need" their enormous SUV to be able to do. Case in point that clueless mom from Marvin's link who would rather drive a car with less gas mileage because the fill-up is smaller. She needs a massive SUV to haul around "3 kids and all their soccer equipment". Are you kidding me? Soccer equipment is a bag of balls, some shinpads and cleats, and their uniforms (assuming they are not already wearing them). You could easily and comfortably fit 3 kids into my Jetta and all that stuff mentioned into the deceptively huge trunk. Want a real example of when an SUV can be useful? My friend has a Ford Explorer, not an enormous gas-guzzler by any means. A while back we went climbing on Mt. Adams in Washington, which includes an approach by a rough dirt road about 10 miles long to the trailhead. We had 5 people comfortably in the car with 250 pounds of climbing gear in the back. And we didn't need an Escalade, Yukon, Suburban, or any other oversized gas devouring beast.

[Guest Vitamin X]

My friend has a Ford Explorer, not an enormous gas-guzzler by any means.

Fuck the heck? Dude, an Explorer gets 14/20 mpg (and this is based on 2008 data, older models are probably worse). It's not as bad as an Escalade, Yukon, etc. obviously, but 14mpg with a huge-ass SUV like that is still not practical for a large family, either, considering the money you'll waste on the gas could go towards, you know, feeding all those mouths instead.

 

Station wagons/5-doors/hatchbacks are better for these sorts of situations, IMO. The non-WRX version gets 20/27mpg.

[EricMM 0]

Seriously.

 

Buy something that ISN'T A TRUCK~!

[Jingus 0]

Not in Texas they won't. State government gives a nice fat tax break to trucks, SUVs, minivans, basically anything which isn't a passenger car. It's allegedly because they fall under the designation of a "work vehicle" for farms and such.

[Guest Vitamin X]

So that's why you see so many of them there! I always wondered why..

[Perfxion 0]

It is a federal tax break(as in the entire damn thing paid off) to buy an SUV for a self owned business, or used to be. So that is why so many people bought SUVs all over the nation.

 

As for minivans, um there are like only 3 models left on the ENTIRE MARKET. Venture, Sienna, and Odyssey. And while true, that they are a cheaper fuel economy than an SUV. They have been replaced by crossover SUVs because they just don't sell. And BTW, the Explorer is a F150 std cab & std bed turned into a box. It has the same engine as the big two full size SUVs and pick-ups. Nothing about it is small or car.

[Guest !!!]

I used to drive a minivan! I didn't have to worry about air conditioning using up gas because the air conditioning system was broken! I had to manually roll the windows down with a crank! I think it leaked transmission fluid!

[The Niggardly King 0]

My pops old minivan kicked ass... got 375,000 miles on it, the sliding door worked half the time, and the shit always made a nails on chalkboard sound when he'd drive under 20 MPH....

 

He got $10 off the Jeep when he traded it in

[Guest Vitamin X]

TIME has a pretty good article on the 10 Things You Can Like about $4 Gas..

 

I'll present the list here, go to the article here for full detail.

 

1. Globalized Jobs Return Home

2. Sprawl Stalls

3. Four-Day Workweeks

4. Less Pollution

5. More Frugality

6. Fewer Traffic Deaths

7. Cheaper Insurance

8. Less Traffic

9. More Cops on the Beat

10. Less Obesity

 

I'm not sure a couple of those things are things Americans really want or could be glad about or even care about, like frugality and sprawl, but I'm sure people will like the four-day workweeks and cheaper insurance.

 

 

[Jingus 0]

Is there proof for that stuff actually happening now, or is it just speculation? I certainly wouldn't mind 4-day workweeks and less traffic, and I can see how expensive gas would lead to those. However I certainly don't see insurance companies unilaterally lowering their rates for any reason, and how does less driving equal fewer jobs outsourced to the third world? Especially stuff like tech support which doesn't rely on transporting goods. And even then, even with the hiked-up shipping costs, I'd imagine it's still cheaper to manufacture your products in a sweatshop where the workers are paid pennies and you don't have to worry about safety standards or all those other pesky American work regulations.

[EricMM 0]

Manufacturing will stay here because transporting stuff from here to China has skyrocketed in price.

[Kristianna 0]

TIME has a pretty good article on the 10 Things You Can Like about $4 Gas..

 

I'll present the list here, go to the article here for full detail.

 

1. Globalized Jobs Return Home

2. Sprawl Stalls

3. Four-Day Workweeks

4. Less Pollution

5. More Frugality

6. Fewer Traffic Deaths

7. Cheaper Insurance

8. Less Traffic

9. More Cops on the Beat

10. Less Obesity

 

I'm not sure a couple of those things are things Americans really want or could be glad about or even care about, like frugality and sprawl, but I'm sure people will like the four-day workweeks and cheaper insurance.

 

I actually have a pretty easy time believing all of these, except for cheaper insurance. That industry is probably the most dirty and broken of all in America. If it happens, I won't argue mind you, but I'm rather pessimistic on that one.

 

[Timmy8271 0]

$3.93 to fill up my minivan today. I went about 200+ miles on the last tank of gas. And that list is full of shit. Since the gas hike, At least in Orlando there seems to be more traffic deaths and more traffic. Of course half of that can be thanks to the stupid government construction project.

[treble 0]

I certainly wouldn't mind 4-day workweeks

You don't even have a 1-day workweek.

[Jingus 0]

I'm talking hypothetically here.

 

Another thing I didn't think of til now: this will probably hurt a lot of our export business. If it costs way more to ship American-made goods overseas, then prices will have to be jacked way up in order to cover the expenses and remain profitable. And weakened dollar exchange rate or not, how many foreign markets can afford that kind of extra cost?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

We dont make anything in America anymore, didn't you hear?

 

 

[SuperJerk 0]

Is it my turn to slap Marvin?

[EricMM 0]

We certainly do import MORE than we export.

[EricMM 0]

$3.93 to fill up my minivan today. I went about 200+ miles on the last tank of gas. And that list is full of shit. Since the gas hike, At least in Orlando there seems to be more traffic deaths and more traffic. Of course half of that can be thanks to the stupid government construction project.

*cough*

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Gas conservation tip #1246356343

 

fill your tires with nitrogen

 

Gas conservation tip #1246356344

 

Pray!

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/16/markets/oi...sion=2008071615

 

Oil is down $10 a barrel the last two days.

[Dandy 0]

I certainly wouldn't mind 4-day workweeks

You don't even have a 1-day workweek.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/16/markets/oi...sion=2008071615

 

Oil is down $10 a barrel the last two days.

The government's weekly stockpile report showed that crude supplies rose by 3 million barrels in the week ended July 11. Analysts were looking for a drop of 3 million barrels according to a poll by energy research firm Platts.Gasoline supplies rose by 2.4 million barrels, rather than the 1.1 million decline analysts expected.

 

Any doubts the price of oil wouldnt go through the floor (at least sub $100 again) if we started drilling for our own oil just went out the window.

 

Of course, I like how CNN headlines the article blaming the drop on everything else but (slow economy, high prices, low demand for oil).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Any doubts the price of oil wouldnt go through the floor (at least sub $100 again) if we started drilling for our own oil just went out the window.

Yes, that would be nice. Now if only the oil companies would actually drill on any of the large expanses of untouched, undrilled land they have.

[snuffbox 0]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/16/markets/oi...sion=2008071615

 

Oil is down $10 a barrel the last two days.

 

It's all better now!