BlackPearl

I drive a '96 Dodge Dakota 5.3L V8. 16 to 18 mpg. Ouch! If I didn't pile up the back with all my work gear every day to earn a living, I'd get rid of it and go back to a 4-banger that gets over 30 mpg. I really miss my '68 VW bug right now.

I have changed my driving habits, and drive less every time I can. I now drive my SC when I'm not working in the field since I get slightly better mpg in it vs. the v8. Oh yeah, it's a lot more fun to drive, too.

Since my '96 is "old school" with lots of miles, I'm looking into getting a new truck. With GM/Chevy and Ford on the ropes for truck sales, they're almost paying me to drive one off the lot. Hmmm. F150's - the highest selling vehicle in the world up to 2008 - are off 16% from a year ago. With the new changes slated for the 2009 model Ford is scrambling to get rid of the 'older' 2008 (and even 2007) inventory. If a truck is needed this is a good time to buy.

BTW: the newer models are getting better gas mileage than my '96.

Amber Gramps

Edward, I think we are having ribeyes tonight?

flatsixnut

My daily driver is a F150 with the 5.4. It will get 18 mpg if I drive like an old lady. But if I heavy foot it or pull a trailer (which i do almost daily) I average 11 mpg. I am running a 93 octane high performance towing program at the moment. Truck has had some modding done to it and is quite quick. As far as my gas prices for it....well it is also my main truck I use for my business, so my clients pay more as gas prices rise.

Peter Zimmermann

Hey, not too bad!! Now all we have to do is figure out what to do with H. Chavez, while we're taking care of Brazil can we stop by Venezuela for a few hours?; and it might be nice to learn just how much Green's biggest spokesman (Al Gore himself) has invested in green industries.

The different views that this thread has produced are very interesting. My family situation has changed, and we can now do with a car instead of the thirsty Touareg, but I'm really struggling with the offered trade-in (much lower than I ever dreamed) in order to (1) lease a new A4 that will get 10 - 14 miles/gallon more than the Touareg (an immediate $1200 annual saving at todays gas prices at the same payment as the SUV), or (2) take my chances and buy a slightly used car that has already experienced some depreciation, but might not have much warranty left. I'm not really Green (although if Solar becomes important enough that high buck tax credits/incentives are offered we'll install it in a heartbeat), and I certainly feel, as Edward does, that a lot of hypocrisy exists in the Green world, and as time goes by more problems associated with living green pop up (car batteries, mercury in those light bulbs that cause eye strain until they've been on ten minutes, not enough corn to feed those who need it, the cost involved to build car battery charging stations, etc., etc.) not to mention the Hollywood dweebs, who in general don't know much, are all for it.

Fred offered a monthly cost analysis, which I've done and I've got to reduce it. If my Touareg is going to be worth a tidy sum in three years it might be worth keeping it, but that risk/gamble might be a bad move. It's already worth only half of what it was new, and it's only got 10K miles on it. What's Winnie The Pooh say, "Think, think, think..."

Daniel Dudley

As a builder, I need a truck, but it would now pay for me to drive a small vehicle most of the time. As in it would be cheaper to park the truck, pay for a vehicle and the gas to put in it.

old man neri

A guy I know rides his bike to work. Genius. Not only is he saving on insurance, gas, depreciation...etc but he is in killer shape and will probably live to a long long age. It's 10mi one way and he does it in the sun, snow, and rain.

abe

...sorry, couldn't help myself.
abe

nkgosselin

Correction.

95 was a decent vintage in Bordeaux. 89 is the year to have.

JABSEA

My take is basic resource economics. As a resource becomes more scarce, the price goes up. As the price goes up, there is an economic incentive to develop alternatives. Anyone in a downtown office building knows they don't use wood for studs anymore, they use metal studs.

We pay a lot less than our friends in Europe, so I say let the price of gas rise for now. I just hope alternatives are developed soon so we will still have gas left to drive our cars...

Peter Zimmermann

You know, one of my mechanics rode a bike part way to work, and, obviously, part way home (he had a helluva commute) just about every day. His route was a treacherous section of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, and every day I feared that one of those early morning phone calls was to tell me that he had been flattened by a large vehicle. It really scared me, but he did his thing, and survived. Good thing!

Droops83

Most of the recent insane increase in US gas prices can be attributed to speculation and the weak dollar. Of course, supply and demand have dictated it somewhat, with limited oil supply, ever-growing economies like China and India and limited refining capacity. But, does anyone here think that in the past few months there has all of the sudden been a huge increase in demand or decrease in supply the past few months? I don't think so. A big part of the dramatic increase in the price of oil per barrel has been speculators dumping money in oil futures like there's no tomorrow. Hence, oil is over $120 a barrel now. Remember these are some of the same idiots who previously dumped money into subprime mortgages, and look where that got us . . . . combine this with a US dollar that does not go nearly as far as it used to, along with the usual supply and demand pressures, and you arrive at our present situation.

While I hate paying high gas prices like everyone else, I also feel that this has been a long time coming. We are finally paying about half of what Europe pays for gas! Hopefully this will cause people to look at how wasteful they are, and have a long-term benefit. I am lucky enough to live in Santa Barbara where everything is pretty close so I hardly ever drive in town, and I run to and from work, my poor 951 sits for a week at a time usually (although I sometimes make up for that by burning lots of gas at the track, like I did last weekend, so I suppose my interests/concerns can be diametrically opposed . . . )

I agree with others here about the somewhat dubious economical gains of hybrids; you would have to commute many, many miles a year for the savings in gas to pay for themselves in a reasonable amount of time, plus the unknown lifespan/environmental impact of the batteries, etc. But, I think trading in the soccer mom-driven SUV on a normal 4 cylinder smaller car can help in the short term.

I am also not sure of the benefits of all of the sudden drilling everywhere for new oil. I mean, even if ANWR yields the most optimistic returns in barrels of oil, how much longer will that delay the inevitable fact that we will have to find a new source of energy someday? Will it truly make us energy-independent? It is ironic that Brazil, which has been the poster-child of energy independence by sustaining itself on sugar-cane based ethanol, recently found some large oil reserves. I guess they can get rich by selling it to us!

Well, in conclusion, I guess my point is, deal with it! We had a great ride on cheap gas prices for a long time!

Peter Zimmermann

ice, you're actually right, but gas prices have never figured into our monthly budgets like they do now. In Europe it's been a way of life, but here all of a sudden a 50% increase for something that was almost taken for granted, in a very short period of time, is a big deal. I have an F 150 that I use to haul the kids here and there, and pick up materials at Home Depot for projects - the bed and back seat are rarely empty, I find the A/C nice, and there is justification to have it. Not long ago it cost $60 to fill it, now it costs more than $80. It's a really good vehicle, I'll continue to drive/use it, and not bitch about it, but what's happened to the resale value of the Touareg gives me gas pains!

theiceman

....till he gets hit by a bus....

jakeflyer

HELLo, NO, THE PORSCHE WONT GO
My wife and I are cutting a few corners to adjust to fuel and other costs that have escalated since our retirement. Our actual needs are to get to town and back (35 miles) for shopping, and hauling a cattle trailer and P cars and engines and parts etc. Needs are met with a-----
1. A 1994 Chevy 4x4, bought new by my Dad, is the hauler, 15 mpg on a good day. I can work on it and have the factory manuals.
2. A 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe bought 3 years ago for $10,000 with 28,000 miles. I can work on it and have the 2 volume factory manuals. 22 to 26 mpg.
3. A 1994 Mazda Miata bought 3 years ago for $3000. About 28mpg. You guessed it, I have the factory manual and I can work on it.

Then there is the BELOVED 1983 911SC. My son uses it to get to Cal State LB engineering school and work. He just bought a 2008 road bike, carbon fiber and aluminum that he can do 22 mph for 8 miles. And yes it scares me to death, but that is his decision and there is not much I can do about it. Part of the Porsche deal was selling the MX racing motorcycles. We put racing seats and 5 point belts in the P car, and now he is a bus/truck/SUV target riding a push bike. So the Porsche at 20 mpg and the bicycle at 0 mpg EQUALS ------- 40 MILES PER GALLON. Not bad for a 911, however, the NO FEAR T shirt does not really help in this situation.

flatsixnut

Question is...can you recoup money lost on crappy trade in values with gas saved? I doubt it.