How High Must Gas Prices Go Before You Consider A More Fuel Efficient Car?

[Teallaura]

I'd do it now if I could, and I drive a Corolla! What about you - trying to grin and bear it for the sake of that SUV or is it getting close to time to scale down?

[technomage]

I'd do it now if I could, and I drive a Corolla! What about you - trying to grin and bear it for the sake of that SUV or is it getting close to time to scale down?
I have to keep my minivan. It's not terribly bad on fuel efficiency (around 30 mpg highway), though it could be better, but I use it to transport my MiL's oxygen for her, and my wheelchair (on those occasions when I need it).

[Meh_Gerbil]

I've got an Escort already.
If it gets to $5 per gallon I'll carpool to work.

[themuzicman]

I waited until my vehicles needed to be replaced. Buying a newer vehicle because of gas milage never seems to work out dollar wise in the end. It simply takes too long to spend a couple of thousand dollars MORE than you otherwise would with an older car.

For me, we replaced a full sized 8 passenger van (6.0l V8) with a 1999 minivan (16MPG to about 23MPG), and a Mazda 626 with a Mazda Protege (23MPG to about 28MPG). And gas milage was a consideration, but only a small one.

Michael

[Dwevlo]

I purchased a new car last year (a honda civic) and was seriously considering getting one of those hybrids. Unfortunately the price difference, lack of trunk space, lack of power, and really not much better fuel efficiency changed my mind. I mean when you plan out how much you drive, and compare the price difference in what you will spend in gas, fuel efficiency is not nearly as important as we might think.

This site: http://www.fueleconomy.gov has lots of neat info. I compared the regular civic to the hybrid (2005) and it lays out the difference per year as $1117 regular, $930 hybrid. (2.91$ gas) Thats $187 a year. It would take a long time to make up the difference between the two in price. (Even with the tax incentive). Even if gas were $5 it would be $1923 regular, $1596 hybrid. Thats $327 a year.

But I guess the difference between that and an SUV is much greater. I did the difference between my civic and a Ford Explorer, and the Explorer is $2728 a year. Thats $1611 a year.

Makes you think.

[Rubia Warren]

I had been wanting to get a smaller car that was cheaper on gas, and when Katrina hit, I got a taste of what higher gas prices were like.
I also wanted to become debt-free, so that motivated me, too.

I bought a Toyota pick up 4X4 with a blown head gasket really cheap, and my husband rebuilt it completely, and I also bought a 97 corolla during that time for 300 bucks, whose wiring had caught on fire/melted. It was worth buying a whole new wire harness for and paying a machanic to install it. I don't even have 1000 dollars into the car (well, wait, I might have 1200 in it at the most), I think, and it's reliable every day. The truck, too. So then we sold our financed vehicle some months later just for what we owed to get out of debt. Not only do we enjoy not having a huge tank to fill up, but we also enjoy having our vehicles paid for as well!

[anthrogirl]

I ride a bicycle, take public transportation or hire a taxi. Saves me thousands of dollars each year and keeps my booty in shape.


Give it a try sometime--it's practically free.

:smile: ag

[NeilUnreal]

My Miata gets OK gas mileage, but only because I don't drive very much. I like driving it so much I will probably hang onto it for as long as it lasts. However, if it should go right away, the replacement will likely be a Corolla. If the Miata lasts a few years longer, I'll get whatever is the best mix of fuel efficiency/technology at the time it does die; probably some kind of hybrid.

-Neil

[Rusty T]

I ride a bicycle, take public transportation or hire a taxi. Saves me thousands of dollars each year and keeps my booty in shape

I live 20 miles from work and out in the woods, so I am not riding a bike to work any time soon. And public transportation is non-existant here . . . so, I'm forced to keep my booty in shape by other means.

rusty

[Teallaura]

I ride a bicycle, take public transportation or hire a taxi. Saves me thousands of dollars each year and keeps my booty in shape.


Give it a try sometime--it's practically free.

:smile: ag

I travel approx 40000 mi each year - the vast majority of that work. No public transportation to speak of and no taxi's at all.

Don't think that will work for me....:no:

[anthrogirl]

I travel approx 40000 mi each year - the vast majority of that work. No public transportation to speak of and no taxi's at all.

Don't think that will work for me....:no:
Cool! I spent ten years of my life commuting 30-60miles each day on a bicycle (I don't ride that much nowadays because I live and work downtown). Biking 30 miles is not a big deal once you're in shape. I did it. And I'm a wimp.

best,
ag

[Rubia Warren]

Cool! I spent ten years of my life commuting 30-60miles each day on a bicycle (I don't ride that much nowadays because I live and work downtown). Biking 30 miles is not a big deal once you're in shape. I did it. And I'm a wimp.

best,
ag

And families can lug around a bunch of kids how? A big wagon on the back??


HEY! I just got an idea!:hehe:

*scurries away to go construct a family bicycle-mobile from some scrap aluminum, duct tape, and ghetto coat hangers*

[Raptor]

And families can lug around a bunch of kids how? A big wagon on the back??


HEY! I just got an idea!:hehe:

*scurries away to go construct a family bicycle-mobile from some scrap aluminum, duct tape, and ghetto coat hangers*
:lol:

[Rusty T]

I figure ten or so trips to town could net me enough groceries to last us a while. Of course, riding the bike with all those plastic bags on the handle-bars could be dangerous.

rusty

[Rubia Warren]

I figure ten or so trips to town could net me enough groceries to last us a while. Of course, riding the bike with all those plastic bags on the handle-bars could be dangerous.

rusty
Eh don't worry we'll rig somethin' up.

[DesertBerean]

:lol:

I got my PT Cruiser largely because I need cargo space for hauling projects yet have decent space for people I take around. And the PT's personality suits me just fine. :love: I didn't need or want a fancy gas hogging tank either. The PT is OK on gas; the summer's coming up so of course that's going to go down a bit...

Bicyling is not an option for everyday commuting unless you like sweating ten pounds just getting on the bike in the Mojave's hot season that may run from May all the way to October! There IS somebody here at work who has biked to/from work in the ten plus years I've seen him. Heat, wind (up to 50 -60 mph at times!), cold, rain, he's biking. :hrm: One solitary guy. I don't know...and besides, I'd rather spend the thirty to forty minutes I save by driving doing other things.

We've do have vanpools out here, and since prices headed for the atmosphere more and more people are signing up.

[Little Shepherd]

It wouldn't be worth trading in my car at current gas prices. Even if they went up to $6 I'm not sure it would be worth it. I just consolidate my trips and plan ahead like I should have been doing all along, and that seems to work pretty well so far. Prices aren't anywhere near high enough to call it a crisis. An annoyance maybe, but that's life.

[norwegen]

$2.00 a gallon.

That's why I sold my Beemer and got a small, 5-speed, 4-cylinder, 2.3 litre pickup that burns 87 octane.












































I miss my Beemer.

[NeilUnreal]

Recumbent and semi-recumbent tricycles are the wave of the future for short trips. You can't tip over, so they can be geared to let you slow way down for hills, and are also safer for older people. They can haul a small trailer for groceries, and can even be fitted with small auxilliary engines for the really tough hills. Since the speed is less than motorscooters, it is easier to rainproof them. When they are mass-produced, they will be cheaper than mopeds and a lot healthier.

What we most need now is neighborhood structures and laws which encourage, rather than discourage, the use use of such vehicles.


Here's one example:

Sun USX at Cool Tools (http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001013.php)

A long time ago, I had a chance to chat with Steve Roberts (http://microship.com/), an early pioneer of the unique blend of high/low tech that is possible with such vehicles. He showed me the bike he was working with at the time, and went over its design and various features. I was really impressed; it was practically a micro-motorhome! Most importantly, it was part of what made me realize that the appropriate role of high technology is to make a low-tech lifestyle fun, efficient, healthy, and safe.

I dont need anything as fancy as what Steve has, :lol:, but I'm getting ready to move, and part of my decision about where to relocate will be based on how accessible local services are using such techologies.

-Neil

[Pilgrim]

Cool! I spent ten years of my life commuting 30-60miles each day on a bicycle (I don't ride that much nowadays because I live and work downtown). Biking 30 miles is not a big deal once you're in shape. I did it. And I'm a wimp.


Sounds good if you have no other material to carry or a family to transport and you have anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day to give up to transportation time and it never rains or snows or goes below 40 where you live.

My father in law does exactly that. He rides his bike to work and home everyday in Santa Cruz. Of course in Santa Cruz, CA one is almost always able to ride one's bike.

[NeilUnreal]

Sounds good if you have no other material to carry or a family to transport and you have anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day to give up to transportation time and it never rains or snows or goes below 40 where you live.

Part of the secret is to stop seeing these realities of life as if we were looking at them through the frame of a television. Step into the frame...

-Neil

[anthrogirl]

I never said bicycle commuting is without it's challenges. No reason to get so defensive, folks. I live in the Pacific NW--it rains 9 months/year here. Biking in the rain isn't always fun nor easy--rain gear is a requirement (and it's not very fashionable). As for grocery shopping--I have saddlebags for my bike that will hold about 4 paper grocery bags full of stuff. For really big items, I towed a trailer.

If you want to take your kids somewhere, you can purchase a kiddie-trailer. It is not uncommon to see people in Portland dropping their kids off and picking them up from school (if they are too young to ride bikes of their own).

Thankfully, the City of Portland encourages bicycle commuting by providing us with a great infrastructure. Not all cities are so lucky. Hopefully, this gas situation will encourage other Americans to seek alternative, more healthy ways of commuting.

If I can do it, anybody can do it...(even if it's only on the weekends :wink:)

peace,
ag

[Teallaura]

Who's defensive? It's just not a realistic possibility for many of us.


Now, someday, I'm getting me one of these (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng.gsp?search_constraint=0&search_query=adult+tricycles&ics=20&ico=0) babies to ride around my small town for fun and exercise. I will not be riding it any 70 mi. round trip for groceries however. There's no way to hitch up a trailer big enough that I could pull!

Work is also not an option - I cover at least four different counties and often have to be in more than one in a given day (not to mention the suppiles I need to haul).

[One Bad Pig]

If I get a job with a commute including the Beltway, I'll probably get a scooter. My car has a stick shift, and I'd rather not deal with stop and go traffic every day in that.

[anthrogirl]

OBP- do you mean the beltway in D.C.? Is it safe to ride a scooter on the beltway?

ag

[One Bad Pig]

OBP- do you mean the beltway in D.C.? Is it safe to ride a scooter on the beltway?

ag
Yes, that beltway. I think it would be safe. I've seen motorcycles on the beltway plenty of times. I'd just need something with at least a 150 cc engine so I can attain highway speeds. There are some neighborhoods (particularly in SE DC) where it would not be safe, but it's not safe to stop in a car there either. :uneasy:

[anthrogirl]

Either way--be careful! One Bad Pig suits you much better than does One Bad Piece of Freeway Bacon!

ag

[Pilgrim]

If I get a job with a commute including the Beltway, I'll probably get a scooter. My car has a stick shift, and I'd rather not deal with stop and go traffic every day in that.
That sounds pretty good right up until the first snow.

[One Bad Pig]

That sounds pretty good right up until the first snow.
...which is when I'll take my car instead. DC doesn't get a whole lot of snow.

[One Bad Pig]

Either way--be careful! One Bad Pig suits you much better than does One Bad Piece of Freeway Bacon!

ag
I will, thanks. I occasionally see motorcycles pass between cars in adjacent lanes. :doh:

[Pilgrim]

...which is when I'll take my car instead. DC doesn't get a whole lot of snow.
Hey, I'm going to be in DC in two weeks for a conferance. Got any suggestions for good eats?

[One Bad Pig]

Hey, I'm going to be in DC in two weeks for a conferance. Got any suggestions for good eats?
Sorry, I can't really help you. I've only eaten in DC a couple times.