Gas Prices
 

How concerned with gas prices going up are you guys? One guy on tv was saying that if gas prices continued going up at the current rate, our gas would be $7 per gallon by next year at this time. I don't know whether I should buy into that or not. It seems pretty far fetched to me, but with all these people buying hybrids and greedy gas companies, maybe it isn't. I wonder if the adoption rate for hybrids is going to make cares like the xB2 less desireable.

Right not gas isn't a huge concern since its only taking me around $40 to fill up. Maybe when it gets up to $80+ I'll start worrying.....

Also Hybrids suck, when you compare the price of them compared to a regular econobox. It takes several years for you to actually see any savings. I would think because of the gas prices vehicles such as the xB2 would be MORE desireable. The reason I say that is because people who have huge SUVs but still need 4 doors & a hatch would see that it would still be functional for them & also get twice the gas mileage *shrugs*

Doesn't concern me a bit right now. Going from 26mpg on regular to 18-19mpg max on premium. All I care about is that I'm enjoying my car. I'm saving $200 a month on payments alone, simply because I bought a tC instead of my others (all high $20k to low $30k)

AAG, I'm trying to convince my Mom into getting an xB2, for the EXACT reason you just stated. She has a Jeep that gets 14mpg and is completely paid off (kbb value is like $13,000) and she won't get the xB. She had a biased opinion on it because she didn't like the way the xB1 looked like, then I made her sit in it and she likes it. I even offered to make the $100/mo payments for her and she still won't get it...:eyebrow:.

Kindof sick if you actually think about it. A 14 gallon tank (usually 11 or 12 gallons to fill) costing $40 or more to get through the week with normal driving.

It's really scary that this is not the end, like mentioned this could escalate to, who knows how much. Each dollar milestone shocks us then we relax until the next shock.

Instead of performance mods I look for economy ones. Still there is always the jerks on the road, too slow, or too fast, or erratic that ruin my conservative routine. lol.

suv's should be taken out of the road because they're the one that pulling the gas prices UP and we are all paying for it. I'm ok right now though- still bearable plus I usually bike to work so 2 weeks for a tank of gas

im extremely upset about gas prices. im paying as much to fill my tank up as it would cost me to fill up my f150 with the v8.

Wait so you were 14 when you were driving your f-150 or am I not understanding what you wrote correctly? :eyebrow:


Unless you mean that in 1998 it cost the same to fill up your truck as it does NOW to fill up your current vehicle?

edited for stupidity.

what it would have cost me to fill up my 98 f150 with a v8.
that would be in 2000 i believe.

^ lol.

I remember when I got my 03 Dodge Dakota, 5 bucks would get me a 1/4 tank, lol. Too bad 1/4 tank was about 50 miles :rofl:

Good insight here. I am very concerned of gas prices because it's an everyday reminder of our foreign dependency on oil. When you think of one hybrid on the road, yes it may take a long time to make up the money for it. HOWEVER, the movement for more hybrids on the roads in general will lessen the demand on oil and will help to reduce gas prices.

As Americans, we have taken for granted how much we pay for oil. Now, with India and China soaking up more oil than ever, what do you guys think is going to happen with the price of oil if everyone gets it from the middle east??? The more world wide demand for oil will cause the higher prices we are all going to pay at the pump!

PS. I can't wait for that monkey of a president to get the hell out of our white house!

^ The majority of our oil comes from South America.

But you're spot on about how much we have taken granted for how much it has cost. We should have been at $5/gallon 6 years ago. I don't see why people are complaining about it so much, I know money could be tight now, especially since our economy is worse than it was during the great depression, but come on people...our gas isn't getting expensive, it's just been INSANELY cheap.

I never heard that the majority of our oil comes from S. America, but even if it did, I would suspect that since we are a part of a global economy, the price of oil per barrel is dependent of the price of oil world wide. Maybe we can get a commodities expert to chime in on this...

I was having the same discussion with my brother-in-law this weekend and he also wondered why everyone was making it a big deal. After talking more about it, we kind of concluded that the price of oil affects a lot of other problems on a much wider scale.

It may not seem like a huge price per fill up, but the price of bread is up. The price for eggs is up. The price for food in general is up. Minimum wage workers who commute are way more impacted. And since you mentioned the realestate market, people are ____ed off. If prices of gases went up 4 years ago, I don't think many people would have raised a stink about it like they are now.

like euro's are saying, we are spoiled! -they pay almost double compare to what we are paying. :silly:

yet we don't complain when we pay $3 for a bottle of water or small cup of soda watching a movie, concert, etc :rofl:

^ I wasn't saying that our oil is cheap because it's from S.A., I was just saying it was from S.A. lol. Granted yes, supply and demand is the main factor, and Americans need oil on a very high demand, so no matter who gives it to us, it's going to be roughly the same.

But overall, the rise in price is 1. Expected, and 2. not a big deal. People should start being thankful they have been paying so little for gas, rather than _____ing that the prices are going up. When I started driving (2003), I paid about $1.25 for gas, now it's $3.60. In Germany, it was $5.50/gallon (converted), now it's $5.57.

Honestly, next summer 'should' hit mid to high $5 range.

It's effect is certainly more widespread than just what it costs you at the pump. Like D_unit said, everything that gets shipped is getting more expensive in part because of fuel costs, and what doesn't get shipped?
I deal with a lot of vendors at work, and ALL of them have added a fuel surcharge for delivered product, for the past couple of years, you could have the surcharge waived for a minimum order, but since the beginning of 08, more vendors are charging you regardless, and it is making an impact on my operating budget.
Kiiski

Sorry, I stand corrected on the S.A. comment. We don't get the majority from them, but we do get a chunk from Venezuela. Canada is our #1 supplier.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/p...nt/import.html

I'm not trying to argue with you, but I actually think it is a very big deal. In fact, I think most Americans think it's the biggest deal next to the economy and moreso than the war in Iraq from the last stupid poll I listened to. I don't think you can compare with what us Americans pay versus other Europeans, because our national economy is based on current oil prices. If we totally started paying what Europeans were paying today, it would DRAMATICALLY affect our economy. I think it's a big deal because that is the direction we are heading and it's getting harder and harder denying we are not in a recession. If you take the position that we are spoiled for not paying as much as Europeans and don't have the right to complain about it, then just imagine if we didn't complain and they charged us $6 a gallon tomorrow. Then we'd be beyond getting people ____ed off and would have a lot of people suffering at the dinner table.

It looks like Kiiski is one American that is proof of it. As for me, I am selling my beloved M3 because I believe the value of a higher MPG car. America really needs to get more hybrids and higher MPG cars out there to lessen our dependency on foreign oil with countries that hate our guts.

Anyways, my gripe session is over... Yo Carbon, your sig is funny as heck! :rofl:

I'm not saying you're wrong in anyway, I agree with most of the things you say...but on a global wide comparison (not just Europe) we pay avergage to low (working our way up the list now).

Also, wether some people complain about or not, the prices are still going to rise. Our society is too locked into the mindset behind large vehicles, that we can't just be like "Hey, let's f*ck the gas companies and ALL buy hybrids/hydrogen/electric vehicles!" The rise of gas prices is inevitable, which will then lead to alternative power, which will result in rise in prices for electricity/hydrogen/nuclear power/whatever is next up on the list. THAT's what I was trying to get at. I came off wrong I guess, thinking about it makes me think I sounded like I meant "you don't have the right to complain", when in turn, I didn't mean that at all.

And I had to change my sig because it was just waaay too long, lol.

Btw, don't sell the M3. :P. That's the kind of car that 20 years down the road will be worth more than it was new.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. You exactly described the situation that got us into an xB from a BMW X5. The X5 wasn't Escalade or Expedition size, but it was still excessive, so it's gone. People complain about the xB2's gas mileage compared to the xB1, but it still beats out compact crossover SUVs like the RAV4 and CRV. Plus it's a helluva lot more fun to drive!

I think the government should step in due to price gouging.