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As Gas Prices Soar, the Martetplace Reacts

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Rancid13, May 3, 2006.

  1. Rancid13

    Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius

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    This opening picture makes me smile for some reason... :D I saw an H2 just pulling into a gas station midweek last week. Unfortunately I had fueled up myself earlier that day, otherwise I would've definitely pulled up to the pump on the other side of him, filled up my tank and been gone before he'd even pumped 1/4 tank into his vehicle.

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    As Gas Prices Soar, the Marketplace Reacts

    Viewpoint: While Washington dithers, consumers are changing their habits — and Jimmy Carter is having the last laugh

    By NANCY GIBBS

    Posted Tuesday, May. 02, 2006


    This was an interesting weekend to go car shopping. We had concluded it was time to replace our trusty Subaru, which after long and faithful service deserved a dignified retirement. So we trolled Consumer Reports and headed off for some test drives, sniffed at the Mazda 3, petted an Impreza, focused on a Focus before falling for the Honda Civic — which thanks to its redesign looks nifty, drives nicely, has more airbags than you can count and, above all, gets 40 mpg on the highway.

    But when I went back to one of the Honda dealers this weekend, I found that the Civics had virtually vanished. You may be able to find one, the salesman said, but you'll pay sticker for it, or even a premium above the manufacturer's suggested retail price.

    Full Article
     
  2. aaf709

    aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan

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    You still could've done that. Just put in a couple of cents worth and then loudly complain about how you're mileage has dropped and you hate putting in that much once a month. :p
     
  3. dbermanmd

    dbermanmd New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ May 3 2006, 02:07 PM) [snapback]249148[/snapback]</div>

    Jimmy Carter - why can't they just let him crawl back into his little hole on his peanut farm. He truly had a remarkable recod while in office - 21% inflation, high unemployment, recession, Russians invading Afghanistan, allowing the Shah of Iran to get knocked off (and we can now fast foward to the mess he left us to today and the about to be nuclear mullahs he loved). Jeez -

    There is almost a limitless amount of oil (at least 400 years supply alone in North America) - just allow us to drill for it, refine it, draw if from alternate sources like coal shale and tar - and sit down and watch the price go down again and the marketplace shift to alternate energy sources. The same nuts who did not let us drill ANWAR or offshore or build new refineries are the one pissing and moaning now. ... please stop

    And if we did go to war for oil, why is it so expensive. Lets go to war for oil for real and take over Saudi and Iraqi and Iranian oil fields.......
     
  4. Rancid13

    Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ May 3 2006, 11:17 AM) [snapback]249156[/snapback]</div>
    I'm sure I literally would've gotten .02 cents worth of gas into the tank! I had travelled a whopping 3 miles since my fuel up (the gas station I filled up at is ~1 mile from my work-the station that I saw the H2 filling up at is ~20 yards from my work but costs ~$.20-25 more per gallon)... :lol: :lol:
     
  5. aaf709

    aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ May 3 2006, 11:21 AM) [snapback]249162[/snapback]</div>
    I remember back in '72 when I went across country with my parents in their '64 Plymouth Fury. We stopped in the town of Durango for the night, filling the tank (cost was about 31 cents a gallon) and went to bed. The next morning the gas gauge said "Empty." We thought someone had drained it so we went to get more gas. It turned out the temperature was so cold the gauge wasn't moving like it normally did. It took 7 cents. Try to explain that to the attendant. :lol:
     
  6. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ May 3 2006, 02:21 PM) [snapback]249162[/snapback]</div>
    I might have just driven up and stood there until he noticed and then said something like 'Oh, I don't need gas, I hardly ever do, but I just like hanging out at the pump now and then and seeing how the other half lives'
     
  7. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ May 3 2006, 01:17 PM) [snapback]249157[/snapback]</div>
    I'm tired of attitudes like that, especially when they are based on incomplete information.

    It is true that there is a decent amount of oil left; however, it is the stuff that's dirty, low-grade, and difficult to extract... which means it will take a lot of time & money to use. Do some research. You'll discover that the stuff in Iraq is very easy to access and of the highest quality. That's why such a high priority was placed on stabilizing the region.

    As for new drilling in Alaska, how exactly will that new location help us now? It will take 10 years before we'll be able to get any large quantity of oil from there. Lots of time is required just to establish the extraction portion. Then you have to consider the transport. The 30-year old pipeline was only designed to last 20 years. It's age is really starting to show based on the magnitude of repairs needed, so imagine 10 years from now. On top of all of that, there isn't actually that much oil there with respect to how much we actually need.

    Face it, the alternatives are coming of age. They are cleaner, renewable, and becoming a more cost-effective choice.
     
  8. airpolgas

    airpolgas New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ May 3 2006, 11:17 AM) [snapback]249157[/snapback]</div>
    Or we can just tell the big three to get off their horsepower trips and make efficiency their priorities.
     
  9. ghostofjk

    ghostofjk New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ May 3 2006, 11:17 AM) [snapback]249157[/snapback]</div>
    Doc, are you trying to stand in for another well-known member in making shocking assertions?

    Be nice to my man Jimmy. He was exactly what the country wanted and needed after Dark Dick Nixon and hold-the-fort Gerald Ford. (Ford's claim to fame: lethal swine flu vaccine. :p )

    Do you remember Ford's WIN buttons (Whip Inflation Now)? "Stagflation" started under Dark Dick as the chickens came home to roost after Vietnam and some heavy government spending. Remember Dark Dick's CETA program? (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.) One of the alltime great government giveaways! Carter inherited the whole mess and was powerless to do anything with it. And he had no control over the Russians or the Iranian Revolution (another mess fed by Dark Dick).

    Enough oil here to supply the world for "at least" 400 years? Care to cite a reference?

    And why would "the marketplace shift to alternative energy sources" if we achieved your Nirvana of plentiful cheap oil?

    What has prevented free enterprise from increasing refining capacity during recent years of shameful oil profits? Hmm?

    And you want us to run the oil fields in several countries after failing to secure the Green Zone in Baghdad or to get the electricity running 16 hours per day---after three years? You'd better start recruiting your own militia, Doc. The Berman Brigade. Maybe some of those porcine neocon wusses who set the Bush agenda will sign up with you.
     
  10. SAPrius

    SAPrius New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(airpolgas @ May 3 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]249207[/snapback]</div>
    Agreed! Now, take this concept one step further.

    Can you envision asking NASCAR to do the same thing? Instead of the Nextel Cup rewarding horsepower and speed, do you think America is ready for the same type of race emphasizing efficiency? Imagine how cool the "Lowe's Prius Special" or the "Winston Insight Limited" would look? Can you picture Jeff Gordon or Dale Jr. battling it out on the last lap, going for the checkered flag doing "pulse and glide"?

    Come to think of it, I wonder how much gas is burned during a typical NASCAR race?
     
  11. too tall

    too tall New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SAPrius @ May 3 2006, 01:14 PM) [snapback]249236[/snapback]</div>

    NASCAR. LOL. I read that NASCAR uses 6,000 gallons on a typical weekend -- they think that's small compared to other sports. This is leaded, specially refined fuel. Did you know NASCAR is exempt from the 1970 Clean Air Act, which required the transition to unleaded fuel for all automobiles? They are trying to use unleaded fuel by 2008, maybe sooner. Here's a quote from the article:

    NASCAR participants assert that racing's thirst for fossil fuel is no more damaging to the economy or environment than any other sport or entertainment industry. Or a commuter in an SUV stuck in traffic. The Devil Rays logged about 43,000 air miles last season and the Bucs 18,598. Under normal conditions, the Boeing 727 on which the Lightning flew to Ottawa for Friday night's playoff game would have consumed about 7,000 gallons of fuel.

    The vehicles NASCAR races and uses to get to the track are horrific in terms of gas mileage, but the sport defends itself by saying its race gas - currently leaded but could change to unleaded in the Busch and truck series this year - is specially refined for the series by Sunoco and therefore does not draw from the national consumer supply. NASCAR also considers its 6,000 gallon per weekend usage modest when compared to national daily consumption, which is estimated to be about 380-million gallons. Smith thinks sports gets a pass because of what it provides with every tank.

    http://www.sptimes.com/2006/04/22/Sports/N..._gas_crun.shtml
     
  12. airportkid

    airportkid Will Fly For Food

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(too tall @ May 3 2006, 01:56 PM) [snapback]249269[/snapback]</div>
    A drop in the bucket against the thousands of gallons burned by NASCAR fans getting to and from the track!

    Gotta be careful when you start pointing the finger at "frivolous" use. How many gallons of gas each year are turned into noise and smoke just getting to and from the video rental place? Perhaps NetFlix should be legislated into the only legal outlet for video entertainments: cut our national fuel consumption by 2/3! :lol: :lol:
     
  13. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ May 3 2006, 11:38 AM) [snapback]249174[/snapback]</div>
    Want to really piss 'em off? Do what I do. I tell them, "No, I'm not here to buy gas. I've been getting such good mileage that I have to stop every few days and empty a few gallons out, otherwise the tank fills up while I'm driving."

    Say this with a straight face and then drive off before their tiny little brains have had a chance to process what you said.
     
  14. Cameron

    Cameron New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ May 3 2006, 01:17 PM) [snapback]249157[/snapback]</div>
    Perhaps you could stop foaming long enough to read Jimmy Carter's book, Our Endangered Values. You might find it informative. ;)
     
  15. EricGo

    EricGo New Member

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    I still find it amazing that Carter was ever elected.

    Intelligent, ethical, honest, straightforward.

    And in between -- Nixon to destroy the separation of federal powers, Reagan for senility, and the shrub for megalomanic stupidity. Now we are talking !!
     
  16. NuShrike

    NuShrike Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ May 4 2006, 06:55 PM) [snapback]250005[/snapback]</div>
    This is why Carter is still doing amazing things even now after he left office out of all the the retired presidents who seem to only open libraries?
     
  17. Cameron

    Cameron New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ May 4 2006, 08:55 PM) [snapback]250005[/snapback]</div>
    LOL :lol: