$50 a day for gas?

Darwin would be shaking his head over that one.

$50 in gas would last me 3 weeks.

Harry

 

http://www.nj.com/times/pdf/thursday.pdf

Attached is the link to The Times of Trenton front page.

$50 a day? Where is this person driving?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ May 10 2007, 06:29 AM) [snapback]439002[/snapback]</div>

Two miles a day.

 

Good lord. I commute what I consider to be too far (36mi round-trip, will be about 40 starting next month) and at $3.20/gal that works out to $1.83 per day given the FE I'm managing with the nice weather. In a H2 at 12mpg I would pay $9.60.

 

I am a Computer Technician. My Wife and I moved to Florida about 6 years ago. During the first couple of years here in Florida I did Field Service work with MY OWN vehicle, an Acura 3.2TL (Premium Fuel ONLY) and remember, we are talking over 5 years ago. I put on over 18,000 miles in just the first year. Besides "eating" up my soft summer only tires (Bridgestone SO-3) and brakes, I was just about "breaking even" getting 28 cents per mile reimbursement. Currently the reimbursement is between 38 and 42 cents per mile down here (Florida). Many of my friends still do "field service" work but have to "pad up" their mileage log sheets to just break even. By the way I sold the TL shortly thereafter (2003) and bought a more fuel efficient vehicle, a small 4 cylinder SUV type as well as stopping the "field" traveling.
When searching CareerBuilder and Monster I see over-and-over-and-over the same job openings for "field service" positions (that require use of YOUR OWN vehicle) that just cannot be filled because of all the extensive travel, even just "locally" !!
I wish there was something we Americans can do to LOWER gasoline prices !! Sure we can lower consumption by driving less and "smarter" and if we are as lucky as my Wife and I are (we just bought a new 2007 Prius Touring- Pkg. 5) we can trade-in our "gas-guzzlers" and buy more fuel efficient vehicles, but in the real world, our big "fuel inefficient" SUV's we bought back in 2004, 2005, 2006 are really "biting" us now............

 

Could someone do a parady of a "Save the Children" ad?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DougSlug @ May 10 2007, 07:40 AM) [snapback]438962[/snapback]</div>

It's like a thug that constantly gets in fights, who's crying because thier knuckles are raw / skinned up.
Waaah! Poor poor me.

 

I know you guys wont approve of this comment, but it wasn't that long ago I was paying $500 a month for gas just for my daily commute. That's why I bought a Prius, but not before I paid off my truck. So before we get all high and mighty because we own a Prius, remember that buying a new car, *especially* a Prius, costs a LOT of money. Not everyone commutes 100 miles a day, so usually it just doesn't make sense to buy a new, expensive vehicle that will actually cost MORE to drive than their regular car/SUV.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ May 10 2007, 09:52 AM) [snapback]439075[/snapback]</div>

Then perhaps Detroit should be more concerned with the decline in gas guzzler sales - some of those people may not ever want to be burned again.

 

even rounding up our car payments to the next hundred dollars... it costs us $16.67/day for the payment alone. factor in gas and insurance, now it's $20.33. still nowhere near $50/day.

edit: and maybe my math is all wrong here... doing this real quick before running back into the lab... but paying ~575/mo for payment and insurance leaves me 925/mo for gas expenses alone to total 50/day or 1500/mo. 925 in gas at about 3 bucks a gallon and 45 mpg gives me 13875 miles. a month!! whew!

 

There's a bill in the Texas Legislature proposing that the Texas gasoline tax be eliminated for a 3-month period to help alleviate the ever-increasing gasoline prices at least through the summer months. That would mean 20¢/gallon relief. The resulting loss in revenue would be compensated by the surplus in the state treasury. This smells a little like an indirect subsidy of Exxon, and other large refiners, so their profits can stay high. Perhaps we need WW-II style price controls.

My opinion... That Bill has about the same chance as the proverbial snowball in Hell.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 10 2007, 08:58 AM) [snapback]439141[/snapback]</div>

Yeh. That's about a tank a day. How are you going to be able to get by, driving only 450-500 miles per day?
That only takes about 8 hours of your day in the car. You'd have to spend at least some time working on your dissertation. You wouldn't want to have to do that. Would you? B)

Is there a face for sarcasm?

Dave M.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ May 10 2007, 09:32 AM) [snapback]439167[/snapback]</div>

Hmm? Maybe a better chance than that in Texas. After all, their gas taxes are already a lot lower than in most states. That is, excluding oil producing states.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 10 2007, 07:23 AM) [snapback]439046[/snapback]</div>

Ain't gonna happen! Petroleum supply is limited, and demand is growing as India and China industrialize. In 20 years, maybe sooner, ordinary middle-class people will no longer be able to afford gasoline. Period. They'll park their cars and let them rust.

Of course, we have an alternative technology right now, today, that provides transportation for about two cents a mile. Electric. Question is, will we wait until 3/4 of the population is stranded before anyone starts making quality EVs in big enough numbers to encourage the construction of a nation-wide network of electron stations?

Or, to put it another way, will we allow the greed of entrenched corporations to drag the whole country to economic collapse? Or will we make the technological conversion while we still have the economic resources to accomplish it? What's good for GM is death for the country!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ May 10 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]439115[/snapback]</div>

Diamonds aren't a girl's best friend, Viagra is...

Harry

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ May 10 2007, 10:21 AM) [snapback]439044[/snapback]</div>

Yes. And remember that Hummer will cost less over the comparative lifetimes of the vehicles in addition to being much more environmentally friendly!!!
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sorry, Just couldn't resist!

Me? $50 in gas is about 4 - 5 weeks.

 

Does anybody remember the "Arab OIL EMBARGO" way back around early or mid 70's ?? Remember the long, long gas lines ?? Plus we had certain days we were "allowed" to buy gas as well as a set max. amount we could buy !! People were scurrying around to rebuild their old VW Beetles that were parked out back of their house under a tarp.... that vehicle (VW Beetle) was in such HIGH demand during those several months, even the small Toyotas and Hondas were "red hot" and bringing in big bucks $$ Then there was the "Luxury Car" owners with the big Cadilacs, Chryslers, Olds, etc. Those 455 cu. in. 4 barrel carbed, 8 - 12 MPG chariots !! This was way before the SUV's even before most MiniVans !! You could not even "give them away", let alone get a decent "trade-in" on a smaller vehicle. Well THAT, yes THAT was our "FIRST WARNING".......... an indication of what COULD possibly happen to gasoline !! So what did we (USA) do...... after the dust settled and gasoline was once "affordable" again, we just kept making "big" vehicles, oh yes we "lightened" the weight by replacing metal items with plastic and really making "thin" sheet metal, etc. and this was ALL on "top" of the time Automobile manufacturers were ALSO trying to get EMISSIONS STANDARDS lower.......... yes, it was a real mess, but once again, we didn't "heed the warning" and kept making fuel "inefficient" vehicles.......... THEN guess what caught on next..... S.U.V.'s......... what was once used primarily for "off road" or for TOWING campers was now taking Mom and the kids to school !! And these SUV's grew and grew, larger and larger with more and more gas sucking options. Hence the Hummer.... now what the heck does a person "need" something like that for ?? I thought they were okay for "war" use but in civilian mods. NO WAY !!
People still like "large" vehicles for "roominess" and some people like convertibles. There are those who like very "tiny" vehicles like the Mini Cooper and others want the "safety" of 6,000 pounds of metal around them in a Surburban or Tahoe !! But all-in-all the "price at the pumps" and your "miles per gallon" seperate those that "have" the money to waste and those that need every penny they earn (and then some....) Like someone mentioned above, the guy with the Hummer could easily "trade-in" that "monster" for a Camry and still be able to carry five adults comfortably....... or better yet, JOIN the PRIUS revolution like most of us on this forum have done !!