American car buyers get a case of amnesia

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NachoPrius @ Nov 2 2006, 09:00 AM) [snapback]342458[/snapback]</div>

To be fair, the gas crisis of the 70's made much more of an impression, and seemed to teach a much bigger lesson. It's one thing to have the price double overnight, it's another thing altogether to worry you won't be able to go to work because you can't find gas at all. I'm just kind of hoping the peak oil situation is more of a soft landing than a hard stop, and trying to set an example.

 

It may not be memory but the child in them that is responding.

Don't you love it when people do seemingly irrational things, not because they are stupid - they simply don't care about anyone but themselves?

 

That's why I wish gas prices would go up to $4 or $5 a gallon, so people would learn and buy more efficient cars. When will people learn?

 

This is the first data I've seen that indicates US Prius sales dropped in October. The drop was 8.3%, which I assume is a 'temporary' drop in sales because the US tax rebate was cut in half October 1.

Does anyone have data that showed US Prius sales numbers for September? I wonder if they were up significantly while people tried to get the full rebate.

 

To the op, yep. I posted about GM sales, and more specifically a huge jump in SUV sales compared to the same period last year at http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=26055&hl=.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jeannie @ Nov 2 2006, 09:35 AM) [snapback]342616[/snapback]</div>

To be more accurate, it was not ever a tax rebate. It's a tax credit.

Toyota's September 06 sales are at http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/10/03/023854.html. October sales are at http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/11/01/027342.html.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(uclabruins @ Nov 2 2006, 01:20 PM) [snapback]342605[/snapback]</div>

Ok keep the jeannies lamp away from this guy, trying to teach the SUV owners a lesson...

Its their choice as to buy and drive what they want to, so what if the SUV only gets 17 mpg..

when the gas prices climb again the SUV owners will drive less....

Its so funny looking at $2.15 a gallon in 1999 I remember it being 0.99 a gal.

 

Its so funny looking at $2.15 a gallon in 1999 I remember it being 0.99 a gal.


In the UK, gas is about 86p a litre. That equates to 6.24 US$ a US gallon! Yet the news keeps telling us ho much congestion is going to increase.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Nov 3 2006, 05:51 AM) [snapback]343090[/snapback]</div>

I don't wish for higher fuel prices either, I think our so-called booming economy is teetering enough now, and everything goes up when fuel goes up... I am annoyed, though, about this E85 business where something like a Tahoe that can use E85 gets a 33MPG rating for CAFE purposes. Takes away all motivation for them to even halfway try. If nothing else, GM must have world-class lobbyists.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hobbs @ Nov 3 2006, 04:00 AM) [snapback]343098[/snapback]</div>

Yep... I still distinctly remember a trip w/my parents in 12/01 to the Los Angeles area where we saw unleaded for ~$0.99/gal!

 

It all comes down to the fact that the majority of American consumers don't:

1. Shop for a deal - they just buying most of their products blindly

and

2. Spend what they can afford - they carry credit card balances so they can have the newest gadgets.

and

3. Buy for what they need and not for what they want - i.e. they buy an expedition when a full size sedan might do.

 

The amount of huge (beyond medium sized), wasteful SUVs just sickens me. I see too many H2s, Yukons, Tahoes, Suburbans, Expeditions and the like being driven by people who have clearly don't need such as wasteful and dangerous vehicle (in terms of their tendency to rollover, very high weight, poor handling and braking).

The government has got to get rid of the exemption of light trucks and SUVs from the gas guzzler tax (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml#guzzler and http://suvs.about.com/od/fueleconomy/a/jf_gasguzzler.htm), raise the mileage values where people start getting hit by it and significantly raise the dollar amounts.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(uclabruins @ Nov 2 2006, 12:20 PM) [snapback]342605[/snapback]</div>

No offense, but this is pretty ignorant. Anybody who thinks any of us will benefit from gas going to $4 or $5 a gallon needs to go take an Economics course. Talk about SUV owners only thinking of themselves and being self important...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SW03ES @ Nov 14 2006, 06:01 PM) [snapback]349105[/snapback]</div>

At four bucks a gallon it would STILL be cheaper than most of the rest of the world.

Not that I want it at that price, I'm just saying...

 

Well we had a huge warning in the 70's but as soon as we got a reprieve the adults and government completely forgot. Had we heeded then, the situation now but not be as bad.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Nov 14 2006, 08:42 PM) [snapback]349235[/snapback]</div>

I'm not saying thats not the case, but the economics of this country and the economics of the "rest of the world" are very different. People in other countries don't RELY on cars the way we do, they live much closer to where they work, etc. If you want to see an enormous blow to the working poor and middle class in America, wish for gas prices of $4 or $5 a gallon. The people with SUVs that you all are whining about have plenty of money, they'll feel the pinch but they won't hurt for it. Its the single mom with 2 kids who makes $18k a year that it will bankrupt.

And no, saying "well its time we rely less on cars like other countries" isn't an answer to this issue. Our geography and way of life are just different.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SW03ES @ Nov 14 2006, 10:49 PM) [snapback]349268[/snapback]</div>

One of the main reasons we have this way of life is that energy has been so cheap. That siuation simply can't continue for long. The quesion is whether it will be a soft landing or a crash. If we are proactive about it we have a chance to reduce the pain a lot.

My favorite plan is to raise the tax on gas (say $1-$2) and turn around to evenly distribute the money back to the consumers. If you are an average driver you will come out even. But the incentive will be there to save energy because it will save you more money.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SW03ES @ Nov 14 2006, 09:49 PM) [snapback]349268[/snapback]</div>

I suspect our way of life is in for a very rude wake up call. After all, it's basically only been this "way of life" for about 50 years, it could easily change again. I'm not quite as pessimistic as this guy, but he does make some good points that are hard to refute.

http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/