Opinions on impending surge in gas prices?

[jbachandouris]

Apparently there will be a spike in gas prices in the next few days which could amount to 25 cents per gallon. Personally, if I continue to see high gas prices, as soon as I get a new job, the v6 Grand Prix goes! I will get a high MPG import since there are few American cars that have great gas mileage.

Of course, I'd love to just buy a hybrid, but that's way out of my budget right now.

[surur]

I always laugh when Americans complain about the price of petrol. In Uk its currently around $6 per american gallon. Life just goes on...

For reference, they predict prices of $1.46 per gallon in America, and this is a crisis.

Surur

Edit sorry, that $1.46 was from 2002. They are actually predicting prices between $2.00 and $2.50 per gallon. Still a 1/3 of UK prices though :(

[jbachandouris]

I knew I'd get a response like that. How can you afford to drive? I have a hard time paying for gas at our prices.

BTW I wish gas prices were $1.46, they hvae not been that low in a long time.

[jweisz]

I saw a station this morning on my way to work which was $0.26 more than last night on the way home. It always feels to me like profiteering, since the entire contents of the underground tanks wasn't replaced overnight with more expensive gas.

[ADBrown]

I knew I'd get a response like that. How can you afford to drive? I have a hard time paying for gas at our prices.

They have a very small country.

BTW I wish gas prices were $1.46, they hvae not been that low in a long time.

I miss 1999. Out here in the country, we had $0.98 gas for awhile.

[ADBrown]

Apparently there will be a spike in gas prices in the next few days which could amount to 25 cents per gallon. Personally, if I continue to see high gas prices, as soon as I get a new job, the v6 Grand Prix goes! I will get a high MPG import since there are few American cars that have great gas mileage.

Of course, I'd love to just buy a hybrid, but that's way out of my budget right now.

Careful. To hear some people tell it, not wasting gas is unAmerican.

Around here, there's this one idiot who drives an enormous F-ing black Hummer H2 with at least eight--no, I'm not exaggerating--American flag stickers on the windows. They continually drive the thing like they're drag racing. Next time I have the opportunity, I'm considering painting Saudi flags on the sides and adding an "I brake for Osama's financiers" bumper sticker.

Anyway, none of this is what you originally asked for. I can't vouch personally, but from everything I've heard Volkswagen is a pretty good bet for mileage. Also the Hyundai Elantras are supposed to be efficient and fairly cheap.

I also dug up this list. Not surprisingly, the hybrids are on top, but you may find some of the information useful. You'll also find several diesel vehicles on the list, so check carefully.

http://www.autoweb.com/content/research/top10/index.cfm?id=10714%3BTAWEB&action=mileage&listtype=3&listtype_action=3%2Cmileage&vehicleclass=all&go.x=34&go.y=2

[Darius Wey]

Here in Australia (namely, Perth, since the other cities may have slightly different prices), we pay roughly A$0.85-A$1.05 per litre (which is roughly US$0.17-US$0.21 per gallon). That's for unleaded petrol though. LPG (actual gas) is another story. That's roughly A$0.35 per litre (or US$0.07 per gallon).

The great thing is that here in Australia, we can look up the next day's fuel prices (either on the news, internet, email, SMS, etc.). Also, there are an increasing number of discount campaigns where if you do a bit of grocery shopping, you get a voucher to get 4c/L off your next fill-up. I'm not sure if such incentives are available in other countries.

[Wiggster]

I don't see an extra $4 at the tank impacting my life in any meaningful way/ Oh no, I might have to give up a cup of coffee to drive my car! But I'm accustomed to doing both and talking on my cell phone! Dear me, whatever shall I do now :|

[Darius Wey]

I don't see an extra $4 at the tank impacting my life in any meaningful way/ Oh no, I might have to give up a cup of coffee to drive my car! But I'm accustomed to doing both and talking on my cell phone! Dear me, whatever shall I do now :|

Haha... Well, if you fill up once a fortnight: 26 x $4 = $104. That could translate into a lot of cool Pocket PC accessories. :drool:

[Wiggster]

I don't see an extra $4 at the tank impacting my life in any meaningful way/ Oh no, I might have to give up a cup of coffee to drive my car! But I'm accustomed to doing both and talking on my cell phone! Dear me, whatever shall I do now :|

Haha... Well, if you fill up once a fortnight: 26 x $4 = $104. That could translate into a lot of cool Pocket PC accessories. :drool:

If your car payment is $250 a month: 12 x $250 = $3,000 a year. If you get rid of the car entirely, that's a whole lot of Pocket PC accessories.

[Darius Wey]

If your car payment is $250 a month: 12 x $250 = $3,000 a year. If you get rid of the car entirely, that's a whole lot of Pocket PC accessories.

You're a thinker. ;) :D

Shame though... I really do need my car to get around the city these days.

[jbachandouris]

Please! There is no way in hell I would go without a car. Been there, done that, NOT going back!


Yes, I know...you were just kidding...

[Fishie]

I have lived witouth a car for 33 years now.
Never feel like I have to get one either.

[Wiggster]

If your car payment is $250 a month: 12 x $250 = $3,000 a year. If you get rid of the car entirely, that's a whole lot of Pocket PC accessories.

You're a thinker. ;) :D

Shame though... I really do need my car to get around the city these days.
The point was you pay for your car, its upkeep, and its gas, in order for the convienence of having a car. And in the scale of the cost of a car, the gas is a very small percentage in the yearly cost of a car for most people.

[Darius Wey]

The point was you pay for your car, its upkeep, and its gas, in order for the convienence of having a car. And in the scale of the cost of a car, the gas is a very small percentage in the yearly cost of a car for most people.

Good point. But the thing is, I'm not really fussed about petrol prices. It's jumped from ~A$0.40 to ~A$1.00 in the past 15 or so years, yet you still have to get through on it, like it or not.

I currently spend a little less than A$40 every fortnight on petrol for my car, and I'm still getting by on that. Unless it jumps to an extravagant proportion of my income, I'll just take it as it comes. :)

[MegaManXcalibur]

You know what they say "no way but up." Gas prices will keep going up because frankly everybody needs gas and gas companies know that. Sadly we can't do anything about it so I guess I'll just do like everybody else and put up with it.

[surur]

The alternative is to make sure your next car is more fuel efficient. Ive never had a temptation to buy a car with a more than 2 L engine. My current car is 1.6L, while my wife's car is a lowly 1.0L. I still have not come across a hill it could not get up :)

I understand energy is a much smaller percentage of the expenditure of the average American than the 1970's or 1980's. Considering how rich a country USA is, this could go two ways:

1) Americans could buy more fuel efficient cars
2) Having enough money to cover this increase in any case, they could buy LESS fuel efficient cars, to show each other that the increase doesn't really touch them. Kind of like a peacock's feathers. A huge expenditure just for show.

It could easily go the way of number 2.

Now of course America is not the only country affected by this increase, but Britain at least had always had a tradition of small cars. Having said that, there is an increasing amount of BMW x5's and Mercedes ML500's on the streets.

Surur

[PetiteFlower]

Europe is different, people are less dependant on cars because things are much closer together, and they have a great public transportation system. For most of America, not having a car isn't an option. Yeah, one could save $250-300 a month by not having a car, but it doesn't matter if you can't get to work to earn money at all!

Personally though I'm glad I now take the train to work and only drive on weekends. $2.50 a gallon is a lot. I paid $1.84 for mid-grade yesterday in New Jersey, that wasn't bad :)

[surur]

Still a cultural difference between this

http://best.me.berkeley.edu/~jhey03/img/photo_albums/berkeley04/Berkeley%20car.JPG

and this

http://www.arcadiadreams.com/images/ad_microcars/ad_heinkel/1957_Heinkel_Bubble_Car_Germany.jpg

Guess which one is from Europe. I suspect its due to post second world war european poverty.

Surur

[maximus]

The fuel price is recently raised from USD0.25/litre to 0.5/litre down here in Indonesia.

If I am not mistaken, 1 gallon is approx 3.78 litres.
So the current price is USD1.89/US gallon.

Is that good or bad ?

Back in singapore, I used to left my car at home, and go anywhere with MRT or buses. I only use the car if I really crave speeding, or doing sunday grocery shopping. But in Indonesia, a car is a must. I got mugged the first time I tried to go out by bus :p