Are higher energy prices affecting your behaviour?

[Rondinone]

Originally posted by jyl
Just curious, are you guys doing anything different due to higher gasoline prices (and I guess soon higher natural gas and heating oil prices)?

I'm going to buy a Nissan Titan. Nobody else wants one, so the dealers are ready to dicker.

[osidak]

Originally posted by Peterfrans
Things could be worse, imagine paying $6,80 a gallon as we are doing in the Netherlands. I think we already payed 3$ a gallon 20 years ago.

The big difference is the majority of your fuel cost consist of taxes.

Those taxes where put into place by people your country elected.

Our $3.50 a gallon fuel consist of just $0.48 cents in tax in the most expensive state (I think that number is correct)

Less than two years ago the tax was the same and we paid $1.50

When I was in college I once filled up my 240D with diesel that cost $0.68 a gallon

[pwd72s]

Osidak nailed it...GAS costs are pretty much the same world wide, with minor variances because of formulation...such as the panther pi$$ some are forced to burn because of local regulation. But the reason for the HUGE gap in price between the USA and Europe? TAXES...no reason other than TAXES. Here, gas taxes are supposedly going into road building and maintenance. In Europe, road funding is only a small portion of the taxes collected.

[chuckw951]

Originally posted by KNS
I hope the rest will pick up on Europeans example.

Say, what kind of mileage does that 80 911SC get?

[KNS]

Not too shabby, about 27 mpg on the highway

Now if I could work on my punctuation....

[singpilot]

The people that were laughing at my paying MSRP for my Prius a year ago are now asking about the tax rebate and the actual mileage. I have been riding the bikes a lot more lately now that it has cooled off, but is still sunny every day.

[cantdrv55]

Originally posted by Rondinone
I'm going to buy a Nissan Titan. Nobody else wants one, so the dealers are ready to dicker.

Nobody wants the Nissan Titan because of the brake issues too.

[Dantilla]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC


Yet, a lot of people are changing their behavior, even doing such drastic things as going out and buying more fuel efficient cars, because of that small monthly cost increase. Seems a bit over-reactionary.

Yeah, you're right. But I'm a spoiled brat, and driving the Miata is like having my own personal roller-coaster every time I go somewhere. I'd been thinking about it for quite a while. I was going to buy one after selling the 912, but found one I wanted, and bought it before I sold the 912.

Licensing and insuring another car is probably more expensive than just putting gas in the truck, but it sure made a good excuse for buying myself another toy.

[motion]

The other day my mom and I calculated that people in eastern Europe, when average monthly wages are factored in, are paying the equivelant of $180 per gallon for gas.

When I'm travelling and renting a car, I always reserve a compact. But, magically, there are no compacts ever available, and I get stuck with an American pig that gets 13mpg for "free".

[nostatic]

Originally posted by KNS
Not too shabby, about 27 mpg on the highway

are you only driving downhill?

No way my SC gets anywhere near that...

[austin552]

Coverted the 911 to hydrogen. Can't find any stations to fill up though.

[H.G.P.]

Yes, because someones lifestyle will not sacrifice, but instead keep raising the prices. I can accept some of the gasoling price up, but do not believe for a minute the natural gas hike.

So:

1. I'm spending less time online due to sealing (shrink film) windows in the house.

2. Caulking (re-caulking) all windows.


3. Try to make car runs for multiple items in the same/close locations.

4. Buying in bulk to save trips.

[Dixie]

I blame the entire oil/gas mess on those medieval guys. What were they thinking pouring boiling oil off the ramparts onto their enemies? Didn't it ever occur to them to save it for later generations?

Another group I blame is the Europeans from several centuries ago. Take the English as an example. They burned all their forest to support some "Industrial Revolution" type thing. It got so bad they had to go get trees off an extra unused continent that they happened to find laying around.

Couldn't these people just be happy and conserve nature and all it's resources for us? What's wrong with living in a thatch hut and worshiping a circle of large rocks? At the very least they should have only exhaled on every-other breath.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally posted by cantdrv55
Nobody wants the Nissan Titan because of the brake issues too.

You mean just like the F150 and Expeditions? Warped rotors are standard in these things. We were paying a ton for gas each month with wife in the 03 Expedition and me commuting 70 miles/day in the F150. Now doing most of the commute on the bike as made a big difference. Truck sits patiently in the drive waiting for something to do.

[jyl]

I find that I'm ever more inclined to shop online for anything that isn't available in my immediate daily orbit, since driving 15-30 miles roundtrip to find something now costs $4-6 including gas, tolls, and parking - which goes a ways to neutralizing the shipping cost.

[cantdrv55]

Aren't there plans to increase all SF Bay Area bridge tolls to $5? Right now, it's $6 of tolls for me if I want to go into the city.

[vash]

Originally posted by cantdrv55
Aren't there plans to increase all SF Bay Area bridge tolls to $5? Right now, it's $6 of tolls for me if I want to go into the city.

that is our governor's idea right?

and about the USA's gas prices. of course it is taxed, but isnt it also subsidized by the government? the man, pays the oil companies $$ to keep the prices down. i dont understand how you tax and pay at the same time. maybe it is easier to make the oil companies rich. if you just eliminated the tax and quit subsidizing, the payment gets confusing? i dont get it.

[gas.save]

... pity i have no friends

Maybe you have no friends 'cause you're a lousy spammer! Post removed. -Z-man.

[gas.save]

Removed. -Z-man.

[coldstart]

Originally posted by chuckw951
This reminds me about my new ritual when filling up my car at the gas station. I look at the other gas pumps to see how much fuel previous customers purchased. I am stunned to see how many people are buying $5 and $10 worth of gas. These folks are not living paycheck to paycheck, but rather day to day. You can't get far on 1.5 gallons of gas these days.

Expensive gas does cut deep. Not too long ago I was paying $1.39 for diesel, I think it was summer 2002. Now it is at $3.29/gallon. In 2002 I'd burn $28 a week in fuel, now I'm burning $66 a week. So my monthly commuting expense for fuel has gone from $112 to $264. It all adds up.

At least here in Canada, the price of gas fluctuates regularly during the day. I will put $10 of gas into my car for the current use but I will fill up when the gas price comes down (at night or in the next few days). It has nothing to do with ability to pay or living day to day.

You also have to remember that in Canada we are paying $1/L (~$3.30/US gallon) so Canadians on a whole drive smaller , more fuel efficient cars. The Honda Civic/Chevy Cobalt are our best sellers-- we even get a Pontiac version of the Cobalt, the Pursuit and Honda makes an Acura version of the Civic called the CSX (formerly EL).