Even I complain some but I try and put it in context..
Ok... here is how it works.. Lets assume you drive 10,000 miles a year:
If you get 22mpg then you would use 454 gallons of gas. If gas prices go up $.20 cents a gallon that would raise your cost of fuel $90 A YEAR.. or $7.50 a month (a whopping .25 cents a day)
If you moved to a car that got 28mpg you would only use 357 gallons of gas to go the same 10,000 miles. Saving 97 gallons of gas or about $194.00 at $2 per gallon. the increase in gas of $.20 would cost you ~$71 per year. So even a .40 a gallon increase would be offset by the $ you save buying a more efficent vehicle.
Its americans who choose to drive gas guzzleing SUV's and large trucks.. I get ticked when I see someone that owns a H2 complaining about the cost of gas.. If they were that concerned about it they should have bought a prius
I dont like it going up either but im not about to start with the "sky is falling" because im spending .25 a day more on gas.. Im sure this is only such a BIG issure because its an election year..
Adjusted for inflation gas prices are cheaper than the early 90's...
Posted by TimeLord (Member # 1389) on :
And to make the purchase of your 32mpg car[35k] instead of keeping your 22mpg car[paid] it will take 84 years[approx.]to come into your money,if you do an enormous amount of mileage!!!!!!!
[ 01. April 2004, 01:30 PM: Message edited by: TimeLord ]
Posted by 35TH ED/ed (Member # 1709) on :
I think I'll keep my 2500HD (12mpg) . Dont much care for small cars since I saw what a 18 wheeler did to the wifes Fiero while she was driving it.
Rising gas costs are a fact of life dosent help to complain.
Posted by Xsta Z 28 (Member # 740) on :
Get a diesel. Gas prices haven't changed since I bought my truck!
Posted by 2002Z4CSS (Member # 1393) on :
It seems that gas prices keep going up for no real good reason.I wished my wages went as fast as gas prices. Heck I even drove the Suburban all week just because it was dirty and the wife's Cadillac was clean and did not wash another vehicle.
Posted by el ess1 (Member # 1544) on :
And the price per gallon of milk is going up as well soon. No kidding. This is just the start of it. Our sister plant in Austria has some sterility issues making the availability of Posilac to dairy farmers very scarce. Lower milk production due to lower number of cows coupled with same demand equals higher market prices. That's the way it goes.
While the calculations are true in a simple math sort of way, gas is NOT just going up 20 cents per gallon and holding. The problem is, it's going up incrementally, and has already surpassed 20 cents per gallon rise since all this crap started and probably will go up another 30 or 40 cents by June by my own predictions (I hope I'm wrong). So, the costs are actually more than you show in the example, plus, it's not just the everyday joe that gets stabbed at the pumps. Companies who use fuel for transit are going to feel the pinch thousand-fold, and herein lies at least one tangible start of rising prices of goods. In turn, interest rates will be on the rise soon because of this domino effect on the economy. Because soon, it won't just be extra money at the gas pumps, but extra money for goods and services that figure fuel into part of their operating costs.
When prices are low, and nobody moves on prices, they stay low. But all it takes is one greedy group of bung-holes to willingly back off production to start jacking prices up simply because they want more money in their pockets. Then EVERYONE will start running around with their hands out trying to recoup their costs because of the greedy ones. Someone has to pay for it. Unfortunately, it's us. We just got to get used to it. Kinda makes nuclear power a little more palatable, doesn't it?
Posted by Steven2000SS (Member # 780) on :
quote:Originally posted by TimeLord: And to make the purchase of your 32mpg car[35k] instead of keeping your 22mpg car[paid] it will take 84 years[approx.]to come into your money,if you do an enormous amount of mileage!!!!!!!
The point is that while it sucks that it goes up like this it's not exactly a "Crisis"..
Uh.. how much is your 22mpg car worth? A friend of mine just bought a honda insight that gets 40mpg .. it was used with 9k miles, paid 11k for it.. so much for your "to the extreem" argument
The gas prices are not good for the economy but price increases rarely are.. People want it both ways. They want to drive HUGE cars with bad milage, they want to NEVER drill in ANWAR, stop drilling offshore, dont develop Nuclear.. BUT we want cheap gas. It dosent work that way..
Complain all you want but the US still pays less than 50% of what they pay in other countries.. and while prices have gone up a lot recently overall its still priced lower than inflation.
Nobody else find this coincedental in an election year? So much for Bush controling "big oil" Posted by Steven2000SS (Member # 780) on :
Oh, i know its worse on a "economy" scale but my post was directed twords all the people whining about what they pump into their personal cars..
Posted by SS_CarGuy (Member # 2065) on :
To just fortify what EL ESS1 said, huge increases in the price of crude not only mean higher gas prices, but can also lead to a significant rise in inflation because of the enormous impact to consumer products produced from crude. And with interest rates already at a low point, there is little the fed can do to hold down inflation because of price increases from higher product costs caused by a spike in crude oil prices. If you lived thru the 70's, you know exactly what I mean.
Posted by Blu SS 98 (Member # 1812) on :
This is America, if I wish to drive my gas guzzling Pro Streeter or Tahoe and complain about the cost of gas, I can. Posted by Steven2000SS (Member # 780) on :
Here is why were at the mercy of cartels like OPEC:
OPEC's goal is to make as much $$$$$$$ as possible and stay just short of plunging the world into a resession..
Posted by TimeLord (Member # 1389) on :
WOW !!! That's exactly the same goal that the Big Oil Refiners have,what a coincedence!!!!!!!
Posted by Sweden SS (Member # 1747) on :
quote:Originally posted by Steven2000SS: Complain all you want but the US still pays less than 50% of what they pay in other countries..
I paid just under $5 per gallon yesterday Posted by Mike2001SS (Member # 2088) on :
quote:Originally posted by TimeLord: WOW !!! That's exactly the same goal that the Big Oil Refiners have,what a coincedence!!!!!!!
Speaking of refineries did you know there has not been a new refinery built in I forget maybe 40 years now and shortages and high price comes also when what few refineries we have can's keep up with the demand. Ask yourself why they do not build more and it will surprize you. We have needed new ones for many years but nothing in the plans
Posted by Steven2000SS (Member # 780) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mike2001SS:
quote:Originally posted by TimeLord: WOW !!! That's exactly the same goal that the Big Oil Refiners have,what a coincedence!!!!!!!
Speaking of refineries did you know there has not been a new refinery built in I forget maybe 40 years now and shortages and high price comes also when what few refineries we have can's keep up with the demand. Ask yourself why they do not build more and it will surprize you. We have needed new ones for many years but nothing in the plans
Sierra Club Greenpeace Motherearth.org
the list goes on.. being PC will be the death of this country..
Posted by Mike2001SS (Member # 2088) on :
quote:Originally posted by Steven2000SS:
quote:Originally posted by Mike2001SS:
quote:Originally posted by TimeLord: WOW !!! That's exactly the same goal that the Big Oil Refiners have,what a coincedence!!!!!!!
Speaking of refineries did you know there has not been a new refinery built in I forget maybe 40 years now and shortages and high price comes also when what few refineries we have can's keep up with the demand. Ask yourself why they do not build more and it will surprize you. We have needed new ones for many years but nothing in the plans
Sierra Club Greenpeace Motherearth.org
the list goes on.. being PC will be the death of this country..
And not to mention all those groups and several more caused the additive from corn to be added to most gas and do you know how much fuel oil it takes to turn corn into what goes into gas. It cost alot more to refine and takes more fuel to produce that refining gas in the first place and there is alot of the cost at the pumps.
Posted by ss_rs_z (Member # 1888) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mike2001SS:
quote:Originally posted by TimeLord: WOW !!! That's exactly the same goal that the Big Oil Refiners have,what a coincedence!!!!!!!
Speaking of refineries did you know there has not been a new refinery built in I forget maybe 40 years now and shortages and high price comes also when what few refineries we have can's keep up with the demand. Ask yourself why they do not build more and it will surprize you. We have needed new ones for many years but nothing in the plans
They have closed most of them and only have a handful operating so as to insure that we keep paying high prices. Remember back in the 80's when gas prices were falling tremendously because of the glut. Well they learned their lesson and closed half of the refineries to make sure they control the amount being shipped across country. Hence higher prices and the continuation of gouging for their pockets.
[ 01. April 2004, 05:28 PM: Message edited by: ss_rs_z ]
Posted by Mike2001SS (Member # 2088) on :
Better check out all the other reasons for those closing as well as why they don't build any new ones. One of my friends and a neighbor that lives behind me is one of the Texas oil family's with gas and oil wells and he could fill you in on alot
Posted by ss_rs_z (Member # 1888) on :
That I believe but its funny to know that all of a sudden we are having refinery fires which are closing them down until they are repaired which then helps raise the price of gasoline because of supply and demand. I know here in the Detroit area we used to have 3 refineries but are now down to one. We deliver Electrical materials for refurbishing and rebuilding. SO if these others need rebuilding or refurbishing then I say they let them do it. If not then America will be choked of its needs which will then lead to another set back of the economy. And we all can't afford for this to happen again. Just my opinion.
Posted by SteelHorse (Member # 1725) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sweden SS:
quote:Originally posted by Steven2000SS: Complain all you want but the US still pays less than 50% of what they pay in other countries..
I paid just under $5 per gallon yesterday
You also have a different tax system there so you are not comparing the same thing. Apple and oranges. I'm sick of hearing how much gas costs in europe compared to here.
Posted by mikerc (Member # 2021) on :
There's all kinds of wierdness about energy in this country. Example, California and their recent power problems.
Read this news article about the process of applying to build a new nuke plant in the US. For those that don't want to read, check out a few excerpts:
"Two separate groups of companies have formed recently with an eye toward applying for licenses that could allow the first new U.S. nuclear power plant to be built in more than 25 years." "There is no plan at this time to actually build a new nuclear reactor, members of both groups emphasized." "The application process is expected to take six years and cost about $500 million..." "...consortium plans to complete its application and submit it in 2008. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to make a decision on the application by late 2010..."
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Gas prices haven't changed since I bought my truck!
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