Gas/Oil - demand

When will the price of gas effect the general public's driving habits??

The US fleet passanger vehicle average MPG has dropped since 1986 when the Reagan Administration rolled back mandated light-vehicle efficiency standards.

We have more high tech cars and trucks but on average we're using more fuel per mile! Problem is sport utility and light truck sales are about half of all passenger vehicle sales. Compared to the mid 80's I guess.

I know some people that went for a holiday in California a couple weeks back. They said they never seen so many Hummers in thier life as they did driving around on the streets down there. Along with other large vehilces used to carry passagers only.

Its no different here people like the sport Utility 4x4 vehicls and trucks for city driving. Many probably never get put to work in 4 wheel mode.

Are pickup trucks aka family grocery haulers just a western thing? Out here in western Canada its pretty common for city folk to use pick up trucks for hauling the kids around town. Friend of mine from out east said its not like that there. Though it may have changed since he moved out west.

If someone has a vehicle with 6 hemis or diesels that gets 20 gallons per mile and can afford to drive it, it's their money, not mine. They unemployed families down the road is a serious problem though. Just my two cents.

Mark

Then would it not be cheaper for transport trucks, or the taxi driver, or the school bus driver etc.

It's nice that congress is going to allow "test" drilling in Anwar to begin in 10 years. Very nice. Doesn't do squat now. And the next question about the Anwar oil, if it does turn out to be such a great find, as predicted by some, is "Where is that oil going to end up?". The oil from the pipeline that was intended to alleviate the high prices and shortages in the US after the 70's oil embargo is EXPORTED to countries such a s Japan - None of it is used domestically, it's all exported.

I don't truely believe that your, my, or anyone elses use is going to do anything to lower the prices.

I forget the percentages, but a few weeks ago crude dropped from a "then" all time high of $58 dollars per barrel to $53 per barrel, yet the price at the pumps did not go down accordingly, or linearly to how they go up every time that there's a raise. And prices do go up the same day at the pumps that the price goes up per barrel, and I'm referring to fuel already in underground tanks at gas/fuel stations. When asked why that is, the oil companies say because at any given time, there's only a days worth of refined fuel on hand, so the prices must go up accordingly. Then why isn't the converse true as well? When the price of crude drops by a certain percentage, does it not go down by a similar percentage, instead of a fraction of the percentage that it went up? And how did the oil companies know enough at the beginning of the year to predict that prices at the pump would hit $3.00 per gallon by summer? Based upon what? Why do prices at the pump typically go up Thursday nights before "payday" and the weekend, then often show a slight decrease on Mondays when folks aren't out driving about like they would be on weekends? I don't see the prices of crude going up on Thursdays and dropping on Mondays.

I often wonder if it's not manipulated with our government's blessing. Some of the same Congressmen and Senators whom complain the most about the oil companies take some of the largest campaign contributions from those same oil companies. On one hand, you have those that have either direct ties to oil companies, or friends whom are. On the other hand, you have those that are also lining their pockets with monies from Greenpeace and the likes, so high prices lead to the common folk downsizing vehicles, tools, etc, and they get what they want too, thanks to the cost of fuel. They're laughing all the way to the bank, you, I our neighbors are getting stung. Multimillionaire politicians with multi-million dollar "war/treasure chests" on their pay? How does that happen?

Mark

That's pretty good, Jughead.

I wasn't old enough during the last gas crisis to know much about car buying habits then. I do remember the lines and license plate ending in an even number go on tuesdays and such...

I do know cars cost a lot more today.

I think they cost a lot more relative to income, too. (If nothing else, there's the story I read that a farmer used to figure he could buy a new pickup by selling a single steer...)

I also know I now see such abominations as six and seven year car loans. Ok, so most people don't drive like me...but if you have to spread out payments over seven years, can you even afford a sudden repair bill when the car gets that old?

Where I'm going is...how many of these people who bought gas-guzzling status symbols are now stuck in a loan they're upside down on?

I'm thinking (semi-elders help me out here) you had more flexibility in the 70s to buy a new, more efficient car if you wanted to.

Today, many more people are going to be stuck with a vehicle they can't get away from. And of course that has less demand, so they'll take an even bigger hit if they do sell or trade it...

Most of the people I see complaining about filling their fuel tank justify their "need" for their pickup/SUV because it pulls their boat/jetski/Harley around. Go cry on somebody else's shoulder.

And in the process, collapse the world economy. That's not going to happen -- well, at least as likely as seeing the U.S. start to print money in order to pay the national debt. Either one would have similiar effects of seizing the engine of the world economy. Cause in either case, it won't matter what it costs to commute, most of us wouldn't have jobs.

> another is to reduce consumption

Which along with alternatives to petroleum is the only viable offset to petroleum usage and stabilize prices.

If my neighbors want to go for groceries in a Toyota, a pickup truck or an 18 wheel Kenworth, it makes no difference to me.
Ya want to haul your kids to soccer practice in a greyhound bus? Go ahead, it's your money you're spending.

I'll drive what I choose, when and where it pleases me and I expect others to do the same.

Just because somebody else can afford things I can't doesn't mean they have no right to spend their money however they want to. It's all part of living in a country based on individual freedoms. The rest of the world just doesn't understand that.

It would be nice to be free from busybodies and self-righteous finger waggers too.

You have purpose or need for your truck in order to work.

Most here are refering to cases where people drive a 4x4 powerstroke strictly as a passagner vehicle never intending to us it for pulling a trailer etc.

Which of course is thier business. But the point I was making is if fuel sky rockets with $100/barrel oil that is predicted will they keep on driving the gas guzzlers?? When fuel costs more than the truck payment (for a passanger vehicle) it gets kinda scary!

There is all kinds of news coverage and people b*tching on the radio regarding pump prices.

So my point was how high can gas go before it starts to hurt people's bank account to drive gas guzzlers....$3-4$ gallon??? Will it take $6 gallon fuel to make the auto market shift to vehicles with better milage??

We could save billions of gallons of fuel in North America by simply drving a bit smaller more fuel efficient vehicles.

I presently have a minivan. ON the highway it gets about 30 mpg. Around town it drops off quite a bit. The van uses twice as much as my old VW jetta turbo diesel I used to have.

The point about having a big 4WD in the city and not using it is that is wastes alot of fuel.

Today we hear so much about pollution and reducing it, ie carpooling, emissions testing etc, it gets people that they've gotta go through all of this to drag the pollution DOWN, and some guy is going around wasting fuel pullling the pollution and fuel usage of the country UP.

I know it's his own business, even so when you think about it on a big scale...

God bless,

pawel

Supply and demand will set the price. I'll decide how I spend my money, you decide for yours.

I believe I made it clear that it was their own business in my posting, maybe you missed that sentence. However, I did say that the guy going around with a huge truck for no reason is hurting others than himself.

You have to draw the line somewhere, do you think someone should be allowed to buy a whole tanker of fuel and burn it by the gallon in his back yard for no reason until it's all gone? It's his own fuel and he paid for it, but should he be allowed to do this?

No, he shouldn't be allowed it's harming other people by what he's doing for no reason. Now I don't think that someone should be prevented against having big trucks when they don't need them, but I think I've made my point clear.

God bless,

Pawel

You want to tell others what they can or can't do.

"It's his own fuel and he paid for it, but should he be allowed to do this?" is the response of someone who has the desire to control others.

If you don't like what somebody does with their fuel or their vehicles, buy it all for yourself and do whatever you want to do with it. Otherwise it's no business of yours.

It's not that I want(or want anyone else to) tell people what to do, but it's unChristian for someone to do just as they please and not care whether they hurt anyone else (in however small a way) in the process. The mentality "just because I bought it it's mine so I can do what I want with it-if it harms someone else-what the hey, they shouldda kept outta my way" is a very non - Christian attitude, and in my opinion in our Christian country shouldn't be present.

Anyway, I didn't mean to start an argument, but I just wanted to let you know my point of view :)

God bless,

Pawel

You are entitled to your point of view, but fortunately, you have no right to impose it on me.

its not their own business, it's all our problem cause we gotta all live in the same world- if i buy some gas and want to dump it inta the river, i cant pollute the river just cause i bought and paid for the gas. i cant do it caus it affects other people.

ya gotta think of that .

later,

ryan