gas prices ...

[dorian gray]

They pay exorbitant prices for housing though. Recall that the gas increase hurt the lurch so much, he traded his Mazda in for a Mini.

 

[J.]

LOL, I've budgeted for fuel for as long as I can remember.

Anyway, I wish people would remember that gas expense is just a small part of a much larger picture. I know many people who have traded in their trucks, vans, or what have you for a brand new hybrid and then go on to expound how much money they're saving by getting 40 mpg. I never have the heart to tell them they are now spending about twice as much per mile by getting suckered into buying a new (and unproven) technology. Financing, depreciation, maintenance, etc. is usually overlooked by the casual consumer.

ive never had to budget for gas. it was always a couple hundred a month and that was fine. but now, christ man. do i want gas or do i want to eat?

that being said, we did trade in a newer model murano for an old grand cherokee that surprisingly I can drive for two weeks without filling up. we traded in the f150 for a new accord that gets great gas mileage.

hybrids, meh. get the price down to a normal car without me having to replace the cell for $8000 and then we'll talk*

*-doesnt know much about hybrids.

 

[dorian gray]

do i want gas or do i want to eat?

So you bought a Grand Cherokee?! Dude, those are among the most inefficient vehicles ever built!
Are you coming out ahead by making those trades? Sounds like your total expenditures are breaking even, or maybe costing you even more. Fuel costs still pale in comparison to a $20,000 loan at 10%.
The only way around the fuel crunch is to drive an older Camry or Corolla - but you'll be driving a car engineered without safety in mind. Cars are such a trade-off. They're a lose-lose situation all around.

@hybrids: I don't know. I've read they're just as reliable, if not more so, than a conventional car. But I've also read the opposite. Personally, if I had the money, I'd buy a new Corolla over any of the new hybrids. I'd save about $6000 right off the bat.

 

[lurch70]

They pay exorbitant prices for housing though. Recall that the gas increase hurt the lurch so much, he traded his Mazda in for a Mini.

luckily came out about even on the trade ... less monthly payments.

also, saving about a tank of gas a month with my current calculations. that's $60 at today's prices ... so $720 a year.

but yeah, the on-board computer is my friend. coasting to red lights, crusing in 2nd in traffic ... fuckers took all the fun out of driving.

 

[dorian gray]

Gas prices be damned. I asked the wife if I could buy a used (to state the obvious) 911 and she said, "sure, when the kids move out". But, what kind of 911 will be around 18 years from now? I'll be like the protagonist in "Red Barchetta" at that point.

 

[lurch70]

what's the average miles you put on your car daily? ... roundtrip commute, etc.

 

[Thanatopsis123]

I hardly put any miles on my car. It's an '02 but it only has like 26k miles on it. And hell, when I bought it, it already had like 12k.

I didn't get it until my second year of college so by then I'd learned the fine art of bumming rides, which I still employ to this day.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

$4.14 here. Glad im carpooling with the boss's daughter

 

[dorian gray]

I bought a coffee yesterday that cost more than a gallon of gas. That put things into perspective: either coffee is really expensive or gas is not.

 

[dorian gray]

Or I could just never again buy such an expensive coffee.

 

[Reign in Acai]

What kind of coffee was that sir?!? You can get a nice frothy cup of java in the favela for $3.95, while a gallon of 91 octane goes for $4.87. BTW am I the one only here who uses 91? 87 will make your engine ping like a Chinaman.

 

[cthulufhtagn]

yeah you are the only one who uses 91

paid $4.15 for 87 the other day, that's as cheap as it gets here

 

[Hell Mike]

As Erik said ages ago in this here thread; wtf is up with low-octane gasoline? Lowest you can get here is 95 octane... Is there anything Ameriland does better than we do?

 

[swizzlenuts]

The reason while it's cheaper is because you don't get as much bang for your buck.

 

[Thanatopsis123]

Is there anything Ameriland does better than we do?

Disposable income.

 

[Hell Mike]

Disposable income.

...that goes to health insurance and mortgages?

 

[Nico]

As Erik said ages ago in this here thread; wtf is up with low-octane gasoline? Lowest you can get here is 95 octane... Is there anything Ameriland does better than we do?

For the most part it's the same here, although 91 is still available some places, it's getting phased out by 5/10% ethanol-replacement fuels, but it's still 95 octane mimimum. Never even heard of 87... having worked in a servo for years and seen the effect of continual use of 91 on older cars, I'm thinking 87 would just about halve the life of your engine.

 

[dorian gray]

Are you people driving jet engines?! All high-octane fuel does is prevent detonation in high-compression engines. It's not necessary for the vast majority of engines available to the general public.

 

[dorian gray]

What kind of coffee was that sir?!?

Starbucks medium iced vanilla latte. It was some $4.15 after tax. Gas that day was $3.99.

 

[dorian gray]

btw, I once saw 86 octane in the mountainous region of Colorado. Anyone know if that shit's still around?