Couldn't wait to get back downtown for some cheap gas!

I spent the weekend out in the suburbs with family. I was excited to fill the tank at a lower non-city rate. But when I pulled into the Shell mid-grade cost $4.50/gallon! At least ten cents more than the BP around the corner from me at Belmont and Racine. WTF?! I thought the city was supposed to be so much more expensive.

 

I always get a chuckle when I read some breaking news about gas hitting the 4 dollar threshold. 4 dollars? Tell me where can I have it at that bargain price!


PS: Still have the fuel from May in the tank. I guess I'll have to refuel this month. Should then last till September.

 

I saw $4.30 today around my house

 

I (over)filled yesterday in Buffalo Grove at $4.49. A good $4 ended on the floor..

 

You should be here in Toronto. Filled up at $1.46 per liter. Simple conversion is to multiply by 4 to get the cost per gal. Hint: it is nearly $6 Canadian dollars and the last time I checked the exchange rate was 0.95 US $ for one Canadian $.

For those that need exact numbers, multiply by 3.875.

 

That's what people in the US don't understand: Our fuel prices are low compared to the rest of the civilized world. The problem is: We have the worst gas guzzlers that people in Europe etc don't have. It's time for a change. SUVs and trucks first.

 

For decades fuel prices in the US have been an incredible bargain. When I lived in Hong Kong in 1995/96 I was paying $6 a gallon. I spent nearly 20 years working for an oil company and nearly that entire time we had horrible returns and spent much of the time closing refineries reducing staff to reduce costs.

People should drive what ever they want and can afford. Congress should get their collective thumbs out of their a-- and allow more drilling and building refineries.

 

Ok but I get to watch you try to haul 60 cases of wine (around 2,000 lbs) in a Yugo, Smart Car, Prius, etc.

 

But hey! The doctors are free.

 

As of right now 1.00 CAD=0.991189 USD so about par.

 

If you do that as a professional, the gas is part of your expenses/price calculation. If you do this as an amateur, well then you seem to have enough $ to pay for higher gas prices anyhow.

The problem I have with SUVs and trucks is that they are not really used for what they were intended.

 

+1000000

 

Thanks Andrew.

It is truly my belief and I got cruzified for it in the P&R section when I made my case there. Oh well.

 

I'm with you Andreas. In most cases they're not necessities, it's just a matter of 'Keeping up With the Joneses'! Every suburban family seems to have one, whether they need it or not......sheesh.

 

May be so, but what does one use to haul a family of 4-5 on vacation with "stuff" (See George Carlin's description of "Stuff") for a week? What cars are available? None. Thus, families needed to have something to haul stuff and kids. I don't know of anyone that could buy two vehicles, a SUV for only hauling stuff and another one to just do the short runs. Thus, you got people with SUVs. Now, when you see a SUV on the road with a woman driving and nothing else, are you jumping to conclusions that the SUV just isn't necessary for her? They may have a boat to haul as part of the stuff for vacation, or they have properties that need attending and need to haul tools around on weekends.

If you single out SUVs, then you need to single out other things people don't really needs. Stuff like boats, airplanes, cough, cough, Ferrari cars,........

Frankly, I like to see free enterprise at work. If there is another vehicle out there that can do what a person wants, they will buy it. If they need a SUV for whatever reason, and I don't completely buy into "keeping up with the Jones" argument, why not let them buy one? It is their $$$$. If the idea is to impress the neighbors, then why not buy a Lexus, BMW, Merc.,..etc (car).

 

That's what minivans were made for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an environmentalist. All I'm saying is that if people with SUVs and trucks complain about high gas prices, well too bad. If you can afford a boat, airplane, Ferrari, then the gas prices shouldn't be an obstacle. I don't complain about them either as the fuel cost compared to the maintenance/running costs of my Ferrari are negligible.

 

+1

 

Too small and won't pull anything but a small boat. They are also like driving a sail boat on the highway. Large profile for the wind to catch. But I see your point.

 

I think it says something when sales of SUVs and pickup trucks are way down; in fact, some manufacturers are shutting down their factories that build them. Yes, it's all about the price of gas but many consumers are finding they don't really need these these vehicles. Actually, most of us don't really NEED some of the vehicles we own!

Remember the days before SUVs, somehow people managed. Aye, there were station wagons but those disappeared a long time ago.

 

+1

I still think Europe and Japan got it right when it comes to cars: Compact vehicles with optional powerful engines. I never understood the big car, big engine approach. A change in thinking in the US is a good thing. I wish we had gotten to this point based on rationale and not by force of rising gas prices.

And regarding that 5 head family with the boat: Yes, some applications are for SUVs, not disputing that. But does the soccer mom have to drive a military vehicle like the Hummer to the local mall to have her nails done?

 

Well, all you need to do is look at homes around here and you see how Big is Beautiful in this country. Mom, dad, two kids and a pet? 8000 square feet, 6 bedrooms blah blah blah. Obviously none of you have ever had to drive a child to a soccer game. Unless you have 7-seating capability, there's just no way to pull it off.

 

Ditto +1000

Ah yes, 'Trophy Homes' are definitely a necessity. Though many can't afford to buy furniture for them!

By the way, SUVs are selling like hotcakes. The dealers are selling them below cost just to get rid of them!

I think the end is near......

 

Wow! I've read this entire thread again and to be honest it is pretty scary.
Talking about what other people should be allowed to have?

 

Nobody said such a thing. It is a free country, so buy what you like and can afford.

All I'm saying is that I won't miss SUVs and trucks because of rising gas prices.

PS: That's the beauty of a free economic system: Ultimately the market forces will encourage proper behavior.

 

+1

No one is trying to dictate to others what they should or shouldn't have; we're just expressing our opinions.