My SUV, an Acura MDX, is a clean air emissions vehicle that gets 17 mpg in city and 23 mpg oh hwy, which I think is comparable to some trucks and sports cars. So maybe we shouldn't knock the type of vehicle, but rather cars with poor gas mileage.
In college I drove a Geo Metro and got 40 mpg. It was a great commuter car. But 3 years ago someone who was talking on their cellphone collided into the back of my wife's SUV, which in turn slammed her into the cement median divide. Her car was crushed like an accordion. But her passenger compartment was remarkably preserved. The only downside was the force of the impact was so strong the head rest bent back and the back of the front seat broke and went back. She had her seat belt on but she was still tossed around inside the car, partially restrained.
Luckily she survived, although she did have a head injury. Luckily it was only a minor one. For instance, since the accident she has trouble spelling and multitasking. Otherwise she is okay though, thank God. Had she been in a little Geo Metro like I used to drive, she would be dead probably.
So I don't mind paying the 4 bucks per gallon. For me, with my wife still with me, I will pay the 4 bucks and not even blink. When I look at my wife and I love her so much...that 4 bucks a gallon is a bargain.
The problem is that your willing to spend 4 bucks a gallon to drive a SUV is forcing others to spend 4 bucks a gallon that drive economy cars and the overall demand from other SUV drivers such as yourself is driving the price of gasoline even higher. 17mpg city and 23 mpg hwy is a horrible gas rating.
The Geo Metro was a good choice. The problem with safety as you mentioned would not exist if everyone drove smaller cars. So who is gonna blink first in order to make that happen? In the UK, like the previous poster mentioned, they have no problem driving smaller vehicles with good gas mileage ratings that still can accommodate large families.
You know...you're right. I am forcing everyone in America to buy gas for 4 bucks a gallon. I take full responsibility for that.
The Ford Mustang GT gets 17 / 26, and the Ford F150 gets 14 / 20. My Acura is 2005 and I get 17 / 23. The website says 15 / 20 for a 2008, so not sure about that...I have a computer in the car that keeps track of miles per gallon. They must have added horsepower or something. Anyway, perhaps the emphasis should be taken off of SUV's and put on all vehicles that get similar gas mileage.
Also, if you were gonna crash a metro at 65 mph into a cement median strip and you could choose the car you were going to crash in...you mean to tell me...honestly now...that you would choose to crash in a metro versus an Acura MDX?
I say bring it on. I hope gas prices go up to $8 per gallon. The era of apathy needs to end. The only way to convince people that they need to change their lifestyle is by taking shots at their pocket. Maybe once people start using mass transit the oil companies will see the trend and start shoveling money into alternatives sources. It's too bad that we couldn't be bothered to see the signs in 1973. Some did understand the principles, so why are we still fighting this battle 30 years later? Is it pure laziness? We are very resourceful people who have every opportunity to create changes to benefit us greatly. We simply have not been adversely affected enough to stir our motivation. Personally, I think $8 per gallon would be just the motivation we need.
Nice post, I am going to take a guess and say you share a lot of Thomas Friedman's views on global economy and energy.
I too am rooting for a severe oil crisis. We all know $200/barrel oil is less than 1 year away, and people are going to have to make some drastic changes. Fine with me, it is time we free oursleves of our energy shackles.
There is an upside to this current situation.. With oil being so expensive, for the first time ever it is now feasible to explore and develop energy alternatives. No one has the motivation or initiative to replace oil when it was less than $20.00 a barrel. There are billions upon billions to be made off of alternative energies, and the US free market will be the first to revolutionize transportation, home energy and commercial energy.
The State of Montana can already produce $55.00/barrel SFC (synthetic fuel from coal). This www.free-eco.org/articleDisplay.php article states that they have always been able to do this, but it was cost-prohibitive at anything less than $35.00/barrel.
There is a positive side to all of this, we will all witness the energy revolution within the next 5-10 years, it is coming for sure!
I agree with the statement in red. The wife and I are looking into solar panels for our roof. Unfortunately we bought a 40 year roof about 5 years ago or we would have gotten the fancy onces that double as shingles. My father was telling me they are offering financial incentives for people willing to put solar panels up. I think that's something definitely worth looking in to.
Also, the electrical grid is already straining under the load it is currently under. If we are gonna start increasing the number of electrical cars on the road, that will increase demand and therefore the price....unless we look at alternatives like nuclear power.
Bio fuels are a mistake I think. If you have hundreds of millions of these cars on the road, corn prices will grow through the roof as more of it is diverted from human consumption and animal feed to fuel. Food prices will go through the roof! On the positive side, there will be more lean people probably
About two years ago I started to think about getting a bicycle to ride to and from work. That has gone from an amusing thought to something I am definately doing this summer. I can't believe the price of heating our homes and filling up our cars. This is not good.
dailybuzz. the only realistic technology at the moment to replace gasoline based industry is hyrdrogen. Electric would actually create more of a demand for oil, coal, etc because we would use a shit load of power to charge our cars. the Tessla the most advanced electric at the moment according to the manufacturer says it costs as much as cell phone to charge(i highly doubt that and i realisticly would say its like running an electric stove for 24 hours). The point being if everyone had one then it would use way too much fossil fuels to solve the problem, of fuel. Co2 and hydrocarben in the environment it doesn't add ot at all. Hydrogen on the other hand is an entirely new technology that would be a hellacious transition at best. because no one understands exactly how it works, except for the people who make it.. and of those who do understand it who aren't involved in devlopment servicing them would be something entirely different. i think the change should happen extremely gradually over 10-20 years. To give time for the best current auto mechanics to find there nich (classics and antiques have always been somewhat of an industry), and the rest to acclimate and find new jobs. Anything sooner would be retarded IMO.
nuclear power anyone?
Hold on Snow Leopard, imma let you finish, but Windows had one of the best operating systems of all time.
If the Powerball lottery was like Lotro, nobody would win for 2 years, and then everyone in Nebraska would win on the same day. And then Nebraska would get nerfed.-pinkwood lotro fourms
AMD 4800 2.4ghz-3GB RAM 533mhz-EVGA 9500GT 512mb-320gb HD
My SUV, an Acura MDX, is a clean air emissions vehicle that gets 17 mpg in city and 23 mpg oh hwy, which I think is comparable to some trucks and sports cars. So maybe we shouldn't knock the type of vehicle, but rather cars with poor gas mileage.
In college I drove a Geo Metro and got 40 mpg. It was a great commuter car. But 3 years ago someone who was talking on their cellphone collided into the back of my wife's SUV, which in turn slammed her into the cement median divide. Her car was crushed like an accordion. But her passenger compartment was remarkably preserved. The only downside was the force of the impact was so strong the head rest bent back and the back of the front seat broke and went back. She had her seat belt on but she was still tossed around inside the car, partially restrained.
Luckily she survived, although she did have a head injury. Luckily it was only a minor one. For instance, since the accident she has trouble spelling and multitasking. Otherwise she is okay though, thank God. Had she been in a little Geo Metro like I used to drive, she would be dead probably.
So I don't mind paying the 4 bucks per gallon. For me, with my wife still with me, I will pay the 4 bucks and not even blink. When I look at my wife and I love her so much...that 4 bucks a gallon is a bargain.
The problem is that your willing to spend 4 bucks a gallon to drive a SUV is forcing others to spend 4 bucks a gallon that drive economy cars and the overall demand from other SUV drivers such as yourself is driving the price of gasoline even higher. 17mpg city and 23 mpg hwy is a horrible gas rating.
The Geo Metro was a good choice. The problem with safety as you mentioned would not exist if everyone drove smaller cars. So who is gonna blink first in order to make that happen? In the UK, like the previous poster mentioned, they have no problem driving smaller vehicles with good gas mileage ratings that still can accommodate large families.
You know...you're right. I am forcing everyone in America to buy gas for 4 bucks a gallon. I take full responsibility for that.
The Ford Mustang GT gets 17 / 26, and the Ford F150 gets 14 / 20. My Acura is 2005 and I get 17 / 23. The website says 15 / 20 for a 2008, so not sure about that...I have a computer in the car that keeps track of miles per gallon. They must have added horsepower or something. Anyway, perhaps the emphasis should be taken off of SUV's and put on all vehicles that get similar gas mileage.
Also, if you were gonna crash a metro at 65 mph into a cement median strip and you could choose the car you were going to crash in...you mean to tell me...honestly now...that you would choose to crash in a metro versus an Acura MDX?
ford is the least efficent in almost any category with the possible exception of the focus.
The 6.0 liter corvette motor GTO with a g speed manual transmission romped the 4.6 liter mustand in both performance and gas mileage.
Chevy makes a hybrid silverado 1500 that you can buy right now with all the power of a regular truck, and there is a taho and yukon version.
Ford also loses out to both chevy and dodge as far diesel fuel economy goes(used to be the other way around)
overall ford is the least fuel efficent of any manufacturer.
Who actually is starting to impress for the horsepower is volvo, and they aren't ugly anymore.
The S80 is comprable to the BMW 5 series cars in terms of permofance yet gets an astounding 24 miles to the gallon.
the S40 is extremely economical.
The XC 70 there midsized SUV thing gets around 22 or so.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
About two years ago I started to think about getting a bicycle to ride to and from work. That has gone from an amusing thought to something I am definately doing this summer. I can't believe the price of heating our homes and filling up our cars. This is not good.
Lucky for you our politicians have gone out and borrowed more money from the Central Asian banks to give you a tax rebate to blow on a new bicycle. I saw a news segment on a guy in California that hooked up a gasoline powered weed wacker to the back sprocket of his bicycle and was tooling around at a pretty good speed. The miles per gallon were impressive too. Maybe you should consider springing for a gasoline weed wacker with your rebate too.
After all, the politicians want you to do what they do with money, blow it all mindlessly....
yes because a sudden end to the industry of petroleum based fuels would be such a good thing economically. because you know there aren't a lot of people employed at gas stations, lube shops, mechanics, car dealerships, oil refinement, delivery services for all of such, places like autozone. A sudden transition off gas would be economic suicide for the united states and a lot of other countries.
More than that will be affected as petroleum by-products are used to make other things such as plastic's for example.
Anyway here is a quote from the article.
At first gas mileage was a secondary issue - we wanted something bigger and safer for the baby," said Tivadar, an operations manager in Murrieta, Calif. "But the gas issue becomes more and more important as the price goes up. It's already $3.79 here."
Here in the UK gas prices are around £ 1.14 [risen by 0.24 in last 2 months] that works out to about $2.30 a Litre. So i think your still getting off easy price wise.
I can understand why you would think that we are getting off easy.But remember the US does not have the same transportation system as well.
Where i live (Atlanta,Ga) the AVERAGE commute 1 way is between 1 and 2 hours just to get to work.Nobody takes public transport here unless it getting to a sporting event or concert and even them its considered a novelty.
But as a previous poster pointed out when the fuel gets to a level that it puts a lower standard on what you do for food or entertainment it will force a change.The giant SUV going the way of the dinosaur is just the 1st reaction.
In order for people to use public transport it needs to be convenient or noone will use it at all.
Comments
The problem is that your willing to spend 4 bucks a gallon to drive a SUV is forcing others to spend 4 bucks a gallon that drive economy cars and the overall demand from other SUV drivers such as yourself is driving the price of gasoline even higher. 17mpg city and 23 mpg hwy is a horrible gas rating.The Geo Metro was a good choice. The problem with safety as you mentioned would not exist if everyone drove smaller cars. So who is gonna blink first in order to make that happen? In the UK, like the previous poster mentioned, they have no problem driving smaller vehicles with good gas mileage ratings that still can accommodate large families.
You know...you're right. I am forcing everyone in America to buy gas for 4 bucks a gallon. I take full responsibility for that.
The Ford Mustang GT gets 17 / 26, and the Ford F150 gets 14 / 20. My Acura is 2005 and I get 17 / 23. The website says 15 / 20 for a 2008, so not sure about that...I have a computer in the car that keeps track of miles per gallon. They must have added horsepower or something. Anyway, perhaps the emphasis should be taken off of SUV's and put on all vehicles that get similar gas mileage.
Also, if you were gonna crash a metro at 65 mph into a cement median strip and you could choose the car you were going to crash in...you mean to tell me...honestly now...that you would choose to crash in a metro versus an Acura MDX?
I too am rooting for a severe oil crisis. We all know $200/barrel oil is less than 1 year away, and people are going to have to make some drastic changes. Fine with me, it is time we free oursleves of our energy shackles.
There is an upside to this current situation.. With oil being so expensive, for the first time ever it is now feasible to explore and develop energy alternatives. No one has the motivation or initiative to replace oil when it was less than $20.00 a barrel. There are billions upon billions to be made off of alternative energies, and the US free market will be the first to revolutionize transportation, home energy and commercial energy.
The State of Montana can already produce $55.00/barrel SFC (synthetic fuel from coal). This www.free-eco.org/articleDisplay.php article states that they have always been able to do this, but it was cost-prohibitive at anything less than $35.00/barrel.
There is a positive side to all of this, we will all witness the energy revolution within the next 5-10 years, it is coming for sure!
I agree with the statement in red. The wife and I are looking into solar panels for our roof. Unfortunately we bought a 40 year roof about 5 years ago or we would have gotten the fancy onces that double as shingles. My father was telling me they are offering financial incentives for people willing to put solar panels up. I think that's something definitely worth looking in to.
Also, the electrical grid is already straining under the load it is currently under. If we are gonna start increasing the number of electrical cars on the road, that will increase demand and therefore the price....unless we look at alternatives like nuclear power.
Bio fuels are a mistake I think. If you have hundreds of millions of these cars on the road, corn prices will grow through the roof as more of it is diverted from human consumption and animal feed to fuel. Food prices will go through the roof! On the positive side, there will be more lean people probably
About two years ago I started to think about getting a bicycle to ride to and from work. That has gone from an amusing thought to something I am definately doing this summer. I can't believe the price of heating our homes and filling up our cars. This is not good.
nuclear power anyone?
Hold on Snow Leopard, imma let you finish, but Windows had one of the best operating systems of all time.
If the Powerball lottery was like Lotro, nobody would win for 2 years, and then everyone in Nebraska would win on the same day.
And then Nebraska would get nerfed.-pinkwood lotro fourms
AMD 4800 2.4ghz-3GB RAM 533mhz-EVGA 9500GT 512mb-320gb HD
The Geo Metro was a good choice. The problem with safety as you mentioned would not exist if everyone drove smaller cars. So who is gonna blink first in order to make that happen? In the UK, like the previous poster mentioned, they have no problem driving smaller vehicles with good gas mileage ratings that still can accommodate large families.
You know...you're right. I am forcing everyone in America to buy gas for 4 bucks a gallon. I take full responsibility for that.
The Ford Mustang GT gets 17 / 26, and the Ford F150 gets 14 / 20. My Acura is 2005 and I get 17 / 23. The website says 15 / 20 for a 2008, so not sure about that...I have a computer in the car that keeps track of miles per gallon. They must have added horsepower or something. Anyway, perhaps the emphasis should be taken off of SUV's and put on all vehicles that get similar gas mileage.
Also, if you were gonna crash a metro at 65 mph into a cement median strip and you could choose the car you were going to crash in...you mean to tell me...honestly now...that you would choose to crash in a metro versus an Acura MDX?
ford is the least efficent in almost any category with the possible exception of the focus.
The 6.0 liter corvette motor GTO with a g speed manual transmission romped the 4.6 liter mustand in both performance and gas mileage.
Chevy makes a hybrid silverado 1500 that you can buy right now with all the power of a regular truck, and there is a taho and yukon version.
Ford also loses out to both chevy and dodge as far diesel fuel economy goes(used to be the other way around)
overall ford is the least fuel efficent of any manufacturer.
Who actually is starting to impress for the horsepower is volvo, and they aren't ugly anymore.
The S80 is comprable to the BMW 5 series cars in terms of permofance yet gets an astounding 24 miles to the gallon.
the S40 is extremely economical.
The XC 70 there midsized SUV thing gets around 22 or so.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
Lucky for you our politicians have gone out and borrowed more money from the Central Asian banks to give you a tax rebate to blow on a new bicycle. I saw a news segment on a guy in California that hooked up a gasoline powered weed wacker to the back sprocket of his bicycle and was tooling around at a pretty good speed. The miles per gallon were impressive too. Maybe you should consider springing for a gasoline weed wacker with your rebate too.
After all, the politicians want you to do what they do with money, blow it all mindlessly....
Anyway here is a quote from the article.
At first gas mileage was a secondary issue - we wanted something bigger and safer for the baby," said Tivadar, an operations manager in Murrieta, Calif. "But the gas issue becomes more and more important as the price goes up. It's already $3.79 here."
Here in the UK gas prices are around £ 1.14 [risen by 0.24 in last 2 months] that works out to about $2.30 a Litre. So i think your still getting off easy price wise.
I can understand why you would think that we are getting off easy.But remember the US does not have the same transportation system as well.Where i live (Atlanta,Ga) the AVERAGE commute 1 way is between 1 and 2 hours just to get to work.Nobody takes public transport here unless it getting to a sporting event or concert and even them its considered a novelty.
But as a previous poster pointed out when the fuel gets to a level that it puts a lower standard on what you do for food or entertainment it will force a change.The giant SUV going the way of the dinosaur is just the 1st reaction.
In order for people to use public transport it needs to be convenient or noone will use it at all.
What is your physical limit?