This has been a topic that has invaded every other topic dealing with gas prices, so might as well make a thread about. So... post your solutions people!
Mine's already been posted often, but I'll repeat it. I think we should get diesel cars and I think that fuel prices should (sadly) reflect the true price of gasoline. Right now Diesel's a bit over 5$ and gas is what? 4.75$ or something down in the States? Well... Diesel should be it's true price of about 3$ a gallon and gas should be 6 or 7$ I know! I know! It totally sucks! But a Diesel car does twice the mileage and if they sell the fuel at 3$ a pop that means that it'd be like paying 1.50$ a gallon again. Roughly.
Just so some of you will know, gas prices have been artificially lowered by inflating diesel prices. Taking a dollar off every gallon of gas and putting it on diesel. So you offer affordable diesel cars, put back diesel to it's true price and, even though us Gearheads are going to pay it out to butt to drive our hopped up cars, we'll at least be able to get to work and do regular driving for cheap. Which, to be honest, will probably cost us less in the long run unless you use your 2002 Camaro as a daily driver.
Also, I think all trucks. Everything. Every van, minivan, SUV, crossover, pickup, 4x4... whatever. Any T-R-U-C-K... should be diesel. No exceptions. And any truck that weighs over 5000lbs should be a hybrid diesel. Any car over 5000lbs should likewise be hybrid diesel.
As for cars, I think we need to get over our need for high HP cars, especially on cruddy daily drivers. No one needs a 200hp Taurus to go to work. There's no good reason at all why regular every day cars can't all make between 100 and 150hp. More than that and you're just wasting gas most of the time.
Basically the timeline of all this should be that we'd get diesel cars first (Hopefully with a nice government rebate on them since they're the ones who got us in this mess), and after five or six years we should make diesel less expensive and gasoline more expensive, then in ten years phase it out slowly. So, my idea is that gas has got to be relegated to race tracks, airports and nostalgia. In fact, the only cars that should be gas powered are sports cars: Mustangs, Challengers, Camaros, Corvettes, Vipers, ect...
Yup, it sucks, but it sucks less than the alternative of people no longuer being able to affordably drive, thus killing car sales and making some of the shakier companies go bankrupt, which would mean seeing all out favorite makes and models dissapear forever into history while we all have to take the bus every damn place.
Plus, one of the neater aspects of diesels is that because you need a bigger engine to make more power it would mean the return of big blocks. Wouldn't that rock? How's a 500hp Boss 429 Twin Turbodiesel Mustang sound to you guys? Or a Duramax Camaro SS454?
Hey, sometimes you gotta make the best of it.
btw: I posted this in "War" because I can't access off-topic from work and I like reading what people think here. You crazy guys make the time just fly! hehe.
You dont need a big diesel to make power. GM developed a 4.5L V8 Duramax making around 310 HP and 540 TQ. Saab has a 1.9TTiD making something like 175 HP and 285 TQ. Switching to diesel is not the end all solution because it will only cause other costs, ie. additional cost to the vehicle, and maintinance. I have an easier and cheaper solution, drive a little slower on the highway. I went from 26.5 MPG (75 MPH) to 38 MPG (60 MPH) in my 98 Z. Not bad for a car tat is only rated at 30 MPG on the highway under the new rating system. Newer diesels will be required to have more emissions equipment on them. If it has DPF then you will waste fuel during the "regen" process. The new D-Max uses approximately 1 gal of fuel during the regen process. This is basicly wasted fuel as it is injected in such a manner as to combust when it goes through the catalytic converter. It super heats the exhaust gas to burn up the soot collected in the DPF. This DPF will eventualy have to be replaced as the ash from burning up the soot will eventualy build up tp a point that it restricts the exhaust system to much. Urea injection works as well but who wants to have to top off a urea tank every so often??
horse and buggy
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
Buy a Yukon Denali XL, and put 26" rims on it, rap, and problem solved.
i dont need a solution, i continue to drive my car everyday and buy gas once a week like any normal person. my suggestion though for those who bitch about the prices, get a better job.
AWD GS wrote:i dont need a solution, i continue to drive my car everyday and buy gas once a week like any normal person. my suggestion though for those who bitch about the prices, get a better job.
people at work bitch about it all the time and tell me i pay more for gas cuz i dont fill up every quarter tank
im like i get the same mileage i do no matter how much gas i put in it, i am not changing my fill-up schedule and wasting time every friggin day putting 2 gallons of gas in my car to save possibly a quarter a week
people are getting ridiculous, and all they do is bitch, and then they go and do what they normally do when it was 1,1.50, 2.00 bucks a gallon
i get more annoyed at the people that bitch about it and do nothing than the people that bitch and actually attempt to change habits to save money
My solution was 2 wheels instead of 4.
my solution is multi-part
i am working on step1 which is secure a better job (i.e. an actual career)
step 2 is move close to said job
step 3 is possibly get a motorcycle, use public transportation, bicycle, or some combination
step 4 bask in success of plan
themarin8r wrote:my solution is multi-part
i am working on step1 which is secure a better job (i.e. an actual career)
step 2 is move close to said job
step 3 is possibly get a motorcycle, use public transportation, bicycle, or some combination
step 4 bask in success of plan
Underpants gnome????
step 1: collect underpants
step 2: ..............................
step 3: profit
mitdr774 wrote:themarin8r wrote:my solution is multi-part
i am working on step1 which is secure a better job (i.e. an actual career)
step 2 is move close to said job
step 3 is possibly get a motorcycle, use public transportation, bicycle, or some combination
step 4 bask in success of plan
Underpants gnome????
step 1: collect underpants
step 2: ..............................
step 3: profit
i already checked into that
unfortunately thats more of a job than a career
there is no moving up from that position and salary rates stay pretty flat
AWD GS wrote:i dont need a solution, i continue to drive my car everyday and buy gas once a week like any normal person. my suggestion though for those who bitch about the prices, get a better job.
That's such a stupid, arrogant thing to say.
So let's both play at that game.I could buy matching GS's like yours for me and my wife from the money just in savings and I still choose to be frugal. Of course, I'm sure being frugal has a lot to do with why I can.
Riding my bike saves me $3000 a year over driving my 69 Camaro or my crew cab Silverado. $3000 is a 60" Plasma, It's an 8-day cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Alcapulco. It's a Ninja 250 for my old lady. It's a ground-up redo of two bathrooms or a kitchen.
Choosing to save or invest your money is always the right decision, no matter your income. Needlessly wasting it on gas is stupid.
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AGuSTiN wrote:AWD GS wrote:i dont need a solution, i continue to drive my car everyday and buy gas once a week like any normal person. my suggestion though for those who bitch about the prices, get a better job.
That's such a stupid, arrogant thing to say.
Choosing to save or invest your money is always the right decision, no matter your income. Needlessly wasting it on gas is stupid.
Agreed. Unfortunately some people will always have the attitude of, "if I can than I will". People who have a extra money often feel the need to spend it and thats just the nature of this country. We're great and we deserve to live life to the fullest and no one can say or do a damn thing about it. The other sad thing is that people who are really hurt by high gas prices probably cannot afford to get a new vehicle either. I have friends that are boarderline poor. They drive a 98 grand cherokee and an 89 ranger, both they own outright, infact the ranger was a donation of sorts. Both get well under 20mpg, but they live paycheck to paycheck, literally. Sometimes select bills wait. Neither has a college or trade school education. They have a daughter, and they really do not live an extravagant life at all.
The point being that some people, either of their own making or because of current circumstances, cannot make changes like magically getting a high paying job close to home, or going out and buying a more efficient vehicle.
The other point is that saying you do not need a solution because you make all kinds of money is like saying you like to just bend over and take it, hell you really enjoy it. People can lose jobs, its been known to happen from time to time. I make a good living, but I'm not about to just accept the current trend of gas prices and not make some changes. I have a ninja 250 as well, which I use now more for commuting than just for pleasure. I walk to the local supermarket as much as possible. Hell I walk everywhere thats within walking distance.
gas wont affect me too bad til it hits $7-8 a gallon :shruggs:
Actually, gas prices will affect a lot of people. It doesn't matter if you can afford it or not. The cost of everything from having a pizza delivered to getting packages in the mail to airline tickets will increase because the pizza delivery guy ain't gonna lose money for the priviledge of delivering pizzas, same with UPS and Airlines. Then there's simply the sheer amounts of places that will either close or start to employ substandard employees because they can't get decent help. I work for a security company whose main office is 75 miles away. We can't get guys to come work where I am because no one can afford the weekly 100$ in gas it costs to come work for a job that only pays 1400$ a month. Might as well work minimum wage in a closer job.
Eventually this will affect everything. It hasn't started yet, but it's just a matter of time.
The best way to lower gas prices is to not let oil prices be set by speculation. If the price was driven by true supply and demand oil would probably still be in the $65-$75 per barrel range.
KevinP (Stabby McShankyou) wrote:
and I'm NOT a pedo. everyone knows i've got a wheelchair fetish.
I have but 3 words.
GAS
AND
DASH
Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.
Knoxfire wrote:Actually, gas prices will affect a lot of people. It doesn't matter if you can afford it or not. The cost of everything from having a pizza delivered to getting packages in the mail to airline tickets will increase because the pizza delivery guy ain't gonna lose money for the priviledge of delivering pizzas, same with UPS and Airlines. Then there's simply the sheer amounts of places that will either close or start to employ substandard employees because they can't get decent help. I work for a security company whose main office is 75 miles away. We can't get guys to come work where I am because no one can afford the weekly 100$ in gas it costs to come work for a job that only pays 1400$ a month. Might as well work minimum wage in a closer job.
Eventually this will affect everything. It hasn't started yet, but it's just a matter of time.
thanks for that tidbit of common knowledge.hence why I said it wont affect ME.
And as far as the $100 a week to commute....how about moving closer to work? I did. Moved about 1 mile from work as opposed to the previous 10-12 miles I was before.
AWD Benzo (Joey) wrote:Knoxfire wrote:Actually, gas prices will affect a lot of people. It doesn't matter if you can afford it or not. The cost of everything from having a pizza delivered to getting packages in the mail to airline tickets will increase because the pizza delivery guy ain't gonna lose money for the priviledge of delivering pizzas, same with UPS and Airlines. Then there's simply the sheer amounts of places that will either close or start to employ substandard employees because they can't get decent help. I work for a security company whose main office is 75 miles away. We can't get guys to come work where I am because no one can afford the weekly 100$ in gas it costs to come work for a job that only pays 1400$ a month. Might as well work minimum wage in a closer job.
Eventually this will affect everything. It hasn't started yet, but it's just a matter of time.
thanks for that tidbit of common knowledge.hence why I said it wont affect ME.
And as far as the $100 a week to commute....how about moving closer to work? I did. Moved about 1 mile from work as opposed to the previous 10-12 miles I was before.
big money saver right there. i never understand these people that drive an hour or more each way to get to work. when i lived in cincinnati i drove 26,000 miles a year do to work. when i moved to indy we got a house close to my work, now i drive roughly 6000 miles a year. i go about two weeks between fillups.
knox as for the solution you'd be talking 20-30 years before you got all cars to go diesal. by then you'd have electric cars that can go without gas and get 300 miles to a recharge so to me it wouldnt make much sence to push the diesal solution. push electric or hybrid or an alternative to gasoline. push building green buildings things that now that gas prices are in the high ranges are starting to really get noticed and have a movement behind them to make a change. im hoping gas stays high for another couple years to really push people in the green direction further. its not just cars that need change its the way we do everything.
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OMG, I saw the coolest solution to high gas prices. Some guy put a 2 cylinder air cooled Lambordini Diesel in the back of a VW Bug. The thing makes 23hp and the car is actually SLOWER and noisier than a regular bug, which is... almost unimaginable. But the thing has gotta do 40 to 50mpg at least.
Anyway, the thing that's sort of exciting to me is the idea of putting that in a Baja bug. Sure it'd be slow, but at least it'd look kickass and that engine would last until the end of time. Perfect for just cruising around at moped speeds.
some people get a job that is far away not because they want to, but because it may be necessary in their career path
not everyone can afford to move for their job, and not everyone would want to since some people do not have the job security that most of us have
moving closer to work is a big saver for sure, but its not always feasible for some
AGuSTiN wrote:AWD GS wrote:i dont need a solution, i continue to drive my car everyday and buy gas once a week like any normal person. my suggestion though for those who bitch about the prices, get a better job.
That's such a stupid, arrogant thing to say.
So let's both play at that game.I could buy matching GS's like yours for me and my wife from the money just in savings and I still choose to be frugal. Of course, I'm sure being frugal has a lot to do with why I can.
Riding my bike saves me $3000 a year over driving my 69 Camaro or my crew cab Silverado. $3000 is a 60" Plasma, It's an 8-day cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Alcapulco. It's a Ninja 250 for my old lady. It's a ground-up redo of two bathrooms or a kitchen.
Choosing to save or invest your money is always the right decision, no matter your income. Needlessly wasting it on gas is stupid.
arrogant because im speaking my mind? arrogant because all people do is bitch? bottom line is you need gas to get to where your going unless you live in a major city or within several miles of one where public transportion is. saying your not doing this or not going here because gas is too high is ridicious. bitching isnt going to change the prices of gas. yea gas is going up but if your so worried about the extra 10 cents a week its going up, why not work 1 extra hour each week of overtime to pay for it? come in 15 mins early or leave 15 mins later, hell take 15 mins less for lunch and in a week you'll have the money.
themarin8r wrote:some people get a job that is far away not because they want to, but because it may be necessary in their career path
not everyone can afford to move for their job, and not everyone would want to since some people do not have the job security that most of us have
moving closer to work is a big saver for sure, but its not always feasible for some
im not close to my work like the rest of my family is. my sisters both drive tops 2 miles each way to work and my parents maybe 7 each way to work. i drive 25 miles each way to work.
