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kat · 03-01-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny

You have my condolences.

That's what they used to say about the Giants.

Texas Proud · 03-01-2008, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam

Hmm... All the time

Several things come to mind:

- driving downhill
- have a tail wind
- drive slow (below 60)
- using Canadian (British) gallon instead of USA gallon in calculation
- arithmetically challenged

At least one of the above must be true for those people to get 32 "all the time" on the highway.

Well... they say they do.... so let's just say 'most of the time'....

Most only get about 28 or 29... but that is still a great number..

Someone did a 'test' (admit that it was only a short distance for each)... but he got the below with a 6 speed:

55MPH = 38MPG
65MPH = 34MPG
75MPH = 31MPG
85MPH = 27MPG
95MPH = 24MPG
105MPH = 21MPG

Rambler · 03-01-2008, 04:55 PM

Our V6 Odyssey gets about 25 hwy, 21 @ 50/50. Tundra 5.7L gets about 19-20 hwy and about 16-17 @ 50/50. I love to drive the Tundra, but try to stick to the Odyssey when we are in the states and not hauling something.

jazz4cash · 03-01-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arc

Saw my first Smart Car the other day. Tiny - bright yellow - parked at a bar. Glad to see he was spending his savings wisely! Anyone else seeing them on the roads.

Ive seen a couple way last year. One was at a gas station in Hagerstown, Md. The other was made to be hauled INSIDE the cargo bay of a purpose built Luxury Deluxe Personal Motorcoach (i.e. RV). Buy the RV, get the Smart Car free!

Grizz · 03-02-2008, 12:42 AM

Have a 2500 4X4 full size pickup with 4 doors, full load with leather, and a 15mpg 6.0L engine. It's my company vehicle (my company too). I would love to drive something smaller like a Tacoma since the size really isn't necessary for what I do. It is a pig on gas and is truly a gong-show in a parking lot. BUT.... In my industry, this vehicle is what everyone drives. Its expected. If you drive anything else, it's sort of like an NBA player showing up on game day wearing brown socks.

chinaco · 03-02-2008, 06:41 AM

American's like those SUVs and Pickups. I have no problem with it. They will pay the additional cost. Although when I drive to work in the morning, I find it silly to see about half the vehicles on road are trucks and SUVs. Each have 1 person in it. I think the SUV phenomenon is more of a status symbol than anything else... they are paying for it in two ways... expensive vehicle and expensive fuel and upkeep. Some believe it protects them more.

There are even a few truck owners (non-business or work needs) that actually use them to haul stuff once or twice a year.

When gasoline hit $5/gallon, the middle class will begin backing off. Only people with a real need will bother to purchase them.

Loose numbers but... at $5/gal for a vehicle that average 17mpg and travels 12k miles/year will cost about $3500/year for fuel. When you consider many families have multiple vehicle, the cost gets high fairly quick. at $5 a two vehicle family with an SUV and regular car may have a $5k/year fuel bill. They would have to earn about $6.5k - $7k to support the habit. Many will be interested in cutting that in half and spending the money on other needs/wants.

But it is a personal decision.

Bimmerbill · 03-02-2008, 06:13 PM

I have a F-250 diesel 4x4 pickup. Pulls the camper and boat great. Takes the trash to the dump, without having to put it in the back of the Pilot (baby diapers). Also does well commuting during this near record setting New England weather!

I usually have a car and pickup. I do live in a relatively rural area, but not too bad. If I lived really close to work I'd probably ditch the car and just drive the pickup. Then I'd probably get a sports car or convertible. I suffer from car addiction.

I don't buy the argument that there should be restrictions on SUVs or pickups. I fear the slippery-slope argument. Once people start telling me what vehicle I should drive, they will start telling me what foods to eat, how big of a house I should buy, etc.

Marquette · 03-02-2008, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizz

Have a 2500 4X4 full size pickup with 4 doors, full load with leather, and a 15mpg 6.0L engine. It's my company vehicle (my company too). I would love to drive something smaller like a Tacoma since the size really isn't necessary for what I do. It is a pig on gas and is truly a gong-show in a parking lot. BUT.... In my industry, this vehicle is what everyone drives. Its expected. If you drive anything else, it's sort of like an NBA player showing up on game day wearing brown socks.

I'm sorry, but that just appalls me. I mean, a 2500 without the Duramax and Allison is just, so, not diesel!

Sure, sure, it costs a lot more, but come on, diesel!

dumpster56 · 03-02-2008, 06:55 PM

The comment its a personal decision to drive the vehicle that gets 15 mpg. That IS THE PROBLEM. Sorry but as I see it and hey I could be wrong BUT if the guy who says I don't care its my right to drive what I want well tell me what about ration coupons during WWII?? How would that work today? The fact that oil seems to be a finite comodity if someone WASTES gasoline because they want to spend as much as they can afford to fill up the SUV that gets awful gas mileage it hurts the rest of society.

Right??

cute fuzzy bunny · 03-02-2008, 07:00 PM

Wow, cocktail hour came early today.

Nice haircuts on the Hummer H2's too...$6500 off to start...

Marquette · 03-02-2008, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy888

The comment its a personal decision to drive the vehicle that gets 15 mpg. That IS THE PROBLEM. Sorry but as I see it and hey I could be wrong BUT if the guy who says I don't care its my right to drive what I want well tell me what about ration coupons during WWII?? How would that work today? The fact that oil seems to be a finite comodity if someone WASTES gasoline because they want to spend as much as they can afford to fill up the SUV that gets awful gas mileage it hurts the rest of society.

Right??

People will continue to drive any vehicle they want until it gets prohibitively expensive to do so. But, we've been down this discussion before.

Either the government or the free market will address low gas mileage. And, since gas is the most fungable resource that I can think of, no amount of local government intervention is going to matter. As a global resource, it's going to be truly up to Mr. Market to make better gas mileage a reality.

Locally, increasing minimum mileage requirements will help. Increasing taxes would "help". But, even still, it is someone's right to decide how they want to spend their money. Where do you draw the line? If you aren't carpooling with 3 other people, walking when possible, biking when not, and always favoring public mass transportation then you're also wasting gas and hurting society. Where do you draw the line?

dumpster56 · 03-02-2008, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny

Wow, cocktail hour came early today.

Nice haircuts on the Hummer H2's too...$6500 off to start...

H3 got an awful crash test rating. Go figure. But then again if you are buying a hummer why an H3?

W2R · 03-02-2008, 07:27 PM

I wonder if the housing crisis will increase the demand for oil. So much gas is used in our daily commutes to and from work. Now, if someone must change to a job further away, he can't sell his house easily to move closer to his new job. Commutes must be getting longer, I would think, on average.

It seems like a time when van pools and mass transit would gain in popularity. I haven't heard anything about that actually HAPPENING, though. At my work, there are still a whole lot of F-250's and SUV's in the parking lot, but also there seem to be a lot more van pools and a few more Priuses than there were last year. But I don't hear about any national trend in that direction.

cute fuzzy bunny · 03-02-2008, 07:28 PM

Thats my take. Bite the bullet and go for the original H1. If you cant get that, go for an H2 and see if they can put a second motor in it to run the alternator.

There were some seriously great deals on the toyota sequoia a couple of months ago, but those sadly dried up. They seem to come up every year, so keep an eye out if you want one. I've seen the base models going for $26k on a sticker of 33-34k.

Marquette · 03-02-2008, 07:34 PM

Psh... you can get an original hummer on ebay for less than a new H2. And, you can run it on biodiesel no problem. You're better off right out of the gate!