Oh, another thing. Since the US is massive, we don't have that much public transport. I wish we could get some of those high speed trains and cool stuff like Europe. Well i'm a civil engineer, so maybe i can design some new networks that make it possible. We'll see.
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How much has your lifestyle changed due to the price of gas?
- Thread starter glocke12
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Why, its a case of supply and demand, they can pump out as much or as little as they want to make the price as high as possible, just like everyone else does.
Or just use scooters.
Like i was stating in my previous quote, if you need a big car, use one. My neighbor is a self employed contractor, and has a truck like your dad. Those people need big cars.
LOL
That would be one hell of a scooter ride.
Well you can only use the for local journeys I suppose, but most journeys are local. For long distance journeys you're right trains are good, I blame the fact that I'm tired and about to go to sleep.
I filled up today at Costco which usually has pretty good prices, 3.91 a gallon for premium, I think about all the money I am spending on gas, and what I could do with it and it sickens me.
I just downsized my vehicle from a midsize truck based SUV (Ford Explorer) to a midsize sedan (Ford Fusion). I figured it was time to get rid of the gas guzzler before it was not worth anything.
Yes, when will someone do a comparison of disposable income required for vehicle use?
I think the distances will be a killer.
I wouldn't worry about what anyone thinks. Plenty of people point and laugh at my electric car. That's okay -- I can point and laugh at them filling their tanks at the gas pumps.
My lifestyle hasn't really changed all the much. Between myself and my wife, we probably drive 10 miles round trip each day to our separate places of work. I'm fortunate enough to live close to two train stations and one is right by my work. I drive the little over 1 mile to the station and ride it into work. I find the train is much better on my stress levels (Atlanta, GA has some of the worst traffic in the US).
Not at all. To be honest, gas could cost 3 times what it does now, and it wouldn't really affect me. Of course, I'm lucky enough to have a five mile round-trip to work, and everywhere else I generally go is within 10-15 miles. If I reach 75 miles in a week, it's a rare exception. I drive an SUV, and I have to fill it up about once a month. Bad mileage, but for the amount I use it, it doesn't matter much, and I do need the extra space at least once a week.
Just out of curiosity,
1. How far can you go on a charge?
2. How fast can you go?
3. What is the impact on your electric bill?
Not at all. In fact I just started commuting 70 miles a day in the Discovery or F350 because I have a new business making 2-4x what the old one did. I might be getting one of the VW diesels for commuting (if the ride is comfy enough) so the family can use the Disco rather than the crew cab during the day, but next spring I'd like to be looking at an XKR for the warm months. I see cars as luxuries, and if I couldn't afford the luxury, I'd work harder or give it up.
Not so much here. I live right next door to my job, so I walk. There are 2 grocery stores, resturaunts, gas all with in walking distance. I fill my civic up once every 2 weeks and only drive it to church and longer shopping trips which I make very seldom. We have a very good transit system here in the DC Metro area. What I am seeing though is people who commute into DC from farther out are beginning to use Priuses and take advantage of the commuter buses a whole lot more. I have a co-worker who drives with her husband about 100 miles round trip (he's a postal worker and she's an xray tech) and they just bought a prius.The transit system here is gaining a whole lot more ridership and seems to be loosing the stigma of "poor man's transportation". I'll also give my bike it;s yeary tuneup in a few days and start riding again <fair weather biker>
Hey, I admire that you take the train into work, but why not go one better and cycle the mile to the station? Your car is at its least efficient on short journeys, so you'd be saving plenty of gas by riding instead. It'll take less than 15 mins to ride a mile...
Very little has changed for me. Work is 26 mies away, 52 miles a day round trip. I grocery shop on the way home, so no extra mileage used. Weekends I stay home unless absolutely needed to go out. Done this for years, so no real changes.
Good point. I have to admit that I am a real auto enthusiast though, and given the income I would like to a own a powerful sports coupe or sedan, with a diesel or hybrid compact as my daily driver.
As someone mentioned before, I'm noticing the increased food prices more than the increased fuel prices. I picked up a leg of lamb to make curry the other day and got sticker shock in the meat section.
Which electric car do you have, by the way?
Simply put; I just don't want to deal with a bike. I have two; a mtn bike and a road bike but neither are very conducive to "commuting". Sure, I could tie up my pants leg but I often carry 2-3 bags (messenger/gym/lunch) into work so dealing with all those bags plus carrying a bike onto the train would be a pain. My bikes are pretty decent so I wouldn't leave them at the train station and would have to carry them into work. Not to mention that biking isn't exactly the safest thing in my area (e.g. no bike lanes and dumb drivers). People in Atlanta don't know how to drive with bikers around.
I drive a Honda Civic and get pretty good milage to boot. If I didn't have a car I'd walk but the time it takes to drive (<5 mins) vs. walk (~15 mins) is currently worth my time to drive. If gas got crazy high I probably would walk to the station. We're not at that point yet so I still drive. I probably fill up once every 3-4 weeks so while the prices are high, they have hurt my family a lot less than most (my wife has a Honda Civic too).
My wife and I both commute to work me 18 miles (~30min) and her 6 miles (15 min) and generally drive around town quite a bit. But since we make a good deal of money between the two of us and my car is good on gas (~30mpg) it sucks to pay more but we still have more than enough to buy a house, have a baby, pay a lot on our student loans and pay all the bills.
It would honestly have to go above $5/gal for it to start to have an impact on how we live at this point.
It would honestly have to go above $5/gal for it to start to have an impact on how we live at this point.
I thought the same thing.
Actually, at average walking speeds, it should take you 16 minutes (or we can say 15-20 minutes to be safe). By biking, even at a slow place, I bet you can get there in 5 minutes.
I haven't changed my life at all. I don't fill my car up often, so it's not a big deal to me. Well, I do think about all the money I'm throwing away, but I think I'm paying around $50-100 more on petrol per year when compared to 2-3 years ago. That's just a guesstimate, but I'm probably right.
I bought a used GEM.
1. About 15-20 miles, but the batteries in mine are old. With new batteries, the range would be closer to 30 miles.
2. This is an "LEV" (local electric vehicle). It's limited to 25 MPH and streets posted no higher than 35.
3. Haven't checked yet, but I believe a complete recharge will be on the order of $0.50.
Good point. I have to admit that I am a real auto enthusiast though, and given the income I would like to a own a powerful sports coupe or sedan, with a diesel or hybrid compact as my daily driver.
As someone mentioned before, I'm noticing the increased food prices more than the increased fuel prices. I picked up a leg of lamb to make curry the other day and got sticker shock in the meat section.
I haven't replaced my regular car by any means, but I do drive it less since virtually all of my local driving is now done in the GEM. It also helps that I work from home, so no commute (well, down the hall, turn right -- but I usually don't drive it).
Food prices are up for two reasons, both related to the cost of fuel: higher costs for transportation, and feed grains being diverted to ethanol production. A double-whammy.
My Jeep gets a little better millage than the Ford Ranger I use to have. 17.96 mpg Maintenance work, usually requires a truck, but after 24 years, I decided to get what I wanted, not what benefits the company. Oh, the Jeep is easier to work on too.