What car would you buy if gas was $8 per gallon?

[e²Studios]

I'd drive the same car or type of car I drive now (2012 Audi S4), my commute is short and while the car averages around 16MPG and varies between 12-18 depending on how I drive it the commute distance isn't long enough to justify a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Besides that I like my performance cars and ultimately its about personal choice and lifestyle. I could never see myself driving a hybrid, it just isn't going to happen.

Too much harping on which car gets what and too little emphasis on buying what works for you and what fits your lifestyle. A car is the 2nd largest purchase a person will make, you should at least make sure its something you will enjoy driving and being in everyday.

 

[mentaluproar]

Tesla Roadster.....we don't need no stinkin' gas!

I gotta say, I'm not a fan of the tesla roadster. They are too high end for most people.

 

[wordoflife]

VW Jetta Diesel ... if I had the money
30/42, how can argue with that for it not being a Prius?

 

[Treq]

Just picked up my new Volt today. So far it is awesome. Acceleration is great and smooth as silk. All the tech inside is really cool too. I'll know more after I drive it for a while, but so far, best car I've ever owned. Can't wait to see if I can commute to work for an entire month without using any gas.

 

[sk1wbw]

Still want a truck. I love the GMC Sierra 1500 or 2500 Denali. I laugh when I see these green gas cars/electric cars get stuck in a puddle when it rains. All the money saved on gas won't get you home. Or be able to load a bag of groceries from the store or something from Lowe's.

 

[Treq]

Still want a truck. I love the GMC Sierra 1500 or 2500 Denali. I laugh when I see these green gas cars/electric cars get stuck in a puddle when it rains. All the money saved on gas won't get you home. Or be able to load a bag of groceries from the store or something from Lowe's.

Thats funny, I laugh at all the SUV/Pickup drivers paying $100 to fill up at the gas station. With all that money I save, I can rent a truck on the rare occasion I need to pick up something big from the hardware store. And I still have money in my pocket, while I drive in quiet comfort and style as I accelerate past those slow cumbersome Sierras and Denalis. (the Chevy Volt has a lot of torque)

 

[Sideonecincy]

I've got a 2000 Civic. Gas around here is $3.79-$3.89. Costed me $35 to fill up and my gas light was on. Not too bad considering.

 

[snberk103]

Thats funny, I laugh at all the SUV/Pickup drivers paying $100 to fill up ...

Exactly the same thinking - except we have Smart Cars... and we get preferential parking in town and in Victoria.

I've never understood why SUV/truck owners like paying extra to drive a bunch of empty space around for those rare times when that empty space is actually filled with something..... But to each their own.

I couldn't own a car where the front crumple zone is your legs

Actually, your legs are protected by the steel cage. You use the other car's crumple zones in a crash. A friend of ours had a low speed corner to corner crash in her Smart car, with a pickup truck. Her Smart decided (correctly) that the crash was not serious enough to even deploy the airbags, and so it simply retracted the seatbelts.

The truck's airbags gave that driver enough of a jolt they took him to the hospital, and the insurance wrote-off the truck.

Our friend had no injuries, and had her Smart repaired.

That steel cage can do a lot of damage, apparently, to a truck's crumple zones.

 

[juanm]

Exactly the same thinking - except we have Smart Cars... and we get preferential parking in town and in Victoria.

I've never understood why SUV/truck owners like paying extra to drive a bunch of empty space around for those rare times when that empty space is actually filled with something..... But to each their own.

Actually, your legs are protected by the steel cage. You use the other car's crumple zones in a crash.

A few questions/things:
First, where do you live, that Smart cars get preferential parking? Victoria where? Canada, Australia?
Second: yep, it seems irrational to have a 2-tons+ car to move 200kg of people most of the time
Third: What happens when two Smart cars crash?

Edit: cat typo

 

[snberk103]

A few questions/things:
First, where do you live, that Smart cars get preferential parking? Victoria where? Canada, Austa555
Second: yep, it seems irrational to have a 2-tons+ car to move 200kg of people most of the time
Third: What happens when two Smart cars crash?

Near Victoria, BC, Canada. Sidney also has Smart Car spots (technically they are micro-car - or something like that - but at the moment only a Smart is small enough.) There are something like 25 Smart car parking meters in Victoria. Great locations and cheaper than the regular meters. Plus commercial developments can designate a certain percentage of the the # of spots they have to provide for "micros"... The space they save can then be used for a larger building.

I was actually wondering that myself today, about 2 Smarts..... Hope to never find out.

 

[PigDog]

Please keep us updated on how the Volt works for you, and any cool or old stuff you find in your daily use.

Just picked up my new Volt today. So far it is awesome. Acceleration is great and smooth as silk. All the tech inside is really cool too. I'll know more after I drive it for a while, but so far, best car I've ever owned. Can't wait to see if I can commute to work for an entire month without using any gas.

 

[Dillenger]

I'd walk a lot more.

 

[tjcampbell]

$8 a gallon! That's cheap.

Oh.

I live in London. I drive a BMW.

 

[R94N]

I would just carry on doing what I already do and that is cycle or walk everywhere. Not being legally allowed to drive does have something to do with it but I love cycling.

 

[Zcott]

That's cheap! I'm glad my French diesel car gets 60mpg.

 

[acidfast7]

8USD/gal is quite cheap.

However, I usually use the:

as it slightly faster than my car anyway.

 

[sk1wbw]

Thats funny, I laugh at all the SUV/Pickup drivers paying $100 to fill up at the gas station. With all that money I save, I can rent a truck on the rare occasion I need to pick up something big from the hardware store. And I still have money in my pocket, while I drive in quiet comfort and style as I accelerate past those slow cumbersome Sierras and Denalis. (the Chevy Volt has a lot of torque)

And I laugh whenever I see an economical subcompact get stuck in the rain or completely demolished in an accident. It's always an SUV or a pickup truck coming to the rescue. Plus I can actually get groceries and furniture and stuff from Home Depot in a truck. I bought a queen size mattress and boxspring and put it in the back of my 2008 Dodge Ram.

Laugh all you want, some of us over 4 feet tall can't fit in some of these ***** cars you guys drive.

 

[snberk103]

And I laugh whenever I see an economical subcompact get stuck in the rain or completely demolished in an accident. It's always an SUV or a pickup truck coming to the rescue. Plus I can actually get groceries and furniture and stuff from Home Depot in a truck. I bought a queen size mattress and boxspring and put it in the back of my 2008 Dodge Ram.

Laugh all you want, some of us over 4 feet tall can't fit in some of these ***** cars you guys drive.

Yeah, well I I always laugh at the SUVs and pickups who've spun out into a ditch because they think 4 wheel drive lets them power through anything at the posted speed limit.

Anytime you see a car, SUV or sub-compact, stuck.... it's not the car's fault .... it's the driver's fault. When I had my '69 Malibu, I would pull lots of SUVs and pickups out of the ditch... even started carrying my own tow rope. (I learned to drive in snowy Ontario.... snow doesn't faze me at all.... )


Fact of the matter is, 99% or more of the time people are driving in conditions that any vehicle can safely handle. When the weather gets bad... sure, the rugged vehicles can still get out and about. Personally, I'm tucked up inside in front of a cosy fire with a scotch in hand. There is nothing so important happening "out there" that I need to get to it.

And... don't be so dismissive of the luggage capacity of small cars. We drive Smart Car... smallest of the sub-compacts. We just got back from a 3 day mid-week holiday. Took my camera gear, including a very large tri-pod, food, a portable spinning wheel, and our luggage including extra rubber boots for the beaches. We had to drive 6 hours there through the mountains, including two snowy passes (we had proper winter tires on), to get there. No Problem.

If I buy a mattress, I'm having it delivered. Even if there is a delivery charge it will be less than what I save on gas compared to a full-size pickup - on a single fill up. And, I've put a 2+ metre tall christmas tree in the Smart Car and taken it home.

A Smart Car is not for anyone with children however, as there is no back seat. On the other hand, we never get asked to pick up our friend's kids.... another bonus in my books.

 

[sk1wbw]

Yeah, well I I always laugh at the SUVs and pickups who've spun out into a ditch because they think 4 wheel drive lets them power through anything at the posted speed limit.

Anytime you see a car, SUV or sub-compact, stuck.... it's not the car's fault .... it's the driver's fault. When I had my '69 Malibu, I would pull lots of SUVs and pickups out of the ditch... even started carrying my own tow rope. (I learned to drive in snowy Ontario.... snow doesn't faze me at all.... )


Fact of the matter is, 99% or more of the time people are driving in conditions that any vehicle can safely handle. When the weather gets bad... sure, the rugged vehicles can still get out and about. Personally, I'm tucked up inside in front of a cosy fire with a scotch in hand. There is nothing so important happening "out there" that I need to get to it.

And... don't be so dismissive of the luggage capacity of small cars. We drive Smart Car... smallest of the sub-compacts. We just got back from a 3 day mid-week holiday. Took my camera gear, including a very large tri-pod, food, a portable spinning wheel, and our luggage including extra rubber boots for the beaches. We had to drive 6 hours there through the mountains, including two snowy passes (we had proper winter tires on), to get there. No Problem.

If I buy a mattress, I'm having it delivered. Even if there is a delivery charge it will be less than what I save on gas compared to a full-size pickup - on a single fill up. And, I've put a 2+ metre tall christmas tree in the Smart Car and taken it home.

A Smart Car is not for anyone with children however, as there is no back seat. On the other hand, we never get asked to pick up our friend's kids.... another bonus in my books.

If you knew how to drive, you wouldn't be in a ditch.

 

[snberk103]

If you knew how to drive, you wouldn't be in a ditch.

I agree. I apologize if you didn't understand my previous post. It's the driver, not whether you drive an SUV/truck or sub-compact, that determines whether you end up in the ditch or not.

 

[lwood1]

BMW 6 Series

 

[R94N]

That's cheap! I'm glad my French diesel car gets 60mpg.

I don't see the problem, we are too reliant on cars for our daily lives and since most things for me are within easy walking or cycling distance, why not?

 

[Zcott]

I don't see the problem, we are too reliant on cars for our daily lives and since most things for me are within easy walking or cycling distance, why not?

You're right, we are too reliant on cars. This makes it tough for anyone who genuinely needs their car for work, because incentives to get people off the road hit those people most. I'm a musician and make a living carting around a heavy keyboard and performing in far away places. Wherever possible I'll car share, but it's not always an option. I need my car, and increases in fuel might price some people onto public transport but I genuinely need a car.

 

[neutrino23]

I'll keep driving my 2006 Prius.

 

[WoodNUFC]

I'd keep driving our 2012 Ford Fiesta. She's a fun car and sips fuel. Love it!