How high do gas prices have to get before you change the type of vehicle you are driving? Or are the current prices high enough that they have already changed your driving style/vehicle preferences?
How high do gas prices have to get?
- Thread starter ryansride2017
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I drive a small economy car. I have been driving small economy cars for several years.
In is interesting that gasoline prices always go up in the summer when lots of people are driving, and then go down in the wintertime. If some sort of shortage comes along, gasoline prices go up immediately. But if the supply goes up and prices should go down, it is a while before the prices do in fact go down.
In is interesting that gasoline prices always go up in the summer when lots of people are driving, and then go down in the wintertime. If some sort of shortage comes along, gasoline prices go up immediately. But if the supply goes up and prices should go down, it is a while before the prices do in fact go down.
I'd have to say that my livelyhood depends alot on my V8 powered K2500, so I guess I'd have to go look for a different job if the price at the pump goes much above $2.00/gal.
That is a good point. Some people HAVE to have a larger vehicle, or a truck or four wheel drive.
If there are several people in a family, which is better-a large station wagon or van, or several smaller vehicles? Might be more economical for a large family to have a large vehicle like a station wagon or van.
Farmers and ranchers just about have to have their pick-up trucks and four wheel drives.
If you live in a remote area with rough roads, or your job requires you to drive into remote areas, it is hard to beat a four wheel drive. And four wheel drive is kind of nice if you live someplace where the winters are really bad.
I don't think it is right for people to be social programmed into driving certain types of vehicles.
If there are several people in a family, which is better-a large station wagon or van, or several smaller vehicles? Might be more economical for a large family to have a large vehicle like a station wagon or van.
Farmers and ranchers just about have to have their pick-up trucks and four wheel drives.
If you live in a remote area with rough roads, or your job requires you to drive into remote areas, it is hard to beat a four wheel drive. And four wheel drive is kind of nice if you live someplace where the winters are really bad.
I don't think it is right for people to be social programmed into driving certain types of vehicles.
Ask Bush and cheney. They rather overstock the national reserves , thus giving money to their supporters and let us suffer.
Well for me I have an economy car and a 4 cyl truck. But since the truck is 4wd it averages 22 mpg. I have already cut my driving back but would just cut further.
I seem to recall a recent poll where folks said they would not drastically change their driving habits until gas reached $3 . I would assume though that before that number lots of folks will cut down..so I doubt gas will go above that number for now.
I think much of it has to do with how much money and flexibility people have. Some people will continue living the same not only at $3, but $5, $10, whatever. Others cut back with every penny gas goes up. The "ride until your wallet and gas tank are both empty" crowd will be parking it earlier and earlier this summer. It doesn't take a genius to see that gas prices are going to continue to go up. The more perceptive will be thinking about how to get along with less. There are other ways to conserve other than giving up SUV's. Plan ahead, and drive less. Find a job closer home, or put more money into a place closer to work. Mortgage payments are fixed, commuting expenses aren't.
Gas is going up, but I don't see the big peak oil crunch. The more successful those screaming for cheap gas are, the more likely there will be a problem. Certainly short sighted, temporary measures like neglecting the strategic reserve will cost us in the long run. It is the one thing that protects us from being totally dependent on an unstable part of the world, much of which hates us.
Gas is going up, but I don't see the big peak oil crunch. The more successful those screaming for cheap gas are, the more likely there will be a problem. Certainly short sighted, temporary measures like neglecting the strategic reserve will cost us in the long run. It is the one thing that protects us from being totally dependent on an unstable part of the world, much of which hates us.
Do the math people, gas is still one of the cheapest aspects of owning a car.
Ok, lets crunch some numbers. Let's say you spent $30K for your new SUV. We shall run various gas prices.
Let's go with 15MPG.
How many miles do you need to drive until your fuel costs equal the purchase price of the vehicle?
$2/gallon -- 225,000 miles
$3/gallon -- 150,000 miles
$4/gallon -- 112,500 miles
$5/gallon -- 90,000 miles
Since most people don't keep their cars over 100K miles (people on this board exempted of course as we probably are not indicative of the "average" consumer) most still spend more money on the vehicle than on the fuel.
I'm sure the pay off is similar for a $20K vehicle that gets 20MPG or a 15K vehicle that gets 30MPG.
So for most folks, the purchase of the vehicle is still a bigger part of motoring costs than is the fuel.
One more fun way to look at this.
Let's say I finance my $30K SUV for 5 years at zero percent. Let's say I drive 15k miles/year or about 1250 miles/month.
At what fuel price does my fuel cost me as much as my car payment?
Payment is $500/month
1250miles/month / 15MPG = 83.33 gallons of fuel
Fuel would have to reach $6/gallon for your fuel cost to equal your car payment.
So, right now, the best way to save money is to buy a cheaper car.
Belly Aching about fuel costs really doesn't help since most of your costs are in buying the darn hardware.
TB
Ok, lets crunch some numbers. Let's say you spent $30K for your new SUV. We shall run various gas prices.
Let's go with 15MPG.
How many miles do you need to drive until your fuel costs equal the purchase price of the vehicle?
$2/gallon -- 225,000 miles
$3/gallon -- 150,000 miles
$4/gallon -- 112,500 miles
$5/gallon -- 90,000 miles
Since most people don't keep their cars over 100K miles (people on this board exempted of course as we probably are not indicative of the "average" consumer) most still spend more money on the vehicle than on the fuel.
I'm sure the pay off is similar for a $20K vehicle that gets 20MPG or a 15K vehicle that gets 30MPG.
So for most folks, the purchase of the vehicle is still a bigger part of motoring costs than is the fuel.
One more fun way to look at this.
Let's say I finance my $30K SUV for 5 years at zero percent. Let's say I drive 15k miles/year or about 1250 miles/month.
At what fuel price does my fuel cost me as much as my car payment?
Payment is $500/month
1250miles/month / 15MPG = 83.33 gallons of fuel
Fuel would have to reach $6/gallon for your fuel cost to equal your car payment.
So, right now, the best way to save money is to buy a cheaper car.
Belly Aching about fuel costs really doesn't help since most of your costs are in buying the darn hardware.
TB
Ok,
I wanna do a bit more math, just for fun.
Let's say your 15MPG SUV is paid for but you are "loosing your shirt" at the pump.
Well, are you?
Ok, here we go, at what fuel price would it be smarter to take the SUV off the road and buy that $15K 30MPG econobox?
Let's allocate $0.05/mile for repairs or about $5000 over 100K miles. I'd say that is very generous.
Maintenance costs should be the same for a new or used car, but repairs are expected.
Further, let's assume the new car never breaks down. However, we have the 15K cost of the vehicle or about 0.15/mile
SUV cost/mile is FuelPrice/15MPG + 0.05
Econocar cost/mile is FuelPrice/30MPG + 0.15
Or
Let's abbreviate FuelPrice FP
and lets see where they are equal
FP/15 + 0.05 = FP/30 + 0.15
or 2FP + 1.50 = FP + 4.50
which after some math we get
FP = $3
So over the course of 100K miles, your break even point is at $3/gallon, assuming the new car never broke. If you have repairs for the new car, then the break even price of gas is even greater.
Again, right now it is difficult to save significant money on fuel by purchasing a new, smaller vehicle.
So drive what you like.
TB
Not a fan of SUV's, BTW
I wanna do a bit more math, just for fun.
Let's say your 15MPG SUV is paid for but you are "loosing your shirt" at the pump.
Well, are you?
Ok, here we go, at what fuel price would it be smarter to take the SUV off the road and buy that $15K 30MPG econobox?
Let's allocate $0.05/mile for repairs or about $5000 over 100K miles. I'd say that is very generous.
Maintenance costs should be the same for a new or used car, but repairs are expected.
Further, let's assume the new car never breaks down. However, we have the 15K cost of the vehicle or about 0.15/mile
SUV cost/mile is FuelPrice/15MPG + 0.05
Econocar cost/mile is FuelPrice/30MPG + 0.15
Or
Let's abbreviate FuelPrice FP
and lets see where they are equal
FP/15 + 0.05 = FP/30 + 0.15
or 2FP + 1.50 = FP + 4.50
which after some math we get
FP = $3
So over the course of 100K miles, your break even point is at $3/gallon, assuming the new car never broke. If you have repairs for the new car, then the break even price of gas is even greater.
Again, right now it is difficult to save significant money on fuel by purchasing a new, smaller vehicle.
So drive what you like.
TB
Not a fan of SUV's, BTW
I dont think $3 a gallon is all that bad. I spend $80 bucks a month on my 30 mpg accord. If it doubled to $160 a month it just means ill cant eat out as often or go to walmart every time i need just one thing. No big deal in my eyes.
If i was driving a big pickup or suv i would complain but I dont.
If i was driving a big pickup or suv i would complain but I dont.
Good post.
The takeaway is...if you need a new vehicle, buy with economy and value in mind; but don't lose your shirt trading off an otherwise useful vehicle thinking that your going to save the family finances by going from 15 to 30 mpg.
My wife's Sienna averages 25mpg and has 116,000 miles on it. I figure we'll be making a move in about two years, when it has about 150,000 miles (Lord willing!). Already thinking about the diesel Pasaat wagon I want to get her!!!
Tim
Well my Protege averages better than 32 mpg per tank, so I'd probably have to see $4 per gallon before I switched over to a VW turbo-diesel or a hybrid...
my car cost $500 and i average 45mpg. gas would need to get up to around 20/gallon before i considered a motorcycle.
actually, i already have a bicycle, but it has a 18 cc weedeater engine on it, and averages 420mpg.
maybe some of you should think about that. you can buy a conversion kit to "bolt on" a weedeater engine to a bike frame for about $500. at over 400mpg, it pays for its self fairly quickly and is great for short trips in decent weather. i built mine by hand though for about $20.
actually, i already have a bicycle, but it has a 18 cc weedeater engine on it, and averages 420mpg.
maybe some of you should think about that. you can buy a conversion kit to "bolt on" a weedeater engine to a bike frame for about $500. at over 400mpg, it pays for its self fairly quickly and is great for short trips in decent weather. i built mine by hand though for about $20.
Bit of a digression here, but I have a gasoline receipt from January. I normally mark them up or attach a note to myself as to at what point the 'click' happened, how many litres and all that. This one just says the trip odometer was 326 KM and "too cold for details." Yup, 326 KM on perhaps 3/4 tank, because it was stupidly cold. Last week I was getting about twice the mileage.
Also a bit of a digression (or is it? It's part of the origional question?) at what point do driving habits get changed? I was just admiring the fellow that was so wealthy he could nail the gas at every set of lights, right after nailing the brakes. Light after light we accelerated gently and off he went. He braked hard and late while we were doing 1/2 the posted limit as the light turned green. We concluded that he enjoyed talking about what a macho stud he was, getting 16 mpg instead of 18. And when the engine needs work or the brakes go prematurely, he'll boast of how easy it is to part with the money for repairs. Or curse the brand of truck and go with something else next time.
Whatever happened to pretending there was an egg under the gas (and brake) pedal? Or 'GENTLE inputs are the key to total economy'??
I LOVED the math angle; here is another one. You are lost in thought while driving and suddenly realize you missed a gas station, are quite a distance from the nearest one, and are running on fumes. What do you do? Hit top speed and rationalize that when the gaas runs out, you can coast?
Or do 45 in a 65 zone and care a bit less about how much you impress the total stranger in the next lane?
I hope my post saves some gas as well as gets some people thinking
Regards
Rob-the-oil-nut
Also a bit of a digression (or is it? It's part of the origional question?) at what point do driving habits get changed? I was just admiring the fellow that was so wealthy he could nail the gas at every set of lights, right after nailing the brakes. Light after light we accelerated gently and off he went. He braked hard and late while we were doing 1/2 the posted limit as the light turned green. We concluded that he enjoyed talking about what a macho stud he was, getting 16 mpg instead of 18. And when the engine needs work or the brakes go prematurely, he'll boast of how easy it is to part with the money for repairs. Or curse the brand of truck and go with something else next time.
Whatever happened to pretending there was an egg under the gas (and brake) pedal? Or 'GENTLE inputs are the key to total economy'??
I LOVED the math angle; here is another one. You are lost in thought while driving and suddenly realize you missed a gas station, are quite a distance from the nearest one, and are running on fumes. What do you do? Hit top speed and rationalize that when the gaas runs out, you can coast?
I hope my post saves some gas as well as gets some people thinking
Regards
Rob-the-oil-nut
Put in the highest gear possible and creep along with your fingers crossed!!!! I'm lucky enough to have 3 vehicles. The F150 doesn't see a lot of use when gas gets this high unless I have to. I'm talking road trips with the family. You just can't beat a F150 Supercrew with a wife and a 5 month old. Even when I do drive it, I am not as pushy with the gas pedal.
I think I could easily afford $6/gallon with my lifestyle and type of driving.
No matter what you paid for your vehicle, don't you want to try to save a little money at the pumps? Just because I paid $X for my house, doesn't mean I want to get gouged buying furniture for it!
I saw some RETARD driving a big red, 10 foot tall tricked-out Dodge Ram pickup on 81N in NC yesterday. It was jacked up off the ground, had four tires in the back, big air scoop... sounded like he pinned playing cards in the wheels to make the "flap flap" sound. This ******* was doing close to 75mph in this beast. 1) He probably got no more than 8 mpg, and 2) in the crosswinds he could barely keep it between the lines. Guys like that are going to drive things like that even at $7/gal I bet.
Me, I'm happy to be getting 25mpg average out of my turbo 4-banger. Although I'll be in line to get a hybrid in 5 or 6 years no doubt.
I saw some RETARD driving a big red, 10 foot tall tricked-out Dodge Ram pickup on 81N in NC yesterday. It was jacked up off the ground, had four tires in the back, big air scoop... sounded like he pinned playing cards in the wheels to make the "flap flap" sound. This ******* was doing close to 75mph in this beast. 1) He probably got no more than 8 mpg, and 2) in the crosswinds he could barely keep it between the lines. Guys like that are going to drive things like that even at $7/gal I bet.
Me, I'm happy to be getting 25mpg average out of my turbo 4-banger. Although I'll be in line to get a hybrid in 5 or 6 years no doubt.
Oh, and Bush sucks!
I know I'm in Canada, but still, I have no idea what happened to VP Cheney! One guy said he was pushed into a bunker for his whole term for having made too strong a case about WMD. If you can believe someone would even make up such a notion. Maybe he's in Cheyenne sleeping during the day and being acting Pres while Bush (who sucks) sleeps.
Here's one for our greatest minds: Does Bush suck *while he is sleeping*
Perhaps there are some unresolved father-son issues going on there. What kind of childhood trauma did he suffer to spend over a trillion trying to win favor with his dad?
Back to topic, Canada has a few advantaages. Winters get rid of the dumbest drivers. Sadly, they seem to re-grow in spring
Cheers
Rob
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