cheapie

gas is $279 for regular here in kalamazoo. that is utterly ridiculous. it have a freakin' civic and it costs $30!!!!! to fill it. an effin' civic!

looks at the profits for the oil companies for 2004 over 2003.

BP – up 165%
Chevron-Texaco - up 294%
Conoco-Phillips - up 44%
ExxonMobil - up 125%



how much worse do you think it will get before people demand attention from the gvt, more fuel-efficient vehicles, and the end to price-gouging by the oil companies?

__________________
70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

mcs328

It cost me about that much on my civic also. I used to drive 60+ miles a day. Now it's about half that since I worked out a deal to work closer to home. That was 2-3 months ago and I thought I be saving money...nope. Now I'm paying just as much as before minus the extra 2 hours a day in traffic.

__________________

Jenny

Yup, it's $2.49/gal regular here in Wichita. *sigh*

__________________
Check out my spoilers for over 20 shows @ SpoilerFix.com

Check out my TV blog, where I post weekly & daily TV
schedules, TV news, interviews with TV stars & more!
All new TV forums as well @ TV Is My Pacifier

DarkFury

What'chu talkin' bout... the schitt has ALREADY hit the fan as far as I'm concerned.

__________________


DarkFury's Pimptopia - Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game!
Home of the Original OG Pimp (accept NO imitations)

gear02

well...it's a good time to be a petroleum engineer.

InfiniteNothing

Oooh I read a study on this. I can't remember. I think it was either $4.00 or $4.50/gal

__________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

kimchicowboy

time to get rid of the HEMI, eh? heheh

dude, in SF, it's like $2.75 for regular. last i saw, $2.67 for regular out where i live.

__________________
"I pick my nose too but never eat it." - bachviet, 3/30/04

if anyone wants to go scuba diving in oahu or wants to learn who to scuba dive in oahu, PM me.

baggio248

I was home in Northern California this past week, we drove by a Shell station that was selling regular for $3.05. Across the street Chevron was selling for $2.79.

__________________
Peter: Lois, you've got a sick mind!
Lois: Peter, I'm talking about making love.
Peter: Oh, I thought you wanted us to murder the children and harvest their organs for beer money.

Nija

I was in Malibu this weekend and regular was 3.03 @ a Chevron

__________________

"Nija is the dark soul of gotapex. We don't like to talk about him." - LPMiller

ray

I'm paying like 2.91 for my ultrapowerfulsupremechevronshellprotectiongasoline

ialsohaveadream

Please tell me you only typed "b4" because "before" wouldn't let you fit your whole subject in...

Anyway, I think that day isn't far off. Once prices average over $3 per gallon, people will realize that the fact that they got a 2% raise this year isn't keeping up with the 65% more they have to spend on gas.

__________________
Web log

cheapie

nope. it's cuz i'm l337 baby!

brainsmile

$3.03 in SF I hear

__________________
**********************************
DCM #1 (Founder)





"Nobody beats Vitus Gerulaitis 18 times in a row." - Vitus Gerulaitis on beating Jimmy Connors after 17 failed attempts.

ialsohaveadream

:sigh:

Kevster

Boy it is a good thing that my Honda Accord only needs refueling every couple weeks or so. Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in. Oh wait, if you drive an SUV, yeah I did.

__________________
I think over again
My small adventures, my fears.
The small ones that seemed so big,
For all the vital things I had to get and to reach.

And yet there is only one great thing, the only thing:

To live to see the great day that dawns,
And the light that fills the world.

-old Inuit song

Airencracken

I love my prius.

Hybrid 0wn3d.

__________________
"I remember my first orgasm, I just wish someone was there to share it with me..."11-05-2003 05:33 AM - Topane
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin
Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, & the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opiate of the masses. - Karl Marx
Hell is other people - Jean-Paul Sartre

DarkFury

Nope...

But it does stay parked until it is absolutely needed... Makes a good 2nd vehicle as I go back to the Ol' Trusty T-Bird (which gets moderately better gas mileage. )

Maarchk

Not to jump the shark, but the college kid who just won on jeopardy had such a big lead, he could bet whatever he wanted and still win... So his final jeoprdy bet?

1337....

Alex said "that's an interesting bet."

__________________
"The girl is crafty like ice is cold."

"I left my heart in san francisco... And my liver at Moe's Tavern."

A real friend is one who listens to you as much as they talk to you.

smeakim

Yes demand has gone up becuase of China; however it is the traders and the oil companies causing the spike. Also Do the math on a hybrid. My cavalier gets 30 miles to the gallon. I paid 11K for it. You paid how much for the hybrid about 22K. You get 50mpg. Lets see thats 20mpg difference. Lets look at $3 a gallon over 15k a year. 300 gallons of gas for your hybrid. 500 gallons for my cavalier. So that means I buy 200 more galons of gas. that is 600 bucks. But you paid 22K minus the tax rebate 2800 right not 3000 one time next year. So that means you paid roughly 18K. 18K/$600 means I break even with you in 30yrs if my math is right. 18K/1000 ($5.00 a gallon) means I break even with you in 18 years. Glad alll those hybrid owers are paying less for gas becuase they already paid for it up front with the car they bought. Maybe my math is wrong. Anyway that is just my rant on everyone saying hybrids will save us. Maybe when the prices come down on the car or the mpg gets better. but not much difference when you compare other small cars. Now if I had a V8 Hemi truck, an H2, or Excursion I guess, but those are two different types of car people. Maybe we need to stick to the oil companies and the traders. JMHO

Jane83

it costs me $45 to fill my 4runner

Nija

I want to see a cavalier that is going to last 18 years... let alone 30

zippyjuan

Gas? What is gas? I live close enough to walk to work, but I know few people are so fortunate. I don't even own a car right now.

__________________
I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz

cheapie

my thoughts exactly.

VTGreg

There's an article in today's USA Today about gas prices. The current national average is $2.55. Adjusting for inflation, the price from 1981 would correlate to an average of $3.04 today.

__________________
It only ends once... Anything that happens before that is just progress.

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.

smeakim

That is my point.... A prius is not going to last that long anyaway. Also just wait till all the batteries have to be replaced. I can buy two cavaliers in that time or wait till the technology is really there to create real fuel efficiency. Not saying the hybrids are bad, but the cost justification is just not there. If you have the money and want to help the environment a little go for it, but it is not that good a deal. It all comes down to math.

InfiniteNothing

Yes but in the end... you're still driving a entry level Chevy. No but seriously... that's apples to oranges. You're not balancing the features, time in a autoshop, ride quality, space... etc. Also your math is wrong. You have to subtract off the price of your car from the 22K because that's money you spent. It works out to 13.6 years but you're still not including the cost to repair your cavalier or your decreased residual value.

Okay then subtract out $11,000 twice and see how quick the improved milage catches up to you. (negative 5 years)

smeakim

However, that is making the assumption the hybrid never has to go into the shop. My sister's one has been in twice already. Also I am not going to keep it for 13.6 years just as I don't think someone will keep the hybrid that long. If they do great but I have never known anyone to keep a car 13.6 years. By that time I hope we have better technology. So if I get a car with better technology someone before 13.6 years I am better off than spending the money upfront now. I am not saying the cavalier is a car to be desired. Just look at other cars that are cheap as well. Look at the Civic more, but still the math works out. Look at a Saturn. There are other cars where it is still more economical not to buy at this point and time. Look at a Ford Focus. There are plenty of cars where the math works out. Also you have to base the fact that the hybrid does not need any work as well. My cavalier will be much cheaper to fix. Call your insurance company and you can find that out. Thanks for correcting my math.

InfiniteNothing

increased cost of repair.... not nonexistant cost of repair. It's known that Chevys break down more than the Prius. All cars break down... but in the end, you will spend more in maintenance and you have to work that into the calculation. If people aren't going to keep their cars as long as they live then you have to also work in residual costs. If at the end of say 5 years you get back (from selling the Prius) $14000 but you only get back $4000 the cost of ownership over the 5 years might change the numbers.

If you want to compare it to the Civic it's still apples to oranges. See previous post for list of possible differences.

Grimm

If my Chevy Malibu LS cost me $17,000 and your Hybrid cost $22,000 that is a $5,000 difference then subtract $2800 rebate for $2,200.
An average yearly driving distance is 15,000 miles.
For easy numbers we will say I get 20mpg and a hybrid gets 50mpg.
I use 750gallons a year, the hybrid uses 300 gallons a year.
So my additional yearly cost is (at $3.00/gal) 450*3= $1,350
So, after 2 years I am paying more, but my entire maintenance costs for the last 5 years was about $300 (including oil changes, I get them free from the dealership). I imagine it is a bit higher for a hybrid that is out of waranty. How much is it to replace all the batteries?

The Malibu LS (leather interior, woot!) is probably a bit nicer than a $22,000 hybrid. So for me, I think it's probably a wash.

I do intend to get a hybrid for my next car. But it is cheaper to pay $1200 a year for gass right now than to make a car payment.

InfiniteNothing

FYI Batteries and the hybrid system in general are warrentied here for 10 years per CARB.