Gas!

That's pretty good. I'd bet that guy's pension/401k is holding stock in an oil company.

Ryan_PA said:

Huh. I'd-a-thunk you were a republican, yet these sound like democrat words.

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Impossible! A well thought out response that actualy makes logical sense would never sound like democrats.

Germey said:

Boy, what a debacle! An idiot congresswoman who can't hold her **** together in a meeting and an oil executive who replies to a relatively simple question with a thinly veiled threat, all wrapped up and delivered with that special Fox News Flair.

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Only Fox News has that kinda flair!

It's not just supply, refining capacity is another factor.

How'd I get in this thread?

$3.79 in Harlingen, TX

EdWort said:

I have a Chevy Tahoe Z71 used for pulling a horse trailer and Boy Scout Trailer and a Saturn SW2 (which gets almost 40 MPG on the hiway).

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Seriously Ed, your mileage will go up a lot if you stop towing so much stuff behind the Tahoe. Or just drive the Saturn on its own instead of towing it!

I'm actually glad that prices are going up. As lazy as Americans are, this is the only thing that will truely prompt us to find alternative means of transportation, be it carpooling, mass transit, bikes, biodiesel, alternative fuels, etc. Wouldn't it be cool if city streets could be laid out just like the electric slot cars from when we were kids?

I did some calculations on whether I'd save any money on riding the MAX to work vs. driving. If I drive to the MAX stop and ride it to work, gas will have to hit $5.25 a gallon before it's cost effective. F'n sonofawhore trimet website insists there are NO bus stops close to my house when I know there are!

Another thing I considered is the commute time. My commute time will triple from 20 minutes to an hour each way. I also work odd hours too, so there's very little traffic. Many people won't want to give that up that convenience if it takes less time to drive than to ride the bus.

Just to put things in perspective...

Beer is being sold in my local at around $42.60 a (US) gallon... And thats draft...

Bottled could put you back about $83.60 a (US) gallon...

rmck1 said:

Just to put things in perspective...

Beer is being sold in my local at around $42.60 a (US) gallon... And thats draft...

Bottled could put you back about $83.60 a (US) gallon...

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Cheese & Crackers. I can buy a keg of craft brew from a local brewery (North by NorthWest) for $16.74 a gallon. With my AHA member discount, I can buy craft brew at Uncle Billy's Brew & Que for $2 a pint (that's $16 a gallon).

I love a good pint of Guinness, but man, that would put dent in the wallet.

Whattya expect Ed, they tax alcohol out the wazoo in Ireland.

EvilTOJ said:

Whattya expect Ed, they tax alcohol out the wazoo in Ireland.

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Doesn't stop us... Ha...

I still laugh that the same people whining about $4 a gallon gas that needs to be, drilled, pumped, refined, transported, distributed ..etc (long supply chain cost and not enough refineries) yet Have no trouble paying someone $11 a gallon for Water that costs the manufacturer (depending where they are) roughly $.002 a gallon to get and roughly $.03 to filter..

When you buy your Auquafina Keep in mind it cost the company about 15-20 cents to get it to your store, leaving them and the store $1.10 in profit. Where is the outrage?

EvilTOJ said:

I'm actually glad that prices are going up. As lazy as Americans are, this is the only thing that will truely prompt us to find alternative means of transportation, be it carpooling, mass transit, bikes, biodiesel, alternative fuels, etc.

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It has nothing to do with Laziness or being American. Nobody anywhere is going to willingly give up that to which they've become accustomed without good reason.

I'm all for drilling for oil in the US and building more refineries. The fact is we have the capability of getting the country off of oil in 10-20 years, but we don't have any incentive to do so. And why should we? Oil is cheap!

People wail and moan about what will happen when oil runs out. I don't worry about it. It's not like it will dry up overnight. No, it will gradually become more expensive. This means that the use of gasoline that can most easily be replaced by alternative means will be the first to get switched over. Then the next easiest. And the great thing about this is it will all make economic sense when we do it... so instead of feeling like you are sacrificing to get off of oil, you will feel liberated and enthusiastic.

We're not going to save the planet by investing in technologies that don't make sense economically. We're going to get off our dependence on oil by finding cheaper alternatives that work for people.

This isn't laziness, it's just the way the whole world works.

Oil is not going away anytime soon. We use it in far too many ways besides gasoline. It's a natural produced produced by Mother Earth, but politicians won't let us drill for it.

Wait till the folks who heat with it start screaming this winter.

I pay $1.47 a liter for regular gas here in Labrador, not sure what the gallon conversion is, but I am getting dinged pretty badly, good thing I live in a small town, my longest drive is maybe 4 minutes to anywhere. Except the strip club, gotta drive 30 minutes for that, as it is in another town.

budbo said:

I still laugh that the same people whining about $4 a gallon gas that needs to be, drilled, pumped, refined, transported, distributed ..etc (long supply chain cost and not enough refineries) yet Have no trouble paying someone $11 a gallon for Water that costs the manufacturer (depending where they are) roughly $.002 a gallon to get and roughly $.03 to filter..

When you buy your Auquafina Keep in mind it cost the company about 15-20 cents to get it to your store, leaving them and the store $1.10 in profit. Where is the outrage?

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One big difference there mate... I can collect my own water, or drill for it. While water is more necessary than oil to sustain life, it is readily available without having to pay bottled water prices. Anyone that regularly spends that much money on bottled water rather than refilling a bottle from a tap, is either very thirsty, or very bad at math.


Evian..... read it backwards....vaivE. They are outright telling people how silly they are for buying this water. I think I might market my own bottled water at a discount price and call it "diputs"

Jesterday said:

not sure what the gallon conversion is

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3.75L = one gallon. $1.47/L = $5.51/gal.

I think this thread has been beat to death, but I was out of town, so I wanted to get my two licks in.

1) You can't compare the US to Europe. It is not a very common thing for someone in Europe to drive 1+ hour to get to work in the morning or 6-12 hours on a weekend to go see family. That is because there are trains/tubes/buses that can get you around for a lot less than driving yourself. We don't have that option here in the states. My two options for my trip this weekend are fly or drive, and driving is still cheaper and will likely always be.

2) Regardless of what people are telling you the oil issues are hugely compounded by lack of energy based construction. Just because there is gas at the station when you go doesn't mean that there must be plenty of refinery production capacity. The refineries are likely running overtime all the time, that costs more in labor, equipment, etc... Not to mention that some of our production capability has to be used for power plants to function because we are not allowing more efficient plants to be produced.

The refineries are likely running overtime all the time, that costs more in labor, equipment, etc... Not to mention that some of our production capability has to be used for power plants to function because we are not allowing more efficient plants to be produced.

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Self imposed problems

Im getting a scooter sometime soon that will get 90+ mpg. Suck it.

Honda has a few models, but the Highway one looks badass.

BuffaloSabresBrewer said:

Im getting a scooter sometime soon that will get 90+ mpg. Suck it.

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May I suggest a Ninja 250 instead? It only gets 50mpg, but it will do highway speeds. One of the drawbacks to any "high efficiency" vehicle is that, in order for it to save you any money, you need to use it. You've got to set it up so that you actually use the thing as much as possible. If your scooter only replaces 7-or-less mile trips in your car, and is never used when you need to pick something up and take it home with you, then it's never really going to earn its keep in your garage... And even then, if you only ride it between the temperatures of 60 and 80 degrees, then forget about it.

Compared to a 25mpg car, a 50mpg motorcycle will save you 8 cents a mile. A 100mpg scooter will save you 12 cents a mile.

If you get a motorcycle that you can take on the highway, then maybe you'll consider using it to for 40-100 mile trips or longer. Now you'll be saving $5 or more on each trip.

If you get some soft saddle bags for about $60 or so, now you've got some carrying capacity for light groceries, a quick trip to the hardware store, or wherever. It can now be used for maybe half your errands

You've still got to do something to increase your tolerance for cooler, hotter, or wetter weather. For example, I ride my 45mpg bike to work every day. Most days lately, it's like 60 degrees when I leave and I'm riding back 8-10 hours later in 40 degree temps. You aren't going to ride on days like that, no matter how nice it is when you leave, unless you've got the right gear for getting home in the colder weather. If you leave your bike/scooter home every time there's a 20% chance of rain, again, you'll never save money with the scooter. So you may want to invest in some wet weather gear as well.

Coming from a guy who commutes on his bike from 30 degrees to 105 degrees, rain, sleet, or snow, and has even done so on many days when he wears a suit and tie the bottom line is this: yes, you can save a good chunk of money by riding, but only if you really really like to ride. If it's a nuisance, if you hate being hot and sweaty, hate being cold and wet, and don't want to fuss with the gear that you need to ride in the cold and in the hot, and if you don't want to freshen up when you arrive; if you aren't willing to plan your trips around what will fit in your saddle bags; and if you aren't committed to riding as a lifestyle, then the scooter or motorcycle is just going to be a cheap little fair weather toy and it's not going to be saving you much money.

The $500 to $1,200 it would cost to get a cheap bike or a scooter will buy you quite a bit of gas to fill up your car...

I know alot of people that ride like you hump. Most of them have something else to take care of shopping, ect... One guy who has bought multiple scooters over the years has boasted how much $$$ he has saved just riding it to/from work, but never gives us any figures.

MikeFlynn74 said:

Self imposed problems

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If by they are doing it to try and meet the demand and make sure that we are able to purchase gas then yes they are self imposed.

You can't refine without running a refinery and when our consumption has gone up drastically in the last 20 years with no new refinery to feed it you have to do something with what is built.

Jonnio said:

You can't refine without running a refinery and when our consumption has gone up drastically in the last 20 years with no new refinery to feed it you have to do something with what is built.

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In addition to consumption going up, our own production is down like 40% in the same time frame.

Who do we thank for no drilling or refineries being built to fuel our country? Lame-ass politicians and people like AlGore with their hidden agenda to bring America down a few notches while they make billions through mandating "alternatives" in which they are heavily invested.

The envirowackos are gleefully rubbing their hands at the thought of less consumption due to $6 a gallon gasoline, but they never think of unintended consequences like tanking the economy, airlines going under, people losing their jobs and making people go hungry.

$3.83 in my neck of the woods....

I considered getting a scooter or a motorcycle, but honestly, i'd rather not have my hour commute on a bike... I'm sure on the nice spring days and summer months it'd be well worth it for a 30 to 45min commute to work, but I think an hour each day would be hell on a bike...

esp with the a-holes that drive around here.

BraeHaus said:

$3.83 in my neck of the woods....

I considered getting a scooter or a motorcycle, but honestly, i'd rather not have my hour commute on a bike... I'm sure on the nice spring days and summer months it'd be well worth it for a 30 to 45min commute to work, but I think an hour each day would be hell on a bike...

esp with the a-holes that drive around here.

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If you have a good bike it's not bad at all. I once put 900 miles on in 24 hours on a 1984 Yamaha FJ1100. Even that was not bad.

I wouldn't recommend anyone get a bike to try and save money on gas. If you want to ride then its a bonus that its cheaper per mile, but by the time you put the money out in a bike, a riders course, gear etc... your going to be increasing your danger to save pennies. Not really worth it strictly for the money savings.

Yet, I still ride to work almost every day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7420792.stm

This happened a few years back when Fuel hit 80p, it's now £1.20.

Hauliers say diesel prices topping 120p a litre, plus the government's planned 2p fuel tax rise, will drive firms "to the wall". They want a fuel tax rebate.

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Jonnio said:

I wouldn't recommend anyone get a bike to try and save money on gas. If you want to ride then its a bonus that its cheaper per mile, but by the time you put the money out in a bike, a riders course, gear etc... your going to be increasing your danger to save pennies. Not really worth it strictly for the money savings.

Yet, I still ride to work almost every day.

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I agree with you, but I tend to think that anybody who mentions getting a bike to save gas is really leaning towards a bike anyway and just needs a little push over the edge.

I mean, let's be realistic, the idea of risking life and limb to save a few pennies is absurd... yet the idea of having the time of your life every day on a bike is an incredible draw... and yeah, you get to save a few pennies... So I tend to think people who are thinking of the cost savings aspects really have other things that are drawing them to the sport...



Oh... and I forgot to mention one other thing in my cost analysis.... I used to work in downtown Chicago. Parking for my car, in an above-ground lot, cost $20 a day. Underground, heated, security-camera'd and security-patrolled parking for my motorcycle was $5 and a block closer. Not all garages give bikes a discount, but there's always a few enlightened places that realize that bikes take up no space and require no moving around (just stick them in a corner), so it's an extra five bucks in their pockets for basically no extra work.

So yeah, in THAT case, I gotta say, riding to save money makes sense. Riding, between gas and parking, saved me in excess of $100 a week.

2 of my friends and I went on a bike cruise years ago. While fillin gup with gas in Wyoming, one of the guys commented on ho much money we were saving by driving bikes. I pointed out that while we were all getting around 40mpg, we were all consuming that much, so were as a group were only getting around 12.5mpg. It would have been cheaper to drive a motorhome! Nothing like cruising a superbike through Galcier national park and navigating "goin to the sun road".

It may or may not save me money, but I'm using the gas prices as an excuse to get my old bike roadworthy again. I miss riding. Before I had kids I rode to work every day from early April into November, rain, shine, or snow. Yes, I have ridden my motorcycle in snowstorms. The kids are older now, so it's time to get the bike back out.

I agree with you guys about the gas as an excuse for something you already want to do. I mainly said something because I actually heard an HD commercial in my area the other day talking about what a great money savings you could have by buying a motorcycle and riding it.

I don't particularly want people like that on the road, both for their safety and my pocketbook. Rant: I pay a small fortune in bike insurance because of stupidity on the part of others. I would prefer companies not try to market to the uninterested on the basis of gas as they are more likely to go out and drive like they are in a car and become another statistic and an extra few bucks a month from me. /Rant

Im loving my motorcycle commute. it was a bit of a drag during the winter, but now its just beautiful in the mornings and on the way home.

35 bucks a month for gas aint too shabby either

Its up to $4.00 +/- in some areas of North Miami

Screw these gas prices...as soon as my son is out of school I'm going to ride my bike. I won't have to drop him off in the morning anymore, and can leave early to arrive at work on time. And by bike, I mean bicycle...MPG: inifiti. Riding a bicycle is one of those modes of transportation that gets faster the more you use it. Plus, it's a good workout...and a good "decompression chamber" after work.

And man I could use that today...power failure->shutdown hung on SBS/exchange server->corrupted RAID array->corrupted exchange information stores!!! All fixed now, though. I don't know how many beers it takes to erase this day from memory, but I'm going to find out in a couple hours!

Im loving my motorcycle commute. it was a bit of a drag during the winter, but now its just beautiful in the mornings and on the way home.

35 bucks a month for gas aint too shabby either

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Sadly you cannot ride in Alaska from Oct to March/April......

MikeFlynn74 said:

Sadly you cannot ride in Alaska from Oct to March/April......

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Snowmobiles!

MikeFlynn74 said:

Meanwhile the Kuwaities are paying 25c and Iraqis pay 1.36

sigh...

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well it is their oil