Are Gas Prices Hitting You Hard?

[nateup2]

Seems like everyone should be driving scooters now instead of those mega-SUVs.

I yeah I remember back when people said they would stop driving once it hit $3. Then it was with $4.
I see a few more scooters now, but I'm still amazed how many SUVs are around.
I love my Corolla.

I still remember when I saw a guy in a Hummer filling up when gas hit $2/gal a few years ago; it was over $100 then. I really wonder why people have the need/desire to drive things that big. Seriously, most of the time you see SUVs SAVs etc, you only see one person inside.
My Z3 3.0 didn't exactly get the best milage but at least if I drove the speed limit and didn't accelerate hard, I could get over 300 on a tank.

Exactly. Its that ignorant, wasteful, bigger/faster/dumber American mentality. I very rarely see more than one or two people in these vehicles and it makes me want to vomit.
This oil situation is not going to get any better. Most experts on the subject will agree that world oil peaked in 2007. Prices will continue to go up, not at a steady, but at an always increasing rate. This is not just because we waste so much, but also because we use a good amount of oil to even get the oil.
It will also require plenty of oil to get any of these "alternative fuels" working as a replacement. Even if we could integrate any of these new technologies as a replacement, we would be looking at 30-60 years to make that a reality. This is very bad news for our country that has become very accustomed to... no, wait... totally relient on oil based phenoms such as suburbia, walmart, and long-distance commutes to work. Oil prices are debatably bad for our economy now, but in the next 20 years it will most likely become catastrophic.
Americans are just going to have to grow up and get used to a drastically different lifestyle, but I only wish that was the only potential obstacle. Don't think for a second that Iraq was our last oil war. America will do absolutely anything for that oil... for the survival of this country. We rose to power floating on oil and we will fall as it drains.

Start learning Chinese...

[lost_within]

i wont even read the rest of your postbigger dumber faster american mentality...lmao

well that explains why japan made the new nissan skyline do 160mph+

Or why you can tune the toyota supra another well known japan car to run 8 secs flat with some cash

Dont even get me started on the euro cars that get 10 mpg and cost 250,000+ and believe it or not...you can go over there and find them on the road...frequently

We are ALL equal in the problem...in japan most cars we have here..we tune DOWN the emissions...in japan 90% of the cars we have here over there are Type Rs that are reving to 8000 rpms or has a nice size turbo on it with a 3 inch down pipe just blowing out exhaust like crazy.

Sorry but its not just americans to blame...i love my car...no matter how bad it sucks gas...and i pay the price. Way i see it...if people dont like it, find a nother way of transportation. No one is MAKING people buy gas...or atleast that much, go buy a bike, mopad, take a bus...lots of other ways that yes may cost 1000$ to get...but would pay itself off in 2 months with the gas you save. Just my 2 cents.

[nateup2]

I am American... just not in denial of the obvious truth that we are by far the most oil-dependent country in the world. America consumes almost 4 times as much oil as Japan, which is 2nd in oil consumption... and with their population about half of ours, they consume about half as much as we do, proportionately.
No, its not just Americans to blame, but we do waste the most and that is a fact. No, we are not all equal in the problem. Sorry.

That "if you don't like it, don't drive" mentality is quite laughable. That reminds me of "America is the best damn country in this world, and if you don't like it, you can get outta herr" like on Southpark. Seriously though, if you think wasting fuel effects only you, then you should really think quite a bit more about it.

Its not the environmental issue that concerns me, by the way. (although it prob should) Its the impending socioeconomic turmoil Im worried about.

[lost_within]

Im not saying we arnt the worst...and i say we are equal for the fact that...america doesnt exactly make ALL the cars the suck gas down like its going out of style. To me its all supply and demand you want a 200 mph car...well a few countries make um...buy one. If you can afford the 20,000 tune ups and gas prices...why not.

We will create our own damnnation...get it damned nation...but lets look at it this way...are you gonna stop working cause of gas prices? ....nope.

Are you gonna stop doing...ANTHING cause of gas prices...nope.

Its your choice to drive the car you drive...be it something that gets 50 mpg or 5 mpg.

I guess i can agree though...cause i like faster cars i must be a moron for importing what japan makes as their daily drivers.

But i wont fight over anything to this nature...honestly i get the most joy out of running down a new stang GT and messing with them. I fill my car up once every....3 days? But its my choice to....its not rare for me to do 120 down the highway just to open the car up for old times sake. We do use alot of oil...we also have mass airways running 24/7...we have the most transportation of goods from the air,tracks,and highway trucks.

You wanna fix oil prices?...dont wear clothes, dont read books, dont play games, dont eat food....all those things are transported from somewhere that is NOT here....so if we all just stop living...gas prices will come down.

Until then...i guess your gonna have to find a better job to pay for fuel or get a new car. THEN wait for a new fuel sorce or wait for every car to be mass produced with a battery in the trunk. Which by the way...economicly speaking...gas prices will be "sound" until they hit about 8$ a gallon. Even if it was 10$ a gallon...id STILL be paying it. Agian...only my 2 cents

[Funk, E]

America IS the worst, though, by level of emissions and pure consumption of oil.

[lost_within]

as far as emissions go...take my car to NY or Cali...it will fail the smog test...due to a japan engine being in it. Only reason we are worse in that nature is due to the fact we drive to work...most of us cant WALK to work. Hell before i was driving 60 miles to work...one way. If the people overseas didnt walk to work...and actually drove...it would be a different story.

We DO take steps for emissions...thats why i cant go out and just buy my fav cars in america...the 240sx...it came with the same clunky small truck engine they used in their nissans pickups. In japan...the 240sx...silvia...is a turbo charged car with lots of get up and go. Lucky for me i live where i live or my car would be a no go by the po po

Anyway...good luck to all on the fuel prices, up and down and round and round. BTW...im not your typical "pig headed american" kinda deal...honestly id much rather live in japan where i could enjoy the cars i love. So dont think im trying to defend this country by any means...i just think its ignorant to think we are all around horrid when its only cause we are always simply living. Look at all the tractor n trailers you see on the road...you see them due to them shipping the GOODS you live off of. We LIVE and our WANTS are what keep gas prices so high. We want to make more money to afford that nice house ...all that lumber,brick, wiring...EVERYTHING in that house...transported from somewhere...and trust me it wasnt right down the street either. But meh...what do i care...im just the stupid american that wants it bigger and better...which reminds me...i need to order a bigger turbo...more speed....more power....more gas...also has to be flown in from japan *more fuel* then sent from a warehouse about 3000 miles or so to my front door across the country..*lots more fuel...did you know 18 wheelers get 4-8 mpg on a good day?*

[Ack]

Actually, judging from what I read, oil companies may be getting record breaking profits, but it's not offsetting their record breaking costs, either. Big oil is gaining a profit, of course, averaging about .09 cents a gallon, from what I've heard. The two biggest contributing factors are actually the price of crude oil and government taxation on the process it takes to get gasoline to the people. If you live in Chicago right now, you are currently paying $0.79 in taxes on each gallon you by. In LA, it's $0.77, and NYC is $0.69. These taxes go to your city, county, state, and federal government. Indeed, the state of Illinois pulled in $220 million off gas tax alone last year. In all, there are 9 levels of taxation on the process of bringing oil to the American people, and that's just from our government.

Add to it that many non-OPEC nations had to cut oil production in the last few years for various regions, such as rebel attacks on pipelines in Nigeria, or Venezuela's refusal to sell much oil to U.S. companies, and the supply drops. Supply is going up, of course, with Nigeria just now getting its pipelines back on track, Saudi Arabia increasing its production after President Bush's recent visit there, and newly discovered oilfields off the coast of Brazil, though it's believed that oil speculation has been a major part of the increase and that will likely continue throughout the year as people panic over the prices of crude oil, or plan on selling for higher profits at future dates.

Then there's the refinery issues. Much of what the U.S. brings over is crude oil, which we then refine into gasoline. After Hurricane Katrina, many of these facilities had to be closed down due to damage, as many are located in the Gulf of Mexico. Accidents or federal inspections closed down many others, again affecting the supply of gasoline, thus driving up costs.

Of course, the U.S. does have a vast oil supply, but due to its location and federal restrictions on oil drilling, we are unable to access it, such as in protected areas of Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico.

Of course, we could move to biofuels, but that requires that we use a large amount of some product to only come back with a minor return. I believe the last time I heard the statistic for Ethanol, it required roughly 400 lbs. of corn to produce roughly 10 gallons of fuel. Exxon has been attempting to use this, but that's causing drops in the food supply, mostly in the amount that we import to other countries. Currently many small 3rd-world nations that relied on food shipments from the U.S. are being reduced to starvation, resulting in rioting and potential revolution. Haiti is an excellent example of this, with much of the population being reduced to eating mudcakes to sustain themselves.

We could look into other currently existing forms of energy, such as nuclear, but it currently averages 20 years to build a nuclear plant in the U.S., mostly due to restrictions and government regulations. Civilian protests also add to the mix, resulting in delays.

I suppose I could go into a long argument about why many OPEC nations dislike us for supporting Israel and how that ties into Nazi Germany's relationship with the Arab world in the 1930s, but I don't feel like taking the time. I agree with nateup2's argument over the problems stemming from "stupid Americans," because as an American I see very little research done by the average American. I also agree that we rely more on oil than any other nation, though it is very likely we will soon be overshadowed by China as they modernize. India, too.

[opticledilusi0n]

My little mazda doesn't get the mileage I would like. My next car will either be a corolla or perhaps a diesel VW.

Why Diesel? That stuff has skyrocketed more than gasoline.

diesel gets better mileage on avaerage

[opticledilusi0n]

oh and yea, i get slammed by gas costs

f'in subaru and their required 93 octane of better required

it doesn't help that my wrx gets like 14mpg

i'm glad i never finished restoring my other car and i intended on being a daily driver, as that thing required 93 octane and got 8 mpg

[racketboy]

I don't think most of the "alternate fuels" are that good of an idea.
I think electric is the way to go as we already have some cars in development for it, charging technology is getting better/faster and you can generate electricity many different ways (it would also help if people wouldn't throw such a fit about nuclear plants)