$10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

You may be onto something there - appearance is everything!

I teach HS and one of my students from last year (he's a senior this year) was telling me he just bought a car - an EXPEDITION. C'mon, seriously - why does he need this sort of vehicle? I can't believe he would buy this, obviously it's quite a bit of money for such a car. I know he works and has been saving his money for a while - but why does a high school student need an expedition? He told me gas was a pain - $80 a tank - and it just ran through my head - why, why, why????

I teach in an inner city school and certain things just seem to have an appeal in that area of town. Shiny stuff and big cars, especially black ones, with good sound systems. I guess it's important to them, so they'd rather spend the money on that than something else. Which is fine if you HAVE the money to make the choice. Considering that 80% of our school population is on free or reduced lunches, I would say that they don't really have the money to make the choice. And yet I regularly see these flashy vehicles in the student parking lot.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Oct 20 2007, 04:15 PM) [snapback]528246[/snapback]</div>

This has nothing to do with "higher education" I know of many doctors, engineers, and professors who 70 % or more all drive SUV's, Vans, or Sports cars.
I bet the real difference is that here in "hickville" we don't permanently pay over $3.00 a gallon for gasoline. If you look at the numbers everytime gas spikes up, there is a surge of hybrid sales this isn't coincidence, perhaps your "higher education" never accounted for common sense because you just assume you are better than anyone else therefore you must be right.

 

Last time I checked this was a free country and you can drive what ever you want to. Your Toyota is not saving the world and Hummers are not destroying it. I think a minor volcanic eruption will cancel out every Prius ever built. Quit worring about how people spend THEIR money. It's none of your business. You are giving us a bad rep. No wonder people think we have "I'm better than you, I drive a Prius attitude". YOU DO

 

Wow, $55 to fill a 20 gallon tank is a pretty good deal. I just paid $42 to fill the Camry belonging to my parents, it was 14 gallons. That being said, I do appreciate the Prius my wife and I have more and more as time goes on. We may buy another one in the future when the 91 Corolla needs replacing (which hopefully won't be for a long long time).

I always figured that SUV's cost $75-100 to fill up, a 20 gallon tank is pretty small. The old 1975 Olds Delta 88 (my parents old car I drove when I first got my license) had a 26 gallon tank!! I can remember putting $10 in and getting half a tank according to the gas gauge.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(amhobby @ Oct 22 2007, 10:02 AM) [snapback]528819[/snapback]</div>

Don't forget that blood is being spilled in foreign sands to protect that "freedom" (aka OIL). Not to mention all the tax dollars we are paying to keep that "freedom" flowing.

Ya mon, I'd call that "freedom to waste somebody else's blood and money."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(amhobby @ Oct 22 2007, 11:02 AM) [snapback]528819[/snapback]</div>

I agree wholeheartedly with you. it is a free country. let people make their own decisions. and we already have a bad rep driving a prius for the most part - people think we are tree hugging, al gore worshiping, environmentalists - jeez - i would like a bumper sticker for my prius that said:

"i hate the environment" or something like that.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(poleikleng @ Oct 20 2007, 08:30 AM) [snapback]528129[/snapback]</div>

The people who can afford to purchase excessively large SUVs USUALLY can also afford to maintain them, including filling it up when needed. In other words, if you make 6 figures and the rest of your finances are bascially in order, what is $100 per fill up to you? Not much.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Oct 20 2007, 03:02 PM) [snapback]528226[/snapback]</div>

There you go. More proof gas is too cheep. When $10/gallon high gas prices drive those numb nuts into selling their SUV's, and using the proceeds for public transportation, THEN gas is at the right price. Until then, big ol' fatso's will continue to sit in front of Wallmart on hot days, too lazy to get out of the car, and opt instead to run the ICE just for the AC . . . rather than going into the store to stay cool.

These are the same folks with bumper stickers that say, "I'd rather push my Ford (or insert some other make) than drive a GM"
So when gas gets real scarse? They'll get their wish.

 

I have heard people explain that by driving fast they save gas because they arrive sooner. This may explain why large SUV's are normally at 80 mph in the fast lane three feet from the car in front. It may take a good world wide depression to get some people back to reality, and out of their SUV.

 

$8 to $10 a gallon is exactly the threshhold forecast in Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, by Bill McKibben. Fuel is $8 a gallon ($1.50 to $2.00 per Liter). The future is here and Prius owners are well positioned.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 22 2007, 09:05 AM) [snapback]528868[/snapback]</div>

My aunt, an insurance agent, tells stories of 10 or more impoverished families who pool their money and share a new large car (purchased new each year). A you can imagine, these cars receive a lot of wear and tear. The worse case scenario is settling a collision claim where one of these cars drove uphill on a steep street, with cars parked on both sides of the street, but narrowing at the top. You guessed it, the insured vehicle gets wedged in at the top, having damaged 20+ large vehicles. The insurance claims are a mess (and the policies carry high premiums).

Nevertheless, these poor families can "travel in style," at least once every 10 weeks.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 22 2007, 09:05 AM) [snapback]528868[/snapback]</div>

My aunt, an insurance agent, tells stories of 10 or more impoverished families who pool their money and share a new large car (purchased new each year). A you can imagine, these cars receive a lot of wear and tear. The worse case scenario is settling a collision claim where one of these cars drove uphill on a steep street, with cars parked on both sides of the street, but narrowing at the top. You guessed it, the insured vehicle gets wedged in at the top, having damaged 20+ large vehicles. The insurance claims are a mess (and the policies carry high premiums).

Nevertheless, these poor families can "travel in style," at least once every 10 weeks.

 

I don't laugh at other drivers, but last week when filling up I was tempted to moan, "Geez, twenty five bucks to fill up? I just spend twenty five bucks on gas LAST month!"

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

that article is the definition of
Liberal Fascism

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

A fan of Jonah Goldberg are we? Groan...

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Apparently these sort of people exist

They'll buy the cheapest food, eat poorly and buy cheap stuff (toothpaste, toothbrush, cutlery, cooking utensils, dining sets etc .. i.e. stuff you don't normally see) just so that they afford to buy the expensive stuff that outside people see (car, shoes, electronics, clothing accessories etc)[/quote]


The best part is seeing the enormous, gas-guzzlers parked in front of a million-dollar home without a stick of furniture inside. So many times I have seen people driving conspicuous, "blinged-out" cars and living in excessive, gaudy "McMansions", but sleeping on the floor. It's also funny because they make sure to save enough money to buy mini-blinds for every single window in the house because they don't want people to see that they have nothing but an empty house.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Here in Santa barbara, CA.. It costs me over 70dollars to fill my tank in my chevy pickup.. same for Range Rover.. Sometimes the pumps shut off without being full because they reach their preset max purchase..

My new prius I havent filled the tank yet I will only drive the other vehicles when absolutely nec.. In a few months going get rid of big truck and get the hybrid tahoe maybe.. At least would be better on pocket book and the enviro and i need the towing powa.


WOoT

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Well, I really see nothing wrong with driving a vehicle YOU CAN AFFORD. For some reason, Americans - and a lot of Canadians too - are sucked into this Consumerism where they always have to show off to people they don't even know

Quite frankly, I have no sympathy for somebody who is broke, deeply in debt, and whining they can't afford gas/food/mortgage/credit card etc. I started off with nothing and thanks to proper upbringing and thrftiness, have absolutely zero debt, good savings, etc

I suppose a lot of folks back then were shocked that my folks never helped me out. Although not wealthy by current standards, they were very comfy. They carefully explained the best way for me to learn how to live was to go out there myself and live. Not to depend on others - handouts from parents, welfare nanny State, and so forth - to get by.

What I find ironic and perhaps insulting is that a lot of folks out there have anger and contempt for those who live within their means. We're labeled as "cheap" and worse. Big whoop, insult away

As far as $10 a gal gas, when I consider how much I drive my FJ, that may increase my yearly operating costs by almost $500. Unless I start using it for my business, then there is no personal financial burden.

I like my Prius, and I also like my FJ. Each has a purpose, and each is used within that intended purpose. Obviously, my FJ will have a small fraction of the miles I put on my Prius. Over the next 5 years I'd be very surprised if I put 30,000 miles on the FJ

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Soon now we'll all be limited to driving vehicles that the Earth can afford. Fossil-derived CO2 will be considered almost as dangerous as lead.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Don't you get it? No one wants people to point and them and say "Oh, he's poor." So if it bankrupts them to drive a car that makes them appear to be more affluent than they are, they will. They're not going to choose a used Civic over a used Caddy, especially if the price is about the same. Which it probably won't be because the used Civic will probably be more up front than the used Caddy due to lower operating costs over time. Stupid people don't think that way. That's why they're buying those SUVs with the great "deals" from the dealers instead of a more expensive but cheaper in the long run hybrid. They don't think long term. And they're vain.