Gas prices hit commuters hard

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So is Canada, though the prices are rising. For example, according to my Yahoo currency convertor, $1 per litre works out to about 89 Yen, and as other Canadian posters have commented they are figuring on much higher prices.

Hey, nobody pointed a gun to the forehead of all those pickup and SUV drivers and *forced* them to buy such a giant gas guzzling POS.

I predict we'll see a lot of Expeditions, Suburbans, Quad Cab Hemi's, etc, up on cinder blocks. So if you should happen to need such a beast, might not be a bad time to buy one once gas hits $3/gal.

 

I'm not gloating...it is sad that people are being hit hard by gas prices, but I find it difficult to understand the mentality of someone who doesn't take into consideration all of the costs associated with operating a car/truck/SUV. I would never dream of buying a vehicle without doing a lot of research about it's MPG, reliability, etc--now that doesn't mean I never consider the fun features (my Prius is the loaded version)--but overall an auto purchase has to make financial sense for me to do it. What are these people thinking when they buy these monster SUVs, for instance?

OTOH, what do we expect when our elected leaders act like it's our Diety-given right to drive gas-guzzlers and have cheap oil? And if anyone dares to suggest otherwise, they get branded as commie pinko socialist Saddam-lovin' traitors? Sigh. Don't mind me...I'll just take a deep breath, go get in my Prius, and play with the Nav system...

 

True, but a lot of people have the "me me me" and the "now" mentality. A few years ago, when there was the tax loophole for buying vehicles that weighed over 6,000 pounds (only a few large SUV's qualified), a lot of accountants were advising their clients to buy honking huge SUV's to get the immediate tax write-off (well, on that tax year's tax return). They were allowed to essentially write off the entire price of the vehicle on that tax return, if it was used in business. So a whole boatload of accountants, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals -- essentially anyone who could afford to buy those monstrosities -- all got deductions for them. In effect, WE (those of us who are US taxpayers, anyways) subsidized the cost of those vehicles.

My sister was advised to do that, and when she told me what a smart guy her CPA was, I asked her how she was going to to do when gas prices rose. After all, they get 12 mpg (if they are lucky). She could only see the deduction and lower tax bill. Now, she is crying that it costs too much to fill up her tank. Well, I warned her, so while I feel for her pain, I don't sympathize much.

 

you can check the archives here. what has happened now is not a surprise at all. i (and others) predicted gas prices would drop before the election and go up after we were conned into electing bush.

i also predicted $2.50 a gallon by memorial day...looks like i aimed a bit low on that one.

 

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Well, like I said, nobody *forced* these folks to take that step. We all have Free Agency to make choices in life, and we should be prepared to accept the full consequences of those choices.

Much like how smokers always go on and on about their "right" to smoke. Then when they catch lung cancer they p*** and moan about it and expect us non-smokers to make it all better.

Anybody remember that talk show host Morton Downey Jr? Case in point.

I never act smug about getting my Prius. I suppose if I was *really* concerned about the environment I'd ride mass transit everywhere and not even own a car.

 

OK, I can understand having *AN* SUV (towing a boat, carrying lots of cargo / people, etc). but 2 SUVs?, at least one being one person 99.9% of the time?

You made your choice lady, now live with it. (Or sell it while you can, and get something a little more practical.)

The tax writeoff was meant for small buisnesses for delivery vans and that sort of thing - vehicles with bona fide buisiness utility.

Brian

 

Poor little SUV owner - not. I'm now back on evenings at work. Once again, I am able to car pool. Since I have the highest mileage vehicle (she drives a Saturn VUE), we take my car. I'm sitting happily at 53.3 mpg with just under 400 miles on the tank. My fuel bills just got cut in half with the carpool, and she's saving a small fortune comparing mine to her ~25 mpg.

 

I'm the bookkeeper for a vanpool; ridership is (surprise!) up.

The vanpool fare for our van is about $33-36 a month. One of the new riders mentioned, when handing me her check, that this is less than what it takes to fill her SUV up.

Because I take the vanpool, it means shorter trips for my Prius -- which is less efficient on gas. But I use less of it overall, and spend a lot less money on fuel.