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carguy123
carguy123 HalfDork
10/27/08 10:57 a.m.

This is one thing I don't think is election driven, but I don't really expect prices to stay down. Keep in mind OPEC controls most of the oil in the world. OPEC is a monopoly and their function is to keep oil prices up. We've got a blip in the supply and when we work it off we'll be back to the new normal.

Grtechguy
Grtechguy SuperDork
10/27/08 11:54 a.m.

Still trying to figure out how to ride a street bike in the snow and ice.....

looks like I'm driving the Oldsmobile this winter. its paid for. over and over again.

Fill tank and PLPD insurance = Pretty Damn Cheap.

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt HalfDork
10/27/08 12:54 p.m.
Grtechguy wrote: Still trying to figure out how to ride a street bike in the snow and ice.....

Haven't tried it myself since we had 3 days of snow and ice last winter and considered it a record, but I've heard the answer is "sidecar."

CivicSiRacer
CivicSiRacer Reader
10/27/08 1:00 p.m.
Grtechguy wrote: Still trying to figure out how to ride a street bike in the snow and ice.....

The one blizzard we had in 1996 I remember all of the northeast being closed. About day 2 or 3 into this, where alot of the smaller roads were not plowed yet people started going to the stores in their ATVs and snowmobiles. I saw people snowshoeing, cross country skiing to the stores. Since no cars were on the roads.

Thought that was pretty cool.

jstein77
jstein77 HalfDork
10/27/08 1:10 p.m.
HiTempguy wrote: What I find interesting to this day is that most people don't seem to understand that whether or not gas prices are high or low, they still save the same amount of $$ per fill up when driving a more economical car.

You think?

250 miles @ 25 mpg = 10 gal => $40 for 4.00/gal; $25 for 2.50/gal; savings = $15

250 miles @ 15 mpg = 16.7 gal => $66.66 for 4.00/gal; $41.66 for 2.50/gal; savings = $25

Looks different to me.

neon4891
neon4891 Dork
10/27/08 5:14 p.m.
CivicSiRacer wrote:
Grtechguy wrote: Still trying to figure out how to ride a street bike in the snow and ice.....
The one blizzard we had in 1996 I remember all of the northeast being closed. About day 2 or 3 into this, where alot of the smaller roads were not plowed yet people started going to the stores in their ATVs and snowmobiles. I saw people snowshoeing, cross country skiing to the stores. Since no cars were on the roads. Thought that was pretty cool.

if that was the blizzard at the end of january that year, then thats what I moved up to NY from VA in. But we also had snow on mothersday in '96 as well...

HiTempguy
HiTempguy New Reader
10/27/08 5:27 p.m.
jstein77 wrote:
HiTempguy wrote: What I find interesting to this day is that most people don't seem to understand that whether or not gas prices are high or low, they still save the same amount of $$ per fill up when driving a more economical car.
You think? 250 miles @ 25 mpg = 10 gal => $40 for 4.00/gal; $25 for 2.50/gal; savings = $15 250 miles @ 15 mpg = 16.7 gal => $66.66 for 4.00/gal; $41.66 for 2.50/gal; savings = $25 Looks different to me.

Doh! Guess I should check my math before I open my mouth

joey48442
joey48442 Dork
10/27/08 5:58 p.m.
HiTempguy wrote:
jstein77 wrote:
HiTempguy wrote: What I find interesting to this day is that most people don't seem to understand that whether or not gas prices are high or low, they still save the same amount of $$ per fill up when driving a more economical car.
You think? 250 miles @ 25 mpg = 10 gal => $40 for 4.00/gal; $25 for 2.50/gal; savings = $15 250 miles @ 15 mpg = 16.7 gal => $66.66 for 4.00/gal; $41.66 for 2.50/gal; savings = $25 Looks different to me.
Doh! Guess I should check my math before I open my mouth

I was going to mention that maybe you meant the percentage didn't change?

Joey

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku GRM+ Memberand New Reader
10/27/08 6:20 p.m.

While gas prices are down, it's at least double what it should be. Anything more that $1 a gallon for 87 octane (85 for the hi altitude crowd) is too much. They've (who ever "they" may be) got us so scared of 4-5 a gallon that we feel 2 bucks is damn near free. It'll be $3.35 again in no time. The poor folks like us are the ones that suffer, doomed to crappy econo-boxes forever. We're the ones who appreciate real cars, not soccer mom's driving Excursions. There's nothing wrong with Hummers and such, just most folks seem to not need them or take them for granted.

Rant over Thanks

nicksta43
nicksta43 New Reader
10/27/08 8:20 p.m.
Gearheadotaku wrote: The poor folks like us are the ones that suffer, doomed to crappy econo-boxes forever. We're the ones who appreciate real cars, not soccer mom's driving Excursions. There's nothing wrong with Hummers and such, just most folks seem to not need them or take them for granted. Rant over Thanks

+1

HiTempguy
HiTempguy New Reader
10/27/08 8:42 p.m.
I was going to mention that maybe you meant the percentage didn't change?

Indeed that is what I meant. However, what he said was true, what I posted WAS wrong. I didn't want to pull a hindsight 20/20 cover my butt thing. ;)

Edit- Censor doesn't pick up on 3 letter butt word? Wierd.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
10/28/08 12:16 a.m.

Wow.

http://www.wlwt.com/automotive/17810717/detail.html

gamby
gamby SuperDork
10/28/08 12:24 a.m.
neon4891 wrote: 1. Pre-election dip 2. price is down because the enconomy cant sustain $3-4/gal 3. The 'Oil-bubble' has burst and the artificial inflation is over Take your pick of these possible reasons. And it is just under 3 here now

Dipped to $2.47 here. Too low, IMHO. People are still shell-shocked, but they'll forget quickly. I fully believe it'll skyrocket again (as I've heard a couple of analysts opine). Honestly, I was delighted when it went down to $3.50 and was thinking (wow--who thought we'd see this again).

I'll enjoy it while it lasts, but I don't plan on getting comfortable with it.

Gearheadotaku wrote: The poor folks like us are the ones that suffer, doomed to crappy econo-boxes forever. We're the ones who appreciate real cars, not soccer mom's driving Excursions. There's nothing wrong with Hummers and such, just most folks seem to not need them or take them for granted. Rant over Thanks

While I get to differ that "nothing's wrong w/ Hummers and Excurisons", it's true--the rich soccer/hockey mom just puts the card in the pump and it magically puts gas in her behemoth until the little needle points to "E" again. She's unaffected by it.

TheBen
TheBen New Reader
10/28/08 1:09 a.m.
nicksta43 wrote:
Gearheadotaku wrote: The poor folks like us are the ones that suffer, doomed to crappy econo-boxes forever. We're the ones who appreciate real cars, not soccer mom's driving Excursions. There's nothing wrong with Hummers and such, just most folks seem to not need them or take them for granted. Rant over Thanks
+1

Supply, meet demand.

Gas will cost whatever the market will bear and you're nuts if you don't think it will bear $4 a gallon again real soon. That said, here in northern NV, the best I could find barely dipped under $3 a gallon.

Opec wants to stabilize prices at around $70/gallon for the foreseeable future. However, even they can't change the undisputable fact their running out of oil.

And I don't understand how some people think this means the end of automobilia either. When gas gets too expensive, truly too expensive, then some alternative source will out-compete it.

gamby
gamby SuperDork
10/28/08 1:34 a.m.

...and we will run our cars on cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, bio-petro blends and maybe electricity supplied mostly from the solar panels that will adorn our homes at a much cheaper price than they are now. (hopefully in 5 years for those cheaper solar panels--so they project)

Ian F
Ian F Reader
10/28/08 10:15 a.m.

As I mainly drive a TDI and a Cummins, I only pay passing attention to gas prices (my Spit 6 drinks Super)... but diesel has been dropping in NJ... I last filled up my truck at $3.29... first time in a few months the fill-up was under $100... and days later, the price dropped to $3.09/$3.19 CA/CR.

We'll probably fill the yard-shed gas cans within a few days.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
10/28/08 10:25 a.m.
HiTempguy wrote: Edit- Censor doesn't pick up on 3 letter butt word? Wierd.

Nah. It's in the Bible.

Margie

CivicSiRacer
CivicSiRacer Reader
10/29/08 9:48 a.m.
neon4891 wrote:

if that was the blizzard at the end of january that year, then thats what I moved up to NY from VA in. But we also had snow on mothersday in '96 as well...

This was the one in January where the whole northeast corridor was closed for almost 3-5 days.

Funny memory was it was day 2 or 3 into this storm and PennDOT didn't even get to our street or parking lot at our apartment complex at Millersville. So my roommate and I dug a tunnel/trench from our cars to the street. I think it took us 3-4 hours to dig the trench so we could drive to work.

The other people in the apartment complex got all mad at us for not digging out their cars. Ummm yeah go dig it yourself you lazy butts!

iceracer
iceracer Reader
10/29/08 10:43 a.m.

Odd, that "96 storm doesn't ring a bell. Either it didn't hit upstate NY or we treated it as just another snow storm. The closest I ever came to being snowed in was in March '93. We just had a snow storm yesterday. Over a foot in some areas.

dlmater
dlmater GRM+ Memberand New Reader
10/29/08 11:01 a.m.
pigeon wrote: Gas prices are down, true, but compared to the decline in the price of oil the oil & gas companies are still bending all of us over on the retail end. Seems it takes mere moments for spikes in oil prices to make their way to the pump, but when oil prices fall it takes months for pump prices to catch up.

There was a new economic term coined recently for just this behavior specific to gas prices..."Rockets and Feathers". Price increases like a rocket and settles like a feather.

neon4891
neon4891 Dork
10/29/08 11:21 a.m.

the Jan '96 left snow in Virginia Beach for 3 days. Any snow we had seen befor that was melted by 4pm.

And i remember march '93, i was up in northern PA at the end of march/ early april for spring break/ my birthday at grandmas and getting to play in 3 feet of snow.

but back on topic, enjoy the "cheap" gas while it lasts

thatsnowinnebago
thatsnowinnebago GRM+ Memberand Reader
10/29/08 2:48 p.m.

I've got a four-wheeling trip in the Mojave the weekend so these prices are making me pretty happy.

fastEddie
fastEddie Dork
10/29/08 5:21 p.m.

Just filled up my wife's van at $2.09.

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