Has the rising cost of gas affected your driving habits?

[ketostix]

What I was saying is that Europeans are laughing at us because we're wining about finally paying $4.00 a gallon for gas. If you really think about it for a bit, it's silly to whine about it if we're willing to pay that much for a cup of coffee each day. The average car in the states is lucky to get 20mpg yet we tell the world that we (everybody) needs to conserve energy.

Regardless how much oil costs, we're (the states) still a joke in eyes of most of the world. We should have taken care of things back in the 70's and not get sucked into OPEC's drug dealer-like ways. I could only imagine what could have happened if we started following through with the proposed energy plans 30 years ago. It's nobody's fault but our own that OPEC has us by the short hairs.

Well I still disagree with this because it's premised mostly on the idea that there is a shortage of oil when that's not really the case. You could probably put at least 4 western Europes over America. So it's silly to say America should've built it's transportation system like Europe's. There was no magical solution that would've been more affordable than gasoline powered cars. And what if there was a viable solution? The same price gouging would happen. Oil isn't even the issue, it's price gouging.

 

[Doc73]

Hmmm Calgary. Isn't gas cheaper there? You guys produce all the petroleum in Canada. Here in TO its about $1.35 a liter.

For the moment, yes it is cheaper. Depending on where I go I can get regular for as low as $1.28 a liter. However, with the Stampede coming in two weeks that is going to change very soon. It seems to be a tradition among gas stations here to massively jack up the price while the Stampede is going on, and pretty soon I estimate everyone here will be hard pressed to find a station selling it for less than $1.45.

On a side note:

I don't want to turn this into a rant about high gas prices, but when you have the head of OPEC himself stating that there is no reason oil prices should be this high, then you know we have a problem.

 

[Michele l'Arcangelo]

very much so.

the great thing about it is... i got my license (that took me about 10 times to spell correctly) about november 07... i had a short period of time to change the way and make it a habit.

anyways the funny thing about it is... i was passing by my old high school and these idiots behind me were tailing me because there was a red light WAY up ahead and i was going "slow"... as in i was just rolling because why should i go full speed when i'm going to waste the energy/gas by braking? so they get mad, merge over, pedal to the metal, pass me and these dumb high school kids smoking a black and mild are glaring at me as they pass me... to come to a complete stop.

its fun to piss off idiots like that... especially when you you are rolling until the light turns green and they are waiting and then pass them anyways.

i notice "badass" high school kids with passengers and women in general to be these types of drivers.

 

[OzyBoy]

I don't care about gas prices. It's only about $1.50 a litre here and it's hard to understand why so many people complain about it. It's $3-$4 a litre in some other countries!! If i have to pay an extra $10 to fill up in 6 months big deal.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

here in France, gas costs 2.3$ (1.5€) a liter.
1 gallon = 3.785 liters so its 8.70$ a gallon...not so cheap :-(

Lots of french people (and i guess the europeans as well) have changed their habits. For my part, Im using more often my bike and the bus/subway. And Im putting less gas in my car...

cheers

In comparison it's always felt like most Europeans were less dependent on driving as their primary mode of transportation. Also, for those that did drove very economical cars. Do you know that Smart cars have just been introduced to the states this year?

Another problem is just a couple of our major cities (Chicago and New York) have public transportation systems that are comparable to the Paris Metro or the London Underground. Other cities have decent systems but definitely not as robust.

Other cities here just aren't accustomed to this mode of transportation. We've had light rail in my city for almost five years and we're still trying to figure out how to keep bicyclist and cars from getting killed by riding or driving into the path of a train. Yes we have warning lights and gates but it's as if we're moths to a flame.

 

[comic_relief]

I don't want to turn this into a rant about high gas prices, but when you have the head of OPEC himself stating that there is no reason oil prices should be this high, then you know we have a problem.

ummm... OPEC is an organization, not a person...

comic_relief

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

ummm... OPEC is an organization, not a person...

comic_relief

Ehhhh, that's just more factual mumbo-jumbo. We don't have any time for facts, we're in a crisis! We need to blame someone and if we can only blame the administration for so long until it's someone else's problem. We need to identify that person! LET THE WITCH HUNT CONTINUE! :cuss:

 

[comic_relief]

Ehhhh, that's just more factual mumbo-jumbo. We don't have any time for facts, we're in a crisis! We need to blame someone and if we can only blame the administration for so long until it's someone else's problem. We need to identify that person! LET THE WITCH HUNT CONTINUE! :cuss:

But I know the culprit already, its Supply and Demand (most economists agree with this as well)

comic_relief

 

[SmoothTalker]

Yes Europeans are less affected by gas prices because they don't drive as much, but part of the reason they've found lifestyles that don't require as much driving is because it's always cost more to drive there.

So maybe this will do us some good. Yes, Canada and the US are very large geographically so transportation is harder for us then for smaller countries. However many things are still just our own stupid laziness and materialism at work.

SUVs are ****ing stupid, as are pickup trucks for anybody that does not NEED it for work. I was in London UK earlier this year and in a week saw JUST TWO pickup trucks and maybe 5 SUVs, and all those cars were smaller then their North American equivalents.

Similarly, the whole city planning concept of building huge suburbs where there is no work or sometimes even a grocery store, ensuring everyone must drive everywhere, was a terrible idea.

Believe me, I feel the pain too. As a student living a half hour drive from school, dealing with our crappy public transit (in my case a 1 hour + bus ride each way) is a real hassle. Now a proper light rail system on this route.. that'd be awesome. Haha but we North Americans just seem incapable of doing this sort of thing. My region is currently planning to build a light rail system. Great?

Well only problem is they've somehow figured it to cost billions of dollars (for like 50 km of regular track through level countryside?? come on) and nobody will ride it because they are designing it to travel at about 20 miles per hour and placing the stations in the middle of nowhere. Everyone responsible for transportation in government should be fired effective immediately, replaced by people brought over from Europe.

 

[Evzone]

I might be moving to NYC in which case I won't even have a car probably.

Still, I bought stock in some natural gas companies, and I'm doing great. Natural gas, wind power and nuclear power is the future. Instead of whining about global conspiracies or whatever, I suggest you get on board now.

...

Actually on second thought, keep whining, it will keep new buyers out of the markets so the prices will still be low enough for me to snap up some more shares. AAAaaaahhhhhh Bu$hitler and the 12 Jews who control the media are keeping oil prices up from their secret underground Halliburton bunker, let's protest by joining some Facebook groups! That will show them!

 

[Evzone]

But I know the culprit already, its Supply and Demand (most economists agree with this as well)

comic_relief

SHHHHHHH don't tell anyone, you know how many career politicians and blowhard journalists would be out of a job if they ran out of people to scare into voting for them?

Seriously, I live in the States, but I can get better economics coverage on the US from BBC World News. Yes, business specific outfits like the Wall Street Journal or CNBC are even better, but as far as mainstream media is concerned, it's pretty sad that I can get more intelligent economic analysis about my own country from a foreign country. No wonder why the average voter knows basically nothing about economics, and the average politican knows even less.

 

[Doc73]

SUVs are ****ing stupid, as are pickup trucks for anybody that does not NEED it for work. I was in London UK earlier this year and in a week saw JUST TWO pickup trucks and maybe 5 SUVs, and all those cars were smaller then their North American equivalents.

So true. Honestly, half the people that own SUV's or pickups do not really need them. Hummer's are a prime example of this. Real hummers are made for off-roading and/or for the military. The ones you see now-days are meant for anything but, and are usually driven by insecure people who care more about status and who have a lot of money in their pockets (but not enough brains).

When I went car shopping last year I tested and compared quite a few models and makes before narrowing my choices down to: a) a 2004 Mazda 6, b) a 2004 Toyota Highlander, and c) a 2005 Jeep TJ sport. I really liked the leg room and trunk space in the Highlander, and the ruggedness of the Jeep, however I ended up with the Mazda 6 partially because it was the most comfortable of the three, but mostly because it had one of the better gas mileages of the sedans out there, and at the time I had a bad feeling that gas was only going to get more expensive, (turns out that was a HUGE understatement).

In a way I see these high gas prices as a bit of a mixed blessing. On one hand having to budget more money for fuel is a PITA. On the other hand it is causing consumers to look at more fuel efficient options like buying smaller cars, and to force manufacturers to improve the efficiency of their so-called "gas guzzlers." And maybe, just maybe it will force some people to actually walk, or bike to their destination, giving some folks much needed exercise!

 

[Bible_Belt]

half the people that own SUV's or pickups do not really need them.

And the half that do could often just buy an old beat-up truck and come out ahead very quickly if they were driving the truck for anything but required work. I know a lot of carpenters and construction contractors who don't even drive a full-size truck; they use a compact truck if they can get away with it.

It's the same with four-wheel-drive, which is expensive to buy and maintain, weighs the vehicle down, and hurts fuel economy. Most guys with 4wd trucks hardly ever use the 4wd.

 

[cedd]

Yes Europeans are less affected by gas prices because they don't drive as much, but part of the reason they've found lifestyles that don't require as much driving is because it's always cost more to drive there.

Do you really believe we are less affected by ?
I can understand that in big cities, if you are working in town or in the inner suburbs, you can easily leave you car some days and take the public transportations cause they are more often well-developped.
BUT in smaller cities lots of people are driving maybe 30mn or 1 hour to get back to their work place. (BTW in a large country like U.S that could sound nothing ). AND for the most part of them they can't help using their cars.
The budget of the people happens to be strongly affected with...

half the people that own SUV's or pickups do not really need them.

Thats a truth and we can see it in Paris, for example. Theres a lot of 4x4 (four-wheel-drive) and not the smaller ones. No need to have one in Paris exept for parking the car on the sidewalk or thinking they are more MASCULINE with...

cheers

 

[comic_relief]

half the people that own SUV's or pickups do not really need them.

And the half that do could often just buy an old beat-up truck and come out ahead very quickly if they were driving the truck for anything but required work. I know a lot of carpenters and construction contractors who don't even drive a full-size truck; they use a compact truck if they can get away with it.

It's the same with four-wheel-drive, which is expensive to buy and maintain, weighs the vehicle down, and hurts fuel economy. Most guys with 4wd trucks hardly ever use the 4wd.

Very few people I know need it. My family needs 4wd to get up our driveway during the winter and we don't got the money to pave that driveway.

We also have a 2004 Chevy Tracker with 4wd and it gets good gasoline.

comic_relief

 

[AlexTheGreat]

ummm... OPEC is an organization, not a person...

comic_relief

You're a dumbass. Learn to read. The man said "the head of OPEC himself", as shown here

Originally Posted by Doc73
I don't want to turn this into a rant about high gas prices, but when you have the head of OPEC himself stating that there is no reason oil prices should be this high, then you know we have a problem.

As in, the head of OPEC (as in, one person high in the hierarchy of the OPEC organization) stated personally that the prices shouldn't be this high.

Reference to "the head of OPEC" as found through google: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D81631F934A35753C1A961948260

Reading skills, sir. Find some.:nervous: :cheer:

 

[SmoothTalker]

Of course its hard on Europeans too cedd, I'm not saying it is.

But having seen both I can definitely say that even outside the big cities, in Europe you have much more of a chance to live without driving much. Just the layout of the cities helps, I didn't notice as much of the suburban sprawl as we have here. There are lots of little shops near where people live, instead of one giant mall 40 minutes away where you have to go just to get groceries.

In north america it is virtually impossible in some places to not drive as the infrastructure (for example passenger rail) was never built. If it does exist, the rates they charge are downright outragous. Here we have Via rail, and even now flying any of the possible trips you could take the train for costs 1/2 to 1/4 as much. And these are not fancy bullet trains or anything, regular slow rail service.

Also you guys have some sweet small car models, which I really wish would make it over here. In Canada our small car selection is very limited so it can be hard to find one that doesn't seriously lack in some department.

 

[comic_relief]

You're a dumbass. Learn to read. The man said "the head of OPEC himself", as shown here


As in, the head of OPEC (as in, one person high in the hierarchy of the OPEC organization) stated personally that the prices shouldn't be this high.

Reference to "the head of OPEC" as found through google: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D81631F934A35753C1A961948260

Reading skills, sir. Find some.:nervous: :cheer:

whoops... guess I fvcked up. Did you really have to be so "nice" about it?

comic_relief

 

[BMX]

It's not gasoline that's worrying me, I need a new car battery soon!

 

[AlexTheGreat]

whoops... guess I fvcked up. Did you really have to be so "nice" about it?

comic_relief

Hahaha yeah sorry about that, I got a bit carried away. I visit a few forums and it annoys me to no end when people don't know what they're replying to. No hard feelings