$100/barrel oil on the horizon

[deere755]

I don't want fuel to get so high but there might be a silver lining.

Here's my theory, if it gets high enough, it will push more people into buying small cars as a primary vehicle. If enough do it, demand will drop substantially and the price will come back down but folks will have their small cars and hopefully keep using them.

I am not trying to argue with you, and I understand what you are saying might work. Here is my problem with that. For what I do I need a heavy pickup, a small truck will not do. As for our car I have not been able to find a small car that I can get comfortable in. I am fairly tall and I like a car with alot of room, especially if I have to ride very far. My Dad drove me to a basketball game the other night in his P T Cruiser which is not the smallest car on the market. By time we drove 40 miles in it I was feeling pretty crammed up in it. I am not bashing it because it is a neat little car but it is not for me. I guess I am selfish I want it all. I want low oil prices and a big vehicle too.

 

[blueriver]

deere 755 said it best ...I guess I am selfish I want it all. I want low oil prices and a big vehicle too.

There a little of that in all of us .. we just keep buying the best, the biggest and they know we will do it!!

Remember in your Grandpa's day when the stores were closed on Sunday!

How do we learn to say no, how do we organize? If we wanted we could put a stop to this ....

I'm quilty, when I run out of somthing I fire up the one ton and head to town and get it!! Over $3.00 a gallon, 20 miles one way ... what is wrong with me!!!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I am not trying to argue with you, and I understand what you are saying might work. Here is my problem with that. For what I do I need a heavy pickup, a small truck will not do. As for our car I have not been able to find a small car that I can get comfortable in. I am fairly tall and I like a car with alot of room, especially if I have to ride very far. My Dad drove me to a basketball game the other night in his P T Cruiser which is not the smallest car on the market. By time we drove 40 miles in it I was feeling pretty crammed up in it. I am not bashing it because it is a neat little car but it is not for me. I guess I am selfish I want it all. I want low oil prices and a big vehicle too.

I'm definitely not trying to tell anybody what to do. I just think as economics work, the more people will get into smaller vehicles and we will use less fuel. It is a commodity. Price is subject to supply and demand.

We as a nation, are spoiled. Mea Culpa. I'd prefer to drive a Tahoe or Sub to work too. In fact, I did, (drive a Sub) for too long on my commute 53 miles each way. It cost me a fortune and now I still suffer the fuel cost debt. Now I drive a Saturn (for 2+ years now) that gets a real world 33 mpg. I'm not arguing, if your work demands a big truck then there's not an easy way around that. It'll just cost you or your company (and the downstream customers) more money. That may be the biggest problem about the cost of energy going up, INFLATION. Almost everything is tied to energy directly or indirectly.

I noticed when gas hit $3 twice in the last 2 or so years that each time, there would be a few new small cars with temporary license plates making the same commute into Austin. I want a slightly bigger car now that gets at least a combined 25-28 mpg. Something like an Accord or Altima 4 cylinder. I need more room and I'm willing to give up a bit of economy for size as my family grows.

I guess I need to start a thread on recommended medium sedans...Kyle

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My last post got me to thinking....What if gas cost us $6 a gallon? Fuel oil and electric bills doubled? How high would it have to go to make the average wage earner change their lifestyle?

How would it change your lives? What would you do? I realize many of you are retired and a commute is not an issue so I included home energy costs.

Geo-thermal system, solar energy, smaller car, move closer to work??? Just asking a hard hitting question...Kyle

 

[JESSE1]

I suspect most people will make do with the vehicles they have right now. Doesn't make much sense to invest several thousand dollars in another vehicle to save $20 on a fill-up. Maybe when it's time to trade for a new one a more efficient vehicle will be bought. If you need the size vehicle you have now then you don't have much choice.

People will cut back on non-essential expenses like eating out and going to movies. Unnecessary traveling will be cut back. If everyone cuts back on your personal fuel consumption, supplies will increase and prices will come down.

 

[Diamondpilot]

We need to forget about the big 3 making anything that is practical and does what we want. Here is a article where a guy took a Mazda truck and put a 28 Hp Jinma tractor engine in it. It gets great MPG and does what he needs. He updates the site all the time and I have been watching it for a couple of years now. I personally have a Jinma 284 which is a Chinese 28 Hp 4 wheel drive tractor and love it. This is what the donor engine came out of. I also have a Ford 800 and it will out work it any day of the week. I put 125 hard hours a year on it mainly loader work and logging and its only needed a starter, a battery, and a thermostat. I have had it for 4 years and about 475 hours and cold not be happier. The parts are abundent, easier to get than the Fords, and cheap. You can get the engine ready to run for less than $1200 last time I checked and that is ready to run with injector pump, alternator, starter, you name it. All you need is fuel and a battery and it will run in the crate. Well enough of the sales pitch but I am looking to do something like this this winter with a Ranger or Mazda, same truck.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/chinese-tractors/74663-jima-y385t-powered-mazda-pickup.html

Chris

 

[Rara Avis]

If everyone cuts back on your personal fuel consumption, supplies will increase and prices will come down.

Short of a MAJOR OIL STRIKE...$3.00 is probably the new baseline for a gallon of diesel...so plan on a set of price increases on EVERYTHING that is moved by trucks as soon as their freight rate contracts can be renewed...

Like I've said before OIL is a WORLD commodity and there are now new players on the economic stage that are starting use it like we do...

 

[kenmac]

diesel $309 per gal here today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring

 

[YanmarFever]

We are all crying over the price of a gallon of fuel.

Lets be thankfull that its not FOOD (yet)

although I heard from a good source its next in line.

Im glad I own land and farm equipment !!

 

[Stimw]

CNN had a story on tonight that it is Wall street driving up fuel prices not the oil producers. All the speculators biding it up.
And the government makes way more profit on fuel than the oil producers in taxes. Since sales tax is based on price not per gallon the states are cleaning up to.