$7.00 gallon diesel??

Sully2 · Mar 21, 2006

We HAVE NO "oil shortage"...but what we COULD use a "shortage "of is OIL SPECULATORS that drive the costs of barrels of oil up ..simply so THEY can make more $$...PERIOD.

That and the fact that 99.9% of OIL COMPANYS ..ARE NOT owned by american concerns...they all belong to offsore companys..that..again..make PROFITS the bottom line..come **** or high water. NO ONE in the whole scheme of things...from politicians on down..have ANY INTERST in "Joe Average" consumer.

We have a great big oil field in Alaska..and other than the small amout of oil that is refined there..for Alaskan use...how much omes down to the 48 states? NOT A DROP. Why? Because the non american oil cmpanys sell it to countrys that will pay more per gallon..even though its OUR oil!

SkyPup · Mar 21, 2006

( Average Fleet Fuel Economy in Europe is 42 miles per gallon, in Japan it is 47 miles per gallon.

If the USA had a fleet mileage record like Europe or Japan, they'd be forced to give gasoline away to get rid of it.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

What is busting the USA is the gas guzzling SUV mentality..... where you cannot even purchase a vehicle (besides an imported moped) that even get the average fuel economy of Europe and Japan... /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif )

You missed my point entirely Sully2, if the USA had a fleet average economy like either the EEC or Japan, people would still be driving just as much as they do now, only the oil companies would only be selling 1/4th the amount of fuel they do now.....

Builder · Mar 21, 2006

I can't find the article, but a petroleum expert did a presentation on fuel consumption in the US that blew me away. He said that if we all switched to diesel powered cars, SUV's & trucks, we would cut our currect fuel consumption in HALF.

I think he went on to say that we could basically cut out all the middle eastern oil we import, and import oil only from Canada & mexico along with our domestically drilled oil to supply what we need.

When i was in Europe, they ran diesels in almost everything. The cars were zippy & fuel efficient.

SkyPup · Mar 21, 2006

( I can't find the article, but a petroleum expert did a presentation on fuel consumption in the US that blew me away. He said that if we all switched to diesel powered cars, SUV's & trucks, we would cut our currect fuel consumption in HALF.

I think he went on to say that we could basically cut out all the middle eastern oil we import, and import oil only from Canada & mexico along with our domestically drilled oil to supply what we need.

When i was in Europe, they ran diesels in almost everything. The cars were zippy & fuel efficient. )

That is exactly right, why it has not happened yet is beyond belief. At least it has happened in our case where, for the last eight years, our turbodiesel VW's get 45-50 mph.

Builder · Mar 21, 2006

The reason it hasn't happened yet is most Americans still view diesels as too dirty & noisy. The only perception they have is being stuck behind an E9 powered Mack triaxle, billowing out smoke.

Sully2 · Mar 21, 2006

( ( Average Fleet Fuel Economy in Europe is 42 miles per gallon, in Japan it is 47 miles per gallon.

If the USA had a fleet mileage record like Europe or Japan, they'd be forced to give gasoline away to get rid of it.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

What is busting the USA is the gas guzzling SUV mentality..... where you cannot even purchase a vehicle (besides an imported moped) that even get the average fuel economy of Europe and Japan... /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif )

You missed my point entirely Sully2, if the USA had a fleet average economy like either the EEC or Japan, people would still be driving just as much as they do now, only the oil companies would only be selling 1/4th the amount of fuel they do now..... )

Not at all? You missed MY point! People in the countries you pointed out..drive the vehicles they do..for one reason. OTHERS ARENT EVEN MADE! How would you like to tow even your smallest tractor on a dual axle trailer..back to a dealership..pulled by a Honda Civic?? If some country in the world...sold ONLY vehicles powered by 12 HP "Briggs and Strattons"..THEY might have an avg fuel comsumption of 150 MPG! Those people dont "want them"...they simply cant BUY anything other than that!

I have a close camping friend...using a trailer...he USED TO town it with a Mercedes ML 380..( or 320..or ?? 3 something).. IT SUCKED! He traded that in for a 4wh drive SURBURBAN!! Try buying one of those in Japan or Germany!!

How many people from the mentioned countrys..even OWN as much property as you do..let alone have the tractors you do?? Why dont "we" all reduce our "fleets" to nothing more than compact...30 HP tractors?? sure..it will take you 5 times longer to get the work done..but.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And even though I dont use or own anything as large as a Surburban..Im NOT driving a "Honda Civic" on the interstate highways..I dont care if it gets 110 miles to th gallon!

HGM · Mar 21, 2006

Yea, you have to love the fine quality diesel machines of the '80s.. I hope the automakers can turn that arround, but again, its going to be a slow process.. If its rushed with a not so good product, the whole idea will collapse all over again.. You can see with todays diesels, they are much better, cleaner, quieter.. The next few years should show even greater strides.. At $3 gal the benefit is still a moot point especially when we start getting the particulate filters and urea.. We'll see.

SkyPup · Mar 21, 2006

LOL, where there is a will there is a way, where there is no will, there is no backbone either....

CarlGlas · Mar 21, 2006

( (
I remember regular leaded selling for 13.9 cents a gallon and
Ethyl (premium) selling for 17.9 a gallon.
)

No idea where YOU lived..but Im 57 years old and NEVER saw gasoline..of ANY octane for sale here in cincinnati area for that amount of money..at least not for the last 57 years that is. )

Okay, so what's your point? cincinnati isn't the ONLY city in the United States.

You probably probably don't want to believe that crude once sold for $2.50 a barrel too.

The key word was Gas Wars.

jimmysisson · Mar 21, 2006

Only time I ever went "across the pond" was to France in 2000. Another couple and my wife and me for 3 weeks; lots of luggage + four people. We rented a BMW 530d (I think it was), a 3.5 liter diesel. You could tell it was a diesel at idle, just barely. It handled a full load easily, got 35-38 mpg tootling around, probably cost a bundle. A bunch of what you'd pay for if you bought it is the R&D that makes that diesel such a good engine, but a lot is in the doodads in the car (nav, dual level AC, assisted everything). I was just impressed by the basic vehicle, and would have been happy to own one without all the leather and switches. Probably still out of my price range but I'd like to see a US made diesel car made like that.
Oh, oh, a rant coming on: our big ag corporations decided somewhere back 30-40 years ago to make money instead of tractors, and we're all running equipment made overseas or 'way old. The old iron was simple and great, and brings a high price today because of those virtues. Why couldn't our ag companies steadily improve on what they had, instead of farming out the manufacturing abroad. I'd like to live in a country that makes things. I guess that's why I like the Build-it-yourself forum, and why I'm a builder. Stop rant.
Anyway, I'd like to see some US company make a good simple strong car (and light trucks) just to see if anyone buys one.
Jim