If you are sick of rising gas prices...

[Kyomii]

Here in the UK, petrol is around 8 dollars a gallon - you guys are lucky!

 

[steven11]

actually, hummers would be terrible for a jungle - much too wide.

the original samurai, or a sidekick/tracker would be a great jungle "truck".

When I lived in New Mexico one of my neighbors had a 1957 Willy's M1-A jeep my other had a 76' FJ 40 Land Cruiser and I was stylin' in my Toyota 4X4 Van. We lived 5 miles down a unmaintained county rd. It was a challenge driving through the dry creek beds before i got the 4X4 Especially when they wasn't dry;D Those were all ideal jungle vehicles the jeep could climb trees!!LOL

 

[eric]

yeah, i dig a nice small-ish real 4x4, most can go anywhere, except over giant boulders (but who really does that?).

i had a '96 geo tracker 4x4 soft top. the thing was nearly unstoppable. of course in rwd it was a handful on the street in rain or wind, and it pushed like crazy in sweeping turns.

 

[cwa107]

actually, hummers would be terrible for a jungle - much too wide.

the original samurai, or a sidekick/tracker would be a great jungle "truck".

It's not even that, the H2 is nothing more than a gussied-up GM pickup truck. I'm sure they've optimized it for off-road duty, but I'd venture to say that the vast majority of idiot...er...people who are driving these things are making a fashion statement more than anything else.

 

[baggss]

Here in the UK, petrol is around 8 dollars a gallon - you guys are lucky!

Yes, but a significant portion of that cost is in taxes imposed by your own government. On average less than $.50 of a gallon of gas goes to taxes here in the US, although it can vary from state to state and city to city.

 

[nukemm]

I got tired of spending so much $$$ on gas, so on Friday I bought a diesel. Now I'm definitely a hippy, lol... 2 Mac's, 2 VW's, and I reside in WA. I've added a 2003 VW Jetta TDI to my stable, to go alongside my 2002 VW GTI. 30MPG in the GTI (but it only sips premium gas), and 50MPG on the TDI, which is powered by Biodiesel.

 

[eric]

yeah... i'm so on the fence with my Forester... i love that car. it's like a loyal dog (with a 5spd, sunroof, awd, heated seats, mp3 cd player, reclining rear seats, and a wagon back). but it only gets about 20 mpg. if i were single something like the scion xB, honda fit, or yaris 3 door would be an easy decision, but with a kid who's nearly three and one on the way and limited transportation budget, those choices seem even more debatable.

ugh, i wish i could get a slightly used mazda mpv with a 5 speed stick. even that would give me at least 5 mpg more.

 

[jotdess]

I'm glad my car is very fuel efficient. It still takes about 30 or so to fill up, but it lasts me a while. I've changed my driving habits, as well.

 

[johntalin]

I have noticed that driving relaxed and normal speed saves gas and makes others' angry.

 

[Kyomii]

Yes, but a significant portion of that cost is in taxes imposed by your own government. On average less than $.50 of a gallon of gas goes to taxes here in the US, although it can vary from state to state and city to city.

Oh we know why it is expensive, but what I was trying to say is that the end consumer still has to pay 8 dollars a gallon compared to what the end consumer has to pay in the USA regardless of taxes. ;D

 

[jotdess]

I have noticed that driving relaxed and normal speed saves gas and makes others' angry.

Depends on what your definition of relaxed and normal speed is. ;D I drive a few miles over the speed limit. I.e., 39-40 in a 35. I do see many people who drive 10 miles or more below the speed limit. However, I don't like to comment on them at this time.

 

[johntalin]

Depends on what your definition of relaxed and normal speed is. ;D I drive a few miles over the speed limit. I.e., 39-40 in a 35. I do see many people who drive 10 miles or more below the speed limit. However, I don't like to comment on them at this time.

I drive like you, just a few miles over the speed limit. Other people want to zoom around me all the time. I used to do that. On the other hand, some drive below the speed and drive me crazy.
Also, when I see traffic ahead and there may me a possiblity that light will turn yellow, I slow down instead of rushing through the intersection. When I see stop sign approaching I take my foot off the excellerator, instead of a hard stop at the end or a fast start.
If I am stuck on the freeway, I don't tail gate. I kind of let my car crawl along as much as possible, even if there is space ahead of me, if I see red lights ahead. I say: What's the hurry?

 

[jotdess]

I drive like you, just a few miles over the speed limit. Other people want to zoom around me all the time. I used to do that. On the other hand, some drive below the speed and drive me crazy.
Also, when I see traffic ahead and there may me a possiblity that light will turn yellow, I slow down instead of rushing through the intersection. When I see stop sign approaching I take my foot off the excellerator, instead of a hard stop at the end or a fast start.
If I am stuck on the freeway, I don't tail gate. I kind of let my car crawl along as much as possible, even if there is space ahead of me, if I see red lights ahead. I say: What's the hurry?

Couldn't agree with you more. I mean, there are times where I do rush because I'm late, but usually I'll take my time. The people I see that pass me on local roads, I see them @ the next light haha.

 

[Dillinger-63]

I bought a 2007 Vespa GTS that gets 70 mpg. Yes, Vespa's are a bit expensive as scooters go, and I could have bought a lot of gas for what I paid for it, but that $ is not going to OPEC. Oh, yeah, bought one for my wife too!

 

[baggss]

Oh we know why it is expensive, but what I was trying to say is that the end consumer still has to pay 8 dollars a gallon compared to what the end consumer has to pay in the USA regardless of taxes. ;D

Ah, gotcha.

For those buying diesels, I don't see the price of diesel being much more than a few cents cheaper than the regular Gas and for those who are environmentally conscious diesel is even worse than gas. The whole vegetable oil trick is nifty, but there has been some research that indicates that ethanol may be a bigger pollutant gallon per gallon than fossil fuels, although I'm not sure how that translates to the diesel/vegatble oil thing.

 

[steven11]

Link to diesel emissions Here's the skinny on WVO Vs' BioD. Vs Dino. Juice

Diesel here is 2.79 a gallon though I'm not bothered in the slightest by gas prices. As long as america keeps up its current diet I'll have stock piles of fuel. Although after owning a diesel I'd be hard pressed to go back to gas. That's just my opinion and I'd say I'm a driving enthusiast. I have no loss in power, torque, acceleration, the only thing thats different is the smell my car emits. Smells like corn chips over here The oil I run on is already been burned once so any of the harmful carbons that were in it are burned out before i use it.

 

[Stretch]

Baggss, corn based ethanol is no better for the environment than fossil fuels, it takes alot of energy, usually from fossil fuels or coal, to get it in a usable energy form. On top of that, it isn't anywhere near as efficient as gasoline.

 

[baggss]

Baggss, corn based ethanol is no better for the environment than fossil fuels, it takes alot of energy, usually from fossil fuels or coal, to get it in a usable energy form. On top of that, it isn't anywhere near as efficient as gasoline.

I suppose if you were to burn Ethanol to make Ethanol.....it would be a huge waste of money. Then again, as long as you can grow corn, you can keep it going indefinitely, but is it worth it?

Link to diesel emissions Here's the skinny on WVO Vs' BioD. Vs Dino. Juice

Diesel here is 2.79 a gallon though I'm not bothered in the slightest by gas prices. As long as america keeps up its current diet I'll have stock piles of fuel. Although after owning a diesel I'd be hard pressed to go back to gas. That's just my opinion and I'd say I'm a driving enthusiast. I have no loss in power, torque, acceleration, the only thing thats different is the smell my car emits. Smells like corn chips over here The oil I run on is already been burned once so any of the harmful carbons that were in it are burned out before i use it.

Thanks for the link. Where I live in Cali, Gas is $3.38/Gallon and diesel is $3.34/gallon, not much difference and the prices seem to fluctuate correspondingly with gas occasionally being the cheaper of the two.

 

[eric]

of course it takes fossil fuels (or more ethanol) to make corn-ethanol.

it's kind of like sunlight being filtered through the food chain, the farther down you go, the less original energy makes it (less efficient), and the fewer "bodies" you can support.

corn based ethanol is a bad pipe dream that does indeed introduce new and very harmful poutants into an already bad situation.

 

[steven11]

Where I live in Louisville, for the past 8 months diesel has been more expensive than gas. Usually at least a dime or so more. I'm not sure what gas cost right now but in between the banter about american idol and dancing around the stars at work I heard somone say it was over $3. That must sound like a gift compared to Cali. prices. Funny story, I paid more than 3 dollars a gallon for gas in Big Sur over 10 years ago. I was outraged,insulted and probably more than a little stupid. Anyway I jumped in my van after getting fleeced and drove off...with the gas pump still hangin. That was a lesson for me, ANGER MAKES ME MAKE STUPID MISTAKES, Don't get angry