JIMSMASH ! ! !: IT'S NOT EVEN SUMMER YET . . .

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

IT'S NOT EVEN SUMMER YET . . .

(Regular Unleaded)

6 comments:

crookymike said...: Try living in the UK. We're paying the equivalent of $10 a gallon!; 8:20 AM
Jim said...: Very true.

However, the average American commutes 30 miles a day (48.28 km), whereas the avg Brit commutes about 9 miles a day (14.48 km).

In addition, UK's cars are more fuel efficient than US cars, which means we're burning through our gas very quickly. And, U.S. cars' gas mileage is even worse than it was 10 years ago. In the 90s I had an Eagle Talon which got 30 miles per gallon (40 on highway). Now a car is considered "fuel efficient" if it gets 25. WTF?

I filled up my car last friday, paying $60. And was on empty again the following monday, with another $60 fillup. Granted, I was on vacation and was driving more than usual, but still less than most US commuters. And I paid out $120 under a week's time. But on average, I gas up once a week... that's $240 a month and I have a short commute compared to most.

Also, we're simply not used to having prices this high and its effecting everyone's budget. In 1998, I was paying $1.00-$1.25 a gallon at the pump. Today, 10 years later, its $3.85-$4.00. Quite the price hike in just 10 years.

We Americans really have only ourselves to blame here for not putting more pressure on our government the past 30+years.

Still blows, though. It's 2008... I can't believe we're still driving around in gasoline fueled cars.; 9:55 AM
crookymike said...: Driving? Come on Brundel, wheres that damn teleporter?; 2:49 PM
Jim said...: Ha!; 3:03 PM
Anonymous said...: yea Jim, I'll never forget that back in 1991,....17 friggin years ago... a friend and i went camping in the App. Mts. It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive to get there. He, at the time was driving a CR-X hatchback. Just for shit's and gigggles, we wanted to see what kind of milage we could get if he shifted gears at the appropriate time and didn't try any high acceleration moves, obeyed speed limits ect.. well it turned out he got,..no shit, 50 miles to the gallon. That was 1991. granted he drove as strictly as humanly possible,..it's still amazing. Back in the 70's an old, heavy, metal frame, VW Bug got around 27 mpg. today we have cars made of new light weight composite materials, better tires, better suspension, better transmisions, but turn a round and brag about how it gets an amazing 27 miles to the gallon. Forget "alternative" fuels, I just can't accept/believe that with all the advances in automotive technology, we haven't come up with a more fuel efficient internal combustible engine.
-That's what I have to call BS on.; 9:34 AM
spaceJASE said...: The auto industry uses the excuse that cars are much safer now - and safety = heavy = worse gas mileage. So they have been making better engines, but not at the same rate as increased safety (and engine performance... like response time.)

If you want to send a message to the industry, buy a used CR-X! (reduce REUSE recycle!) Or if you want to keep the safety and performance of a modern day car, buy a hybrid. I'm not trying to preach, cuz I shed a tear at the station when I fill up my '77 VW bus every week since it only gets 17mpg. (Talk about ANTI-aerodynamics!) But I try to make up for it with my Prius. We save more $$ the higher prices go and the 2009 Prius sould get abotu 70-80mpg instead of "only" 45-50.

You could be really daring and go all out for the space age Aptera! We're talking 120-300mpg!!! www.aptera.com

I REALLY WANT ONE!; 9:56 AM