What Gas Price would make you park your Ridgeline?

[bigdave269]

We went through the summer with some of the highest gas prices ever, even adjusted for inflation. We found out that most of us would still drive even paying over $3.00 per gallon. It hurt, but not enough to make us park. So I am wondering, how much can we take?

After a couple of months of gas becoming reasonable again (not cheap, just reasonable), The Los Angeles Times is reporting that gas prices (you may have to register) are going to turn upward again soon because OPEC is threatening to decrease production yet again. Already, speculation has increased the crude price by almost $2.00 a barrel almost overnight. Their article claims we could easily see $3.00 gas again soon.

I am starting this poll at $3.00, because most of us were driving up to that point, and it was enough for me to park and join the vanpool. But some of you may have a higher threshold for pain. I am putting whole dollar amounts, but will asume .25+/- of the dollar amount will be your cutoff. I am running up to $7.00, but I pray gas never gets that high!

Happy Ridgelining (while you can)!

[colorider]

If it gets that bad, it may not be a question of parking - but of selling the RidgeLine (at least for some people), since we have little or no assurance that they will come back down. Really no reason to own a vehicle you cannot afford to drive.

:shock:

[Ridgeline2006]

I voted "3.00" because I was getting my miata out of mothballs last summer when the prices hit that mark. When they dropped I lost the incentive and continued to drive the Ridgeline. If they go back up to three bucks, I'll probably get the incentive again!

[bigdave269]

My Camry was getting more use when gas got to $3.00, that's for sure. And I did join the van pool (I was lucky one was available!). Now that gas is down again, we are driving the Ridge more. We really do love it! But if gas gets to $3.00 again, we will be driving the Camry more again.

What surprises me is the votes for $5.00. But to Colorider, good luck selling a gas guzzler if gas ever gets that high! Talk about your resale value tanking! :cry:

[Ridgeline2006]

At three dollars a gallon with a 22 mile commute each way, while getting 18 mpg, it costs me over $3.50 to drive to and from work. Add parking to that (I park in a municipal lot for $55 per month which comes out to about $2.75 per work day) and I'm paying just under $10 per day to go to work. I know there are lots of you out there that pay lots more than that (my parking is pretty cheap), and I wonder what would make us look for alternatives (like Dave's van pool) or create alternatives when none are readily available (I have no public transportation option and I don't know of any car or van pools). Necessity is the mother of invention. Maybe we'll see some quantum leap in personal or public transportation that will take the pressure off when the gas prices skyrocket. :cry:

[colorider]

bigdave269 wrote (View Post): › docWrite("quote")
What surprises me is the votes for $5.00. But to Colorider, good luck selling a gas guzzler if gas ever gets that high! Talk about your resale value tanking! :cry:

My point was that if it reaches a point where you cannot afford to drive it - why keep it? Sell it and take your loses and go on. It may very well be like the GM diesel cars of the 70's where the value virtually went to zip (and caused a hit on other diesel cars of the time). Those cars were worth next to nothing then (after the hit) and they never recovered.

IMHO, YMMV, my $.02 and all other disclaimers apply.

[oracledba]

moving from Southern CA ( LA ) to utah, gas prices are at least 20% less and my auto insurance dropped by almost 50%, so i'm not too concerned about the gas prices. they are here to stay unless China and India disappear...

[EnglishBob]

I work in a car dealer - I see this cycle every time fuel spikes....

In come all the large trucks, SUV's etc and they trade them in, typically losing $3-$5k as there is no demand for these gas guzzlers. They buy smaller more efficient cars.

6months to a year later, back they come again wanting the monster truck anbd SUV again... they trade in the economical car, this time losing a smaller amount and buy the monster truck.

If people just kept the gas guzzler the $4-$5k this cycle costs them would bey them a couple of years worth of gas, even at the inflated price. Now don't get me started on teh false economy of Hybrids....

As for me, I'm from the UK where we were paying $9 a gallon 5 years ago. Gas is still cheap here and I will drive my truck till it hits $20 a gallon!

Now back to the hybrids... a Civic Hybrid takes over 180,000 miles to recoup the extra cost over that of a normal Civic. They don't burn any cleaner either.

[bigdave269]

EnglishBob wrote (View Post): › docWrite("quote")
Now back to the hybrids... a Civic Hybrid takes over 180,000 miles to recoup the extra cost over that of a normal Civic. They don't burn any cleaner either.


The hybrid does not emit as many hydrocarbons per mile, but the gas engine itself does not burn cleaner. Also, any money you might possibly save on gas will be eaten up the minute you have to replace the battery pack...

$9.00 gas? Yeesh, I'll walk for that much. It surprises me how much people will pay for the convenience...

[nhsledding]

I work in parts at a honda dealer. We have done about 4 batteryw in Honda Insights. Honda covered them all. They all had over 100k on them. One even had 165k. Honda does take care of there custermers.

It's 2008 and we are at 3.05 here in NH

[kahnartist]

My husband is in construction and does not have a company truck. Hence, he is already feeling the 'pinch' of higher prices; costing here in Nor. Cal; $3.51 a gallon. It costs $60+ to fill up, and that is usually at Costco...where prices are as low as they can go.

He has however, changed his driving.

I'm not on the MPG thread, but he constantly uses the speed control on the truck set to 65 mph and taken his foot off the gas (lead foot), for rapid acceleration, etc.

He has kept receipts/mileage and tracked his mileage at 22 mpg in the truck for a few trips to Sacramento, Tahoe, etc. Good mileage is possible if you change your driving habits!

I have a Nissan Maxima which he did use once for a trip to Sac, so he is feeling the pain of the prices.

Me? I take Caltrain from San Jose on my commute up the Peninsula for 13 years now. $20 bucks gets me through the week, so at this point, I'm not affected. But, my commute is NOT like most people's.

If folks could TRY public transit once a week and get out of the 'MUST have my car' mind-set, I think we'd all be better off.
Don't think as Public Transit as 'getting to work as fast as in my car'. Think of it as: I'm going to get to work after I read the paper and not stress in traffic. It will take longer, but you will be more relaxed.

[bigdave269]

I heard some interesting statistics the other day. First of all, I am sure that most of you know that crude is at $110 per barrel right about now. It has increased $30 a barrel since last year in a time of surplus, for the first time ever. It seems the law of supply and demand have been thrown out the window in this country, anyway.

As a nation, our averge petroleum usage increases 1% per year. In the last 12 months, our petroleum usage only increased 0.4%. This lower demand has created a surplus of 1.7 million barrels of oil in the last week, more than five times the expected 300,000 barrel increase. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gasoline stockpiles have gone from a 16 million barrel deficit to a 22 million barrel surplus since last September. All of this is while the national average for gasoline is at $3.25 and climbing (California average is $3.59).

So what is driving this? I will try very hard to stay off my political soapbox, but basically it is the weakness of the dollar and the absence of regulation. There is no limit to the profit of oil, just ask Exxon or any citizen of Dubai. The policies of this president's administration have not helped the situation, either. The bad news is that it will get worse before it gets better. Gasoline is not the only commodity that is going up. Gold has topped $1000.00 per ounce. Other grocery commodites have risen 15% in the last quarter. And do I even need to get into the real estate and mortgage crisis? The truth is, as much as many puindits would not like to let you believe it, we are in the worst recession in decades. It will pull out, it always does, it just takes time. The question is how much can we sustain in the meantime? $5.00 gasoline probably doesn't matter to CEO's that make millions a year, but it would clobber me.

Read this CNN Money article, and this AP article for more information.

[felitopaz]

I hope it goes to $5 plus so we can work on a fuel cell car.

[Ridgeline2006]

I'm getting rid of the Ridgeline for now -- can't afford to put gas in it any more! $3.50 per gallon is way over my budget!