zzzzip
Well-known member
Yep-- there is no price tag attached for the mental savings. It is going to have to cost a lot more than a cage for me to leave the bike parked, and get behind the wheel. And then, there's still the bicycle.
B)
Gas costs got you thinking differently?
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B)
feejer222,
Not to belittle your thoughts, but it would be interesting to compare a citizen of the US's total income and expenses to that of a citizen (with a comparable income) of the UK. If I understand correctly, your country corporately pays for health insurance and several other items that we, those on the other side of the pond, pay for individually. This, in part, may account for your higher gas prices.
Again, I'm no ecomonist, but I would be interested in comparing our two economies.
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Checkswrecks
Well-known member
You can and you'll find that the Europeans don't typically have as high an income and their living expenses are higher. It's not just gasoline. Google up the price of whatever you like to eat and paid for your last purchases in Euros and do the math. It's scary and will make you grateful not to be over there right now. They also don't get some of the tax breaks that we take for normal, like the mortgage deduction. Could you afford a house without that?
I'm driving my 1995 F150 4x4 less because it cost more than $100 to fill BOTH tanks, but it is paid for and still cheaper than a new car payment. I know a gas station owner here, and last week he said he's still selling about the same amount of gas a day as ever. And everybody here has trucks to haul stuff (sheep, cattle, farm supplies and trash to the dump for example). And there is talk of having to shut down the small public bus system because the Feds are cutting back and eliminating the Lumber safety net (50 million in this county alone as compensation for the lost revenue from the tree crop. The feds have essentially stopped most logging here.).
I don't know what it is going to take to change people's behaviors. I'm certainly driving less and finding things to do close to home rather than in Eugene, Portland or on the coast.
As for Europe, I have heard but cannot back up with a fact, that gas prices are mitigated a bit by fewer miles driven, i.e. the average driver doesn't have to drive as many miles to get where they are going, which decreases gas costs overall.
Japan many years ago in the big boom was buying a lot of Doug Fir (not a lot of pine forests in the Northwest
, pine is in the Southeast). It made big news when they bought some old growth logs to repair a shrine. But it is a complicated and politicized issue, as cheap Canadian lumber is more of a threat to the industry here. Now that the Canadian dollar is going up all will eventually even out. Things usually do. I believe what goes around comes around....except gas prices. They are not coming down significantly any time that analysts can see.
Didn't somebody ask what I thought?
I don't know what it is going to take to change people's behaviors. I'm certainly driving less and finding things to do close to home rather than in Eugene, Portland or on the coast.
As for Europe, I have heard but cannot back up with a fact, that gas prices are mitigated a bit by fewer miles driven, i.e. the average driver doesn't have to drive as many miles to get where they are going, which decreases gas costs overall.
Japan many years ago in the big boom was buying a lot of Doug Fir (not a lot of pine forests in the Northwest
, pine is in the Southeast). It made big news when they bought some old growth logs to repair a shrine. But it is a complicated and politicized issue, as cheap Canadian lumber is more of a threat to the industry here. Now that the Canadian dollar is going up all will eventually even out. Things usually do. I believe what goes around comes around....except gas prices. They are not coming down significantly any time that analysts can see.Didn't somebody ask what I thought?
The reason that a house in the US costs as much as it does is partly because there is a tax break associated with ownership. If there wasn't, the market would re-value real estate lower. It's all "self regulating".
Back on topic, I believe that the main difference in fuel prices between the US and other countries has to do with the amount of tax included in the sale. In the US we do not tax fuel nearly high enough to collect for all the associated road and highway expenses. Taxes are only averaging about 47 cents per gallon when gas is selling for 3-4 dollars a gallon. January gas tax by state
There is no way that covers the true cost to keep all of the roadways and infrastructure open.
It only makes sense to me that the consumer that uses more fuel is also using the roadways and infrastructure more than someone who uses little or no fuel, so what better point to collect for those expenses? This is somewhat true of the federal portion of the gas tax, but the state portion, almost never. Instead, here in most states they collect a token tax fee here and dump it into the various state general funds and then dispense (way more) money from these general funds for highway maintenance.
Pjturbo
Well-known member
I normally get 40 to 50 mpg with my FJR. So last week I went and bought an XT-225 that gets 90 mpg. I figure the savings in gas will pay it off in about 50 years.
Phil
Phil
airboss
Well-known member
GalaxyBlue
Well-known member
heh...
You should see the fuel bill i rack up daily... :blink:
It costs $600 dailyto drive this rig down the road getting 6 MPG @over $4/gallon. I sure am glad that i dont pay that bill...
Pretty sad when you think about the big picture... It starts with the oil companies raising the price per barrel due the the supply and demand, Then it comes to the truking companies who shell out TONS of money on fuel to get the gooods to market, As such, They have to tag on a fuel surcharge on top of the normal cost to recieve the goods.
This cycle wont end...
The only good news for me, Is that i am constantly on the road, So my personal fuel bill is somewhat cheap, Which is a good thing since i just bought a new jeep Rubicon 4dr which gets 17avg.
Gotta love it eh?
:angry2:
You should see the fuel bill i rack up daily... :blink:
It costs $600 dailyto drive this rig down the road getting 6 MPG @over $4/gallon. I sure am glad that i dont pay that bill...
Pretty sad when you think about the big picture... It starts with the oil companies raising the price per barrel due the the supply and demand, Then it comes to the truking companies who shell out TONS of money on fuel to get the gooods to market, As such, They have to tag on a fuel surcharge on top of the normal cost to recieve the goods.
This cycle wont end...
The only good news for me, Is that i am constantly on the road, So my personal fuel bill is somewhat cheap, Which is a good thing since i just bought a new jeep Rubicon 4dr which gets 17avg.
Gotta love it eh?
:angry2:
Rogue
Well-known member
Well I am selfish.
I hope gas goes over $5.00 a gallon.
I sit in LA traffic all day (last week I did 1,500 miles in my shop truck) and if higher gas prices will get drivers off the road I say jack them up.
I average 36 mph (per my GPS, it is the same every week) driving mostly on freeways where when there is low traffic it moves at 90 mph.
Every day I sit in traffic and look over at some idiot driving alone in a suburban or F350 4X4. If they want to spend the $$ on gas then that is their right, but I think they are idiots.
I hope gas goes over $5.00 a gallon.
I sit in LA traffic all day (last week I did 1,500 miles in my shop truck) and if higher gas prices will get drivers off the road I say jack them up.
I average 36 mph (per my GPS, it is the same every week) driving mostly on freeways where when there is low traffic it moves at 90 mph.
Every day I sit in traffic and look over at some idiot driving alone in a suburban or F350 4X4. If they want to spend the $$ on gas then that is their right, but I think they are idiots.
feejer222
Well-known member
Good point. But the biggest users of fuel are the haulage companies and service industires. Their fuel goes up, their prices go up. Good idea to tax the high users but it ends up that everyone pays.
Apparantly our fuel price is 80% tax.
We are also under threat of 'congestion charges'. It was introduced in London about 5 years ago and is being hailed a success. Basically if you enter the city centre you have to pay £5 ($10) per day. They are on the verge of introducing it here in Manchester, It will cripple businesses like mine who use the roads around the perifery of the city and go in and out several times daily. I am sure there will be allowances made but it will influence the prices of everything.
I remember when I was a kid, my mum would send me to the shop with five shillings for some groceries. (Equates to $1 today). I would come back with bread, milk, a few packs of cigs for my dad, some candy, and maybe some new shoes.
You can't do that today. Damn cameras everywhere!
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feejer222
Well-known member
Good point.
We are also under threat of 'congestion charges'. It was introduced in London about 5 years ago and is being hailed a success. Basically if you enter the city centre you have to pay £5 ($10) per day. They are on the verge of introducing it here in Manchester, It will cripple businesses like mine who use the roads around teh preifery of the city and go in and out several times daily. I am sure there will be allowances made but it will influence the prices of everything.
I remember when I was a kid, my mum would send me to the shop with five shillings for some groceries. (Equates to 50cents today). I would come back with bread, milk, a few packs of cigs for my dad, some candy, and maybe some new trainers.
There's no way you can do that today. Too many damn cameras!
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BobG
Well-known member
Every time prices go up there is the same conversations.
I think it is feasible to start "whaling" again for the oil.
I hear they are found all over the world, even on the beaches. Shouldn't waist a good source of oil. :assassin:
Bob
I think it is feasible to start "whaling" again for the oil.
I hear they are found all over the world, even on the beaches. Shouldn't waist a good source of oil. :assassin:
Bob
zzzzip
Well-known member
If they ever discover how to convert body fat into diesel, NE Missouri will be able to rival the middle east as a supplier.
B)
B)
BobG
Well-known member
I don't think the smell will be like French fries. More like uncle Pete and old shoes.
Maybe we can get a tax break for being tapped.
Yes we are thinking different.
Bob
Maybe we can get a tax break for being tapped.
Yes we are thinking different.
Bob
zzzzip
Well-known member
If I could ride year-round I would. I got rid of my Jeep Cherokee partially because of the fuel economy but mostly because "small repairs" were coming more often. So I bought a car. I can now drive well over two weeks in the car on a single tank of fuel. I couldn't drive more than 6 days with the Jeep. Sure I could have kept repairing the Jeep and spending $50+/wk for fuel, but that's $200/mnth and that's just shy of my new car payment.
I've consolidated my trips (after work on the way home) and I'm thankful that I picked a house within walking distance of the grocery store (if need be, not for the "Stock up" trips )
My vacation plans are 3 _FO's and that won't change.
I've consolidated my trips (after work on the way home) and I'm thankful that I picked a house within walking distance of the grocery store (if need be, not for the "Stock up" trips
)My vacation plans are 3 _FO's and that won't change.
chrisflock
FJR nose gunner
Excellent point! You can pick up an old beater car for a couple hundred bucks, and even if it gets awful mileage, you can be along way ahead over buying a new car. Of course, there are certainly other reasons to get a new car, like safety, reliability, and most important here in Wisconsin, lack of rust...
Also, some of those old beaters can get pretty decent mileage. My old, beatup, rusty 87 Chevy pickup with a 305 got 25 mpg, that's not bad for a fullsize truck. Most of the new compact pickups can't get that sort mileage, being all weighed down with power-sucking things like 'Air conditioning' and 'power steering, and safety features like 'airbags' 'abs' and 'a floor without large holes in it'.
juniorfjr
Well-known member
I drive a 96 f 150 that gets at best 15 mpg. But I need a truck sometimes. Would love to upgrade to a newer that gets up to 20 mpg, but mine has been paid for for years. A 500 dollar payment for 5 or 6 years will buy a lot a gas. So I ride a lot more and drive the truck only when necessary.
Now the boat that has a 75 gallon gas tank, that will be expensive to fill.
Now the boat that has a 75 gallon gas tank, that will be expensive to fill.
993_Pilot
Well-known member
If you think that's bad, I burn between 2500 - 3000 gallons of jet fuel on an average work day, at around $5.00/gal. Luckily, I'm not footing the bill either !
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