 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Ford / Ford Focus / June 2004Price of gas = more Foci on the road?
Price of gas in Regina, Sask. is CDN 92.5/litre for regular. That equates to about $2.56 US/US gal. (according to today's exchange rate). How much are <you> paying? According to CNN, the average price in the USA is around $2.15/gal. An article I read mentioned that people will not seriously consider downsizing their vehicle (OR buying a SULEV type of vehicle) until the price reaches $2.50/gal, however people may be considering slightly fewer options are their vehicles now. Ie. smaller engines, 2 wheel drive instead of 4 wheel drive, smaller SUVs or vans/trucks instead of the monsters we see on the road today. Will we "ever" see people forget their big vehicles in favour of smaller sedans/coupes? Ford with its newer Focus engines (2.3 litre PZEV) is less polluting than even some hybrid cars and slightly more fuel efficient than the 2.0 litre. Then Ford will come out with the Escape hybrid shortly and it should be considerably more fuel efficient than the standard V-6 Escape. (This is not the same as equating low emission vehicles as highly fuel efficient vehicles but the two ideas are generally going in the same direction). Will N.A. be turning to smaller vehicles in the near future -- is the age of bigger engines/displacement going to take a turn like it did in the '70s? If you convert energy costs of the '70s to today's inflated dollar we still are not paying the same cost as we did then. > Will N.A. be turning to smaller vehicles in the near future -- is the > age of bigger engines/displacement going to take a turn like it did in > the '70s? If you convert energy costs of the '70s to today's inflated > dollar we still are not paying the same cost as we did then. Many oil industry analysts are saying that higher prices will be with us for some time. We may hope that this will knock some sense into the maroons who bought gigantic pickup trucks and SUVs to use as commuter vehicles, and there is some indication already of a drop in sales of the monster vehicles. At the moment, there isn't too much screaming about the oil companies; but then prices probably haven't peaked yet, which they probably will about the time the politicians announce their usual fruitless investigations and hearings. (You might have noticed that it's political season down south.) > Many oil industry analysts are saying that higher prices will be with us > for some time. Forever, probably, although there may be some ups and downs with various events. For example, Iraq should be capable of 6 or more million barrels a day if they get their act together, and undoubtedly will want to sell as much as they can to rebuild their country. But with China, India etc buying streadily more oil, and few major new low-cost fields being found, the long-term trend can only be up. That doesn't mean we'll suddenly have a Mad Max end-of-oil event. Things will gradually get tighter over several decades. But with prices at 40-50 dollars a barrel it is economical to tap into really huge higher-cost sources i.e. tar sands, undersea methane. That should stretch it out to the lifetime of today's adults. >We may hope that this will knock some sense into the > maroons who bought gigantic pickup trucks and SUVs to use as commuter > vehicles Amen to that. When I see whiners trying to organize boycotts on the local newsgroups, I can't help but rub it in. "Get a bicycle (or a Focus), losers." (retired economist with an interest in technology). > >We may hope that this will knock some sense into the > > maroons who bought gigantic pickup trucks and SUVs to use as commuter [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > newsgroups, I can't help but rub it in. "Get a bicycle (or a Focus), > losers." I may not be the type to rub it in, but I guarrentee you these people get no sympathy from me. Everyday I drive to work in my little car getting 30+ mpg while somebody drives past me in their 50-60k 3-ton SUV who gets 15mpg on a good day. Somebody who can afford to lay out that kind of cash (usually for the second or third vehicle of the family) and then starts to complain about the cost of gas is declaring himself King Jerk. I have a new 04 Wagon. The dealer did not have the cargo cover for the back, and says his shop is backordered on the covers. Is it possible to buy something from an autoparts supplier like Pep Boys etc., or is this something where I'd be better off just waiting for the dealer to get it in. Likewise with the crossbars for roofrack. The Yakima crossbars weren't in stock, so I'll have to wait. Is it easy (and inexpensive) to buy off the shelf crossbars, or do I need to go back to the dealer? (Side question -- why does Ford sell a roof rack without crossbars?) Think yourselves lucky in UK the price is about $6.00 a gallon > (Side question -- why does Ford sell a roof rack without crossbars?) I didn't know they did! My wagon came with crossbars. If they were, at all, easy to remove, I'd take them off. Rob >Likewise with the crossbars for roofrack. The Yakima crossbars weren't >in stock, so I'll have to wait. Is it easy (and inexpensive) to buy off >the shelf crossbars, or do I need to go back to the dealer? Try other Yakima dealers (like shops that sell bicycles, kayaks, canoes, and other sporting / outdoor recreation goods). Thule may also offer racks for your car. Try http://www.yakima.com and http://www.thuleracks.com .  Signature------------------------------------------------------------------------ Timothy J. Lee Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome. No warranty of any kind is provided with this message. I have an 01 wagon. I chucked the factory cross bars (simple to remove with screw driver. Rails remain in place. I bought thule "Crossroad 450" foot pack to attach to the rails and thule load bars. much better in terms of versatility. I carry two white water and one sea kayak on the top of the car with ease now. > >Likewise with the crossbars for roofrack. The Yakima crossbars weren't > >in stock, so I'll have to wait. Is it easy (and inexpensive) to buy off [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > and other sporting / outdoor recreation goods). Thule may also offer > racks for your car. Try http://www.yakima.com and http://www.thuleracks.com . > > Will N.A. be turning to smaller vehicles in the near future -- is the > > age of bigger engines/displacement going to take a turn like it did in > > the '70s? If you convert energy costs of the '70s to today's inflated > > dollar we still are not paying the same cost as we did then. > At the moment, there isn't too much screaming about the oil companies; > but then prices probably haven't peaked yet, which they probably will > about the time the politicians announce their usual fruitless > investigations and hearings. (You might have noticed that it's political > season down south.) http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/05/27/business/neb040527 Oilsands production to more than double by 2015, NEB says: CALGARY - Despite huge cost overruns in new oilsands projects, a federal agency says the future of the industry is bright. In a report released Thursday, the National Energy Board (NEB) said the costs of production are expected to decline and demand will continue to grow, although the industry may have to do some marketing. Expanded production will require new or larger pipelines to carry the oil to markets, which could eventually include California and the Far East, the board said. Both our family's cars are fuel efficient compacts. I can't say we really ever downsized from a gas guzzler - we never owned one. Our Focus wagon was purchased to replace a reasonably fuel efficient Taurus wagon. That was a time when gas first hit $.70 CDN per litre, and the slight fuel savings were appreciated, none the less. Gas prices in Manitoba are about the same as what you're paying in Saskatchewan. I can add that gas was $1.92 a gallon in North Dakota a couple of weeks ago. If I was in the market for a new vehicle today, I would not be considering an SUV :) Rob > Gas prices in Manitoba are about the same as what you're paying in > Saskatchewan. I can add that gas was $1.92 a gallon in North Dakota a couple > of weeks ago. > > If I was in the market for a new vehicle today, I would not be considering > an SUV :) I figured that the SUV fad was peaking when Porsche got into the act. Perhaps all those TV news shots of flipped SUVs finally started to have an effect. > Gas prices in Manitoba are about the same as what you're paying in > Saskatchewan. I can add that gas was $1.92 a gallon in North Dakota a couple > of weeks ago. My heart bleeds ... no, really!! ;o) Try living in the UK. It's now approx 80 - 85p per L. At 81p per litre, that's ?3.72 or about $6.70 per Imperial gallon!! JW > > Gas prices in Manitoba are about the same as what you're paying in > > Saskatchewan. I can add that gas was $1.92 a gallon in North Dakota a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Try living in the UK. It's now approx 80 - 85p per L. At 81p per litre, > that's ?3.72 or about $6.70 per Imperial gallon!! Did you see that one on GMTV a couple of weeks back, one place in London was charging 96.9p per litre (thats $8 a gallon!). The place I went yesterday was 79.9p (thats $6.60 a gallon!), but thats the cheapest in my area. Dean > Did you see that one on GMTV a couple of weeks back, one > place in London was charging 96.9p per litre (thats $8 a gallon!). > The place I went yesterday was 79.9p (thats $6.60 a gallon!), > but thats the cheapest in my area. It's a nightmare, isn't it. I did see one place on the local news that had a forecourt attendant. They were charging ?1.09/l. But that is just absolutely ridiculous. Quite why anyone would go to a place like that (that must have been 99p/l before the recent price hikes), is beyond me. Maybe that was just for the cameras? JW > Price of gas in Regina, Sask. is CDN 92.5/litre for regular. That > equates to about $2.56 US/US gal. (according to today's exchange [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the '70s? If you convert energy costs of the '70s to today's inflated > dollar we still are not paying the same cost as we did then. http://autonet.ca/AutonetStories/Stories.cfm?StoryID=12018 Bear Stearns analyst Domenic Martilotti said higher oil and gas prices could be causing some people to delay vehicle purchases, but "we don't believe it's causing a drastic shift from big SUVs to mid-size cars." "We see gas prices having to move past $3 (a gallon) to have a more significant impact on consumer tastes," Martilotti said. Still, sales of fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrids continue to rise. Toyota's U.S. arm reported its eighth consecutive best-ever April sales tally last month, helped in part by strong demand for its hybrid Prius sedan. Honda, the only other automaker currently selling a hybrid vehicle on the U.S. retail market, said its Civic hybrid posted a second consecutive month of record sales in April. Many dealers have waiting lists for the Prius and Civic hybrids. We should all sell our cars and buy a donkey :) only 2 carrots per mile!! -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 NotDashEscaped: You need GnuPG to verify this message In alt.autos.ford.focus Roarmeister <roarmeister2@netscape.net> suggested: > Price of gas in Regina, Sask. is CDN 92.5/litre for regular. That > equates to about $2.56 US/US gal. (according to today's exchange > rate). > How much are <you> paying? According to CNN, the average price in the > USA is around $2.15/gal. An article I read mentioned that people will > not seriously consider downsizing their vehicle (OR buying a SULEV > type of vehicle) until the price reaches $2.50/gal, however people may After looking it up 3.785l == 1 US gal, 1l == 0.56 $US, now I'd love to pay that price, recently 1l "super" 1.199 EUR over here, which translates to about: 1 US gal == 4.538 EUR (about 5.56 $US according to this converter: http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic ) SignatureMichael Heiming (GPG-Key ID: 0xEDD27B94) mail: echo zvpunry@urvzvat.qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/' In alt.autos.ford.focus, on the "Price of gas = more Foci on the road?" >How much are <you> paying? According to CNN, the average price in the >USA is around $2.15/gal. About $1.97/US gal in the Tampa Bay area. This is for regular. Incidentally, when I bought my car, one other vehicle I was considering was the VW Golf 1.8T. This car requires premium fuel; perhaps it's just as well that I didn't buy it. > An article I read mentioned that people will >not seriously consider downsizing their vehicle (OR buying a SULEV >type of vehicle) until the price reaches $2.50/gal [...] Neill Massello has already mentioned that large SUV sales are softening. GM is either offering incentives on its big Hummer SUVs, or is considering it. The hot vehicles right now are hybrids -- Toyota's Prius and the Honda Civic. I haven't heard about the sales of small conventionally-powered cars like the Focus. I did read an article that some hybrid owners were disappointed in their mileage. The real-world mileage of the Civic hybrid, for example, was 36 m.p.g. Pretty good, but not up to the 44+ the EPA rated it for. Meanwhile, I get an honest 30m.p.g. out of the Focus -- not to far off the pace of the Honda hybrid. >Will N.A. be turning to smaller vehicles in the near future -- is the >age of bigger engines/displacement going to take a turn like it did in >the '70s? If it does, cars won't be as dreary as they were 30 years ago. Automotive engineers have gotten a lot better at extracting more power from small engines -- just ask any "tuner." SignatureBenjamin Robinson bjr7@freenet.tlh.fl.us This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide "I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.