High gas prices.

[Balta1701]

Oil Production at Prudhoe may take 6 to 12 months to return to normal.

[southsider2k5]

It look initially like the west coast and Alaska are going to get hit really hard by this shutdown. Alaska is going to miss out on a huge amount of taxes and royalties, while the west coast might have to get creative on where it gets its oil supplies from.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/08/oilfield....n.ap/index.html

[Queen Prawn]

Well, it happened. Brian is serious about trading in his Maurader he just got in February. He loves the car, but with the chance the gas prices are going to continue to rise rather than stabilize, he wants to get a 4 banger (likely either a Ford Focus or a Cougar I-4 if he can find it).

 

I just hope he can be happy with the lack of get up and go most 4 bangers have (which is why I pretty much refuse to ever own one again - with all the highway driving I do, a 4 banger will make me lose it when I get passed, left right and sideways lol).

[NorthSideSox72]

Well, it happened. Brian is serious about trading in his Maurader he just got in February. He loves the car, but with the chance the gas prices are going to continue to rise rather than stabilize, he wants to get a 4 banger (likely either a Ford Focus or a Cougar I-4 if he can find it).

 

I just hope he can be happy with the lack of get up and go most 4 bangers have (which is why I pretty much refuse to ever own one again - with all the highway driving I do, a 4 banger will make me lose it when I get passed, left right and sideways lol).

Most hybrids outperform their regular gas-only counterparts on acceleration. Something to consider.

[Queen Prawn]

Couldn't afford one of those at this time, but it is at the back of our minds for the future.

[Balta1701]

Couldn't afford one of those at this time, but it is at the back of our minds for the future.

Seriously...if you can set yourself up in shape to be buying a car in the 2009-2010 era, that will be an ideal time. You may have to get on a waitlist, but the MPG is strongly rumored to be approaching 100 on the next generation of them from Honda & Toyota.

[BigSqwert]

Seriously...if you can set yourself up in shape to be buying a car in the 2009-2010 era, that will be an ideal time. You may have to get on a waitlist, but the MPG is strongly rumored to be approaching 100 on the next generation of them from Honda & Toyota.

Google search came up with this article:

 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109981

 

EDIT: That may be my next car.

Edited August 8, 2006 by BigSqwert

[Balta1701]

Google search came up with this article:

 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109981

 

EDIT: That may be my next car.

That was the stuff I was talking about. Toyota's been rumored in 08 to be coming out with a small car hybrid that might push 100+, and in 09 to be pushing out the new Prius, a larger car that would be a little less fuel efficient than the other but also would be larger, and still would probably be in the 80-90 range.

 

I need to get a car pretty soon and can finally afford one now that the Fiancee is employed, so what I've been considering is either leasing something small for 2 years & then getting myself one of these puppies or buying something used and using it as a trade-in 2 years from now.

[BigSqwert]

That was the stuff I was talking about. Toyota's been rumored in 08 to be coming out with a small car hybrid that might push 100+, and in 09 to be pushing out the new Prius, a larger car that would be a little less fuel efficient than the other but also would be larger, and still would probably be in the 80-90 range.

 

I need to get a car pretty soon and can finally afford one now that the Fiancee is employed, so what I've been considering is either leasing something small for 2 years & then getting myself one of these puppies or buying something used and using it as a trade-in 2 years from now.

Luckily for me I have survived a year without a car. I can probably go on for years without one but if there's a 100 mpg vehicle on the horizon then I'd consider buying again.

[Balta1701]

Luckily for me I have survived a year without a car. I can probably go on for years without one but if there's a 100 mpg vehicle on the horizon then I'd consider buying again.

I've gotten through 3 years here. Biking all my groceries home, taking the bus to get the fiancee to her regular "no we still don't have a clue what's wrong" doctor's appointments, and so on. The one thing that does drive me nuts though is biking in to school in driving rainstorms. That one isn't fun.

[Balta1701]

So in case anyone's curious as to why exactly those pipelines are corroding, here's an interesting discussion. The short version? Sulfur Reducing Bacteria plumes. The interesting thing about it is this though; the things that may enable these bacteria to take off in a pipeline might include poor quality oil and declines in flow through pipelines. Since Prudhoe is definately on the down-swing in production amount, those are 2 conditions that may become even more common in the future up there.

[Rex Kickass]

Might also have something to do with the fact that BP admitted they never maintained the pipeline in 20 years.

[southsider2k5]

So after having all of the bad news at once, it now seems we are in a "good" news rut here. Crude prices have fallen to their lowest levels since June, while Gas futures are sitting at lows last seen since the middle of May, if they can go through those, they are looking at levels last seen around opening day.

 

Gas futures have fallen off about 40 cents in the last 3 weeks or so since the Prudehoe Bay highs, all by themselves. Personally I don't think the fall at the pump will be this dramatic, as the run up in the futures never really was fully felt at the pump, but I think we could be looking at 20-25 cents lower at pump by the weekend after Labor Day.

 

On a technical level gas futures are testing the 200 day moving average for the 4th day in a row, and seem to be holding underneath it today. If they do indeed move through that average, there really isn't much to artificially hold up prices from falling pretty well unless something big happens in the news. The next technical support level would be between 1.75 and 1.80, we are currently trading about 1.93-1.94 as we speak.

[aboz56]

Gas has fallen to as low as 2.62 a gallon here. (Actually the lowest station in town is about 3 blocks from my house.)

 

Wow.

[Jenksismyhero]

Gas has fallen to as low as 2.62 a gallon here. (Actually the lowest station in town is about 3 blocks from my house.)

 

Wow.

 

 

Pssh, lucky you. I paid 3.49 a gallon at a BP on Broadway/Irving park.

[kapkomet]

Good news. Now we just have to get through September without a hurricane in the gulf of Mexico... good luck with that.

[Balance]

Well, it happened. Brian is serious about trading in his Maurader he just got in February. He loves the car, but with the chance the gas prices are going to continue to rise rather than stabilize, he wants to get a 4 banger (likely either a Ford Focus or a Cougar I-4 if he can find it).

 

I just hope he can be happy with the lack of get up and go most 4 bangers have (which is why I pretty much refuse to ever own one again - with all the highway driving I do, a 4 banger will make me lose it when I get passed, left right and sideways lol).

Not all 4-cylinders are boring. You just need to get the right car.

 

That's how I roll!

 

[kapkomet]

Actually the way most 4 cylinder engines are made today, they'll move.

[Iwritecode]

Pssh, lucky you. I paid 3.49 a gallon at a BP on Broadway/Irving park.

 

I paid 2.97 this morning was happy about it.

 

I remember complaining when it went over a dollar...

[mr_genius]

I remember complaining when it went over a dollar...

 

 

me too

[HuskyCaucasian]

I remember complaining when it went over a dollar...

When i started driving in 2000, THe gas was beetween $1 and $1.50. 6 years later.... $3. OUCH!

[Balta1701]

Actually the way most 4 cylinder engines are made today, they'll move.

I'm this close to buying an 06 civic...

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm this close to buying an 06 civic...

I'm thinking about Saturn's light-hybrid VUE, since it seems it will be 4-5 years before the really super-efficient hybrids hit the market. Differential cost is lower than normal hybrid, but you get a 20-30% boost in economy.

[Balta1701]

I'm thinking about Saturn's light-hybrid VUE, since it seems it will be 4-5 years before the really super-efficient hybrids hit the market. Differential cost is lower than normal hybrid, but you get a 20-30% boost in economy.

Eh, I think the Civic'll still beat that in gas mileage. And obviously, I doubt many people here think I'm an SUV person anyway.

 

But yeah, my plan is to hold onto this civic until the next generation or two of hybrids really hits the market, then hopefully make use of it as a trade-in.

[NorthSideSox72]

Eh, I think the Civic'll still beat that in gas mileage. And obviously, I doubt many people here think I'm an SUV person anyway.

 

But yeah, my plan is to hold onto this civic until the next generation or two of hybrids really hits the market, then hopefully make use of it as a trade-in.

You're certainly right on the Civic. The VUE Hybrid is rated at 27/32, the regular Civic Sedan is 30/40. I actually use my car for a bit off off-road stuff, on occasion, to get to some backcountry spots. So I like having the room and the AWD.