Parking the SUVs

[RubberFrog]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Maybe my boat is too big. After all, it's just my family of a four and we could all fit in an 8' jon boat. Isn't that the next logical step in your judgement of what I need?

How big is your monitor? Couldn't you get by with a 13" screen? You energy waster....

 

[cheburashka]

Re: Parking the SUVs

The logical question to follow then would be that once 'We' decide whether or not it is a good idea for so many people to buy these huge inefficient vehicles, what do 'We' do with that decision? Or more aptly 'Who' would be appointed to act on that decision?

I tend to be against regulations of this kind. Then I look at what businesses do when you take away the regulation, and what happens when they fail. Free up the mortgage market and what happens? Lenders make a bunch of stupid decisions and we wind up bailing them out. What did I get from the freeing up of the mortgage market? a 6.1% fixed-rate that saves me $1200 a year, and the promise of higher taxes to pay for the bailout of failed lenders, the governmental buyout of forclosed houses, etc.

People have been warning American auto builders for years. "Those things have a limited demand." "You'll get stuck with unsellable stock, and auto plants that can only produce outdated, inefficient vehicles." "Why not build more efficient vehicles?" No regulations, but plenty of warning. And now they can't seel their current stock, and they're tooled up to build more of these unsellable vehicles instead of something that gets better gas mileage.

What do you bet we end up bailing out GM, Ford and Chrysler for more than we put into Bear Sterns?

At some point, businesses need to either start making good business decisions, or face the fact that the government is going to prevent them from doing so just to avoid having to clean up the mess they leave behind when it all blows up.

 

[cheburashka]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Maybe my boat is too big. After all, it's just my family of a four and we could all fit in an 8' jon boat. Isn't that the next logical step in your judgement of what I need?

How big is your monitor? Couldn't you get by with a 13" screen? You energy waster....

Flat-screen here. The most efficient on the market.

And you can poke fun at my 140 Merc all day long, but I can take nine people out tubing all weekend for $60 or less.

I'm not saying what you need. I'm just saying you have to live with the consequences. Blaming the tree huggers because it costs too much to run your inefficient vehicle? I don't recall when that patchouli-soaked ragamuffin held a gun to your head and made you buy a huge boat.

 

[octane]

Re: Parking the SUVs

I get about 22 mpg with my 07 Rav4 V6 awd, the impact on my wallet will be neglectible compared to what some others will have. So I don't think I'll be changing my habits that much.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Flat-screen here. The most efficient on the market.

And you can poke fun at my 140 Merc all day long, but I can take nine people out tubing all weekend for $60 or less.

I'm not saying what you need. I'm just saying you have to live with the consequences. Blaming the tree huggers because it costs too much to run your inefficient vehicle? I don't recall when that patchouli-soaked ragamuffin held a gun to your head and made you buy a huge boat.

Maybe you could get a smaller flat screen?

I have never laughed at anybody's boat, although I have made a few bayliner jokes (am I allowed to do this since I've actually owne one?). As far as the cost of gas, it doesn't really have much effect on my family. Maybe we skip an appetizer at dinner every now and then.

I do feel bad for those who can't afford the gas in their big guzzler, but that's just how the free market works. We don't all get to have everything we want. I want a bigger boat but I don't blame anyone else or try to raise taxes so I can get one from the government. And I don't want to regulate boat builders to effect the cost the either.

Just like some eat hamburger instead of steak, some will have to make the financial decision to drive small cars instead of guzzlers. The end result will be that the demand will lessen and fuel will stabilize at some price that market can bear. That's just how it works.

 

[1976 Slickcraft]

Re: Parking the SUVs

I, for one will not be paricipating in the high gas prices crying game. I am however working all the extra hours I can and saving up to pay for the fuel I will be burning on the water this year. Full speed ahead !!!!
Jesse

 

[jinx]

Re: Parking the SUVs

You got to pay to play. We don't have enough of the resource in this country so we pay to those who have it.

The state and local governments make it kind of hard to be efficient, though.

I have a family tow vehicle which I do not drive unless I need to.
The Mrs drives a Miata that gets about 29 mpg in her work. I have a 4 cyl Chebbie p/u to run around in. Round it out with a 10mpg dodge farm truck.

In order to have the vehicles to match them to the job, I have to insure every one as if it were being driven every minute. $25 county tags for each, personal property tax for each, state tags for each etc etc. Then I hear politician yack about how people have too many cars.

Jeez, my 10 mpg Dodge has 39k miles and I've had it since 1987. It only gets driven when there is a big job to do.

Happy boating, even a $4 gal. it's still nice on the water.

Jinx

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Ain't no use crying about the high price of gas.
You need it, you pay it, plain and simple.
I have to have it, if not, I sell out.
My boat will be used this year and I will go camping this year.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Yeah, I'm not happy about it either, but I do what I can to conserve and I budget for my fuel usage like any other big expense. Maybe I do more sitting at anchor and fishing or swimming and less poker runs or skiing, but I WILL be out on the water. Beer is still cheap.....for now.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Parking the SUVs

3) Isn't really accurate as most of it is a fixed gallon amount except for sales tax. Also, we pay some of the lowest taxes on fuel in the World. Exceptions are Venezuela and Mexico, and some other even lesser countries. In the UK for example Gasoline is over $11 a gallon right now. Basically the commodity costs the same.

Bingo! .... And you are one of the few people that I have run across that understands this. When folks in Europe, Canada, etc. talk about how much they pay for "gasoline," they forget that a lot (as much as 70%) of the money that they are shelling out is purely for taxes. As you you correctly stated, we are all paying about the same for the basic commodity - the fuel.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Parking the SUVs

On the news today ( don't start it!) it showed fuel prices around the world. Russia is paying $.88, China $.60 and Venazuala (sp?) a whopping $.12. I don't pay that much difference in taxes.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Parking the SUVs

No, you didn't hit a nerve. I just think you're a hateful and judgemental person. Who are you to say what other people "need" or should be allowed to drive? This is America. Do you remember what that means? If you don't want to buy an SUV then don't, but it's none of your business what someone else's reasons are for driving one. What makes you qualified to judge valid reasons for driving one?

What's next, are you going to decide how big of a house I need or what temperature I set my thermostat at?

I agree with you in principle,but the car companies made the suggestion that people need it even if they do not.So it is easy to attack somebody who does in a less sophisticated way exactly what the car companies do through relentless advertizing.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Ok, well today it went up 15 cents in one day plus about 5 cents or so every other day this week. I understand why it's going up by why so fast?

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Its starting to really hit home to millions of folks that they are now driving (most not even paid for yet) out dated completely non practical cost prohibitive vehicles and cant do a thing about it. They cant sell them , trade them or use them without losing BIG MONEY they dont have. This delima is only the tip of the iceberg I hate to say.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Parking the SUVs

On the news today ( don't start it!) it showed fuel prices around the world. Russia is paying $.88, China $.60 and Venazuala (sp?) a whopping $.12. I don't pay that much difference in taxes.

There is no doubt that some countries have chosen to subsidize petroleum products. Other than those places, however, the basic price for the gasoline is about the same.

 

[azlakes]

Re: Parking the SUVs

I heard on the news today that people are already parking the gas sucking SUVs by the thousands cause of gas prices. I wonder what the dealers plan to do with the ones they have. They sure as (censored) arent going to sell them now..........unless they almost give them away.

.. yup and new Motorhomes piling up even worse. is E85 getting any play? or does it still not give up the miles per gallon as we are used to? heard its as cheap as 2 bucks or so a gallon.

 

[seafox 257]

Re: Parking the SUVs

im going on 800.00 this week in the boat for fuel fishing is good been going off shore alot just like someone said you wanna play you have to pay. i do not think we will ever see gas under 3.00 a gallon ever again. IMO

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Parking the SUVs

It blows my mind how a country like China could subsidized their citizen so much so that they only pay 60 cents/gal. Unless they don't pay the same per barrel price.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Parking the SUVs

Heard something interesting this AM. The price of crude has gone up 319% in USD since 2000, but has only gone up 92% in Euros.

Being that oil is a world traded commodity, that just shows what's happened to our beloved dollar. Not only has crude gone up, the dollar is just not as valuable as it was.

 

[boatradioman]

Re: Parking the SUVs

I am sure they have some sort of tricky selling tactic.