Any suggestions?
That is the problem here, we all have to drive to work, school, get groceries, etc.
Most attempts to conserve just become a slap in the face. My wife finally decided to car pool with a co-worker effectively saving us 50% of what it was costing her to commute. BUT, thats a drop in the bucket of the nations problems, we could all sit home for a week and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. What till we the gouging beings for Wilma! Someone sneezes and the prices move all over the place anymore.

 

Well those are starts in the right direction. I posted on another thread a little while ago that I'm going to start using my mountain bike for a lot more than just exercise now... If everyone just made one or two less trips a week (grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc.) the number of gallons not used (i.e - not profits in the oil companies' pockets) would start to add up. Not sure what else to do but that.

 

Ya, that makes more sense, about half the fuel consumed is diesel, but my point was that it is cheaper to refine crude oil into diesel fuel/ kerosene, then it is to refine it in to gasoline because gasoline takes alot more refining, hense the nickname of diesel engines "oil burners", essentially thats what they are. So there is no reason why we should have to pay a dollar more per gallon of diesel if it is cheaper to produce that gas.

 

I was just thinking about what you said here, and it struck me. You know, you have a point. ONE OR TWO LESS TRIPS!!??? We went from taking a trip into "town" for groceries and stuff twice, maybe three times a month, to three times a WEEK!
It's 99% the consumers fault that we are in the position we are in here.
Again though, I have no real solution for the big picture, just my family.

 

$3.65 Today In Spencer Reg $2.60

 

Over the summer we bought a "fun" car to drive on nice days. 1987 Mustang GT convertable 5.0 with a five speed. This car has a 2:73 rear end, and gets decent gas mileage for a V8, so unless I need a truck for a truck, the mustang is what I will be driving until the prices stabilize (if ever.)

Procrastinator

 

$3.29 Diesel - $2.52 Regular Unleaded

As soon as we close on our house (hopefully 2-3 weeks) the truck is GONE! I'm sick of paying so much for diesel.

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Britt

 

3.65, 12.23 am, at 7pm on weds(5 hrs ago) it was 2.99 Seems wilma has already hit haha. oh and regular is 2.23 and prem is 2.42 I was all about a diesel jetta a few weeks ago. when we wer e30 cents above. but it didnt work out on paper, by the time i bought a car got insurance and paid for fuel. Still doesnt, What got a good bit closer was a gas car. BUT to get anything decent is still a 200 bill a month plus insurance and gas. I think all i worked out was a savings of 70 bucks a month on fuel. Between a lil gas car that gets 27.5(half way between 25 and 30 and ive never owned a car dunno what most get) and my truck at 20. which at 55 i can get and no speed ticket haha. Thats WITH the dollar diffrence in fuel. Selling the truck isnt an option for a few reasons. One i need the truck for business(but could get a older one for better payments) 2 I dont believe i can get 28k for a 04.5 with 15000k on it haha. Who knows. either way the farmers need to quit and the people that have oil heat need to go to wal mart ( i know more driving) and buy electric heaters!! I did it last year when the furnace up and died. got 6 radiant oil heater type deals. They look likea hot water radiator heater but are filled with oil maybe or something jelly. and oh was it hot. and only added 120 to my electric bill. Of course my house is only 1350 sq ft. But give her a try. I wnat to start bio but being new and getting cold its too risky i thinkin

 

For some reason its stabilized here. Diesel was $2.79 a couple days ago when I added some (I was VERY low, and i don't want another $96 fillup bill like I had a couple weeks ago!!! Gas was about $2.59, so i wouldn't say we are feeling the big price gaps like you guys.

I have considered getting more economical, but the $1000+ to buy even an old economy beater would buy quite a bit of diesel for my truck, and it would take a long time with an increase of maybe 5-10 mpg to pay for that vehicle 9and its higher maintenance bills). So then I thought about the other vehicles in our personal fleet that I could register and drive. keep in mind my Ram averages 22 mpg.
-'89 Camry V-6. 26 mpg, and can't tow anything. It needs tires and brakes, so it would cost a bit to put it on the road.
-'95 Ranger 3.0 V-6 4x2: 26 mpg. It needs a clutch ($$$ and work), and being 4x2, it can't get out of the driveway if the weatherman just MENTIONS snow. But i could save 4 mpg.
-Wife's '98 Cherokee 4.0: 21 mpg. Going down in mpg isn't exactly what I had in mind, and my wife likes driving it, so she gets to keep it.
-'97 Dakota V-6: I need a transmission for it, and even then, its only good for 15-17 mpg if I drive like my 77 year old father in law. I have hit 20 mpg...going down hill, with a good tail wind...in neutral...on a trailer...you get the idea. Its a nice truck, but far from economical.

If i could find an affordable VW diesel, I would be all over it. But because of their economy, they are currently being sold for well over book value...IF I could find one for sale. Jeep has a great TDI out now, if only they would put it in a real vehicle, like a Wrangler or swap it into an '01 Cherokee. Anything but the joke of a sport ute the Liberty is.

Oh well, maybe I'll have to dig out the bicycle and look for someplace that offers studded tires for it. maybe i can oes Fisher make a V-plow for a Cannondale?

I need a drink...

Jim

Jim

 

What in god's name is going on here? Diesel went up from $3.19 to $3.44 and gas went down from $2.65 to $2.60 between the hours of 6 pm and 1 am. WHY? There's no logical explanation for this sort of crap.

 

The "logical explanation is PRICE GOUGING!
There is no competition in the oil industry, or this would not happen. All the big companys are in collusion, price fixing etc. Very dishonest. Biggest profits ever. I wonder why?
Owww my pocketbook hurts!

 

Maybe it's time to take a page from the truckers book since they just add on a fuel surcharge and won't do it. If everyone with a diesel slowed down to 55 mph, it would not only improve the fuel economy for most if not all of them but would serve as a visual form of protest as well. Nothing obnoxious (like horns, etc.) to make diesel owners look bad but a silent visual protest as we go about our daily travel and we benefit from it whether they notice or not. Just a thought to consider.

I'm driving the gasser (30 mpg) most of the time now except when I have to have the truck to haul or tow but I'm planning to slow down when I do drive the truck so remember this post when you pass that 1st gen. doing 55 and then slow down and join me.

 

For five fill up's on my truck I could buy a piece of junk beater 4 cylinder to drive around

I don't know about you guys, but compared to what srt20 said near the start of this thread, the FlyingJ by my place is always the same or higher than local stations for diesel....it's never lower
$3.59 here this morning from $3.19 yesterday

 

Yea, I get you there...but you need to consider the actual savings. Your truck has looks somewhat bombed, so I know you don't get the mileage I do. But I'll use my truck for a little comparison.

My truck: 22 mpg. Toyota Camry: 26 mpg. thats 4 mpg difference. On a good week I drive 500 miles a week now. At $2.79 for diesel, and cheapest gas is $2.64 right now (just checked), I would save less than $13 a week. Thanks, but for that, I'd rather drive my roomy CTD than my econobox.

Going by those same numbers, I would save a total of $.026 per mile (thats 2.6 cents per mile). To pay for a $1000 beater, I would have to drive 38,461 miles. Thats not counting extra repairs and maintenance that my Ram doesn't need.

So before you guys run out and sell your trucks (I know most of you wouldn't...just pointing something out), do the math and see how much you would actually save. I know it sounds great to drive a 30 mpg econobox when you are at the pumps, but figure out how long it will take to make up the money you spend.

Jim

 

Jim, you have a very valid point, but it highly depends on the difference in price.

It is cheaper to drive a beater here in Fargo, simply because diesel is 3.40gallon versus gas at 2.26gallon

It really depends on the difference in price, right now its a little cheaper to drive a 14mpg gasser pickup then a 20mpg diesel pickup, go figure, and everyone wants us to conserve energy, whats the point if it is cheaper to use more of it , just my $.02