People with long commutes and gas guzzlers..that complain about gas prices...

I work at the largest employer in Georgia, Robins AFB. As such it draws employees from all over the State.

I know three people who have long commutes and drive big gas guzzlers.

The first guy drives about 80 miles round trip in a full size Toyota truck. He says it gets about 15-16 MPG, but he admits that he drives fast. Everytime gas goes up, of course he *****es. he keeps saying he is going to get a something smaller, but he keeps drivng the big truck. He even bought a little 4 cylinder truck, but sold it because someone offered him more than he payed for it.

Another friend drives 120 miles round trip in a full size Ford Truck. Guy is a friend of mine and I showed with pen and paper how if he just would get a car that got 35 mpg, the savings in fuel would make the car payment on a newer small car. He is still driving his truck and still moaning.

I think everyone should be able to drive what they want, but it's astonishing to me that people are willing to literally throw away money by driving these huge gas guzzling trucks.

I have seen some down sizing though. One friend parked her Mustang GT and drives a Yaris, another parked his F250 V-10 and drives a Toyota Celica.

There is someone that works me that drives a TDI with tags from a County about 100 miles away. The car is covered in soot, some cute little girl drives it, and she is wide open on it all the time. She passes me to and from work and I drive fast.

So when do think people will stop driving their gas guzzlers?

when the gasoline prices go upward of 4 gallon/dollars, I can assure their ignorant behavior will be forced to change.

VWBeamer said:

So when do think people will stop driving their gas guzzlers?

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tdi54 said:

when the gasoline prices go upward of 4 gallon/dollars

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I beg to disagree... Many of them will just keep on complaining, slow down for a couple of weeks, and then it will be business as usual...

Yuri

VWBeamer said:

I work at the largest employer in Georgia, Robins AFB. As such it draws employees from all over the State.

I know three people who have long commutes and drive big gas guzzlers.

The first guy drives about 80 miles round trip in a full size Toyota truck. He says it gets about 15-16 MPG, but he admits that he drives fast. Everytime gas goes up, of course he *****es. he keeps saying he is going to get a something smaller, but he keeps drivng the big truck. He even bought a little 4 cylinder truck, but sold it because someone offered him more than he payed for it.

Another friend drives 120 miles round trip in a full size Ford Truck. Guy is a friend of mine and I showed with pen and paper how if he just would get a car that got 35 mpg, the savings in fuel would make the car payment on a newer small car. He is still driving his truck and still moaning.

I think everyone should be able to drive what they want, but it's astonishing to me that people are willing to literally throw away money by driving these huge gas guzzling trucks.

I have seen some down sizing though. One friend parked her Mustang GT and drives a Yaris, another parked his F250 V-10 and drives a Toyota Celica.

There is someone that works me that drives a TDI with tags from a County about 100 miles away. The car is covered in soot, some cute little girl drives it, and she is wide open on it all the time. She passes me to and from work and I drive fast.

So when do think people will stop driving their gas guzzlers?

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I am not sure I know. (You can probably guess the time frame but,...) I also worked at a place similar to yours, but more to the east but DEEPER south. Most people were driving cars that STILL got 14-16 mpg. 12 mpg was NOT unhead of !!! I drove one that goe between 30-35 mpg (70 VW Beetle) . Fuel that time was a whopping.....29 cents per gal. At the time I thought 30-35 mpg was WAY lacking and the fuel price well.... TOO high !!! 1977 to 1979, 34 to 32 years ago.

I was amazed at how much people slowed down on my highway commute last time gas spiked to $4. It seemed to last until gas started to get cheaper again.

What I loved was my old company giving full size trucks to managers who had no need for a pick-up (for work) and lived 40 or 50 miles away. Brilliant.

KITEWAGON said:

I was amazed at how much people slowed down on my highway commute last time gas spiked to $4. It seemed to last until gas started to get cheaper again.

What I loved was my old company giving full size trucks to managers who had no need for a pick-up (for work) and lived 40 or 50 miles away. Brilliant.

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This fact right here tells us the true equilibrium pricing of fuel is somewhere around $4/gallon. People are obviously willing to pay more than they currently are, or they wouldn't speed like demons.

nicklockard said:

This fact right here tells us the true equilibrium pricing of fuel is somewhere around $4/gallon. People are obviously willing to pay more than they currently are, or they wouldn't speed like demons.

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So how do you balance this with 6.50 to 7.50 dollar (US) fuel in Europe autobahn speeds of app 80 miles an hour to ...unlimited.

ruking said:

So how do you balance this with 6.50 to 7.50 dollar (US) fuel in Europe autobahn speeds of app 80 miles an hour to ...unlimited.

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Smaller cars with smaller engines?

tdi54 said:

when the gasoline prices go upward of 4 gallon/dollars, I can assure their ignorant behavior will be forced to change.

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4 gallons/dollar is $0.25/gallon.

Back in 2008 when gasoline was at $4/gal and diesel was touching $5/gal, I had several co-workers of mine moaning about paying $4/gal for gasoline and saying they wouldn't want to pay $5/gal for diesel either. They absolutely would not look past the price per gallon at the pump. This was even with them knowing I'm getting around 45 MPG and 700+ miles between fillups in my TDIs.

I've had a few come around since then but the problem is a diesel engine is not available in the cars they want to drive.

A woman who works at my school constantly complains about the price of gas. She drives a newish Tahoe & complains she only gets 15 MPG. I've told her several times she has no right to complain. She says she bought it because it was "safe"! She is also the one who gives me a bad time about my fuel of choice being 20 cents more expensive than gas. Otherwise she seems like an intelligent person ...

nicklockard said:

People are obviously willing to pay more than they currently are, or they wouldn't speed like demons.

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During previous price spikes, I noticed the average highway speeds in my area dropped slightly. Instead of people doing 75-80MPH, they were doing around 65-70MPH. However, it was short lived. After a couple of weeks, highway speeds were back to the normal 75-80MPH conditions. I suspect motorists were bored at the slower speeds after being used to higher speeds and whatever fuel savings probably didn't amount to much.

cmitchell said:

A woman who works at my school constantly complains about the price of gas. She drives a newish Tahoe & complains she only gets 15 MPG. I've told her several times she has no right to complain. She says she bought it because it was "safe"! She is also the one who gives me a bad time about my fuel of choice being 20 cents more expensive than gas. Otherwise she seems like an intelligent person ...

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Tell her about your great mileage and awesome tank range to help put things into perspective. The tank range hits home way more than the MPGs do.

If someone then tries to second guess you by asking how big the tank is, my standard answer is "around 15 gallons". Watch for the priceless look on their face as they think about it for a second or two. At least it shows they're now thinking about it and that's when it finally hits home.

Tank range nails it every time.

Big SUVs are NOT safe. UGH, I am SO SICK OF HEARING THIS.

Same goes for big ass trucks.

They are more likely to flip over. More likely to lose control on wet roads/ice roads (happened to me this Christmas Eve, dumb ass lady driving her big truck spun out of control into my mini cooper... but it led me to my new Jetta TDI... and she and I were OK... so it's all good... she's still a dumbass though.)

Hell! After the accident, I DID think, "I don't care about fuel economy anymore! I want a big ass SUV like everyone else and be safe... pay extra for gas." That wore off after three days. (The accident I was in was BAD... but we were OK... but could have been so much worse. On highway, at highway speeds.) Then I remembered that big ass trucks and SUVs aren't always a safe in head on collisions... their insides cave in. My mini stayed the same (and from my research so do jettas! And they have better side crash ratings).

LONG STORY SHORT... Big ass vehicles doesn't = safe. Also, makes roads MORE DANGEROUS for the other commuters.

My friend, whom I still have trouble knowing his logic since it isn't there... traded his truck in a few months ago for a brand new truck of same make and model, newest year. They gave him $500 less than he payed for his old truck new... so he felt after three years of driving, $500 depreciation is good (and I AGREE)... however the vehicle he got was not $6,000 more. He doesn't care. He doesn't look at the bottom dollar. He frequently drives 110 miles round trip, $40 dollars for said trip in gas. He took on a 6 year note at $2XX something. I can't help but think he is an IDIOT.

Why? HE HAS ANOTHER 4X4 TRUCK! He uses that truck to haul and whatever, and now his new truck as his commuter. He tells me the reason he bought it is, "It's safer," (it's not... my jetta has higher safety ratings) and "He can sleep in his truck if he wants." (He lives in the country and when he drives to the city, when he goes out to party, he sometimes sleeps in his truck... don't get me started).

Anyways... I KNOW he will be complaining when gas prices go up. I mean, how could he NOT? He ALREADY pays $40 dollars just to drive 100 miles. He has another truck that can haul stuff, why not get an ACTUAL commuter car! UGH!

I can also tell you another story about gas guzzler people, but I will save it for later in this thread.

Most people choose their vehicle for reasons other than economy. Status, possible utility (I say possible because few people with four-wheel-drive vehicles ever use 4WD, and few with hitches ever tow), perceived safety (I agree with Pyke), and, most important, image. When I talked to a co-worker about trading in my Audi A4 on a Jetta wagon he said "you can't trade to a less expensive car, people will think business is bad." He was serious.

Why do people around here live in 4 or 5 thousand square foot houses (heated with oil, by the way)? They certainly don't need the space. Same thing.

People will complain about the price, make some half-hearted moves to conserve, and wait for prices to fall. Because they always have, and probably will this time.

What I've always liked best about driving a car that gets high MPG is the feeling of freedom. In 1978 when prices were up and there was no fuel, I could go anywhere I wanted in my diesel Rabbit, because it was cheap to run and diesel was still available. Same in '08. Same now. That's priceless.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

...about trading in my Audi A4 on a Jetta wagon he said "you can't trade to a less expensive car....

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I also traded an Audi A-4 for a VW TDI (2011 Golf). Made more sense as a commuter car, just as fun (or more) to drive. Squeezing into smaller parking spots is a nice bonus, too.

snakeye said:

Smaller cars with smaller engines?

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For sure that might be an obvious and logical consequence. But (operationally) realistically I see it as a way the "system" if one will, uses to in effect get us to pay more (per mile driven) than even the Europeans !!! So effectively if D2 is say 40 mpg/European fuel 6.50 to 7.50 that is .1875 per mile driven. So if someone is getting 15/16 mpg @ 3.35 RUG (current pump prices here for example) that is .2233 cents per mile driven. Again per mile driven that is 19% more !!!! So indeed one should actually welcome folks who chose to drive lower per mile driven cars. This is actually more like 75% of the gasser fuel buying public.

In addition, the car choices that REALLY get BETTER mpg are SEVERELY limited. When I got the 03 TDI the EPA WAS 42/49. Normal fuel mileage has been 48-50. The so called mileage king/queen was the 03 Prius. The reality was it got got - minus 1/2 mpg worse and it was nowhere even a match to the TDI. Power wise it was a match to the Camry and the Camry @ the time got -18.4 mpg (less) So for example to even come close to the commute needs we got a 2004 Civic, which according to the .gov figures gets -10 mph less.http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm

I guess I'm cheap.

I just can't wrap my mind around paying $300-$400 bucks a month for gas just to drive a big truck or SUV.

VWBeamer said:

I guess I'm cheap.

I just can't wrap my mind around paying $300-$400 bucks a month for gas just to drive a big truck or SUV.

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Agreed. It's RIDICULOUS how much people pay for it. I am also AMAZED at the businesses that give vehicles to their employees to drive from home to work that are big truck/SUVs. I mean, the ONE excuse I heard from one business here (since I am doing research on why advertising works in America for big vehicles) was, "Well, if they hit a deer, it won't come into their windshield and kill them."

Reasonable, I suppose. But I have a hard time believing that a smaller car, if it hits a dear= automatic death of driver.

VWBeamer said:

I guess I'm cheap.

I just can't wrap my mind around paying $300-$400 bucks a month for gas just to drive a big truck or SUV.

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I am with you there. As I have said in other threads, there are not really a lot of folks that are on the same track. To wit, passenger diesel cars that get "good fuel mileage" are less than one half of one percent of the passenger vehicle fleet 1.272 M (257.4 M, 2008 )

Even @ 3.63/50mpg per gal that is still .0726 per mile driven (more expensive than it has been in a while) . So relatively to do the same work (commute for example and using your example 15/16 mpg @ 3.35 per gal that is 208% MORE than D2 (aka TDI).

Really the 2011 Jetta TDI nearest hybrid competitor is the Camry Hybrid and it less mpg than the Jetta TDI.

I think basically ((@ 3.35 per gal/15 mpg= .2233 per mile driven. So 400 per month) is really 1,791 miles per month or 21,496 miles per year. $4,800 per year.

A 09-10-11 TDI @3.63per gal/ 40 mpg=.09075 per mile driven is really 1,791 miles per month or 21,496 per year or 1,950 per year.

Savings are (4800-1950) 2850 per year or /12 mo= $238 per mo

two members here had a thread about hitting deer with their TDi's, not only was no one hurt, both cars were repaired.

Deer are usually to small to total a car, now a moose or Elk...yes.

Pyke said:

Agreed. It's RIDICULOUS how much people pay for it. I am also AMAZED at the businesses that give vehicles to their employees to drive from home to work that are big truck/SUVs. I mean, the ONE excuse I heard from one business here (since I am doing research on why advertising works in America for big vehicles) was, "Well, if they hit a deer, it won't come into their windshield and kill them."

Reasonable, I suppose. But I have a hard time believing that a smaller car, if it hits a dear= automatic death of driver.

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People complain because gas isn't relative to anything right now. Today its $3 and tomorrow it could be $5... The part that pisses people off is how it seemed to be pretty well stuck within a +/- 40cent flux for about a decade and now rises DOLLARS at a time depending on who presents the news for the day.

Why is it that people on here like to revel in the pain of others regarding this? Vehicles with horrible MPG typically are way cheaper (read thousands) given fuel pricing. So how could it be hard to comprehend why alot of people drive them. If people had the financial freedom to purchase whatever then they would probably default to TDI, which would rise the demand for diesel and in the end cost you more since ours is a by product unlike gasoline.

Either way continue on with ego stroking.

Syndicate said:

People complain because gas isn't relative to anything right now. Today its $3 and tomorrow it could be $5... The part that pisses people off is how it seemed to be pretty well stuck within a +/- 40cent flux for about a decade and now rises DOLLARS at a time depending on who presents the news for the day.

Why is it that people on here like to revel in the pain of others regarding this? Vehicles with horrible MPG typically are way cheaper (read thousands) given fuel pricing. So how could it be hard to comprehend why alot of people drive them. If people had the financial freedom to purchase whatever then they would probably default to TDI, which would rise the demand for diesel and in the end cost you more since ours is a by product unlike gasoline.

Either way continue on with ego stroking.

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My friends new truck? $30k

Regular SUVs? $25k

Toyota Trucks that don't really haul anything? $20k... ok yes, they are thousands less. Also, useless.

Syndicate said:

Vehicles with horrible MPG typically are way cheaper (read thousands) given fuel pricing. So how could it be hard to comprehend why alot of people drive them. If people had the financial freedom to purchase whatever then they would probably default to TDI, which would rise the demand for diesel and in the end cost you more since ours is a by product unlike gasoline.

Either way continue on with ego stroking.

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This is true when fuel prices are high, but folks have had plenty of time to take steps to replace less fuel-efficient vehicles. But they don't. I maintain that if you walked up to 10 people at a filling station and asked them (a) what fuel mileage their car gets, and (b) how to calculate fuel economy, 8 of the ten people wouldn't be able to answer either question. They'd know how often they need fuel, but that may be it.

Our culture simply doesn't value conservation, by and large. And I honestly don't care what people drive. And I hope they don't care what I drive.

The people I was talking about earn the same as I, and drive newer Vehicles. They could save enough in gas money to buy a small car.

But please go on being mathematically Challenged.

Syndicate said:

Why is it that people on here like to revel in the pain of others regarding this? Vehicles with horrible MPG typically are way cheaper (read thousands) given fuel pricing. So how could it be hard to comprehend why alot of people drive them. If people had the financial freedom to purchase whatever then they would probably default to TDI, which would rise the demand for diesel and in the end cost you more since ours is a by product unlike gasoline.

Either way continue on with ego stroking.

Click to expand...

Pyke said:

My friends new truck? $30k

Regular SUVs? $25k

Toyota Trucks that don't really haul anything? $20k... ok yes, they are thousands less. Also, useless.

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News flash Toyota trucks are about as tough and dependable as it gets (try to buy a used one) and so far I have not found any thing they won't haul or one that I haven't driven over 250,000 miles that said I drive my Jetta to work because it gets 60% better mileage but I would not want to haul fire wood in it. There are a few people out there that actually use there trucks to make a living but a truck as a commuter makes no sense.

White Crow said:

News flash Toyota trucks are about as tough and dependable as it gets (try to buy a used one) and so far I have not found any thing they won't haul or one that I haven't driven over 250,000 miles that said I drive my Jetta to work because it gets 60% better mileage but I would not want to haul fire wood in it. There are a few people out there that actually use there trucks to make a living but a truck as a commuter makes no sense.

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I am actually a big fan of Toyota trucks... I agree they are dependable and useful. I merely meant, that for people needing to haul, usually those people need a Ford. And I hate ford. But, if you need to haul lighter things, then defiantly a Toyota.

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. Toyotas are more reliable then a Ford. A Ford truck can usually out-do a Toyota. But my preference is a Toyota. Most of the people I know that actually DO haul, need Fords though.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

This is true when fuel prices are high, but folks have had plenty of time to take steps to replace less fuel-efficient vehicles. But they don't. I maintain that if you walked up to 10 people at a filling station and asked them (a) what fuel mileage their car gets, and (b) how to calculate fuel economy, 8 of the ten people wouldn't be able to answer either question. They'd know how often they need fuel, but that may be it.

Our culture simply doesn't value conservation, by and large. And I honestly don't care what people drive. And I hope they don't care what I drive.

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People as a whole unless forced typically don't care about conservation; income level decides it for them. I don't care what anybody says because in every facet our lives we buck against it. From not living in 900sq ft houses to not riding motorcycles because they're more efficient.

People and mileage, I would agree. Most people only think about things that truly affect them. Like job status, relationship, and somewhere around the end I'm going to say MPG.

Either way its not trying to start a pissing contest and I appreciate that you take it in a formal debate kind of typing.

VWBeamer said:

The people I was talking about earn the same as I, and drive newer Vehicles. They could save enough in gas money to buy a small car.

But please go on being mathematically Challenged.

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I don't remember quoting anything you said. Therefore not caring about calculating whatever you and buddies can afford.

ymz said:

I beg to disagree... Many of them will just keep on complaining, slow down for a couple of weeks, and then it will be business as usual...

Yuri

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Agreed. When Katrina hit back in '04 and gas prices sky-rocketed, I noticed a lot of folks slowing down - for a week or two. Then they became 'accustomed' to the higher prices and drove fast again.

I don't complain too much about fill-up costs with the TDI, but I do with the Dodge, which is why it stays parked most of the time. My commute is 100 miles and even witth the 22 mpg the Dodge gets, it's still a $15+ trip. Unfortunately, the infrequent use is one reason why it's perpetually broken.

I also effectively traded an '98 A4 Avant for my TDI wagon. The low 20's mpg in the A4 was one of the reasons.

Since I started the thread, what I posted is relavant to the discussion.

We all know there are people stuck with gas hogs because they can not afford better, but this thread was not about that. You tried to make it about that.

So, are you HI jacking the thread or trolling?

Syndicate said:

I don't remember quoting anything you said. Therefore not caring about calculating whatever you and buddies can afford.

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