[D'Espice]

This is outrageous, gas prices have skyrocketed in Germany last week. Right now, the price for gas is 1,239 Euro per liter... PER LITER!!! That's 1/4 of a gallon for US $1,49 and about six bucks for a gallon

This is so bad, that right now I cannot afford to drive my car anymore... I need it tho cause besides being a college student, I'm a self-employed administrator and some of my clients live so far outta town, that going by bus or subway is out of question. And most of'em don't want me to show up on my motorbike which means that my one and only option is going to be the car... that sucks so bad that I wanna throw up and refuel my car with whatever is willing to leave my body

[mitchell_pgh]

They must live WAY out of town or your car is a gas guzzler.

Prices are on the rise here in the US. It's just about time that the oil companies make up some "disaster" so that they can jack up the price to $2+.

Ugh, I feel for you buddy.

[D'Espice]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
They must live WAY out of town or your car is a gas guzzler.

My car is fine, 7-8l/100km is quite ok for an Audi. And yes, some of'em live like 40 miles out of town, others in parts of Munich where public transportation would take me more than an hour to drive whereas I can get there in 20 minutes by car.

And $2 a gallon would be my dream, that's roughly 50 ct a liter, 1/3 of what I'm paying now!

[Cipher13]

Yeah, we're paying about $1.10/L nowadays.

Bloody ridiculous.

[voodoo]

Norway and Iceland are pretty similar, ca �1.5/L (ouch)

[memento]

The last time I drove through Canada it seemed like it was 3-4x higher there, too.

I can't say that I want gas prices to go high, BUT I will say that something needs to drive us towards fuel efficiency! I'm THRILLED that Jeep is releasing a diesel Liberty (except that I don't think I can buy one here in NY thanks to the environmentalist eco-extremists). And the hybrids are on the right track. Heck, if Subaru made a diesel, I'd sell my Outback in a minute and get it. I need AWD where I live.

[saab95]

Originally posted by D'Espice:
This is outrageous, gas prices have skyrocketed in Germany last week. Right now, the price for gas is 1,239 Euro per liter... PER LITER!!! That's 1/4 of a gallon for US $1,49 and about six bucks for a gallon

This is so bad, that right now I cannot afford to drive my car anymore... I need it tho cause besides being a college student, I'm a self-employed administrator and some of my clients live so far outta town, that going by bus or subway is out of question. And most of'em don't want me to show up on my motorbike which means that my one and only option is going to be the car... that sucks so bad that I wanna throw up and refuel my car with whatever is willing to leave my body

You guys get to drive performance cars that get real gas mileage thanks to the fact that you don't have the pollution standards we have here.

Last time I was in Sweden I noted Audi A6's with 1.8 liter turbo engines and Saabs with turbodiesels. You can't get cars like that stateside.

Have to admit I'm a little jealous of that.

[Mediaman_12]

Originally posted by D'Espice:
This is outrageous, gas prices have skyrocketed in Germany last week. Right now, the price for gas is 1,239 Euro per liter... PER LITER!!!

You must mean 1.239 per liter, not over one thousand euros?

Oh boohoo! No sympathy from me, come over to the UK where prices are nearer 3 Euro per liter.
I can't remember when gas was that (under a pound per liter!!!!) cheap.

[cszar2001]

Obviously car makers don`t care one bit about it; otherwise they wouldn`t continue building cars that use huge amounts of gas.
And why is it that a Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI uses less (a lot less) gas than an Audi with exactly the same engine?
Is weight alone really an issue?

People are still driving 500 yards instead of walking-let them if they can afford it.

[entrox]

Originally posted by saab95:
... performance cars ... 1.8 liter turbo engines ... turbodiesels ...

You have a funny definition of "performance"

But yeah, the prices are way overboard for my tastes. Makes me wish for a modern 5l/100km Diesel...

[Oisín]

Seems like prices are pretty stable back in Denmark - about �1.20 per litre... that's actually lower than when I left there, IIRC...

Here, the prices are ridiculously low: somewhere around 20 cents (Euro-cents) per litre seems to be the price, if I'm reading the signs correctly...

[Jens Peter]

Originally posted by entrox:
<snip>Makes me wish for a modern 5l/100km Diesel...

What about a Lupo 3L (3l/100km)or a Smart cdi (3,4L/100km) ?

[badidea]

Originally posted by Mediaman_12:
You must mean 1.239 per liter, not over one thousand euros?

Oh boohoo! No sympathy from me, come over to the UK where prices are nearer 3 Euro per liter.
I can't remember when gas was that (under a pound per liter!!!!) cheap.

Well, in Germany 1.239 means one-thousand-two-hundret-and-thirtynine and 1,239 is actually one-point-two-three-nine euros but since we all write in english here you are probably right!



edited because I forgot a word

[D'Espice]

Yeah yeah yeah you're right, it was a typo, ok?
I'm still outraged btw

[voodoo]

I've always thought it was much more handy to write decimals with a point instead of a comma.

This is because of vectors. (2,2 , 4,5) vs (2.2 , 4.5) amongst other things.

[mitchell_pgh]

I'll 2nd the ridiculous emissions in the US. Larger cities are cracking down even more.

Yet I see SUVs all the time in this city...

Drives me nuts. 7' tall 25' long 10' wide SUV with one person on the inside.
It has lesser emissions because it's classified as a truck.

[djohnson]

Man, this makes me happy that we only pay $1.62/gallon! How I wish it were back down to $0.99/gallon though...

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by D'Espice:
This is outrageous, gas prices have skyrocketed in Germany last week. Right now, the price for gas is 1,239 Euro per liter... PER LITER!!! That's 1/4 of a gallon for US $1,49 and about six bucks for a gallon

This is so bad, that right now I cannot afford to drive my car anymore... I need it tho cause besides being a college student, I'm a self-employed administrator and some of my clients live so far outta town, that going by bus or subway is out of question. And most of'em don't want me to show up on my motorbike which means that my one and only option is going to be the car... that sucks so bad that I wanna throw up and refuel my car with whatever is willing to leave my body

Charge your clients more.

[typoon]

Originally posted by djohnson:
Man, this makes me happy that we only pay $1.62/gallon! How I wish it were back down to $0.99/gallon though...

$1.62 is that for regular? i know where I am Premium is 1.77 at it's cheapest.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by typoon:
$1.62 is that for regular? i know where I am Premium is 1.77 at it's cheapest.

Yes that would be regular. We also have premium here for $1.72, I think. I know that all 3 grades are a lot closer then normal. How is it that gas is so expensive elsewhere?

[theolein]

Originally posted by D'Espice:
This is outrageous, gas prices have skyrocketed in Germany last week. Right now, the price for gas is 1,239 Euro per liter... PER LITER!!! That's 1/4 of a gallon for US $1,49 and about six bucks for a gallon

This is so bad, that right now I cannot afford to drive my car anymore... I need it tho cause besides being a college student, I'm a self-employed administrator and some of my clients live so far outta town, that going by bus or subway is out of question. And most of'em don't want me to show up on my motorbike which means that my one and only option is going to be the car... that sucks so bad that I wanna throw up and refuel my car with whatever is willing to leave my body

Real men own bikes

[memento]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
I'll 2nd the ridiculous emissions in the US. Larger cities are cracking down even more.

Yet I see SUVs all the time in this city...

Drives me nuts. 7' tall 25' long 10' wide SUV with one person on the inside.
It has lesser emissions because it's classified as a truck.

THAT really bugs me, that SUVs are classified as a truck, so they get more lenient emissions and probably some other benefits related to their horrible MPG. I'm thinking that they maybe don't count towards the manuf. avg. mpg requirements? Something tells me that the federal requirements are NOT based on car sales but are based only on the avg across all car models affered. Really, how many people bought a Geo Metro?

[SOLIDAge]

Originally posted by memento:
THAT really bugs me, that SUVs are classified as a truck, so they get more lenient emissions and probably some other benefits related to their horrible MPG. I'm thinking that they maybe don't count towards the manuf. avg. mpg requirements? Something tells me that the federal requirements are NOT based on car sales but are based only on the avg across all car models affered. Really, how many people bought a Geo Metro?

actually SUVs being classified as trucks are kinda going the way of the Dinosaur.
MY Tahoe used to have "truck" plates but Connecticut, Mass, Rhode Island, and NEw York i believe Now have done away with that and they no longer specify SUVs as Trucks. I think that was when they were very new. I don't know how it is in other states, but thats how it is here.

[Turias]

I think gas prices are going to continue to rise for the forseeable future. We've just been used to gasoline being incredibly cheap.

My guess is that the popularity of hybrid cars is going to start climbing, too.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by Turias:
I think gas prices are going to continue to rise for the forseeable future. We've just been used to gasoline being incredibly cheap.

My guess is that the popularity of hybrid cars is going to start climbing, too.

Hybrids will become more popular, but it will take a non American company to make this happen in the US. I would love to have a nice roomy truck that gets 40-50 mpg and still have it be reasonable priced. However, I doubt that will happen for many years... So, whenever I can afford it, I am replacing my 12.5mpg junk blazer for a new Colorado. 4x4 and getting 24+mpg... Oh yeah!

[djohnson]

Originally posted by SOLIDAge:
actually SUVs being classified as trucks are kinda going the way of the Dinosaur.
MY Tahoe used to have "truck" plates but Connecticut, Mass, Rhode Island, and NEw York i believe Now have done away with that and they no longer specify SUVs as Trucks. I think that was when they were very new. I don't know how it is in other states, but thats how it is here.

I dont see how true truck based SUV's can not be considered trucks. They share the same frame, engine, transmission, etc as the trucks they are based on. Now if you are talking about the small front wheel drive cars-wishing-they-were-SUV's... Maybe. If you consider a full size SUV a car, then you must consider the truck it is based off of a car too...

[memento]

Originally posted by SOLIDAge:
actually SUVs being classified as trucks are kinda going the way of the Dinosaur.
MY Tahoe used to have "truck" plates but Connecticut, Mass, Rhode Island, and NEw York i believe Now have done away with that and they no longer specify SUVs as Trucks. I think that was when they were very new. I don't know how it is in other states, but thats how it is here.

You're referring to the DMV. I'm talking about meeting emissions and mpg requirements. But I could be all wet (and I hope you're right). I'm not an expert on this.

Turias - while hybrids are a good thing, I'm not fully behind them. They are very new. I don't understand why there isn't as much focus on diesel. It's established, efficient and reliable. New engine designs are clean burning and quiet. I don't know why VW isn't advertising their TDI with it's 38/46 mpg and 177 ft-lbs torque.

Something I had not thought of w/r/t hybrids: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...es_1&printer=1

[D'Espice]

Originally posted by theolein:
Real men own bikes

Yes, real men do own bikes

But still, I can't go to work by bike (neither normal nor motor), some of my clients have ridiculous dresscodes meaning that I gotta show up in a suit, and believe me, suit and bike (neither normal nor motor) don't mix. Plus, I can't show up all sweaty and smelly
And sometimes, I have to take one or two of the computers, take'em home and fix'em there cause it'd take too long otherwise.

[cszar2001]

Originally posted by theolein:
Real men own bikes

You mean a real bike like this?: Organic

[typoon]

Originally posted by memento:
You're referring to the DMV. I'm talking about meeting emissions and mpg requirements. But I could be all wet (and I hope you're right). I'm not an expert on this.

Turias - while hybrids are a good thing, I'm not fully behind them. They are very new. I don't understand why there isn't as much focus on diesel. It's established, efficient and reliable. New engine designs are clean burning and quiet. I don't know why VW isn't advertising their TDI with it's 38/46 mpg and 177 ft-lbs torque.

Something I had not thought of w/r/t hybrids: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...es_1&printer=1

Probably because of the bad rep diesels have gotten from the past and from Enviromentalist Wackos. Also Diesel is Cheaper to produce since it's the unrefined version of the gas we use. not only that but with a Diesel engine you can get it to run on vegetable oil with a slight mod to the engine.

[Mike656]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
I'll 2nd the ridiculous emissions in the US. Larger cities are cracking down even more.

Yet I see SUVs all the time in this city...

Drives me nuts. 7' tall 25' long 10' wide SUV with one person on the inside.
It has lesser emissions because it's classified as a truck.

I agree, its amazing with all these tough emission standards (ill use California as an example) that one can get the biggest poor milage SUV or Truck but you cant buy a 2004 VW TDI diesel (smart move CARB), which gets around 45 MPG highway and produces 30% less CO per gallon burned than a gasser. The only problem is the slightly higher particulate matter and NOx per gallon burned but this should be a non-issue due to the higher fuel efficiency of these engines. One good thing will be the switch to ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) like is found in Europe now which should allow Diesel autos to get around the crazy emission standards in this country.

For more diesel info check out: www.tdiclub.com

[memento]

Of course I'm in one of those 5 enviro-states where I can't buy or register a diesel car until 2006 thanks to "CARB" or the California Air Resources Board. Freakin' NYS. No ATV trail systems either. I guess that gives time to get some AWD or 4WD diesels out (Jeep Liberty).

[Developer]

Originally posted by cszar2001:
Obviously car makers don`t care one bit about it; otherwise they wouldn`t continue building cars that use huge amounts of gas.

Obviously car customers don't care; when D'Espice complains about the gas price but thinks an 8L/100km Audi is fine.

[memento]

Originally posted by Developer:
Obviously car customers don't care; when D'Espice complains about the gas price but thinks an 8L/100km Audi is fine.

You are both right to some extent. Generally speaking, car companies only care about $$$ and meeting regulations. The mass public only cares about image and performance.

[Lateralus]

I'm so glad that I don't have a car...

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally posted by typoon:
Probably because of the bad rep diesels have gotten from the past and from Enviromentalist Wackos. Also Diesel is Cheaper to produce since it's the unrefined version of the gas we use. not only that but with a Diesel engine you can get it to run on vegetable oil with a slight mod to the engine.

It's mostly because in continental Europe, diesel fuel is taxed less than gasoline. So the price at the pump is artificially low. Or to put it another way, the price at the pump for gas is artifially high compared to diesel.

That's why my father has a turbo diesel Audi A4. It doesn't save him any money in the UK (where he lives), but goes over to France quite a bit and it saves him money over there.

I haven't priced it in the US, but I don't believe there is the same tax incentive for diesel cars here in the US. So you don't see them as much.

[saab95]

Originally posted by entrox:
You have a funny definition of "performance"

But yeah, the prices are way overboard for my tastes. Makes me wish for a modern 5l/100km Diesel...

Well, not really.

The whole purpose of turbocharging a diesel is to make 'em as fast as gas-powered cars. I guess you'd call that "performance."

Also, the smaller VW turbo gas engine is available here stateside- but on Golfs and Jettas. ON those cars, they're there for performance.

On the Passat and the A4 Audi sold in America, it's the standard entry level motor.

It's a mainstream performer. Not performance.

[saab95]

Originally posted by Jens Peter:
What about a Lupo 3L (3l/100km)or a Smart cdi (3,4L/100km) ?

Or a Citroen 2CV?



LOL!

Keep those death traps in Europe. No thanks

[saab95]

Originally posted by djohnson:
Hybrids will become more popular, but it will take a non American company to make this happen in the US. I would love to have a nice roomy truck that gets 40-50 mpg and still have it be reasonable priced. However, I doubt that will happen for many years... So, whenever I can afford it, I am replacing my 12.5mpg junk blazer for a new Colorado. 4x4 and getting 24+mpg... Oh yeah!

Ford has the Escape hybrid-powered SUV.

Available soon.

[D'Espice]

See, the problem is image. I can't buy a wannabe-car like a Lupo or VW Polo (or even a Smart, which I thought was a fancy caddy when I first saw it) since I need a real car when showing up and trying to convince people to give me the job to take care of their computers. Image does matter. Second, I can't afford to buy a Diesel since right now I'm paying 600 bucks a year for tax & insurance and a Diesel would cost around 3,500 bucks tax plus 350 insurance. Yes that's right, EUR 3,500 tax + EUR 350 insurance - given that I have a comparable car like my Audi and not a wannabe-car like Kia, Skoda or whatever things there are. I'd have to drive 15,000+ km a year (used to be ~10,000) and clearly, I don't.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by saab95:
Ford has the Escape hybrid-powered SUV.

Available soon.

Sorry, but I dont consider this an SUV... just an oversized station wagon.

[Powaqqatsi]

Originally posted by saab95:
Or a Citroen 2CV?



LOL!

Keep those death traps in Europe. No thanks

Death traps ? explain.

PS: And yeah, why not a 2CV ?

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by saab95:
Last time I was in Sweden I noted Audi A6's with 1.8 liter turbo engines and Saabs with turbodiesels. You can't get cars like that stateside.

Saab and performance don't belong in the same sentence.

[memento]

Originally posted by saab95:
Ford has the Escape hybrid-powered SUV.

Available soon.

But Ford COULD have a diesel, available now, with 30+ mpg or more. It would be majorly backordered because there are many people who love diesel. Look at the situation with the Jeep Liberty.

Remember gasohol? I have a feeling that's where hybrid's going to end up, only not for the same reasons.

[nredman]

what a deal...ride your bike or invade a country with lots of oil

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by nredman:
what a deal...ride your bike or invade a country with lots of oil

Where is that pancake bunny pic at?

[spatterson]

I remember those days when I lived in germany and gas prices were around .96 EUR... But 1.23... Damn thats $4.... Were outraged in Atlanta paying 1.69 a gallon.... but 4 bucks... I choose not to remember those days... and people wonder why europe drives mostly small cars.

[typoon]

Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey:
It's mostly because in continental Europe, diesel fuel is taxed less than gasoline. So the price at the pump is artificially low. Or to put it another way, the price at the pump for gas is artifially high compared to diesel.

That's why my father has a turbo diesel Audi A4. It doesn't save him any money in the UK (where he lives), but goes over to France quite a bit and it saves him money over there.

I haven't priced it in the US, but I don't believe there is the same tax incentive for diesel cars here in the US. So you don't see them as much.

While that maybe true, you still have people in the States like the Sierra Club, Green Peace and groups like that complaining that Diesel is too polluting so they would fight any major push for diesel here in teh States even if they could make it less polluting and even though you get better gas mileage from it.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by typoon:
While that maybe true, you still have people in the States like the Sierra Club, Green Peace and groups like that complaining that Diesel is too polluting so they would fight any major push for diesel here in teh States even if they could make it less polluting and even though you get better gas mileage from it.

They wouldn't say that if you couldn't see thick black smoke coming out of the exhaust...

[typoon]

Originally posted by djohnson:
They wouldn't say that if you couldn't see thick black smoke coming out of the exhaust...

Sure they would. All they need to hear is the word Diesel.