I've got a Herald 1200, and am working on a used 1988 6cyl. Jag... I am
already selling my 1969 Belvedere and 1988 F-150 to finance the Jag. I don't
foresee any larger vehicles in my future. But the real answer is to; First-
stop making these damn SUV's anyway- they're just a testosterone kick for
those with too much money to spend, and Second- open our own oil fields
again, including the wasteland being touted as "Pristine wilderness" and
make the oil companies sell American petroleum products, and ban the
importation of arab oil.
Scott
Who is really sick of this world at this point.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Burr" <tigerpb@ids.net>
To: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 8:48 AM
Subject: $3 gallon gas (delete if you're offended by general automotive
topics)
> Forward this to all your friends who just had to have that Suburban to
> tow the bass boat with! At these prices, you'll think twice before
> joyriding in the TR.
>
>
>
> $3-per-Gallon Gas Around the Corner?
>
> By Eric Peters
>
> Just as the sinking of the Titanic shattered public faith in technology
> and ushered in a new and uncertain era, the coming war with Iraq could
> be the trigger for dramatic--perhaps even permanent--price spikes in
> world oil markets that will change our lives in ways we haven't begun to
> imagine.
>
> A 5,000-pound SUV that gets 15 miles per gallon seems indulgent, but not
> lunatic, when unleaded regular is around $1.50 per gallon. But at $2.50
> or even $3 per gallon, that kind of profligacy can't be supported. Even
> 20-mpg V-6 sedans will begin to grate when it takes $45 to fill up each
> week.
>
> If the worst happens, and world oil markets are seriously destabilized
> as a result of war with Iraq, the automobile industry will suffer the
> equivalent of a massive heart attack as its major profit center
> evaporates in a matter of weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of large
> and midsize vehicles collecting dust on dealer lots as plants close and
> layoffs begin en masse.
>
> General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler have only a few compact and
> subcompact models suited to a world of $3-per-gallon fuel. Their entire
> manufacturing posture is set up to cater to the American taste for large
> and powerful vehicles--especially big SUVs. Only two domestic-brand
> compact trucks--Ford's Ranger and Chevy's S-10--are capable of 25 mpg.
> Ford, GM, and DC's midsize and full-size pickups and SUVs safely wallow
> in the mid-teens around town; a few can sometimes eke out more than 20
> mpg on the highway if driven with an exceedingly light touch. But most
> consume fuel with the gusto of John Madden devouring a six-legged
> Turducken.
>
> Those old enough to remember the early 1970s and the first OPEC oil
> shocks will get a free return trip down memory lane as large vehicles of
> all types become four-wheeled albatrosses to be dumped at catastrophic
> rates of depreciation. It's likely we'll never see their kind
> again--except for the handful of rich-folks' chariots that will always
> be with us. But most of us will have to get used to cars the size of
> Honda Civics. V-8 engines will fade into memory. SUVs will seem unreal;
> could they ever have been popular? Like the finned and chromed land
> barges of the 1950s, the future will gape in wonder that such vehicles
> were ever possible.
>
> We've got maybe a month left before the mess begins. It's a good time to
> fill up with premium and head out for a road trip. Enjoy your SUV while
> you still can; its days are very likely numbered.
>
> Join in more hot discussions on rising gas prices in the Automobile Forum
>
> COPYRIGHT 2002 ERIC PETERS
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