Gas Prices and its affects on zilvians?

[SiI40sx]

Im really surprised a thread hasnt been made about USA's increasing gas prices. What political actions can be taken agaisnt this? How do these high prices affect your lives?

As for me, Im fortunate enough to afford a weekly $40-$80 gas purchase. Im not that knowledged in politics but if there was a way that the mass's can come together to do something about it Id be help and promote it to the fullest!

Is there anything that we the people can do about this??

[SimpleS14]

IMO...the only things we can really do are deal with the gas prices and conserve if needed.

I cut down on my lesiure drives, but I deal with raising gas prices.

I just hope a strong shift to a hydrogen economy happens within my lifetime....

[mjjstang]

well I now charge my friends for rides.

[that180guy]

honestly, bfd. other countries have been dealing with high gas prices for yrs already. its IS a Finite amount that we have on this planet. well never see 1.30 for a gallon of premium wen i started driving anymore.

[theicecreamdan]

all I can do is just deal with it.

I drive a lot less now and it makes me sad

[MrBrightSide]

GAS WAR - an idea that WILL work

This was originally sent by a retired Coca Cola
executive It came from one of his engineer buddies
who retired from Halliburton. It's worth your
consideration.

Join the resistance!!!! I hear we are going to hit
close to $ 4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might
go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down? We
need to take some intelligent, united action.

Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea. This makes
MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain
day" campaign that was going around last April or May!
The oil companies just laughed at that because they
knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by
refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience
to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever
thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can
really work. Please read on and join with us!

By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at
about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently
$3.20 for regular unleaded in my town. Now that the
oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us
to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at
$1.50 - $1.75, we need to take aggressive action to
teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace..not
sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each
day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we
are going to see the price of gas come down is if we
hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their
gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves.
How?

Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop
buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if
we all act together to force a price war.

Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, DON'T
purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies
(which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not
selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their
prices. If they reduce their prices, the other
companies will have to follow suit. But to have an
impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon
and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now,
don't wimp out on me at this point...keep reading and
I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of
people!!

I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us
send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300) ... and
those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 =
3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches
the sixth group of people, we will have reached over
THREE MILLION consumers.

If those three million get excited and pass this on to
ten friends each, then 30 million people will have
been contacted! If it goes one level further, you
guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people.
That's all!
(If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million
and all you have to do is send this to 10 people....
Well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician.
But I am . so trust me on this one.) :-)

How long would all that take? If each of us sends
This e-mail out to ten more people within one day of
receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be
contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you
didn't think you and I had that much potential, did
you! Acting together we can make a difference.

If this makes sense to you, please pass this message
on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL
THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP
THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK

[cotbu]

honestly, bfd. other countries have been dealing with high gas prices for yrs already. its IS a Finite amount that we have on this planet. well never see 1.30 for a gallon of premium wen i started driving anymore.
Gas that we use in our cars is not natural gas. Its a byproduct of refined oil IIRC. That's why gas prices going up from a WAR or Hurricane don't make sense, to a lot of people. Atleast within two hours of said nouns.

[xtheenderx]

^^ not a bad idea....

[L1ama]

2 days ago on Colber Repor, he showed a news replay, it was about people sending out prayers for lower gas prices, then he's like giving tips such as: don't use the air conditioner, it wastes gas, instead just open the top of your convertible, then shows a picture of him in a vert, funny shit for those who saw it.

[FRpilot]

that 'hold out' for one day thing doesnt seem to ever work.. how will this work.. even if we reached all the people in the world.. some (many) will not take it seriously

[wootwoot]

Its making me contemplate getting a Civic instead of a very good rx7. Kill me.

[OdessaS13]

Deal with that shit or buy a bike
Americans are not organized or have the patience to boycot a certain gas supplier. Boycotting gas for a day or two is like boycotting going outside when it rains in hopes of stopping bad weather, maybe the clouds will give two shits :)

[drift freaq]

ok guys, first off prices of gas is up is due to the futures market. If you know anything about investing in stocks, take it a step further.
Futures markets consist of products that are consumable i.e. energy products, foodstuffs etc.
When the futures buyers fear a shake up in the distribution system or a drop in supplies etc.. they bid up the cost of those items.
That determines the spot prices, The people selling those products then follow the spot prices for the product and thats the wholesale price.
Now add into that wholesale price the cost of production and whatever else and you get your retail prices. Now given that, we have two factors leading to our current situation.
One, the futures market.
Two, the oil companies who are trying to satisfy there stock market investors by showing a healthy profit.
Now, what causes the futures market to be fearful now? Iran's nuclear situation, and Damage to oil platforms in the gulf from Hurricane Katrina.
They fear the supplies will not be enough. In truth we have a surplus and prices should not be up.
Now on top of that add in the fact that yes the oil companies are indeed showing a certain amount of greed and not returning there windfall profits from this to the public.
Mainly by A: limiting the amount they choose to follow the spot market and B: Not putting a ceiling on the amount they are having there gasoline retailers sell gas for.

Now do I think they are abusing us? Possibly yes, though our goverment is not doing much in its own right. Remember our country trys to follow Laisse fair, i.e. let the market dictate things not goverment control.
Therein lies part of the current issue. How much can the goverment step in without disturbing the basic tenants of our system. What the Goverment needs to do and the automakers should do is move to towards alternative fuel developments much more rigoursly then they have ever choosen to.
In fact G.M. is notorious for turning a blinds eye to this stuff. We only have to look as far as Brazil to see a country running on ethanol not gasoline.
Yes G.M. makes cars for that market. We have the tech and the price of oil and Gasoline is high enough to go to alternative fuels.
Is going to be easy? No. Why? because our country has resisted for to long.
Now is the time and what I wrote above is fact. Its up to us to determine our future. vote for legislation that mandates this kind of move.

[Ricks15]

Just gota deal with it, Sucks if you have engine problems like me who is running rich and wasteing a bunch of gas but thats my problem. Hopefully this is just a phaze thats going on and I pray that prices will drop a little:hs:

[CaoBoY]

why do you think i came back to zilvia? puahahah, my lexus was eating 60 bucks worth of gas if i was lucky every 2 weeks. and this was when it was like 2.75 a gallon for PREMIUM. now that its 3.15 a gallon for REGULAR, im glad that it got wrecked, or else id be paying like 3.45 a gallon. 240 is a damn commuter car, so use it like one. get used to the prices, or dont drive. carpool if you can, just dont go to work, maybe you will save more money that way haha.

[that180guy]

Gas that we use in our cars is not natural gas. Its a byproduct of refined oil IIRC. That's why gas prices going up from a WAR or Hurricane don't make sense, to a lot of people. Atleast within two hours of said nouns.

so are you saying i dont know what gasoline is derived from? i mean...with the common knowledge that gas O line is produced from refining crud oil?

[cotbu]

so are you saying i dont know what gasoline is derived from? i mean...with the common knowledge that gas O line is produced from refining crud oil?
Look I wasn't attacking you, but you implied that gasoline is finite, which it is not. As i said, it is a byprouct. Now! Do we refine crude oil? Yes. Do we refine engine oil? Yes and so forth. Gasoline is infinite.... but you are referring to an oil byproduct. The new gasoline will be derived from a laboratory, whenever oil is nomore.

Are you trying to get me banned? PM me. Tell me I hurt your feelings in the Gas Prices and its affects on zilvians thread.

[breakindrifts]

Im going to get a bike when I turn 18 so I can finance one. Might sell my car, I dunno yet.

[!Zar!]

Gas is required to make my car run.

I go through a tank in about a week.

All I can do is deal with it.

[S13SilviaGirl]

Ok guys, here is a little comparison.

Gas in Japan is, depending on where you buy it 170yen a liter. Take approx 4 liters to make a gallon (rough estimate; 680yen for 1 gallon) and then, around 117yen to $1 US. Around, $5.81 a gallon...

I know it is getting expensive, but, it is worse in other places.

[SilviaNinja240]

whoa 170?! I was bummed about the 4 yen increase last week, but I only pay about 144 per liter (about 5 bucks a gallon USD) Metro areas got it rough :(
Would be interesting to see where the most expensive gas is being sold in the world, anyone know?

[yokotas13]

all i gotta say is shut the fuck about gas prices

I just paid 30,000 yen for a quarter of a tank of fuckign gas last night night. (28 bucks or so)
so fuck off lol
on base however its like 2.27

but once my bike is legal on tuesday my car will be parked and torn apart for my audio install and dash removal for fan replacement (damn thing ticks and shit)
for about 2 months while i fiberglass it all

[cheap_sticker05]

I think we just have to deal with it. I don't drive to work everyday and when I do the company I work for pays for my gas! I love my job.

[S13SilviaGirl]

when I do the company I work for pays for my gas! I love my job.


I need your job!:aw:

[SpeedMonkeyInc]

Gasoline is infinite.... but you are referring to an oil byproduct. The new gasoline will be derived from a laboratory, whenever oil is nomore.


Gasoline as we know it is made from oil, so how is it going to be made in a lab with no oil?

Drift Freaq: Right! Its refreshing to read something written by someone who reads.......

[cotbu]

No Comment!!!!! Taking the 5th!!! LOLSM!!!

[OMGWTFBBQ]

prices suck
but I love my 7 enough for it not to matter

[wootwoot]

Talk me into getting one man...I need the influence. ALlready has boost controller, full 3'' Racing Beat, upgraded injectors, ROM tuned computer Koyo, BNR stage 1 turbo so a stock exhaust side with a t04 compressor, ported motor with currently 15 miles on it, 6 puck metallic clutch..Talk me into it man! I want it so bad but I'm just scared to make a bad decision. No worries about rocker arms though. HA!

[SpeedMonkeyInc]

FCs are one of the coolest cars ever made. I am so jelous of OMGWTFBBQs car.
Take care of the engine and it will hang in there for a while. Just have a fresh 13B ready to go in. LOL.

[OMGWTFBBQ]

DOIT
you will never look back

[SiI40sx]

Now is the time and what I wrote above is fact. Its up to us to determine our future. vote for legislation that mandates this kind of move.

I shall follow you drift freaq!!!

[SimpleS14]

The new gasoline will be derived from a laboratory, whenever oil is nomore.

Do you have any sources to back up this claim? More or less your saying we will have synthetic...if that's the case...any proof such a product is under R&D ?

[ALTRNTV]

The funny thing is.. now that gas prices are up, I actually drive more..

[chrispy]

Do you have any sources to back up this claim? More or less your saying we will have synthetic...if that's the case...any proof such a product is under R&D ?

Search the "Fischer-Tropsch synthesis." It's possible, but the high cost of synthetic fuels doesn't make it cost effective to use.

[Agamemnon]

It's all about supply and demand. Demand from India, China, and the US is at an all time high. Supply is at an all time high as well, but not enough refineries to produce gasoline. The small amount of refineries we do have are running at max capacity already. Literatly we have a huge surplus of crude oil in ships off US shores just waiting to be refined. Here are some ideas to reduce the price of gas:

1. No gas taxes- The price per gallon would drop $.40-$.70 instantly. People would buy more gas and the economy shoot up because of it.

2. Explore for oil in the US- Alaska is just waiting to be tapped. We have the technology to do it in which is safe to the enviroment. Dont believe those tree-hugging enviromental wackadoos that say other-wise.

3. Open and Build more refineries- The more we have, the faster crude oil can be refined into gasoline. Get rid of the bottle-neck that is choking supply.

4. Real incentives towards private businesses to ease the dependence of crude oil- The government needs to offer something tangable to auto companies, nuclear companies, and oil companies to come up alternatives to crude oil.

[wootwoot]

I wish to conversate with you on AIM
me- p3t3 sux0rz
The motor in it is allready fresh so no worries for 40k atleast =D

[OMGWTFBBQ]

^talk to who?
if its me, dont mind the sig haha

like that other dude said
theres nothing we can do except deal with it
no way anyone could organize a boycott of that scale

[Omarius Maximus]

Am I the only one who's happy about high gas prices? For years upon years a sinister fury has been growing inside me very much like a malignant cancer. My hatred for all things SUV has reached the point where I will voluntarily fight a war of attrition against the herds of soccer moms driving Ford Excursions. If I have to pay 10 dollars a gallon, I'll do it with a smile knowing that someone in an SUV will be paying the same.

[S13SilviaGirl]

I agree...SUV's are an over kill. Especially in SD. Oh, and YES I think women & some men, should have to take driving classes for anything bigger than a waggon...especially soccer moms.

[theicecreamdan]

I honestly think that getting a driver's license in CA needs to be A LOT more difficult than it is. As it is now all you need is a few hours in the classroom and a few hours with an instructor, if you're under 18, people that wait past 18 just need to pass a couple tests, one of them is WAYYY too simple and the other is only a half hour cruise around town with a nice lady from the DMV.

driving classes need to be taught at a college level and to have a license you should be able to drive 10x better than 90% of the people on the roads. with my plan you will get a lot less people driving, demand will drop, supply will remain the same and prices will drop.

and I don't think lowering the taxes on gas will help, we will all end up paying it somewhere else, AND gas prices will go back up to current levels and flucuate the same.

[SiI40sx]

that wouldbt be a bad idea, and as for auto companies, they will decrease in sales but could focus on a new project, public transportation. Id rather there be a surplus of public transportation instead of a surplus of individually owned cars

[ManoNegra]

I've been thinking of getting a daily for a while - the 240 needs work and I'm tired of doing hurry up jobs on the weekends to have the car driveable come Monday. The recent gas price hikes are just further motivation.
I'll either get a cheap 1.5 liter sohc Civic hatch or maybe a new Toyota Yaris.

[SiI40sx]

I've been thinking of getting a daily for a while - the 240 needs work and I'm tired of doing hurry up jobs on the weekends to have the car driveable come Monday. The recent gas price hikes are just further motivation.
I'll either get a cheap 1.5 liter sohc Civic hatch or maybe a new Toyota Yaris.

+1 on that yaris, but my girlfriend and I are already financing a mustang =\

[theicecreamdan]

here's another one to my plan, if you get less than X mpg you pay gas taxes, if you are economical, you don't.

There's incentive to not feed the demand with your giant ass truck. Those people that drive up the amount of fuel we need to use can pay for some of my gas when they fill up.

[ramblux]

My wife and I realized that we drove EVERYWHERE, so we got a couple of bikes -- as in bicycles. I've lost 10 pounds, we go to the beach a lot more since we don't have to deal with parking (Venice and Santa Monica are 30 minutes away on bike, 5 min. by car), we're not spending nearly as much money, and at least I feel like we're doing something to not play into the gas prices.

[axiomatik]

Everyone is going to have to accept that gas prices are going to stay high. The fact of the matter is that US refining capacity is just about 100% utilized, and it will take YEARS to get another refinery in production. Many refineries sustained damage during the hurricane season last year, and are not up to full capacity yet. Just last week they announced that much more of the undersea oil pipeline system was damaged last year than previously thought, and it will take years to completely repair. Eliminating gas taxes isn’t the solution. The majority of gas taxes go to maintaining the roads, and if you ask me, they are bad enough as it is. One thing that pissed me off was that last year congress passed, and Bush signed, a tax break for oil companies. WTF was that about? ExxonMobil earned more profits than any other company ever has in the history of the world, and they need a tax break? How about using tax revenues from oil companies to fund alternative fuel research and mass transit systems?

Also, current oil producers (both OPEC and non-OPEC nations) are already producing near max capacity. They don't have much room to expand production. There is still lots of oil in the world, but what's left is more expensive to drill and pump than what we are getting now, which is why it hasn't been tapped yet. China's economy is growing 10% a year, meaning 7 years from now it will be twice as big as it is now. Plus, the Chinese are starting to buy cars like crazy. Remember the photos of the streets of Beijing covered in hundreds of thousands of people on bicycles back in the 70’s and 80’s? Not anymore. This is why China tried to buy Unocal last year, to get access to their oil reserves. India is also demanding more and more oil. Limited supply + increasing demand = higher prices. Up until now, there had been enough supply and low enough demand from the developing world to allow for cheap gas, but that has all changed now. From now on, we will have to compete with Europe and China and India for limited amount of gas that can be pumped from the ground every day. Drilling for more oil won’t do much to reduce gas prices, because it will take years for those sources to come online. By that time, the world’s economy, and especially China’s, will have expanded to use up all that supply, and that oil will be more expensive to pump out of the ground.

On one hand, it sucks for us as consumers, because it hurts us in the pocket book. In the winter, I store my car and drive my Expedition to work. 60 miles a day round trip -> 15 mpg -> 30 gallon gas tank = $70-75 dollars a week in gas at current prices. For this reason, I started carpooling when a coworker moved near me. This saves me about 90 miles of gas a week. I'm also driving my car, now that winter's over, so now I get 26 mpg. This is the upside of the high gas prices - it will change people's driving and buying habits for the better. The huge rise in popularity of SUVs always disgusted me. (I only own one because it was given to me, it will be replaced by a hybrid) Ever think of how inefficient cars, especially SUVS, are? The purpose of a vehicle is to get you from point A to B. To do so, you use a 6000 lb SUV to carry your 200 lb self around. That means only 3% of the gas you burn is actually used to move YOU around, the other 97% is to push around 3 tons of steel. Plus, IC engines are only about 30% efficient to begin with, so really, cars are only about 1% efficient at moving you around. But because gas has been so cheap (cheaper than bottled water), innovation and technology have been stifled. Alternative energy sources have gone nowhere so far because gas is always cheaper. Lighter weight materials and innovative designs haven't made it because they are pricier than doing the same old thing in steel. Mass transit systems are a joke in most American cities. Expect to see REAL innovation in transportation in the coming years, because finally, it is financially feasible.

[SiI40sx]

full carbon fiber vehicles here we come !!! haha

[fliprayzin240sx]

Well our problem with refineries is that every time oil companies in the state merged or what not, the company who buys out the other company simply shut down the other companies refineries. Last I read up on it, the states lost like 35%-40% of its refineries in the last 15 years.