July 28, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The July Car Update (2008)
July 29, 2008 at 1:34 am
Gas is expensive for us,
No you Americans have cheap gas. Cost that motoring in Britain with diesel at £6 per UK gallon (4.5 litres at £1.30 a litre) then add the road tax on each of your vehicles at anything upwards of £150 depending on the car, MOT costs (£40+ a time without repairs). And that's after you've paid tax (20%) and national insurance (10%) on your income!
Suddenly there are plenty of gas-guzzling 4x4 available cheaply!
July 29, 2008 at 2:52 am
Absolutely, we are feeling ripped off on petrol prices in Britain. This week I had to pay £1.18 point something per litre for unleaded petrol.
By my rough maths this worked out as £5.365 per gallon. Using an online concerter I am paying $10.70 per gallon, more than double the price for unleaded in the US.
The tabloids here love to use the phrase 'Rip-Off Britain', and not without sympathy from the public. Travelling to work is rapidly becoming barely affordable!
July 29, 2008 at 3:08 am
I reckon the price in the UK is equivalent of $9.50 per US gallon for diesel, the price in France was, a couple of weeks ago, about 15% lower than in the UK.
Steve you seem to be able to achieve the UK "extra urban" (out of town on a rolling road I think) economy for a Prius. However I am not sure that it is so superior to a lot of European/Japanese cars of the same size using traditional petrol engines. Certainly it might be worth considering the carbon footprint for shipping Lithium right round the world. Which is, correct me if this is incorrect, mined in Canada, partially processed in Europe, converted into battery cells in the Far East then shipped back to America/Europe in Hybrid cars. Presumably the recycling at the end of a cars life will be equally tortuous and may well have an even worse impact on the environment. Similar to the way old computer equipment is recycled on the third world today http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/computer-castoffs-poisoning-the-third-world-672434.html or http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39233630,00.htm although these reports data back sometime I don't think the situation has improved.
July 29, 2008 at 3:56 am
yep people in England need to stop paying to subsidizer's the rest of the world including the usa, we have two of the biggest fuel companies in the world in Shell and BP yet we still have to pay the most for fuel it makes no sense. Why don't the people of the UK stop think and rise up and tell the government and the companies that we are not willing to pay these prices anymore.
July 29, 2008 at 4:40 am
Didn't need an expensive Prius, built in lots of places around the world at huge carbon footprint and pollution expense. Just run a simple, non turbocharged diesel Sda - averages over 50 mpg including my urban commute. Incredibly reliable.
July 29, 2008 at 5:05 am
Yeah, I swapped my Mx-5 for a Mazda 6 Diesel recently, just before the cost of diesel went through the roof, still, getting a respectable 45-50mpg out of it, probably doing a little better cost wise than I did with the MX (lower tax band too), but of course it's sunny at the moment so I am rather regretting my decision....
I am absolutely LMAO about these idiots in their 4x4s complaining about the price plummeting through the floor because tax is going through the roof, the cerebrally challenged self centered myopic fools that they are.
July 29, 2008 at 5:09 am
Playing the devils advocate here...
The prius and others like the Honda civic hybrid may have a large carbon footprint but I think all cars have to a certain degree.... they dont have Steel mills and pressing plants right next to the car making factories.
so the Lithium comes from canada.... Its probably one trip by a ship.... How many seperate ship trips of fuel have to be used in the lifetime of your car.
July 29, 2008 at 5:10 am
I've got a flex-fuel, and the consumption of ethanol is ~20-25% higher than gas. Since it's 30-35% cheaper, that still gives a 10% edge pro-alcohol. Add to that the lower level of toxic gasses, and I've been running pure ethanol for the last year or so.
July 29, 2008 at 5:49 am
For someone who spent 5 years in Colorado Springs and Woodland Park CO, not sure how you say the winters are short there.
As far as gas mileage goes in sunny FL, I get better in the winter. Don't have to run the AC. Now I have a really SHORT winter.
July 29, 2008 at 5:50 am
Commuting costs are making a huge dent in our family budget.
A few years ago, opting for the lower housing costs, more land, etc...we moved quite a ways from my job. A 150 mile daily roundtrip commute costs roughly $400/mo. And that doesn't include the additional maintenance the vehicle requires - oil changes, tires, preventive care, etc - which I've put at maybe $500 - $750/yr. My wheels are a 2007 Honda Accord - great car - gets 30mpg and it's a V6. Incidentally, on Steve's foreign/domestic comment, for us quality/reliablity was terribly important. I owned a Chevy for years and nothing but problems.
I'm not thrilled about my own carbon footprint these days and it's something I do hope to change in the near future. A few years ago I lived in Denver and rode my bike to work. Nothing better than that - costs nothing and you get a workout.
July 29, 2008 at 6:02 am
Hi Steve,
Diesel is currently 129.9 per litre here in NE England. By my reckoning that roughly equates to just over $11 per gallon.
I drive a Toyota Yaris turbo-diesel and average 76mpg on the daily 30+ mile commute to work on mixed rural, 'a' class and urban roads.
Roughly 1/3rd of each type with the final 3rd a stop-start slog in rush-hour traffic. My employer won't let me work from home....
July 29, 2008 at 6:14 am
Just thought I'd cheer everyone up by saying that I have a company-paid fuel card. I have no idea how expensive my diesel is, because I never pay for it. I thoroughly recommend you demand the same deal from your bosses :hehe:
July 29, 2008 at 6:17 am
I am glad to see that people are finally getting the message, big cars and trucks are no personal transportation vehicles! We have three vehicles, a 2002 Prius (still running fine with 120,000 miles on it) which we picked up used in January and averages 48mpg. That is our daily commuting to car vehicle. My wife and I ride together for the 100 mile round trip.
Our second vehicle is a Honda CRV (25mpg) which sits at home most of the time unless the snow is deep or we have to tow something.
Our third vehicle is a 250cc Scooter from Kymco. That gets 70mpg+ and is the alternate when my wife and I cannot ride together (except in the dead of winter).
So, the solution may be a mixed vehicle pool. Get a commuting car or bike and save the special purpose vehicles for what they are needed for.
Last, corn ethanol is a bad idea in the long run. It is cheap right now because of enormous subsidies. The BTU output is less than that amount needed to produce it. It may actually have a bigger carbon footprint than oil.
do it right, or do it over and over, it's up to you
July 29, 2008 at 6:37 am
Cost of unleaded petrol in Sydney, Australia is around $1.60 per litre (or over $7 per gallon). Depends what day of the week you buy it on as the service stations increase the price closer to the weekends and public hiolidays. The price will never come down again - the only way it will goes is up.
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 101 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply