When will the American People stop buying gas guzzling vehicles?

Question

The cost of gasoline is at an all time high. Will purchasing smaller, more economical vehicles aid in the reduction of consuming gas and funds expended ? Are SUV's and other large vehicles necessary for normal day to day driving? Is big and bigger vehicles needed as family size vehicles?

Answer 1

We have a Prius and a Full Size Truck (Tundra). Our hybrid is used for the one of who drives further to work and the Prius gets driven by the one that drives the least miles.  How do you expect to pull a trailer or load an ATV onto a smaller car? It makes no sense. The big vehicles are needed for those with big families and weekend adventures. It's a price that we pay to have them. Can you really see my Prius pulling a trailer with ATV's in them? As for normal day to day driving...who has several small cars at their disposal to have the luxuray of using less gas. It's just not feasible. Can you put a 2 parents and 4 kids in a Prius...absolutely not. What choice do people have but to have the big vehicles be it green or not. Would you rather have that same family drive 2 seperate cars? Does that help the enviroment any...twice the gas, twice the emmissions and twice the number of cars on the highways. It's simply a no win situation.

Answer 2

American people will stop buying them when people quit selling them. and that's the sad truth.

Answer 3

When they can start buying ethanol guzzling vehicles instead. I'm afraid people will always include status in their purchasing decisions.

Answer 4

They will stop buying these gas guzzlers when they start breeding more horses for people to travel on. A great ideal cause no worry for gas and no accidents like driving in cars. no car repairs, no insurance and seemed like we someday may travel back in time cause the future is off the chain with living costs. Smaller cars will help with gasoline costs but now good to carry many passengers. SUV's are not good for daily driving but long trips only as high cost of gas will clean their pocket-book. Although bigger cars will help with large side families and transport of others. Hopefully the government will come up with something one day as gas will no longer be a factor to drive a car. I hope they hurry up, cause people that do not own a car need the help of these drivers and we no longer will have to be turned down cause we cannot afford to give them money for high gas costs.

Answer 5

Those who aren't smart enough to realize their SUV's are causing unnecessary dependence on foreign oil and adding to global warming, will slowly get the point as gas prices continue to rise.  $4 and $5/gallon should "drive" the point home to most of them.  Sadly, this might be the only way.

Answer 6

Ethanol is a horrible idea.

1. It takes more than 1 gallon of gasoline to just make 1 gallon of ethanol.

2. It cost $1.38 for each gallon of ethanol in government subsides. the tax payer is paying for this.

3. Your vehicle gets between 24%-34% less fuel economy than gas.

4. According to ABC 20/20 #1 myth in america

5. Visit these web sites- www.cato.org (cato institute), ABC 20/20 website, Read the Patzek report.

6. It has much lower BTU rating than gas.

7. All 112 Ethanol plants use coal to burn their plant when they can use ethanol- To Expensive

8. Came out 3 weeks ago. It is worse on the enviroment than gas, this was 18 year study.

9. Requires 65 cm water to grow a bussel of corn-

10. Food prices have skyrocketed- Beef, Chicken,Dairy anything with corn, because corn has doubled in price in 2 years.

11. Soil errods 18x faster than it can replunish itself.

12. Putting fertilizer and pesticide in our groung water.

13. ADM plant in Clinton Iowa puts out 20,000 tons of polluntants when the industry standard is 100 tons.

14. For every $1 ADM makes in profit, it cost the tax payers $30.00 (www.cato.org) ADM makes 70% of the usa ethanol.

15. If we used all of land to grow corn, it would only reduce 1/2 of 1 percent of the foreign oil indepence.

15. We have over 400 years of oil in Colorado in the Green river basin, infact more oil hear than than the entire world combined. www.oil-price.net/index- This can be found anywhere. It was in the 2005 federal energy budget. Can pulled and refined for $12.00 a gallon.

16. It is so corrisive it can NOT go down our pipelines. It must be shipped by train or truck. More fuel used!!!

This is just a start of info I have.

Must watch the ABC 20/20 and cato institute info.

Hillary Clinton has voted 17 times against ethanol and now she is for it. Wonder why- I know. If are against ethanol in the midwest- you will never get more than 5% of the vote.

I could go on forever.

Want to read about Oil Shale in Colorado

http://www.ostseis.anl.gov/guide/oilshal...

Answer 7

Many questions, the answers in order are:

When they have a reason

If enough people do so, yes

It depends on your definition of necessary

It depends on how you define needed

Answer 8

We will buy alternative fuel vehicles when they are the price that an ordinary person can afford them. I have a van and have to have it because of the number of kids and grands that I have.. I'd love to have a green vehicle, but, unless I win the lotto, ain't going to happen.. If anybody would like to donate one, I'm up for it.

Answer 9

It's a good question.  I drive a diesel that gets 47mpg.  It doesn't have much power so when I am driving around there always seems to be a giant SUV on my back bumper.  So it seems that not only are they driving giant vehicals, but they are driving them fast.  I think it is part of our culture.  People are trying to look cool.  People want the aproval of others.  Plus people are spenders.  I drive two cars that are a 97 and a 98.  They are paid for.  People think nothing of taking out a loan on their vehicals for 4 or more years.  Ouch.  People don't save enough money for retirement or for their children's college funds.

Answer 10

I think it would help the reduction of consuming gas and funds.

I don't think that SUV's are needed for everyday driving. That was not their intention.

The bigger  vehicles is not always better or needed. Altering the vehicles orginal body has a larger efffect on gas. Lifting, lowering , and changing the rims affect gaas mileage.

People have to realize that celebrities do have the money to support their driving expeses and their car accessories. I know alot of people who try to change the appearance and body of the car just to match that of a celebrities car. That's ok but make sure your family and finances are taken care of first. Especially if you are already on a budget.

I think people are purchasing more of the gas guzzling vehicles because the prices for the vehicles have come down. Still not taking into consideration of the money they will have to dish out every week.

The main reason for the purchase of these gas guzzlers  is that the new eco friendly cars are more expensive and less available in my area.

As my sister says "their ugly!!!"

:)

Answer 11

When the eco-hypocrites sell their Private jets.

Answer 12

Lots of people are starting to look at fuel efficient or alternative fuel vechiles. Here are some reasons why you are not noticing this to a large scale.

If the people of America were to all of a sudden stop buying gas vechiles there would be a large economic dislocation that might trigger another great depression.

The next reason is that the new cars do not satisfy many of America's people. Most of the new cars are not 4 wheel drive or do not have the clearance or trunk space people need or do not handle to well.

The last reason is that there are not many alternative fuel stations in America.

SUV's and other large size vehicles are needed by some large families or people who do off the road driving since SUV's have a high clearance. SUV's and large vehicles are less efficient in gas mileage and some of them are gas guzzlers.

Auto companies are selling alternative fuel cars and more efficient vehicles to the people. But it will take time for you to notice a difference.

Right now diesel and hybrids are becoming more popular right now. Ethanol cars willl probably be mass produced somewhere between 2008-2009. Electric cars will probably be a popuar site on the road in late 2009 to early 2010. From 2010 to 2015 hydrogen cars will become popular.

If you want info on a more efficient or alternative fuel vehicle go to www.puregreencars.com

Answer 13

when it is all gone.... or no longer affordable for the middle class families, lower class families are already there. our environmental zealots need to be working and informing the public at a much faster rate . i  am of the mind that they have been bought off by the oil barons.oh Jacques Cousteau where are you. Greenpeace help! attention Hero wanted . saving mankind abilities only requirement needed.

Answer 14

Probably never. At least not in our lifetime. Buying huge things is part of American culture.

GM's full size SUVs (the biggest vehicles you can buy) were actually up over 11% last month, even though gas prices are up. Subcompact sales (Smallest vehicles in America) were pretty much flat.

In the US, status is everything. Even if gas gets to $5-6 a gallon, they will find ways to continue driving them. GM is coming out with full size hybrids for the Tahoe, Yukon, and Escalade. And I would imagine electric versions will become available when the technology is ready.

Answer 15

when they get rid of those dang Hummers

Answer 16

Because their isn't another car out their that is safe for the enviroment. It would take too long to produce the cars.

And the fact is that if you have a bigger car, which is more expensive, then you would need less cars for a huge family.

Answer 17

Higher gas prices do indeed cause fewer people to buy big vehicles that get poor mileage. I believe the sales of large SUVs are already down quite a bit.

Answer 18

This is one of the few areas in which I htink government regulation makes sense.

High fuel prices are the best thing going for forcing people to change to more fuel efficient vehicles.  But as long as we permit sales of gas guzzlers, there will be those who figure they are wealthy enough to pay for their gluttony.

So, in my view, the best change would be to ban sales of passenger vehicles with city EPA ratings of less than 30 MPG altogether.

If there is a market for SUV-type family vehicles, they will just have to get better gas mileage.  That can come from changing equipment -- no more V-8 engines, maybe just 4-cylinder engines.  Possibly the manual transmission will come back -- it can increase fuel economy by 1-3 MPG over an automatic transmission.  Fewer power windows and doors would reduce vehicle weight and increase mileage.  It may be as simple as mass changeover to an all-hybrid fleet of new vehicles.

To answer the question of whether SUV's are necessary for everyday driving, the answer is "usually not".  People who have the misfortune to own an SUV may simply not be able to switch to a smaller vehicle at the moment.  I saw this first person when a local VW dealer marked his remaining diesel Jettas to $4,000 over factory sticker price.  And don't expect a decent trade in for a gas hog.  That was just because he believed people would pay more just for the fuel economy.

Answer 19

I dunno. I guess when they run out of money like my family.

Answer 20

Americans are fad people.  If next door buys a big car they want one.  Others will only buy American Made, "Ford, Chevy", even if many parts of those vehicles are not made in the USA.    

USA people are now buying more hybrids than any other country in the world, they are buying high MPG autos in recorded numbers.   It takes time. Everyone cant just buy a new car..  They owe on it and need to pay it off first.