Will the Price of Gas as it spirals upward to $4 a gallon affect the kind of vehicle you purchase?

Question

Will the Price of Gas as it spirals upward to $4 a gallon affect the kind of vehicle you purchase?

Answer 1

No. I will never settle for anything less than 8 cylinders.

Answer 2

When gas hits $4 a gallon I am selling my Saturn Ion and relying on my Motorcycle (60+mpg) I might get a new one with the cash I get from the sale of the car, or just a sidecar. Mmmmm... Sidecar......

Answer 3

No the better gas mileage your car gets the higher gas will go.

Answer 4

i already have a car that gets great gas mileage. I am not going to rush out and buy a hybrid- since i average 30,000+ miles a year that is mostly highway- Hybrids are better for stop and go traffic

Answer 5

It already has... but all i can do at this time is continue to daily drive my 88 Silverado (5.0 V8)... i'd LOVE to spend LESS on GAS, but i cannot afford to trade or buy a car...another thing is that if i did, it might have problems i don't need... at least for now i know my truck runs great!, needs nothing and  average about 15mpg and well $75.00 a week just has to be until i can get my finances in better shape...

best wishes to everyone... "world hold on"...

Answer 6

Last year I had a Chevy Venture on which the lease is ending, so I was in a position to look for a new car.  I narrowed down my choices to two midsize cars:  2007 Chevy Malibu LS 2.2L and the 2007 Toyota Prius.

The Malibu with the trim level I want (1LS) with the enhanced safety package (antilock brakes and traction control) was $19,140 at my local dealer.

The Prius with the trim level I was looking at (package #2) with the enhanced safety features (Electronic Stability Control) was $23,135 at my local dealer.

The Prius was $3,995 more, so I was leaning more towards the Malibu, then I crunched the numbers for my typical 15,000 miles of driving per year:

Malibu = 25mpg EPA combined / 15,000mi = 600 gals

Prius = 46mpg EPA combined / 15,000mi = 326.08 gals

At that time regular unleaded was $2.80 in my area, so the Prius gives me 274 gals yearly savings = $767.20.  At that time the Prius also qualified for a $1400 Federal Tax Credit.  I also learned that the Prius does not need brake jobs until 100,000 miles, or a tranny fluid change until 60,000 miles whereas the Malibu will need a brake job after 2 years (30,000 miles of my driving) and a tranny fluid change at 2 years.

So it would take about 3 years ($767.2 gas savings x 3 + $1400 tax credit + $200 Malibu brake job cost @ 2 years + $100 Malibu tranny fluid change @ 2 years = $4,001) to make up for the difference, assuming gas prices stayed at $2.80 a gallon.

What finally made me get the Prius was the fact that gas prices won't stay at $2.80 a gallon--  it can only get worse, so I might actually recoup the cost faster than in 3 years.

I bought the Prius.

Not a knock on the Malibu though--  It's a good car and I might have brought one had it not been the neat tech toys in the Prius that appealed to me (Smartkey system, touchscreen controls, etc.).  I was also worried about the Prius's battery reliability until I found out it has an 8-year / 100,000 mile warranty.  That clinched the deal for me.

Answer 7

No, because I already drive a sensible vehicle.  When gas hits $4 a gallon maybe all the idiots that cruise around in huge gas-sucking SUVs will finally smarten up and start driving something reasonable.

Answer 8

If you look at the Honda Accord Hybrid and the regular Honda Accord you will see a price difference of about $4,000.  Even with the price of gas at $4, it would take you over 10 years for the savings in gas to reach the extra $4,000 you spent on the hybrid.  

As for me, I drive a 10 year old Ford Explorer that gets 15 miles to the gallon.  The truck is in good working order, it is paid for, and insurance is cheap.  If I were to buy a new car because of the high price of gas, so I could get better mileage, I'd be wasting thousands of dollars.

With that in mind, I'd never buy a new car, however, if I had to buy a New car, I'd get a Kia.

Answer 9

Absolutely, here on out I'm all about the diesels.  If I gotta pay $4/gallon, I'd rather pay American farmers.  (biodiesel, unlike ethanol, is actually energy efficient to make. SVO even moreso.)