Gas Prices Are Going to Go Up

Great Britain isn't that big. How often do you go to Mom's? Hire a car. Take the train. Bus. whatever. You live in the UK after all.

full disclosure: my wife's car is a GTI.

Train and coach (not bus - bus means local) are out as I would need to take the pets.

Also, if I do need to travel for work outside Aber - which I did regularly before COVID so if we get back to non-Teams stuff.... - own car is much simpler to arrange than train (which often takes 1.5-2x longer than a car trip anyway with changes/no direct lines) or hire car.

If I just want to get somewhere interesting outside Aber I'm looking at at least a 120 mile round trip so it's pushing it.

When I was getting the CX-30 serviced (which means going to Mum's as there are no closer dealers - well one but then I'm practically at hers by then anyway) I overheard a sales rep discussing the lack of range with a possible buyer - they've apparently argued it with Mazda but Mazda's projections are that the main market for EV buyers are those using for routine short trips... which I do fall into but would like the option to NOT have to worry about arranging alternate transport (or micromanaging charge stops) for the times I need to go further afield.

Once charging is quicker and more easily available, and batteries can do a guaranteed ~180 miles between charges, the UK will be more comfortable with EVs.

I would love to take the train for 4-5 hours vs 3 hours by car. Let's trade. My mum kicked the bucket 20 years ago so you'd be off the hook there too.

I have 4 cats, 3 birds, 1 dog and a wife. Just deal.

I'll take the animals sight unseen but Imma need more info on the wife. I mean, she chose YOU, that's not speaking much for the mental health situation.

Lost my Dad 25 years back. The women tend to last in my family. I'm not expecting to last long after the pets go, TBH, so if your wife's after a long-term prospect she might want to reconsider.

She's planning on me dying before her. It pisses her off that I've programmed the house to respond to her with sarcasm and she doesn't know how to turn it off.

"Alexa: increase temperature two degrees."

"Betsy, I'll be happy to, but true warmth and happiness comes from obeying your husband."

She spends all her time studying Japanese so you'd have the house to yourself.

Yes, this is after gas prices dropped back down out of the range they were in now. Memories are short. This is not the first time gas prices have been this high.

Last time was 2008. I don't remember the pickup industry crashing. In fact, the F-150 and Silverado were the number one and number two best selling vehicles that year.

I get it numbers are confusing to you. I did not say they were not number one. I said they crashed. Sales went down and their resale values went down also. This is also while the EV market became a thing. large numbers of people started looking towards more gas efficient vehicles over wasteful excess they could no longer afford.

Stop being intellectually dishonest.

If they "crashed" at the same time they were the best selling automobiles in the U.S., doesn't that mean all makes and models "crashed", including the fuel efficient ones? If so, then why point out just one category...especially the one category that "crashed" the softest?

Same station today (four days later): $5.79.

Gee, what I pay hasn't gone up at all.

You paid when you bought the car.

Uh I paid $9 grand for a 4 year old Leaf with 22k miles.

I think you're mistaken.

You drive a Leaf?

I think you're the one who's mistaken.

Shrug. It's more comfortable than the Honda I gave to my son.

No doubt, I'm just messin' with ya.

Actually just looked at the Nissan site. They're fairly reasonable for new EVs.

Yeah my neighbor bought one in 2019. I showed him up by buying a turbo charged sedan with 310 pound feet of torque.

But in the end, jokes on him. He charges his car everyday to go to work and mine decorates my garage as I work from home.

I have the same issue. On a road trip my truck will go nearly 500 miles on a tank of gas and a refill takes maybe ten minutes max. I'll be very happy to go electric once they offer a similar experience.

Yeah. I can drive from Charlotte to Knoxville on a little over half a tank in my '04 Tundra.

Mazda is making some of the best bang for the buck cars out there. I have a Mazda3 and I love it. I bought it two years ago just as the chip crunch was starting. Anyway, I would have considered an EV, but living in Boise, range anxiety is a real issue. Any direction you go once your outside of the city limits you're going to be looking at long runs between charge up stations. The pacific northwest is prime territory for Biden's plan to set up charging stations along interstates. Put 'em at rest areas between here and, say, Seattle and suddenly the issue becomes moot. If I'm still driving by the time I need/want a new car it will most likely be an EV, if ICE cars are still even a factor.

My current vehicle is a Mercury Grand Marquis. I love the car. Full size car, body on frame, rear drive V8. Comfortable as hell, it's like driving a Lazy Boy. I can fit a lot in the trunk.



All the stuff above, plus a few things more, like the pet stroller all for in the trunk, in the pic below. Including the full size spare tire.



I've been keeping track of the gas mileage over the last year or so. I'm averaging just under 20mpg. That includes highway and commuting to work. One a trip to Memphis, I averaged around 26mpg on the highway at around 75-80 mph with the A\C on.

For the last month or so, I've tried driving more leisurely. Gentle acceleration, basically seeing how high of and mpg I can get. Generally I was getting around 18-19 just commuting to work. The last month, around 21mpg.

And the car is surprisingly quick, even more so from 60 to 90mph. It accelerates harder from 60 to 90, than from 30 to 60.

I really do love the car though. Awesome ride, compared to other cars, they feel cheap and flimsy to it. From the ride to how the doors feel when you close them. I've been looking to buy another one

V8s are nice when you're merging onto an interstate. When I stomp the gas in my Tundra, I get whiplash. When I stomp the gas in my Camry, I get angry and confused.

When I stomp the gas in my LLV, I pray it's going to make it up the hill I'm deadheading up back to my route.
It actually does the freeway pretty well for a 1993.

My 2016 Tacoma is about the same size as your Tundra and the V6 does the same thing.

It's got a smaller engine than the 2007 I used to have, but it has about 50 more horsepower.

When I lived in Knoxville, my future wife had a mid to late 80's Sentra. There was a road off of Peter's road...it might have been Ebenezer, that had a hill that that car just wouldn't make it up with any payload whatsoever. I had a roll playing group(either Call of Cthulu or Vampire Masquarade) and three of which would take that road every once in a while. They all had to get out and walk up the hill and I met them at the top.

I've noticed that. The newer tacos are HUGE!

They changed the body style in 2005, IIRC.

I've parked next to some old, old Tundras (like turn of the century models) and my midsize pickup is larger than they are.

They changed it in 2007, so your Tacoma is probably bigger than my '04 Tundra. That's what I love about it though. Full sized power and capability in an almost midsize chassis. The suicide doors are murder when you're trying to load groceries though.

I had an extended cab Ranger before that Tacoma and the little jump seats were fine with my daughters were little, but I swore my next truck would have four doors and a real back seat.

When I take the truck hunting or camping the back seat is where I sleep.

My back seats are good enough for short hops, but no one would want to sit back there for more than 15 or 20 minutes. They aren't jump seats ether. It's a full length bench seat with seat belts for three people...but there is no leg room whatsoever.