I did a gig in Wisconsin this week, and on my drive back to Illinois I saw a _ton_ of F.I.S.H.T.A.B.s, as they're called in Wisconsin, towing their boats back home. So there you've got the bad gas mileage of an SUV, coupled with the decreased mileage of towing a boat, not to mention the gas for the boat! That's a lot of gas for a weekend on the lake! I drive a little four-banger with a manual, and I tried to shift early and stay light on the throttle in order to save on gas money. (I coasted down a few of the bigger hills, too - making sure no one was around me for safety reasons.) Considering that I can't get around the fact that I'll be doing a lot of interstate driving in the next few weeks, I'm trying to save what I can. I've also been planning out my errands to make sure I can make them all in a loop, without having to double back or go out twice. If that means waiting to get something tomorrow, I do. My boss, who drives a long way to work each day in his Silverado extended cab, just bought a VW Scirocco in order to save on gas. Yeah, he spent money to save money, but he was spending $800 a month on gas between his and his wife's minivan! Considering the car cost him about $1,300, he'll make it back pretty quick. With the first group, you've got people who will continue to pursue leisure activities despite the ever increasing cost of gas, and then you've got people like my boss who bought an entirely new car to keep costs down. I've got a pretty good car, but I'm trying to minimize travel and gas consumption. Have any of your habits changed as a result of gas prices? Have you made it a point _not_ to change them? Has your style of driving changed? Please note that this is not a thread started as a condemnation of those with vehicles that have heavy gas consumption - I don't care who has an SUV and who doesn't. I'm just curious to see if the high prices have made anyone think twice about taking trips, using luxury items like boats or ATVs, etc.
This might be a bad week for benchmarking since it's the last big Summer holiday for 2005. Personally I changed my driving habits in May of 2004 when gas went over the $2/gallon mark. The biggest help for me was graduating college. Since I didn't have to drive to school anymore I switched to taking the bus to work. Now I only drive a few days a month at most. Of course now I'm wondering if I should even keep my car since I drive it so rarely.
I turned down one job to take another that gave me a company truck and Chevron card. I would have preferred the other job, but the free gas sealed the deal for me on which one to pick. I was somewhat sad to not be able to take the job I really wanted, but I'm not so sad when I go to the gas station and use my boss's Chevron card to fill up. In my personal life, my 1990 F-250 rarely gets driven anywhere specifically because it only gets 10MPG. My wife and I are more careful about where we go in our Durango also. -Mike
I have to drive approximately 2 hours a day. Not optional. I've cut back on other expenses as a result.
yes, most definitely. drive a little slow, accelerate slower, make a few trips out as possible and generally act like this is the last tank of gas I'll ever get.
At the end of last winter I bought myself a $300 Cavalier to save on gas. I decided to park the plow/tow rig (a 454 powered Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4) and only drive it when necessary, instead of everyday like I used to. I drive 50 miles a day. Now I'm probably going to yank the 454 and stick a 350 in instead. 12 mpg with the 350 is certainly better than 8-9 with the 454.
Funny you should ask. I just got off the phone arranging a ride/share with a guy that works in another one of our facilities. He's actually my counterpart on another product line, so we have similar responsibilities, hours, credentials, etc. I hadn't really intended to let the gas situation get to me. I work lotsa hours and have a long commute (60+ miles one way), so my schedule isn't very conducive to sharing a ride. But when gas went over $2.75/gal here, I changed my tune. My truck only gets about 18 mpg, so it started costing a small fortune per week. I may change my mind, but I imagine that even if gas goes down to more moderate prices -- yeah right -- I'll continue to share a ride. It's the tree-hugging thing to do! dcr
I definatley think twice about getting in my car to go somewhere that I really don't need to go. I've also cut down costs on othe leisure activities. I just started back to college for the fall, so I'm also in the process of getting my finances taking care of. I wanted to buy a new bass within the next month or so, but I don't know if that's such a smart idea right now.
I drive slower... shift sooner.... dont gun it... if my 3 minute drive to school takes 7 minutes, oh well.
FISHTAB's - I love it. I had only heard FISH and FIB. No, I still push the overdrive off for a few seconds everytime I see the "Ozone Action Day" warning flashing above the expressway.
I drive slower, even easier on acceleration than before, lay off when I can (like, way before a stop sign or some such) and just generally take it even easier on the gas pedal. I always was easy on it to begin with (since it conserved gas, and never really got the point of racing to that next red light, getting on the binders, and sitting anyway - waste of gas AND brakes!), but now I am even more so. Dunno how much I'm helping, but I think I am. 5MPH under the speed limit now. Sometimes 10 if it's late and I'm the only one out. -Ray
I've been out sick for 4 or 5 days, so today was the first day of getting out and driving. I'll say "no", but I don't drive anywhere just to drive anymore. It was great while it was 99 cents a gallon, or even 1.49 a gallon, but not when it is 3.29 a gallon. I will be venturing out to the track this coming weekend, which typically averages around 8 or 9mpg. I'll only take it out for a handful of sessions and use other people's cars and their gas instead. =)
Yes. I commute about 400 miles per week to work and home. I'm considering getting hooked up in a carpool if possible. And I'm wondering if I still remember how to syphon gas!!! We're being gouged big time!!!!
No, but then again I don't drive far anyway. But, my parents and other people I know who do drive farther haven't really changed their habits. They all share the "it sucks but we have to deal with it" attitude.
I just use my handy "wind powered car" I get some dirty looks on calm days, and it can be a pain in the butt towing my Aggie Db750 and two cabs on the accessory trailer. But I get GREAT MILLAGE!
~120 miles a day.... Yeah, I'm hating life. Traffic still flies @ 75mph... so do I. I took the train for a while, but I drove almost the same length of time to get to the station as the office, then add the expense of the tickets and extra time in travel... it wasn't worth it. THey are looking to add a new route that will run from one town away, right up to the station by the office... that will be great if it happens.
Same here. Strange isn't it? My wife wanted to start taking the bus to work even though she only drive five miles one way to work. Anything helps is what we were thinking. By the time she figured it all out, she would have to leave our house 45 minutes earlier than usual, and get home an hour later than if she drove herself. Sadly, we passed on the bus option. -Mike
That's the state in a lot of places. Mass transit in most US cities is somewhere between abominable and non-existent. Not something I can see changing anytime soon, the amount of money and effort required is simply too big for any entity to undertake besides federal and state governments, and they ahve more pressing concerns right now.