Poor Man's decision

[ftheunion]

Ug the fuel economy is horrible and so is the normal one.

 

If I am a student full time and not working i will be living off the college fund about 3600 per semester. my overhead is low but around 450 a month now.

 

when getting a new vehicle......fuel economy?

 

full size truck. part of me wants to just stick it to everything and drink the fuel. bigger means safer, and towing is part of my future plan when i live in a trailer as a poor man. If i had a full time job it wouldn't be too bad. how much would it cost me in gas? I travel 30 miles round trip 3 times a week along with normal college commute its maybe 5 miles away. I've always wanted one and my height needs the size. i could get one for 2000 or less which is my budget. but the parts and gas it will take is............my parents tell me the obvious.....i cant really afford. yet still i see so many on the road.

 

how high can gas go. I am thinking no higher that 5.50. is it really possible anytime soon?

 

two vehicles would be unwise as the insurance and storing one would be a hassle.

 

my car is old but its a small honda. if i get a newer honda itll be even better.....but i still have to buy a truck when i move in like 2 or 3 years.........and motorcycle is too dangerous i guess plus im too busy to learn....and motorcycles would be too small that i could afford.

 

so am i just stuck with a car? if i have to rebuild an old car i want it to be a truck. ford rangers are small, and more expensive than a full size. so thats out i guess. but they are newer. I really don't know. i don't wanna hog resources but i think how stupid it is im poor so i have to be a cheap ass.

 

ill probably seek a part time job but the economy is bad and school is most important....................ugg i always wanted a truck sorry for ranting but my dad got one then sold it. he didn't give it to me cause i was too young for the power and it just dangled in my face and ya i don't wanna some fancy shiney yankee thing ever...........any vehicle will be dirty ill give it a mud bath as soon as i get it, but i am havin an issue with this........how i wish i could have had one back in highschool.....must be nice to be a yankee.

[RayKay]

You are a student. You have a lifetime to afford the car you want. I have been driving a 1991 Sprint the past couple years that had about 450,000 kilometres on it and was rusting apart, until it finally quit on me. Now I drive a 1992 Mercury Topaz that 220,000 kilometres on it. I expect to drive that for another couple years minimum until I graduate school. I work part time during year (full time during summer) but there is no way I could afford a newer car - not with payments, insurance, gas etc.....

 

Until 2007, I did not even have a car of any kind and relied on my bicycle and my legs to get me places, I only got a car out of necessity due to having to travel 50+ km/day for school & work everyday.

 

Just because you see them on the road, does not mean you need, or can afford, one right now.

 

Again, you are a student - why buy something you cannot afford?

[Mythical_Suicide]

With gas here in the US averaging at or just above 4$ a gallon you need something that is good on gas. It already takes me nearl 70$ to fill My car up which is great on gas (chevy cavalier) not exactly sure on the MPG but it's pretty darn good. Can you really afford a gas guzzling truck just because you want one? Not just that but can you afford the payments?

 

and the whole "sticking it to them and drinking the fuel" mentality really isn't going to be hurting anyone but your own pocket.

[Dako]

I've never owned anything that got less than 30 mpg. I commute about 30 miles a day, and when I don't need my 160k mile Mazda sedan for hauling tools to work, I ride one of my 50-70mpg motorcycles. My Ninja 250 is capable of over 75 mpg, cruises at 80 mph and I pay $40 a year for insurance. It cost me $500.

 

I'm quite tall but never found trucks any roomier than even econocars. I can't even get my legs into a Ford Explorer, but a Hyundai Elantra has plenty of room.

 

Do you have to haul loads in a truck those three days a week?

[thejigsup]

I live in California. They are saying it could go way over $5 dollars a gallon. Some say up to $7. It's from all the environmental laws in our state. I guess I can enjoy cleaner air even though I will be homeless and hungry.

[redrose85]

I second Ray Kay. Take the bus if you can, or walk, ride, skateboard, etc...

[karvala]

how high can gas go. I am thinking no higher that 5.50. is it really possible anytime soon?

 

I wish I could share your optimism, but the current increase in gas prices is directly linked to the dramatic rise in the price of crude oil which has nearly trebled in the last 18 months to a current peak of $135 a barrel, and the best analysts' predictions are that in 6-12 months, this will rise still further to over $200, so I'm gas prices are not only going to reach $5.50 a gallon within the year, but they're going to head well above that I'm afraid, and that's without any taxation/environmental additions.

[poloplayer]

I work full time and can afford a pretty nice car. Instead, I drive an 11 year old make, base model. It's my four cylander hooptie and I love it. Great for gas, low liability insurance, and the price was slo low when I bought it that I was able to pay in cash (under $3,000).

 

I'd rather save my money for a rainy day.

 

If you can take public transportation, then do so. Sure it's not glamorous, but you save so much money. I ride the train daily to and from work, but I can just as easily drive. The train is so much cheaper and I don't sit in traffic. My car is to run errands, go out, etc., but I take the train when I can.

[thejigsup]

In So Cal the public transportation is really bad in the suburbs. It could take you 3 hours and 4 buses to reach your job. Metro Rail does not go anywhere near many people's workplaces. Everything is so spread out here, you have to have a car to hold a job. I have a niece who has been let go from 2 jobs in the last 3 years because she had trouble getting to work on time. She is terrified of driving (I can't figure that one out) but she is now learning how to drive. You need to drive in L. A. They really have us behind the eight ball when it comes to gas prices. And don't ride a bike to work here if you want to live very long. It is tantamount to a death sentence.

[Mythical_Suicide]

 

how high can gas go. I am thinking no higher that 5.50. is it really possible anytime soon?

 

 

Hmm not sure how I missed this part but gas can go as high as they want to charge. It's already averaging over 4$, here where I live in went from 3.77 to 4$ overnight so it's possible, its summertime more people are traveling so they're making the best of it and charging out of their tails for gas and prices will continue to rise and unfortunately there is no set "limit" to gas prices.

[RayKay]

Up here if I convert litres to gallons, we are at and over $5/gallon (it's around $1.25/L).

[Lucy__lou]

I can't help you with the calculations I'm afraid, but I can tell you that whatever it costs today, it's going to cost more tomorrow.

 

I recommend you stop hoping that it will be affordable to run a truck in future years, and find a new plan. I know it's hard when you have your heart set. But cheap motoring is a thing of the past. It will cost you less in the long run to get a motorcycle or better still move to an area that is walkable and stop driving.

 

towing is part of my future plan when i live in a trailer as a poor man.

 

I'm not sure if you're up with peak oil... I read about it a few years back and it scared the daylights out of me..

 

if you want to keep your head above water in years to come, I suggest you look into a career which doesn't require that you run a large vehicle.

 

how high can gas go. I am thinking no higher that 5.50. is it really possible anytime soon?

 

We are entering an energy crisis. And that equals economic crisis. We have used up all the cheap oil and so it won't get cheaper. It will just keep getting more expensive. The energy crisis is permanent. A challenge never faced before. Unless we discover oil on the moon, and then still, how will we bring it back? Check out one of the links below to get your head around future fuel issues.

 

link removed

link removed

link removed

link removed

[tulip rose]

Buy the biggest bad ass truck you can get. Make sure that beast sucks down juice at 5 miles to the Gallon. Don't let everyone else have all the fun.

Seriously, it's gonna run out soon (oil) and then you won't have a choice. Let the greenies drive their sunsucking machines at 3 miles per hour, or pedal their asses off on their push bikes, damn, even let them get herded onto buses with all the other cattle, but DO NOT give up your great American dream of driving the most horribly inefficient, look how big my bits are truck you can get your hands on.

 

You know, half these greenies down't even know what they are talking about. They get sucked in by all the propaganda and eat up the rubbish they read in the "newspapers" like pigs at a through.

 

Anyway, go for the truck and get a big sticker for the back of it!!!

[bmwm3]

I trade commodities for a living, oil, gas... gas will go up too 4.50 by mid summer early fall... then we should get a relief into fall, winter spring... not much maybe .50-.75 cent if that... my point of all this is were in a commidoties cycle which run anywhere from 16-22years.. were around 6-7yr know.... it has for the last 500years... anyway gas will go up. pull back... but oil will be at 300pbl.. in 7-10yrs.. and gas will top at 8-10per gallon within the next 6-10years... cars will get more and more fuel effecint from know on.. gas will never be 2or3 again... i read a report all cars by 2015 have to get 41-45miles per gallon... just get something good on fuel... i drive an M3 lousy milage.. and i love to drive and fast... i spent 300-600 a week on gas... i have been thinking about something better on gas... spending so much on gas is just money wasted...

[RayKay]

"greenies" and "push bikes" Wow is all I can say to that. If you are serious in this post, I really wonder whom "doesn't know what they are talking about" given hybrids and electrics certainly do far more than 3mph, and most people I know whom care about the environment genuinely do know "what they are talking about".

 

I think you missed the entire point - he said he does not have much money - it is not even relevant what the environmental impact is, it's the fact he obviously cannot afford to drive a bigger, more expensive vehicle.

 

For the record, I enjoy "pedalling my ass off" on my "push bike" and look damn hot because of it too.

[Mythical_Suicide]

"greenies" and "push bikes" Wow is all I can say to that. If you are serious in this post, I really wonder whom "doesn't know what they are talking about" given hybrids and electrics certainly do far more than 3mph, and most people I know whom care about the environment genuinely do know "what they are talking about".

 

I think you missed the entire point - he said he does not have much money - it is not even relevant what the environmental impact is, it's the fact he obviously cannot afford to drive a bigger, more expensive vehicle.

 

For the record, I enjoy "pedalling my ass off" on my "push bike" and look damn hot because of it too.

 

I really hope they were being sarcastic.. and if they weren't.. I agree with everything you said!

[JadedStar]

My three day jaunt to the beach this holiday weekend was a sad reminder of the state of the economy re the gas crisis. While it did get pretty crowded come sat night, it was the slowest memorial day weekend i have ever seen in the past decade and a half at this very busy beach. Used to have trolleys that cruised the streets every 15 mins to pick up tired tourists, not this weekend. Rarely saw one. The two i did see were hybrids...which was great, we need to switch to that, but it was a very real reminder that the world is changing.

 

Airplanes with flying advertisements in tow were a main staple at this beach for years. Didn't see a one this weekend. Again, a good thing as why waste the fuel, but also again, a very real reminder of the times that have befallen upon us.

 

Maybe we needed this crisis as a wake up call. I mean come on, many Americans are NOT going to conserve on anything unless forced. This was a very forced reality check to force many who wuold never go hybrid to consider it.

 

Far too many americans won't care about their surroundings until something drastic enough happens to wake them up. The gas situation is one of those such situations.

[CaptainPlanet]

Petrol in Australia is pushing $1.70 a litre, yet we have some of the cheapest petrol in the world relative to earnings. Thats something to think about that price is only really a relative measure.

 

Get a cheap car my car is rubbish but its cheap cars are a great way to make yourself into a slave..