If gas were $8 gallon, what would you drive?

[complacent vagabond]

when I was a teenager, I drove muscle cars and sports cars, from big blocks to rotary engines and turbos.

I have been driving efficient cars for many years now, when gas was still under $1. I could never go back. I used to get 9 mpg, then moved up to 30 mpg ... now I get 50-70 mpg regularly and still enjoy the car.

I drive a hybrid now. It gets me where I need to go fast enough while being a miser on gas. I plan on getting the CR-Z when it comes out next year ... hopefully it will get 80-100 mpg

Do I miss the other cars ... not as much as one would think. Excess power on the street is either a waste of money ... or you are driving recklessly using that power dragging between lights, noise pollution (as sweet as it sounds), air pollution, wasting money (and more importantly gas ... which effects national security more than most people will admit to themselves).

When I take a trip to visit a friend out of state, it is about 2000 miles round trip ... in my old Pontiac, that would be about 200 gallons, in my current car it is about 30 gallons. You can see the savings right there, and it isn't uncomfortable. I don't haul lumber, I don't tow boats ... in fact, the car is bigger than I need.

I think if people drove what they needed, and understood what they needed, it would benefit their pockets (able to spend much more money on other things from the savings in vehicle cost, gas, insurance, etc.), the environment (cleaner air to breath), and help the country not depend so much on foreign oil sources which can manipulate us right now with their black gold and our addiction to it.

BTW, if you like SUVs ... FORD has the Hybrid Escape ... 30 mpg. You can still drive a bigger vehicle if you need to and do all the things above ... do it for you country, for the soldiers overseas, for our future.

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by complacent vagabond

when I was a teenager, I drove muscle cars and sports cars, from big blocks to rotary engines and turbos.

I can't get muscle cars out of my system! I'm not really planning on buying more cars (3 is plenty) but my next one would be a '69 Dodge Coronet R/T 400 or a '69 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine (whichever turns up first). Either of those would, of course, be driven only occasionally and only about 1,000 miles, or less, per year.

Excess power on the street is either a waste of money ...

The car guys at the weekly car gathering I stop by at would not want to hear that!

or you are driving recklessly using that power dragging between lights,

Usually when it's between lights, you can't go fast enough for it to be reckless... and it does depend on the driver. I've seen some reckless drivers going only 35 mph.

noise pollution (as sweet as it sounds)

I'd much rather hear the nice sound (even when it's kind of loud) of a '60s muscle car than the ridiculously loud noise I hear from those motorcycles, some of which must be illegally loud.

air pollution

Not really a factor with '60s muscle cars since most of them are driven only weekly or less often.

wasting money (and more importantly gas ... which effects national security more than most people will admit to themselves).

Again, not really a factor for '60s muscle cars. I certainly would not make one of those a daily driver.

[complacent vagabond]

I do miss the low tone of the 400 in my old Pontiac ... and the race sound from the bored 454 in the Chevy ... not the 9 and 5 mpg respectively.

If I had the Pontiac again, I would have to fight myself to not drive it daily, since I love it so much. I do still love most of the cars I have owned. I miss the Pontiac, the Nova with a 350, and the RX-7s the most ... but I will never miss filling up once or twice a week. Filling up once every month or two on less gas, well, it is quite amusing, and I am spoiled to it!

A lot of motorcycles are too loud, from harleys to sport bikes ... but so are a lot of the jacked up diesel trucks running around locally. I have had to roll my window up because the exhaust hurt my ear from a diesel. I must be getting old!

The reckless part about dragging between lights is when they lose control ... a lot of the people I see doing it are not the most skilled behind the wheel, even if they think they are. Doing it on fresh rain, I have watched cars spin across 4 lane roads and hit curbs, I even watched a hot-rodding cop spin out in the middle of the intersection :P

I just really think all that is for the track/strip/autox.

I agree though, I have also seen my fair share of reckless drivers at slower speeds ... it makes me wonder how some people passed the exam! or I guess some of them didn't :

The excess power is understandable ... don't get me wrong. I used to be one of those guys. I took a perfectly good 91 RX7 Cabriolet and stripped it to metal, removed engine accessories ... all to lighten weight and free up the engine. It made a difference, yes ... but I don't think I would do it again. I still think of getting my old Pontiac, but with the 455, slapping a supercharger on it, just to be silly and quench what little bit of hp desire that still flows in my bones ...

BUT ... I see a time coming in the future, where acceleration and economy/ecology will intertwine. The Tesla car is a prime example. Superfast electric car ... with Google's recent investment in a solar technology that is supposed to make solar power cheaper than coal power ... then we have a car that is charged and driven at a high performance level, with the only cost ecologically is the products that make up the car and the solar array/wiring. With both paid for, the car is free to drive besides basic maintenance. This is what I wish people could also see the future as, and push our automakers into making this a reality now, instead of us being milked by baby stepping tech that has existed since cars have. Electric, ethenol, etc. ... Model T. Trace the money and you find the root of the situation.

Just think about being a first adopter of an electric supercar (or rigging up a classic car to run as such) ... want to talk about a sleeper car What do you have in that Chevelle? I can't even hear it running! lol ... Then smoke them at the line with a 0-60 in under 4 seconds (Tesla specs)

I may miss the cars of the past, but the cars of the future are quite intriguing.

[KevK]

I would drive MARTA to and from work!

[Twinkle Toes]

If gas were $8/gallon, I would be the fittest person on the planet from several miles of daily running. I run now, but my measly 2.5 miles per day would have to be kicked up several notches!

[KevK]

Originally Posted by Fleet

I can't get muscle cars out of my system! I'm not really planning on buying more cars (3 is plenty) but my next one would be a '69 Dodge Coronet R/T 400 or a '69 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine (whichever turns up first). Either of those would, of course, be driven only occasionally and only about 1,000 miles, or less, per year.



The car guys at the weekly car gathering I stop by at would not want to hear that!



Usually when it's between lights, you can't go fast enough for it to be reckless... and it does depend on the driver. I've seen some reckless drivers going only 35 mph.



I'd much rather hear the nice sound (even when it's kind of loud) of a '60s muscle car than the ridiculously loud noise I hear from those motorcycles, some of which must be illegally loud.



Not really a factor with '60s muscle cars since most of them are driven only weekly or less often.



Again, not really a factor for '60s muscle cars. I certainly would not make one of those a daily driver.

All that is true but burnouts and donuts are so so so FUN when you are young!

[GreenMachine]

My goodness, my thread has taken off.

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by KevK

All that is true but burnouts and donuts are so so so FUN when you are young!

Oh, I certainly agree.
I just don't do them as often as I did 25 years ago.

[Capt. Dan]

at 8$ a gallon i would ride my ex wifes broom!!!

[Mike78613]

http://www.tommys-bikes.com/img/whyte46_full.jpg (broken link)