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Have gas prices changed your summer plans?

Changed our plans some. Staying a little closer to home, packing lighter and smaller on trips in our Honda Element. Using our Vespa PX150 motorscooters more for weekend trips. Thinking of selling my 2001 Toyota Tacoma for either a Yaris or Honda Fit. Being retired I don't really need a pickup.

Our mountain bikes and kayaks don't use much fuel.
 
May sale the Silverado for a Toyota Tacoma but other than that,Plan ahead and make sure we have everything needed, Still make trips but due to higher fuel cost may do less when we get there...LOL
 
Let's say your 2005 gas-guzzler gets 18 mpg. You want a new econo-box that gets 30 mpg - gotta save gas money. How much moola would you save in 50k miles - at $4/gallon?? Do the math - it is $4,444! That is a lot... until you compare that to the ride comfort of your current ride vs the little bi-fuel box. Then see just what your '05 will get for a trade-in vs the inflated price of the 'box'.

My '07 vacation on the Gulf Coast never happened - we are overdue. Let's assume we put 850 mi on the '05 Liberty, which has averaged 19.41 mpg over it's life. That's ~44 gallons. Assuming that it now costs $1.40 more than it did then, per gallon, that totals $61.60 more for fuel on vacation. That is less than a couple of dinners at 'Lamberts' in Foley, where you pay folks to throw rolls at you. I'll just go to Ci Ci's pizza buffet across the street - cheaper and better.

No, if we can get to go, the fuel cost increase will likely be inconsequential to the other costs. We may just have another 'stay-cation'... and a mad dash to Wally World for another Spydie Native in S30V - before they fade away. More importantly, I meter my local trips - to the shooting ranges - state parks for day hikes - more carefully. I also combine trips across town - 50-70 mi roundtrip equates to $10-$15 for gas, and that's where I see my belt-tightening. I'd camp in my own wooded backyard, if I could just get rid of the poison oak & ivy! Hmmm, herbicides are cheaper than gas...

Stainz
 
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3.60 a gal ticks me off here, I guess it could be worse..... Those prices are INSANE!:eek:

Stainz- lamberts is awesome! I try to go every time im down that way....
 
Well I'm doing Marty's course in August, abot a 6 hour drive from me. I won't be taking the Jeep as I planned, but will get up their with my lil Mazda 3,

I also plan on going to a few get togethers, also w/ the lil car.

My best buddy moved out to Cali, this year, and I will be flying out there with the familly this fall. No dates set yet.
Just so happens he's pretty close to Mtnflk Mike, so we're probably gonna hit a few trails up there. I always loved the pics I see of the country out there, I am really looking forward to that one.
 
j williams said:
3.60 a gal ticks me off here, I guess it could be worse..... Those prices are INSANE!:eek:
....
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:mad:$3.98 but it is not going to kep me from enjoy'n the things I love,I just have to adjust things to compensate for the higher fuel cost ,just glad I do not drive a Diesel $4.79 or so :eek:
 
texastonydobbs said:
:mad:$3.98 but it is not going to kep me from enjoy'n the things I love,I just have to adjust things to compensate for the higher fuel cost ,just glad I do not drive a Diesel $4.79 or so :eek:
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You guys got it easy. $4.35 reg over here. My delivey truck uses deisel, its over $5:eek:
 
Good lord........

I drive an expedition that gets 12 mpg. I am lookin around to trade it for a subaru.
 
26MPG highway, 19 city, for the Outback. I drive over an hour to work, so My ride is on the highway way more then in town. When at home I ride my mtn bike for errands.
 
That is if they will even give me close to what my gas hog is worth. Its paid for, so I have some room to work. Might just end up keepin it, and buyin a little nissan p/u to drive to an from work like alot of the guys I work with do. Then, I would just end up drivin it all the time, so why not get something better.
 
We had originally planned two trips to the Sierras and a trip to the Grand canyon this summer. So far we made the one trip to Sequoia longer than originally planned, kyboshed the Grand Canyon and will probably just make one other short trip out of town.
 
I will only consider trips in my own State for the moment..National parks,Etc. in Texas...anything beyond the TX border is more than likely out of the question this year
 
Thats what you guys are for. Next best thing to goin is seein your pics of the stuff I would be doin if I was there. Even if it is close to you, it is far from me.
 
Its not just the gas prices that's keeping us home. Its the cost of everything else that's gone up due to the high oil prices as well. My wife says some of the food items she buys every week have almost doubled in price. Our heating oil budget for next winter just came in: $5300! That's over $500 a month for the next 10 months. That's almost double what last year's budget was. Add to that the crazy weather/flooding/etc all over the country...No Thanks! We're staying home this summer.

We decided to use our vacation fund on a new deck and an above ground pool. The pool is in, and we're already enjoying it. I'm starting the deck next week. We'll just take few day trips nearby to satisfy our wandering urges. Instead of spending 5 grand on heating oil this winter, I bought a new pellet stove and a years worth of pellets. We also just invested in an on-demand propane hot water heater. They both may well pay for themselves in just one year. Same money spent, but at least its not ALL going to the oil companies, and that makes me feel good inside.

The wood pellets are going up fast as hell too. When I started looking they were $205 a ton. Now they're up to $300 a ton and everyone is sold out, but taking orders. One small hardware store owner told me he had 1000 tons on order! My stove can burn wood pellets, corn, sunflower seeds, etc, etc. Hopefully it will stay economical on one fuel or another. In any case, at least we have a choice other than the oil furnace.
 
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I'm planning a fairly big road trip down to California that should end up being 2500 miles or so. Gas should cost about $500-600. As much as I'd prefer it to be half that, it isn't a dealbreaker for me. Like others have said, I am trying to link trips together and plan more efficiently.
 
Had actually planned to take the older boy out for a couple of weeks this summer just exploring Maine, NH and VT... no real plan as to where, just a adventure for the two of us. Aint gonna happen. We are going to pick a place fairly local, and hike/camp/boat out of there, and drive as little as possible. Even if we take the car instead of the SUV, it is still way too much money. :(

But VT/NH has tons of great locations with in an hour ot two, so it wont be a complete wash.
 
I remember back in the 70s as a kid when we'd pull 2 week camping road trips 9in a honda accord cvcc. It *IS* possible, and at 40mpg it's not that expensive. Not if you spend a couple days in each spot.

I also once had a kawasaki 400 that did highways fine and got 70mpg with a load.
 
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