| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 5/28/2008 6:08:31 AM | climbsagain, the electric car has been in development for well over a century.
We now have neat technologies like Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer batteries, brushless electric motors, and innumerable other advances that make the electric car more promising than ever.
The only reason gas will hit eight dollars a gallon is because WE let it. We didn't want to pay a little extra for quality American-made products...now we're killing ourselves with the cost of fuel. It's karma:)
The problem I have with electric cars is similar to what I tell the people that call and try to sell you a credit card - "You mean I have to pay it back???" And when people start charging their cars up, power costs will escalate.
Like I said before, electric cars do not reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. IMO Biodiesel is the future. Otherwise...go watch The Road Warrior. That's how it's gonna be. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 5/28/2008 2:38:33 PM | What does American made cars have to do with the price of oil. Last news was GM was number 2 to Toyota. Guess all the Americans driving a foreign made car are hurting the country? Why is it that European cars average so many more miles per gallon? Why have American Car makers failed to understand how to increase the fuel savings in cars.
Where do you get your info on electric cars? i would like to learn more?
As for paying back on Cars look at what dealerships charge for repairs. The majority of Americans today cannot fix the cars they drive. American cars are very exspensive to maintain.
Road Warrior................if it comes to that fuel will be the least of our concerns. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 5/28/2008 4:00:54 PM | | I'll keep paying as long as I need to. I have two Hondas so it's not too bad. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 5/29/2008 5:54:34 AM |
Guess all the Americans driving a foreign made car are hurting the country? Why is it that European cars average so many more miles per gallon? Why have American Car makers failed to understand how to increase the fuel savings in cars.
I'd tell you but you don't seem to believe in conspiricy theories!
Again back to the early 70's, | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 5/29/2008 2:14:14 PM | | So lets see????? American auto makers are really owned by foreign interests that have driven the American Industry into the ground? Could be? Not sure if this is what you were refering to? At the same time foreign interests are draining this country dry and we are giving it away with a smile! | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/2/2008 8:37:54 AM | NitroJunkie said:
the kind of person that would pay A HUNDRED GRAND for an electric car...oi. Any car going 0-60 in 3.9 seconds will cost more than $100K
NitroJunkie said:
Since when do tuneups cost $8,750? WTF kind of car do YOU drive? for 100,000 miles of tuneups and maintenance... yes that number is accurate... | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/3/2008 8:53:41 AM | | I didn't pay 100K for my house let alone a car that will be defaced by our corrosive environment we have here.. This crisis is just a flyswat to the wealthy, but it's really hurting the middle & lower classes, that's the way 'they' want it! | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/8/2008 7:38:12 PM |
NitroJunkie said:
Since when do tuneups cost $8,750? WTF kind of car do YOU drive?
for 100,000 miles of tuneups and maintenance... yes that number is accurate...
What kind of car costs $8750 for maintenance every 100,000 miles? That's absolutely ridiculous.
I know Ferraris and Lamborghinis have 30,000 mile service intervals that can run as much as $15,000...but those are SPECIAL cars, and have no place in this discussion.
I'd REALLY like to know what kind of car costs EIGHT THOUSAND dollars for a 100k mile service that ISN'T a Ferrari or Lamborghini. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/8/2008 8:15:27 PM | | There's no need to get hostile. While I slightly disagree with the almost 9K figure I recently turned 108K on my 2003 Taurus which I have had since day 1 mile 15. I always keep all vehicle receipts and decided to total them up for routine maintenance. and I have come out to just over 4000. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/9/2008 3:25:16 AM | | The numbers add up to 4000 dollars. But the question is how many litle things are in need of repair on the car? It ius funny how people tend to let car repairs slide as long as the motor turns over and the car rolls out of the driveway. Really at this point what else needs to be done on your car? | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/9/2008 7:55:02 AM |
What kind of car costs $8750 for maintenance every 100,000 miles? That's absolutely ridiculous. Read what is said and not what you want it to say. That is accumulative maintenance. All oil changes, timing belt adjustments and the works for 100K miles and even though it's not a Ferrari or Lamborghini it does out perform them. If you want to know what kind of car it is just read the previous posts in the thread. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/9/2008 7:59:14 AM | But the question is how many litle things are in need of repair on the car? It ius funny how people tend to let car repairs slide as long as the motor turns over and the car rolls out of the driveway. Really at this point what else needs to be done on your car? The regular maintenance interval for most cars is 3750...
every 3750 change the oil
every 7500 check various items
every 15000 tune up minus things like the timing belt
every 30000 tune up including things like the timing belt
Some people drive until a light comes on and then takes it in. YIKES! | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/9/2008 10:11:27 PM | | I am meticulous when it comes to following my maintenance schedule I am a mechanic by trade and know the importance of the scheduled maintenance | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 3:29:43 AM | | You are the exception in this country. Most American cars are not maintained at all. Notice how many cars are destroyed in bone yards every year? If these cars were serviceable would they really be destroyed for scrap? No, we run cars into the ground in the United States throwing away our money only to complain how bad things are! | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 6:20:59 AM | Climbs, blame the automakers again for filling the cars up with useless crap that breaks, makes them harder to work on & making them so costly to maintain... I just had to have a compressor replaced $600 (goodbye stimulus check) just to keep the car drivable, let alone the A/C still don't work... gone are the days of just cutting off the belt.... oh another $1000 to get the AC going, perhaps in the next life.
Hmm I just threw $600 away Climbs, good for me!!
Throwing good money after bad, that's the AMERICAN WAY!!!!! | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 6:29:51 AM | | I agree with that statement Desert fox. Attempting to fix a wiper blade problem the parts service department was all too willing to try to sell a 150 dollar part when what I needed was a 5 dollar part I could fix myself. Yet at the same time who are the poeple that carry out the dirty work for all of the large corporations that seem to take advantage? Well the answer is average citiizens that have been cutting each others throat for a very long time. Our intersts are simple. Securing a large piece of pie from a limited source of pie. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 7:37:29 AM | WELL...I just go with the flow...i WILL NOT give up my 4runner ....PERIOD...I put $180.00 in gas a week for work...(own a cleaning co) must have a truck and besides that I love my truck...don't care how much gas is ...I don't buy American Made vehicles and I won't drive a car...I'm hooked on SUV...I have slowed down some, I no longer drive 270 and 670 at 75 mph...I keep it at 70.
I also save money by changing my own oil MONTHLY...due to the miles I drive. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 2:24:01 PM | Keeping the SUV, driving as fast as you want. Great attitude. Just remember gasoline prices are not the only product effected by oil prices. Fertilizers used to grow food for a very hungary planet have become very exspensive and poor farmers world wide are struggling to keep up
. So we drive a SUV and speed like there is no tomorrow while children around the world strave. Maybe this is Krama. The United states has taken advantage for too long. Just remember when if ever this country needs dire help, the vultures will swoop in for the kill. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 3:27:14 PM | This thread is funny. My GM vehicle requires spark plugs and wires every 100k miles. The last 3 I drove for work were the same. I change the oil every 5k miles, and routinely get 250k miles out of each. Major repairs on them in approximately 850k miles is one transmission that died, probably because of a faulty part.
Saudi Arabia is not capable of increasing their output of crude, and they are in the process of increasing their refining capabilities, but they are going to have to figure out how to increase production at the wells to take advantage of it.
Lots of experts in the petroleum industry are saying that the Saudis have peaked in production, and that the other middle eastern countries are soon to follow.
You want to see lower prices at the pumps? Convince your government to allow drilling in the gulf of mexico, and off the coast of california. Environmental regulations that prohibit drilling in these areas keep us from increasing supply, which lowers demand, along with prices.
The folks in canada and europe pay pretty much the same per gallon for the fuel, it is the taxes levied on each gallon that makes their overall price so much higher.
Making ethanol and diesel fuel from corn and soybeans is going to be one of the quickest ways to help the 3rd world starve to death, not to mention make the price of everything you buy skyrocket. The return you get on these fuels for energy put into their production is very inefficient. A pound of hamburger will soon be 8.00, a gallon of milk about the same if we keep chasing the pipe dream of corn for fuel.
Lastly, if anyone thinks that the police have your safety in mind when they are writing tickets had better think again. It is revenue generation, pure and simple. 8 years in the profession should give me a bit of insight on the matter. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/10/2008 7:00:02 PM | I agree with that statement Desert fox. Attempting to fix a wiper blade problem the parts service department was all too willing to try to sell a 150 dollar part when what I needed was a 5 dollar part I could fix myself. Yet at the same time who are the poeple that carry out the dirty work for all of the large corporations that seem to take advantage?
I attempt all maintenance & repairs myself if possible if it means no toys on a car so be it. Too costly I have to put it off until possibly registration time.
BTW, for those of you NOT in the 7 counties near Cleveland or NE area, we have a program up here for the past 20 years called the E-Check which MANDATES maintence before we can purchase plates. This program was IMPOSED upon us by the lawmakers in COLUMBUS which has more vehicles registered & poorer air quality than up here. In the current state of the economy in this area it NEEDS to go away.
It cost me over $1000 in repairs in one year that neither improved the drivability or air quality of my vehicles, this to just buy plates, more good money after bad. It sucks to be us I guess.
Like T, I luv my SUV. I'm holding out as long as I can.
DSL you are one scary person!  | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 6/13/2008 8:14:32 PM | I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my gas hog SUV and it will NOT go away. Period. I will own it until it's rusted to the ground or I'm in the ground.
For $1000 I can buy a car that will pass any inspection. Not our fault you let your car go to pot to the point that it needed $1,000 in repairs to pass a simple E-check inspection. in 2002 I bought a Ford Thunderbird for $700, rolled down to the E-check station before I even had the title transferred...and it passed. Ditto my $150 Pontiac Grand Prix, my $50 Isuzu Trooper, FREE Mitsubishi Montero, etc etc and so forth.
While I will agree with the fact that E-check is stupid and pointless...it's really not, for environmental reasons. the standards for e-check are SO LOW that I can't IMAGINE it being POSSIBLE for any car that I've owned NOT to pass. If I'm ever up in cleveland with one of my crappy 20 year old beaters, I'll go through just for the hell of it to prove a point.
You must drive one enormous piece of crap! Seriously!
What we REALLY need in this state, though, is a SAFETY inspection. So many cars I see in my profession that NEED repairs in order to be safe, and the customer can't afford it.
Quite frankly, if you can't afford to own a SAFE vehicle...go buy a bus pass. It's cheaper. | |
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| Whats your breaking point?
Posted: 7/1/2008 7:40:41 AM |
the kind of person that would pay A HUNDRED GRAND for an electric car...
Again, you are not appealing to the masses, those who can afford 100K for an electric, is not the type of person who woud spend that much on this type car, they would go with the Ferrari... see no market, & the concept will die off.
For $1000 I can buy a car that will pass any inspection. Not our fault you let your car go to pot to the point that it needed $1,000 in repairs to pass a simple E-check inspection.
Simple?? these people blew the head gasket out trying to make my Caravan fail in
1998. My friend it's not hard to run up a $1000- 2000 repair bill.
While I will agree with the fact that E-check is stupid and pointless...it's really not, for environmental reasons. the standards for e-check are SO LOW that I can't IMAGINE it being POSSIBLE for any car that I've owned NOT to pass. If I'm ever up in cleveland with one of my crappy 20 year old beaters, I'll go through just for the hell of it to prove a point.
I'm unsure that they will allow you to actually do that but go for it. ... you will have to claim residency in one of the 7 lucky counties!
You must drive one enormous piece of crap! Seriously!
No, I just have bad luck with cars, & if I may ask how many miles you drive per year??
I'm dividing about 6-7K over 3 vehicles at this point, that DO get carboned up which would require me to drive them no where quite a bit within the 30 day grace just to have them come back as another probable fail. I had to open one up on the freeway for several miles which is neither smart, safe, or fuel efficent just to get a pass on it.
We also have a chemical they pour out on our roads up here for about 6 months out of the year that seems to react with the metal on the vehicle, causing expensive damage.
BTW I got hit skipped (again) a few weeks ago, in Ohio you really don't really need to claim responsibility or carry insurance to drive. It's become pointless to drive a nice vehicle. | |
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