Lets save the future of our great sports cars

[Dizzle]

the thing I dont understand is why are we "stuck" at 35 mpg. It seems like cars have been getting that mileage for the last 25 years. Now I know internal combustion engines are about 30% efficient but there has to be a way to get that higher, some companies have been making this stuff for well over a hundred years!

[GaijinGolfer]

imo,

Thats fine if you can afford to drive it, just dont come whining to me about how expensive it is to drive said truck.

Crash test..If in a crash I'd take my chances in my Dodge 1500 Quad cab better than I would ANY compact car on the road.

Take a look at the crash test results for some fullsize trucks, you might not be so confident.

My truck gets about 16 mpg and it doesn't matter if it gets that or 30 mpg, gas prices are still gonna go up for some BS reason until obama's administration actually wants to do something about it. Right now they want people to buy 40 thousand dollar hybrid cars. How does that help the cost of fuel? It doesn't as we've seen this past year, the US fuel usage went down but the prices are rising again and as a nation, we aren't using more than we did so why is it on the rise? Hurricane season? Middle East war? Russia is mad? Korea is bout to blow themselves up? Or a seagull that pooped on the pipeline down in the gulf and now the refinery has to shut down for clean up for a week? I don't know why but I'm keeping my truck till I can buy a new truck

Its due to speculators buying up oil futures. Oil futures are really cheap right now, so they are buying them in the hopes that they will go up in value in the future. Thats driving up the value of a barrel of oil and thats where you see the increase come from. The fact is that our government has kept the price of gas artifically low for many years and we are just now starting to feel the pain that the rest of the world has felt for decades. Even at $4 a gallon, thats still cheap compared to what the rest of the world is paying.

Buy American, it does matter

Does it really? I find it difficult to be loyal to the whole, "buy American" mantra when the American automakers are shutting down their factories and building their cars in other countries and constantly dumping American parts suppliers in favor of cheap ones from China, Mexico and Korea.

Thats why I have no problem being loyal to Japanese automakers. They have invested a lot of money in America and continue to. Toyota recently announced they would be investing $500 million to retool their factory in Indiana to switch it over from making Tundra to making Highlanders (midsize crossover SUV). Toyota could easily make those cars in Mexico or China, but they like to invest in countries where they sell their products; so they are retooling the plant in Indiana. I'll start being loyal to the American automakers when they start being loyal to us. If you feel so strongly about buying American, you should sell you Dodge, seeing as how they are now owned by the Italian automaker, Fiat. The whole, "buy American" philosiphy is so ignorant and narrow-minded because we now live in a global economy where all of the automakers source their parts from all over the world and even make their vehicles in factories all over the world. Take Ford for example: the Triton engines that the fullsize trucks, E-Series vans and SUVs use are made in Canada and use Bosch (German) electronics. My sister in law's Lincoln came from the factory with NGK (Japanese) sparkplugs, the started in my brother's Ford Super Duty says, "MADE IN MEXICO" on it. The Ford Fusion is made in Mexico. How about Chevy: the Pontiac Vibe was a rebadged Toyota Matrix, the new Camaro will be made in Canada, the Chevy Aveo is made in Korea (is nothing more than a rebadged Daewoo) and in the case of the Chevy Equinox; the engine is made in China and the transmission is made in Korea. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

[BigTazz53]

Well, we all are paying for the pollution your car is producing, so there is a legitimate social interest. That said, nobody here is telling you what to drive.

Agreed, as we'll as everyone elses car or truck.But some more than others...See the Federal gov gave our tax dollars to the citizens of CA to help clean up their air?

EPS Gives 25 Million to California

Oil prices are the result of a very complex economic system, as your examples clearly illustrate. Other nations, particularly China and India, are using more and more fuel. The oil prices depend on a lot more than our consumption. Still, that's not an argument to say "**** it" and go on with wasteful practices (I'm not saying you're saying that). If anything, that volatility is a reason to reduce usage and dependence on that energy source. Plus, what are you comparing prices to? It's summer, so gas prices are going to be higher than they were a few months ago.

Agree, their are numerous reasons for the price to rise, some good some bad.

But for the cost of fuel to rise on speculation of "the sky is falling" is wrong.

Thats fine if you can afford to drive it, just dont come whining to me about how expensive it is to drive said truck.

Promise I want

Take a look at the crash test results for some fullsize trucks, you might not be so confident.

I did and looks like the new trucks with side-air bags do as well as a car with the same.

And the older trucks do fine with frontal ,but only "Marginal" w/o side-air bags on side hits. Crash Test Ratings

Its due to speculators buying up oil futures. Oil futures are really cheap right now, so they are buying them in the hopes that they will go up in value in the future. Thats driving up the value of a barrel of oil and thats where you see the increase come from. The fact is that our government has kept the price of gas artifically low for many years and we are just now starting to feel the pain that the rest of the world has felt for decades. Even at $4 a gallon, thats still cheap compared to what the rest of the world is paying.

Agreed ,but I still hate the speculation of it. It just seems a way for the oil companies to get rich for no reason.

Buy American, it does matter

It is sad but your right we "out source" so much it isn't funny ,but I do think it matters and I try to buy and keep my dollars here.

And yes my truck is made in USA or at least it was put together here

[rckwd]

I'll settle this:

Erik: Phillies or Braves?..............................be careful

[BigTazz53]

I'll settle this:

Braves !

[rckwd]

Braves !

The .....just traded JF Braves...I would have let TP go

[BigTazz53]

The .....just traded JF Braves...I would have let TP go

Yea I just heard.

Not sure if its good or bad. Trading bad for bad i dunno. Still think frenchy will come around to play like he did in 07

[Fraser]

the thing I dont understand is why are we "stuck" at 35 mpg. It seems like cars have been getting that mileage for the last 25 years. Now I know internal combustion engines are about 30% efficient but there has to be a way to get that higher, some companies have been making this stuff for well over a hundred years!

We aren't stuck at 35mpg, the American market doesn't really care for much for what is beyond it. Over the last few years with the hybrid fetish and $4.50 gallons it is has begun to change a little.

Diesels really are the way forward for those with fuel economy in mind. They have a pretty bad image in the US but where I'm originally from they are perfectly acceptable. In the UK the best selling Mercedes S Class from 1998-2006 was the diesel variety and pretty much every car at the S Class/BMW 7 Series/Audi A8 level and below has a diesel. My father has an A8 diesel and loves it. He had a BMW M6 before and when he told me he was switching to an A8 oil burner I thought he was nuts but the performance is excellent. 0-60 in 6 seconds and 40mpg is pretty admirable!

Does it really? I find it difficult to be loyal to the whole, "buy American" mantra........... ..........................

THANK YOU!

The 'buy American' philosophy is so bunk, especially when the cars produced are generally poor. My wife and I drive German cars and it'd take a hell of a lot to get me to switch over to an American vehicle. I ride in one every now and then (my wife's parents have a hateful Jeep Cherokee and of course we play the rental car lottery!) and every time I wonder why anyone would buy that instead of a European, Japanese or even Korean (!!) equivalent. I really am coming round to believing that people buy American cars just because they are American! I'm all for supporting local business and companies but only if the product is any good in the first place. I can't remember the last American car I rode in where I was genuinely impressed with the product.

[Dizzle]

Oh come on now American companies make great cars, but the average guy just cant afford them.

[Fraser]

Oh come on now American companies make great cars, but the average guy just cant afford them.

Which cars are we talking here? Saleen, Panoz and the like that make up a tiny proportion of the US car market?

[pinhigh27]

Agreed, as we'll as everyone elses car or truck.But some more than others...See the Federal gov gave our tax dollars to the citizens of CA to help clean up their air?

You talk of out-sourcing, even such, I've read another poster writing exactly what I'm writing now.

The uaw, has made statements stating that the cost of labor is 10 percent. Meaning if GM uses labor in Mexico, China or Japan, that is 10 percent of their cost, meaning 10 percent of their money is going to Mexico, China, or Japan while the other 90 is going to America. So when you buy your Toyota that has a plant in Ohio, 10 percent of that money goes to America, 90 overseas. Same with any foreign company. The big 3 built this country, please stick with them.

[pinhigh27]

Oh come on now American companies make great cars, but the average guy just cant afford them.

Priuses are still like 30k used, so how would the "average guy" afford that?

[BigTazz53]

You talk of out-sourcing, even such, I've read another poster writing exactly what I'm writing now.

Not sure on the numbers ,but the big 3 have moved alot of their plants out of our borders due to labor cost and the unions, imo, the unions have hurt more than helped.

Foreign companies do well in the states because of the lack of unions in their plants.Right?

[BigTazz53]

Priuses are still like 30k used, so how would the "average guy" afford that?

We can't, lol we stick to our gas guzzling,air pollutin, 14 mpg trucks

[pinhigh27]

Not sure on the numbers ,but the big 3 have moved alot of their plants out of our borders due to labor cost and the unions, imo, the unions have hurt more than helped.

This is correct, Gms big killer(Expense wise for them) is all their benefits they offer to their employees.

[Dizzle]

Which cars are we talking here? Saleen, Panoz and the like that make up a tiny proportion of the US car market?

I was thinking more like corvette, viper, GT500.

[Fraser]

I was thinking more like corvette, viper, GT500.

Oh, ok. I guess I'll have to disagree on the fact those are 'great' cars.

Besides, the GT500 has an MSRP of $43k (and lets face it how many people really pay MSRP?), that sounds like average guy territory to me

[pinhigh27]

Oh, ok. I guess I'll have to disagree on the fact those are 'great' cars.

So you don't think a care that does a quarter mile somewhere around 11 and a half seconds, possibly south, while costing 1/3 of its competitors isn't great?

I guess it's average...