nfb: Mark my words.....

[Joe 1320]

With the ever increasing cost of fuel, it won't be too long before this SUV and truck craze comes crashing down. The rising fuel cost combined with the fuel economy of these pigs will be hitting people's wallet hard. It won't be long before the used SUV and truck market will be loaded with these gas guzzling giants as people move toward more fuel effecient vehicles. I got out of my Crew Cab a few years back, just as this craze started booming. Once the used truck/SUV glut is in full swing, I think I'll pick up one just for occational hauling duties. It certainly won't be for regular driving.

[wolfdogs]

from a smart persons standpoint, you are correct.......

my bet is though... it wont... people will just cut spending on other stuff and keep on trucking........... cause they are stooopid.

[Steel2686]

With the ever increasing cost of fuel, it won't be too long before this SUV and truck craze comes crashing down. The rising fuel cost combined with the fuel economy of these pigs will be hitting people's wallet hard. It won't be long before the used SUV and truck market will be loaded with these gas guzzling giants as people move toward more fuel effecient vehicles. I got out of my Crew Cab a few years back, just as this craze started booming. Once the used truck/SUV glut is in full swing, I think I'll pick up one just for occational hauling duties. It certainly won't be for regular driving.

Unfortunately, it most likely won't mean cheaper used trucks up here... Just more of them. Four wheel drive is always at a premium in this half of the country. Although, for the right deal, it would be more than worth a one way ticket to the south in order to pick one up.

[MN6WS6]

Well you won't be picking up one cheap around here. It seems like 1/2 - 2/3 of the SUV's sold here have 4WD, although only about 1/100th of the people with them will ever engage it. People want it "just in case" they ever need it, but they never use it. Hardcore 4X4 guys buy K5's and at the most the older CK Chevy trucks (88-98 body style). Personally, I want a 2500HD with the diesel in it because I won't buy a Ford and Dodge detunes their automatic motors to save the transmissions. But trying to find a 2500HD diesel that doesn't have 4X4 in it is impossible, because the dealers down here act like you can't get one any other way.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Well I am going to pick up a surplus APC halftrack with a Ma Deuce on the turret, and when I need gas, I was just going to go take some from someone who has it

[raroZ28]

I agree with wolfman. People will keep driving them. Same with me and my camaro. Think 15 MPG is going to stop me from driving it?

I was hoping that people would stop driving those things. Maybe then there would be less demand for fuel, and prices would drop. Hopefully a lot of people go the hybrid/nuclear/hydrogen route.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Well how about the traffic system of dumb stoplights in this country? Imagine millions of cars all sitting there idling for some stoplight to change and maybe nobody even coming the other way or in the turn lane. Millions of cars coming to a stop because a light changes and then using all that fuel to get the car back up to speed. Then multiply this by 100 times a day and divide the cruising mileage in half. We have one heck of an unintelligent traffic control system and it's costing us billions of gallons of gas and billions of dollars. Especially the ones in big cars. When it comes to fuel consumption, we are our own worst enemies. And, hey, say a special thank you to all the fools who can't stand to see the sight of an onshore or offshore oil derrek and all the other fools who can't stand the thought of drilling for oil in the great arctic wasteland of northern Alaska where only certain hearty lichens can grow.

[Joe 1320]

Well how about the traffic system of dumb stoplights in this country? Imagine millions of cars all sitting there idling for some stoplight to change and maybe nobody even coming the other way or in the turn lane. Millions of cars coming to a stop because a light changes and then using all that fuel to get the car back up to speed. Then multiply this by 100 times a day and divide the cruising mileage in half. We have one heck of an unintelligent traffic control system and it's costing us billions of gallons of gas and billions of dollars. Especially the ones in big cars. When it comes to fuel consumption, we are our own worst enemies. .

I agree, big time! you hit the nail on the head.

[Steel2686]

We have an absolute surplus of fuel in Alaska, but the enviroMENTALists are "concerned" with the possibilities of a spill. WE HAVE OIL!!!! LET'S USE IT!!!!

Sorry for yelling. I get a little worked up over that issue.

[MN6WS6]

They just ran an article in my local paper the other day explaining why the recent super spike in oil prices. We have the oil, we don't have the refineries to make it into gas. Don't quote me on the numbers, but we have capacity to turn 17 million barrells into fuel every day, but we use 20 million barrells. That's why gas is so friggin high and is still going up. You can thank the liberals and the tree huggers for that, because of all the restrictions on refineries. We have not built a new refinery in something like 30 years, but nearly half of the ones in operation back then have closed due to politicians passing laws curbing pollution and other stuff without giving the industry some kind of break somewhere else to offset the cost.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

They just ran an article in my local paper the other day explaining why the recent super spike in oil prices. We have the oil, we don't have the refineries to make it into gas. Don't quote me on the numbers, but we have capacity to turn 17 million barrells into fuel every day, but we use 20 million barrells. That's why gas is so friggin high and is still going up. You can thank the liberals and the tree huggers for that, because of all the restrictions on refineries. We have not built a new refinery in something like 30 years, but nearly half of the ones in operation back then have closed due to politicians passing laws curbing pollution and other stuff without giving the industry some kind of break somewhere else to offset the cost.

Take a guess at which president passed most of those laws. Bush has tried to fix some of the more screwed up ones and is being hammered everyday for it by the same people that are bashing him for the gas prices being too high. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. (Sometimes watered down doesn't work.) You can't win with these people.

[Dave M]

It's not just an environmental issue. The biggest hurdle to cross when proposing to build a refinery is NIMBY. Not In My Backyard. Nobody wants to live near one of those stinky, dirty things and they throw a fit when a company says it wants to build one anywhere near them. And the refinery capacity is our main issue with gas prices, not oil supply.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

They just ran an article in my local paper the other day explaining why the recent super spike in oil prices. We have the oil, we don't have the refineries to make it into gas. Don't quote me on the numbers, but we have capacity to turn 17 million barrells into fuel every day, but we use 20 million barrells. That's why gas is so friggin high and is still going up. You can thank the liberals and the tree huggers for that, because of all the restrictions on refineries. We have not built a new refinery in something like 30 years, but nearly half of the ones in operation back then have closed due to politicians passing laws curbing pollution and other stuff without giving the industry some kind of break somewhere else to offset the cost.

I think there's a lot of price gouging going on by the gas companies and the refineries are forced to make too many designer fuels and that causes some of the shortages, but why is the price of fuel so closely tied to what OPEC does and the rising price of crude, and why did the price suddenly spike when the king of Saudi Arabia died and left his son in charge? That in't the sudden demand change in the US causing that dollar increase in just a couple months and the refineries not being able to keep up. Deisel fuel is almost the same price as refined gas is here. Wait til this winter comes and see what everybody is paying for heating fuel. There might not be enough refineries for the present situation, but that is not the major reason gas spiked in price so quickly, and if they got everybody using the same formulation of gas, the refineries wouldn't matter as much. As it is now, when one regional refinery has a glitch, and a certain mix of fuel can't be produced, it causes a shortage in some areas and prices to rise, but I don't buy into the notion that there are not enough refineries all of a sudden.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I think there's a lot of price gouging going on by the gas companies and the refineries are forced to make too many designer fuels and that causes some of the shortages, but why is the price of fuel so closely tied to what OPEC does and the rising price of crude, and why did the price suddenly spike when the king of Saudi Arabia died and left his son in charge? That in't the sudden demand change in the US causing that dollar increase in just a couple months and the refineries not being able to keep up. Deisel fuel is almost the same price as refined gas is here. Wait til this winter comes and see what everybody is paying for heating fuel. There might not be enough refineries for the present situation, but that is not the major reason gas spiked in price so quickly, and if they got everybody using the same formulation of gas, the refineries wouldn't matter as much. As it is now, when one regional refinery has a glitch, and a certain mix of fuel can't be produced, it causes a shortage in some areas and prices to rise, but I don't buy into the notion that there are not enough refineries all of a sudden.

I agree.

Just an FYI they said the king of Saudi Arabi's son has been in charge of the country since 1995 when the king suffered a stroke. I don't quite understand how his death effected the price. I don't think it did. I think it is a coincidence. I think it is more like a stock. You hold out for a little higher and see if you get it. They have figured out that the US is willing to pay anything to get it.

[Dave M]

I think there's a lot of price gouging going on by the gas companies and the refineries are forced to make too many designer fuels and that causes some of the shortages, but why is the price of fuel so closely tied to what OPEC does and the rising price of crude, and why did the price suddenly spike when the king of Saudi Arabia died and left his son in charge? That in't the sudden demand change in the US causing that dollar increase in just a couple months and the refineries not being able to keep up. Deisel fuel is almost the same price as refined gas is here. Wait til this winter comes and see what everybody is paying for heating fuel. There might not be enough refineries for the present situation, but that is not the major reason gas spiked in price so quickly, and if they got everybody using the same formulation of gas, the refineries wouldn't matter as much. As it is now, when one regional refinery has a glitch, and a certain mix of fuel can't be produced, it causes a shortage in some areas and prices to rise, but I don't buy into the notion that there are not enough refineries all of a sudden.

It's not just that there is a refinery shortage all of a sudden. Refineries have been running at near full capacity for years, and lately there have been problems, distruptions, and fires at domestic refineries which can really disrupt supply when you're running so near full capacity.

Oil is traded on an exchange the same as a stock. Crude oil prices have gone up because people are buying it at those prices. Increased demand from china and India has put a squeeze on the world wide supply of oil. That demand has caused prices for crude on the exchanges to go up. Traders see a future of high demand for oil. If future demand were thought to be low, traders would sell their futures in oil and the price would subsequently drop. The price of a barrel of crude has doubled in the last 2-3 years, and not all of it is because of supply and demand. A lot of it is because of that speculation of the traders. Combine these high crude prices with tight refinery capacities here at home and the inevitable happens. And don't forget, the barges that bring all our oil here run on diesel. Since the price of diesel has gone up as well, it also costs more to deliver all this oil to our shores, raising the prices even more. It's no coincidence though that oil companies are making record profits now.

If you want to profit off of the high gas prices, invest in some oil company stock.