RamAir69 said:
This is going to sound mean and lofty, but I have to say it.
I wish people would realize that we, in the US are the most
fortunate people on the planet when it comes to this subject.
Gas prices will ebb and flow, as sure as little green apples.
You just have to think about the huge cool factor you get
for giving up some MPG. If you can't overlook that, perhaps
a hybrid vehicle for a commutor would be a solution.
You don't sound mean
or lofty...a bit uninformed and perhaps even a skosh patronizing, possibly, but not either of those things.
Gas prices
do ebb and flow...but we are in for a
loooooong flow. The world is changing, and we are now in direct competition with the Chinese and the Indians for oil. Also, no new refineries have been built in the U.S. at least 20 years...and none are on the books...even if we got more oil, refineries are at capacity. We will never see sub-$2.00/gal for gas again-- at least in California. Little green apples are great, but their specific BTU density pales in comparison to 91 octane gasoline.
Cool factor? Power? Damned right, the GTO
rocks. If I lived closer to work, I would continue to suck it up. If I could justify a car payment for a weekend-only cruiser, sure. However, reality is what it is. Besides, I'm not panicing, screaming "OMFG I gotta ditch this fuel-sucking beast." The timeframe in which I'm going to replace the GTO is not unreasonable considering the miles I'm piling on the Holden.
Moving closer to work is not an option in the immediate future due to real estate and certain standard of living considerations for my family, so this is my cross to bear. Oh well.
As far as a hybrid goes, gas-electric hybrids make very little sense for my drive. I need/want power to climb the 4100' mountian between home and work, and hybrids actually net very little advantage for long cruises anyway. Where hybrids truly shine is stop-n-go city driving, not long-distance cruising.