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Thu 26 Jun, 2008 09:10 pm
Gas prices have gone up.
Talking to car dealers(which is my job), I didn't realize just how much used SUV's have depreciated, 4-cylinders have gone up, and how simply retarded people are when they panic.
Examples: talking to Toyota dealer today. They have a 6-month wait on the Prius, and just sold one for $10K over sticker, $31K. For a f'n PRIUS. My motorcycle has fatter tires on it. They also sold a 125K mile Corolla('04 maybe?) for $9K. How long will it take to make up $10K in gas driving a Prius vs., say, a Camry??? I think the Prius's are overpriced at $20K+ as it is....
Same dealer took in on trade(different customer), a 2006 Cadillac Escalade, 25K miles, for $14K. MSRP over $50K for this truck. Driving away, I wondered to myself why I didn't ask how much I could buy it for, stick it in my driveway for a few months until people come back to earth, and flip it for a nice profit. I'm still debating calling and finding out....
4-cylinders are selling at dealer auctions for retail book value. Which means people are paying thousands over retail book value for Civics, Corollas, ect.
Ok, so you trade in your SUV, take a multi-thousand dollar hit on it, then pay thousands over retail for a econo-box, to save what....$30/month on gas?
Ok retards, please raise your hands. I want to hear if anyone has traded in their SUV for a ridiculous hit or bought a little car for way too much money, and I'm wondering how this is a financially smart decision.
I've always had small cars.
I traded my Hummer even up for a Dodge Dart. How was I to know?
Why do you always come along too late, Slappy?
It's the same people who were buying Hummers two years ago. It's not about the money, it's about the image.
I counted 13 SUV's and heavy trucks for sale on front lawns this afternoon on my 20 mile round trip to the grocery store and library. I have no sympathy for the sellers. I think big vehicles will remain as popular as buggies in the 1930's. I think some people will turn them into pet housing or storage units for lack of demand.
wow.
I was thinking along those lines as well , though I dont have any kind of inside info with a car dealer.
I have seen many people/houses in the neighborhood we live in pop up with new small cars in their yard where they used to have large GMCs or oversize ford trucks.
I think about how much the gas price has changed in about 3 months and wonder if that 100.00 or so difference in gas really makes a big deal to them.
These were the same people who had financed Yukons. Probably at 400-500.00 a month.
They trade in the Yukon for getting on a good day 18mpg for a 25mpg car and pat themselves on the back.
They purchased a 25,000 vehicle.. for possibly more then they were paying for that Yukon...
And then there are those who purchase the better gas mileage vehicle and drive everywhere.. all the time..........Even more then before when they owned that large vehicle.
I mean, 25 mpg means you saved money right? In 'the long run'.
Even when you make useless errands now since you dont have to pay 65.00 at a time to fill up. Hey, since you are saving money at the pump, why not go to the beach? Why not go to the mall. Lets go out and eat instead of eating what we have in the house..
Lets go , lets go .......lets go..
Now you just pay 35 to fill up anyway,.................. twice a week.........
I'm agree with greenwitch, as usual. No sympathy for the big vehicle drivers. They had an interview with a guy on NPR. He and his wife both drive max-sized SUVs. They have 5 kids. He said there was no alternative if he wanted to fit them all in one car - hello! Minivan!
I haven't traded mine in, and my next one will be a SUV too.
We're oblivious out here....
CJ, at least you don't complain about it!
The people I'll never have sympathy for is simply those who barely scratch by to make their car payment while driving brand new $40-50K vehicles, SUV or not. Which is half of suburb nation.
People are in panic mode. And people act really f'n stupid in panic mode. That's what this comes down to. They're not really thinking things through....
If I were in the market for a vehicle, and I drove the average miles, 12-15K a year, I would be all over getting a steal on a SUV. Well, that's if I wasn't such a sports car kind of person....but yea, just for the fact you can buy them so cheap, I'd get an SUV.
And let's face it...most Hummer drivers aren't driving a ton of miles anway. So what's the point of trading to save a few bucks in gas? I think most who drive a ton of miles a year aren't driving a 10-12mpg vehicle to begin with.
I would still like to punch anybody dropping $30K on a Prius.
Slappy, once you have family and tons of kids to chauffeur around,
you'd get an SUV too. I would never buy a Prius, that car is just hideous.
CalamityJane wrote:Slappy, once you have family and tons of kids to chauffeur around,
you'd get an SUV too. I would never buy a Prius, that car is just hideous.
I know I would. I wouldn't be against a minivan either, because let's face it...wife & kids, no more chasing women anyway. Either way, this isn't a SUV bashing thread, I'm not against them. If you've got the money, drive a f'n tractor trailer for all I care.
A couple of weeks ago I saw some poor sucker that was driving a hummer as a courier vehicle. Most couriers supply their own vehicles and get paid by the mile.
I'm sure he thought it was great when he got a tax break on it a couple of years ago with Bush's tax plan but he has to be losing money trying to deliver anything at $4 a gallon gas vs someone driving a Camry.
I am keeping all 3 of my vehicles (2 cars and 1 truck) that all average around 15 mpg.
I agree that people should drive what they prefer, but I like $4 plus gas because it better reflects the true price of what we doing to the environment and the world in our lust for fuel. Dirty air and oceans should not come cheap. People with gas guzzlers should have their pockets picked by the oil barons, they deserve it. If some people get very, very rich through the our choices, so be it. If we run out of fuel in a century- it will be a problem for our grandchildren to solve, or the earth might just be dead from all the drilling and warring done to find new oil supplies.
Our Outback gets 25MPG and our biggest truck runs on biodiesel that we make ourselves. My bicycle keeps me from getting flabby.
You know, what I like to see is a better public transportation system like
we have in Europe. I definitely would take a bus, trolley, subway if it
would run every 5 minutes during rush hours and could bring me to work.
Unfortunately, California is worse than the east coast when it comes to
public transportation. We can't do without a car. I live in town but up on a hill, there isn't even a bus coming by, the next bus station is 2 miles away.
That's okay for a suburban area but not for our city life.
CalamityJane wrote:You know, what I like to see is a better public transportation system like
we have in Europe. I definitely would take a bus, trolley, subway if it
would run every 5 minutes during rush hours and could bring me to work.
Unfortunately, California is worse than the east coast when it comes to
public transportation. We can't do without a car. I live in town but up on a hill, there isn't even a bus coming by, the next bus station is 2 miles away.
That's okay for a suburban area but not for our city life.
This is what I mean by we pay for the choices we make. I grew up at a time when the expansion of public transportation was being debated. The car lobbyists went to Washington and scared everyone into believing their taxes would be wasted on things like trains, trolleys, buses etc. America was already a car culture society and gas was cheap, we wanted McMansions and SUV's with big drink cup holders, so nothing was done and we merrily voted ourselves into the corner we are today.
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