Gas prices still under $3 in Mid-MO

[scott55405]

and alas, my planned next car.

Top this, Transformer

Looks hot, drives great, comfy in any weather. It's hard not to like BMW's new convertible.

www.latimes.com

 

[hydralique]

Yeah, when I bought the VW diesel I was driving over 20,000 miles a year, much of it in heavy traffic on the Westside and between the Westside and the southwest Valley. I figured the extra cost for the diesel would pay off, plus I just liked the idea of the greater efficiency . . . even before the Iraq debacle I figured that dependency on imported oil was going to drive prices up. Assuming that I can keep the turbo from blowing up again and eating the engine I'll keep the car indefinately, especially since VW has pulled all the diesels from the American market.

I suppose the CVT is better than a conventional slushbox, but I still much prefer a manual, especially in a lower-powered car. What I just hate in an automatic is to be on the freeway in traffic in a slow moving lane, say 30 mph, and need to move over to another lane that is moving a lot faster, say 50. With an automatic if you back off the accelerator at all the damned thing will upshift and you'll find yourself in 4th gear, so when a gap opens up in the lane you need to move to you have to wait for it to downshift to get any power. With the manual I can be in the proper gear while I wait for the gap and then zap!, I'm in. Best example of what I'm talking about is trying to go from the southbound 405 to eastbound 10, just south of Pico. I stay in the left lane of the 405 past the Wilshire/Santa Monica mess, but then have to move to the right lane to get onto the 10, by which time the left lanes have started slowing to the usual crawl through Venice and to LAX.

I wonder, does the Toyota CVT get along without a torque converter? That would be nice. The old DAFs which pioneered production CVTs years ago didn't have torque converters, but then their layout was very different from a modern car.

 

[scott55405]

I understand completely. I have always had and preferred manual transmissions for many reasons. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it out here, and while granted I don't do much creepy crawly freeway traffic, I really haven't minded it. I've thought on and off about giving in to the automatic majority next time round, as sometimes I get tired of nobody ever being able to drive my car because they don't know how (sigh), but we shall see. I also have said I never wanted another two door, but I rarely carry more than two passengers and my desire for a convertible may outweigh the 4 door ideal. I don't want a fabric top convertible though, rear vision is no good when the top is up.

 

[jmirawm]

Duel prices in Arkansas

The people of Northwest Arkansas are complaining that our gas is running about 15 to 20 cents higher than Central or Eastern Arkansas. The explaination given: our Fuel distribution locales buy their fuel from midwest refineries and the rash of storms - Kansas town wiped out - another refinery lightening strike - in the midwest has cut production back to about 85%. However the other parts of Arkansas buy their fuel from the Gulf refineries and they are operating at 100%. And that is the Gas news from Barling Arkansas this Memorial Day 2007. <p>Tom

 

[exploder3211]

My 05 Corolla LE 5-speed, which i paid $12,500 for now has almost 50K (it had 30K when purchased in january), Goes 400 miles on tank of gas in city driving, 525 in highway driving, costs me roughly $33 or so to fill up and that usualy lasts a week. I won't have a Hybrid beacuse of cost and the fact they have HYBRID printed all over the damn thing (plus has any one else noticed they try to make there colors very eco freidnly looking.. Like Kermit Green on the Camrys).. The only hybrid i know of that offered a 5-speed was the original civic hybrids..But i wouldn't touch a Honda with a 300 ft pole, after the way they've treated my sister and her past two Odyssey Vans (her 2001 blew up @75K and after much fussing and fuming the replaced the transmisson and something else in 2004, which she then promptly traded for an 2004, which has the same issuses.. She just bought a Sienna today)

I just can't see spending the money.. My car payment is $300 a month, gas averages $150 a month, and insuance is $100 a month and mantince is about $25, coming to $575ish a month... A prius would cost me roughly $400 a month, $130 in gas, $250 on insurance a month (yup a prius is very expensive to insure) and roughly $25 a month mantince (all work usualy done by Toyota dealer).. SO that runs $805 a month...

Back to the gas:
Gas ranges fron $2.99 on the south side, to rougly $3.30 around my area to $3.09 most every where else.. How freakin loony.. $3.06 at Costco today..

 

[DADoES]

Hit $3.099 here couple weeks ago. Now dropped to $2.979. However, recently ran across $2.869 @ a Wal-Mart 35 miles from here (that is without the $0.03 discount), when local was still $3+. Odd.

Aa area drive-in chain with a location here offers $0.10 discount with a Citigo card.

BTW, local WM/Murphy is shuttering the gas effective 6/10.

 

[irishwashguy]

Well.....

It is down to 2.29 at 76.I have not checked Costco yet. Sometimes when you out, it just makes sence to go someplace close to home, kind of like now. The little yellow gas pump is on.
PS: gas has dropped a whole ten cents in the last month. I think that I need a smart car

 

[compactc9]

I personally like the idea of the VW Diesel, very efficient and reliable. If I was forced to give up my current Neon, I would immediately go for a VW Diesel.

 

[exploder3211]

Ritchie

$2.29?????? My dear, i need to move out your way.... BTW email me, haven't been able to get in touch with you... Have a new number

 

[hydralique]

Diesel . . .

VW has dropped diesels in the US for 2007. They may be back in a couple of years, who knows? Instead, they'd like to sell you a big 2.5 liter five-cylinder gas engine in the Rabbit and Jetta. The diesels probably get 50% better mileage, but VW is very, very interested in trying to compete tit for tat with the Japanese makes and since they don't offer diesels here, VW would just as soon simplify things and forget about the diesel market. They had already dropped the diesels down to 45-state status in '04. Even in '02, when I bought mine, many dealerships didn't stock any diesels, and those that did often only had a handful.

After years of refusing to make any diesels at all, Honda recently introduced some in the European market. From all reports, they are excellent, although that isn't a total surprise given Honda's tremendous expertise in combustion technology. They are probably the best placed to meet stringent future particulate limits here in the US. If they do decided to bring them over, it will make an interesting incentive for VW and other companies to think again about small diesels here.