High gas prices finally changing North American vehicle attitudes

by Simon 60 Replies latest social current

• 

  Simon

  When I read that the Ford F-150 is the best selling vehicle in America I wrongly assumed that it was just the best selling truck. But no, it has been the best selling vehicle for the last 17 years! If that is the best selling you can be sure that there are plenty of similar models from different manufacturers being bought as well.

  They are huge, fuel-inefficient things and I seriously doubt that even 90% of the people who buy them really need them. In Alberta you see a lot of trucks like this on the road and very very rarely do you see one with anything actually being transported in the back. Everyone wants to drive a pickup truck but no one picks anything up ...

  It seems like that is finally changing though as it has now dropt to 5th place behind much more efficient and sensible vehicles:

  • Honda Civic
  • Honda Accord
  • Toyota Camry
  • Toyota Corolla

  http://rogersmj.com/2008/06/03/f-150-no-longer-americas-best-selling-vehicle/

  Hopefully this will eventually make a difference to supply and demand which will help to bring the cost of fuel down.

  There is nothing like hitting people in the wallet to make them change their attitude ...
• 

  shamus100

  Simon,

  You're right where people don't want to buy those gas-guzzlers anymore. Where we live here, there is a lot of crew cabs for work - probably more than anywhere with the boom, so you probably won't see those trucks going anywhere soon. Out east, there are lots of plant closures in the auto industry because of this.

  I am fortunate and have a company truck and for holidays I use a 4 cylinder vehicle to boot me to the mountains - cheap on fuel! My next vehicle will be a sedan for sure, and as energy efficient as possible.

  This is a huge wake-up for people, and although it's painful, I hope that it brings some long-term good effects. Gas prices will go down - but when? I'm thinking not for quite some time, until things play catchup.
• 

  littlerockguy

  I have always had a conservative view regarding transportation and never had a gas guzzler like an SUV or pickup. I drive a 1996 Nissan Sentra I have had since 1998 and I think the younger generation of people are driving more fuel efficient vehicles. There are still the older generation of folks who drive the gas guzzling vehicles and big cars. I live in an apartment complex which has a lot of retirees and senior citizens and you will not catch many in a small car - they feel safer driving cars the size of army tanks, lol.

  LRG
• 

  BurnTheShips

  Hopefully this will eventually make a difference to supply and demand which will help to bring the cost of fuel down.

  I hope so, but the general theme is that global demand is rising due to rising prosperity, and American reduction in petroleum use is more than offset. There has been a more than 4% reduction here so far but there is no price reprieve.

  BTS
• 

  Hope4Others

  Last night I saw a Dodge pick-up on the back window said; "We eat Fords and Sh#t out Chev's....I laughed and laughed...

  with the price of gas they are all the same.....

  Small cars are the best for Alberta...@ a normal highway speed of 140k there is not too much savings let

  alone commuting around Calgary you can rack a ton of miles in a year.

  I just read in the Leader post yesterday that CIBC predicts oil to go down to 85.00 a barrel, I don't know where they get there numbers

  they must be basing it on people waking up to 'Small vehicles".

  hope4others
• 

  Finally-Free

  I love my F150. I don't always use the back, but it's been a life saver quite a few times. Mostly I have the truck for it's height. Because of chronic problems with my knees and back I can't get in and out of a car that's lower to the ground without a lot of pain. I only drive it when I need to, so a tank of gas lasts me about a month.

  W
• 

  shamus100

  A place like Calgary, you can get away with taking transit downtown quite easily. I've met many friends at various transit stations for our endeavors to the mountains -

  Many don't even own a car. They rent when they have to, and walk. I am rather envious.
• 

  oompa

  scooters are selling like mad guys....screw any car compared to a scooter....the 50ccs can now go up to 45 preety easy on level ground and get 110 mpg....look at many third would big cities and all you see is scooters and bicylces.......oompa
• 

  Simon

  There are always going to be people who genuinely need a big vehicle but I think the number of these is much lower than the number of people who buy them. Unfortunately, the culture of big-truck-owning drives up demand for oil and ultimately the costs for those who really do need them.

  Every time one goes past (typically at 130kph+) I smile and think to myself 'what an eedjit ... he's paying twice what I am to travel along this road ...'
• 

  hillbilly

  huge, fuel-inefficient things and I seriously doubt that even 90% of the people who buy them really need them. In Alberta you see a lot of trucks like this on the road and very very rarely do you see one with anything actually being transported in the back. Everyone wants to drive a pickup truck but no one picks anything up ...

  I can only think that Alberta has about the same rural road system as say, Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virgina, Oklahoma (this list goes on but I'll stop here)

  When someone builds a Civic or whatever that can do 300,000 miles on the improved wagon trails we call roads I will be first in line to by it. Gas milage is not the only factor in the economics of vehical selection. If it rattles apart in 18 months thats not much of a deal in my opinion.

  If Ford 150 (plus the other brands) have been the biggest seller fo 17 years I would have to assume that Pickup-Suvs make up a big part of the used car market. People by what they can afford. The few Hondas, Toyotas and Subarus we see on the used market are lease buybacks (expensive) or road hard and put up wet commuter cars. The folks who do buy em tend to drive em forever...then to a scrapyard.

  My othe car is a PT cruiser. I will replace it twice before my pickup wears out. I get your point...guys in trucks that never leave town annoy me too

  Hill