Would like some opinion. Do you think gas prices will keep rising, or do you think they will decline? I am seriously considering buying a truck, probably 6 cyl, and wonder if I'll be able to keep gas in it and if it's worth the investment. Thanks =)

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), June 03, 2000

Answers

Jumpin jehosafax Cinloo!, what in dadgumbed tarnation y'all gon do wit a pickup truck darlin?

Yep, them dadgumbed petro prices gunna keep rite on goin up, you betya!

-- Jedro (da@beverly.hillbillies), June 03, 2000.

Tell us more about your needs, cin. Why a truck? How many miles per year do you drive? Highway? City? Will you do hauling of furniture, firewood & such? Is safety an issue? How much vehicle can you afford? Do you have children? Dogs? What was your question?

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), June 03, 2000.

Oh goodness Jeffro!

Actually, Bingo, I have the truck pretty much picked out. I usually drive approx 20-30 miles a day, city and highway. I wanted something with a truckbed which I can haul furniture, etc. No dog. 2 kids. I would really like to get a Dodge Dakota quad cab. I was also looking at a Nissan Frontier quad, but will probably go American made, mostly because of more head and leg room. The new Toyota Tundras are sweet but I think less rear leg room.

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), June 03, 2000.

You drive less than 10,000 miles per year. That's well below average. Do the math based upon a variety of price schemes. My guess is if you can afford the truck you can afford the gas, even at $2.50-$3.00 per gallon.

Make sure you are comfortable driving an extended cab pickup. Visibility can be lousy depending on the driver's height.

One more thing - can I borrow it from time to time? Get used to this question!

Good Luck,

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), June 03, 2000.

Cin:

Gas is not the only factor, Call your Insurance Agent BEFORE you buy and see how much it will go up. Be VERY cautious if you choose to lease. On most leased vehicles you must carry high limits, which in turn, causes high premiums. At the present time, the only company who will allow lower lease limits is Ford Motor Credit.

I know of which I speak, as I am an agent.

Sorry to off topic, but these are Also important points to ponder.

As for gas, I believe it will go up and up and up, along with everything else...

Many thanks to Mr. Greenspan

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), June 03, 2000.

For the dozenth time.

Gas prices now ARE AT 10TH PERCNTILE LOWS. Historically speaking. And adjusting for INFLATION; which is THE MAIN FACTOR when talking about Any Historical Pricing of Anything. PERIOD.

This idiotic babbling about high gas prices is just that -- idiotic babbling.

Link

-- Chicken Little (panic@isover.now), June 03, 2000.

Cin,

Another thing to consider is how many local repair shops can repair (or easily get repair parts for) the vehicle in question. A friend of mine bought a foreign-made truck, with only 1 dealership in town. When she needed to have her truck repaired, the repair time was quoted as "a few weeks"...

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), June 03, 2000.

Chicken Little, couldnt you at least try to be a bit more tactful regarding statements like idiotic babble?

Truth is...YOU DO NOT KNOW IF, anymore than the rest of us....If you are relying on links over the net, go for it.

I see IT where I'm at.

Guess your not one of those effected YET by rising anything?

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), June 03, 2000.

Cin,

I'm going to weight in with an opinion, too. Let me say that I'm a big fan of pickups, but since I have to park downtown in narrow spaces, I maintain a Civic and *rent* or borrow trucks as the need arises.

Another option you may want to look into are the "mini" station wagons. They have more leg room, but you can still haul things with them, as well as install a trailer hitch. Their gas and insurance are somewhat better than trucks.

However, if your daily needs justify a truck, get one! In general they hold their value better than a lot of cars, and vehicles such as the Ford F-1s can be driven into the ground -- I know of one with 250K that is still being used for weekend furniture hauls.

Just my $.02

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), June 03, 2000.

Personally speaking I'm anticipating something in the region of a 25%/30% drop in the next two weeks.But that's I'm moving to Eire.The Irish Punt is tied to the Euro whereas we earn in UK sterling.Oh Bliss!For once we are going to benefit out of the Common Market!!

Sorry cin,couldn't resist.Seriously have you considered the cost of tyre replacement? Here in the Uk those tyres cost a packet but maybe different in the States.I've got a Brit ex military LWB landrover for sale.Does 18 mile to the gallon.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), June 03, 2000.

CL, this country is much more dependent on vehicles than anywhere else in the world. We'll see if you still think it is idiotic babbling later this year when gas prices force our economy into a depression.

-- Hawk (flyin@hi.again), June 03, 2000.

Chris,

I'd love to have an old Landrover! How much? Can you drive it over here for me?

[G] Every time I ask "how much", I remember the scene in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" with Eli Wallach and the Merchant haggling over the gun. Anyone else remember that?

-- Flash (flash@flash.hq), June 03, 2000.

Flash, nobody else here is as old, or cares as much about guns as you do.

-- (Go @way.Redneck), June 03, 2000.

Wrong on both counts. How have I offended you?

-- Flash (flash@flash.hq), June 03, 2000.

Flash, remember it's the weekend, and some of the trolls are deeply into their beers. I just email on my yahoo account from one of them who seems to want me to do something kinky with a long, thin piece of plastic.

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), June 03, 2000.

kb8,

Thanks for the advice. I'm new to the business of getting trolled. I don't mind people disagreeing with me, but it is surprising when so-called adults start acting like 12-year-olds.

Best...

-- Flash (flash@flash.hq), June 03, 2000.

Flash...Or when some twelve-year-olds start acting like adults (should). I listened to one give his uncle a stern lecture about drinking and driving, which the uncle unfortunately ignored. Guess who got picked up for DWI this evening? It wasn't the 12-year-old.

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), June 03, 2000.

The *price* of crude and distillates will depend more and more on the purchasing power of the US dollar. Count on it... after all... supplies are limited and we will see a production peak this decade barring a number of stunningly massive and easily produced finds.

-- Will (righthere@home.now), June 04, 2000.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. We went out to the lots today, and I've fallen head over heals with the Frontier Crew Cab. As far as parking, this is a compact 6 cylinder. I would be a little intimidated by something huge.

This is practically auto dealership land around here, so I'm not worried about repairs. Speaking of Range Rovers...I had really wanted one of those last year. I like the look of the older ones, about 5 years old. I have an English friend who talked me out of it. He says repairs here in the states are astronomical, money-wise.

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), June 04, 2000.

p.s. consumer, I'm not a leasin' kind a gal. I'm an ownin' kind a gal. I have great insurance rates right now, good driver discount, I think I pay 300. for the entire year. AAA Auto Club, they are good. Well that's good for CA, I don't know how much it is elsewhere.

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), June 04, 2000.

Where do YOU live cin? I'm in NJ and paying $900 a year for myself and $2100 a year for my 18 year old daughter. I am leasing a Grand Am for her and I will NEVER do that again!

-- Debra (wedon'teatin@NJ.com), June 04, 2000.

I'm in So. Cal and of course I'm driving a beater. And it's only liability and bodily injury or something like that

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), June 04, 2000.

Cin,

You're in LB right? On the first and third Sunday of every month they have a 400-600 car/truck/big rig auction on the 605 just before the 10 (last offramp before the 10) Nationwide Auction Systems, you could probably call. Anyway, if you just want some old beater pickup to haul stuff, you could probably get one there for cheap. Save a bunch on insurance too, as you'd only need liability (with high limits just in case).

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), June 04, 2000.

>Thanks everyone for your feedback. We went out to the lots today, and I've fallen head over heals with the Frontier Crew Cab

Cin, that's an easy vehicle to love! Enjoy. You'll have the best of both worlds.

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), June 04, 2000.

Flash,

The landy is 800Us + est cost 1200 US shipping ..could be wrong on shipping as that is what it would cost to ship to Caribbean.

Cin,only a poseur would be seen in a Range Rover & you are quite right they are always going wrong.Now a Land Rover Series 3 well they go on for years..aluminium bolt- on body parts etc.Got have it covered in mud & being driven with attitude! Enjoy your new car !!

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), June 04, 2000.

Thanks Chris.

And thank you Frank. I am near 45 minutes from LB. It sounds like a great idea, but how do you know whether you are getting a lemon?

I read a not so great review on the frontier crew cab lastnight. I am also looking at Ford Ranger, 6 cyl, supercab. They had good reviews. If anyone has had bad luck with rangers, please let me know. Perhaps it depends on the year. I am looking at 97's.

-- cin (cin@cin.cin), June 04, 2000.

You might want to consider gap insurance too, whatever you choose. (Gap ins. is to pay off the difference between the car's current book value and what you actually owe the bank/title holder in case there's a catastrophic accident [God forbid]...)

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), June 04, 2000.

Deb: Right again :-) bet ya found that out when you leased, No?

Deb: Reason it is soooo high for daughter is because of Lease she MUST carry higher limits because of the lease.

My 16 yr old will be driving soon, he is saving for a beater. That way only has to buy liability only policy.

As a footnote, You can ONLY purchase loan/lease gap coverage for new vehicle or if you just purchased it.

It is a GREAT coverage to carry and is not to expensive.

--sumer

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), June 04, 2000.

Consumer--

I don't follow you on the point of insurance costing more for a leased vehicle than for an owned vehicle? Would you elaborate? I leased my first vehicle last August (an Olds minivan) and I didn't change my deductible or my liability. Should I? You're making me nervous.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), June 05, 2000.

Lars:

Most leasing companies, with only one exception (ford Motor Credit), require Higher liability limits:

Example here in ohio, lease limits Must be

Bodily Injury = $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident Property Damage = must be $50,000

Ford Motor Credit will allow state minimum, example, here in Ohio state min. = Bodily Injury $12,500 per person/ $25,000 each accident Property damage = $7,500

As for deductibles, that depends on the leasing company, some will allow $1,000 deductible, but most wont.

Lars, to be sure, phone the leasing company. You may already have limits sufficient enough (ie 100/300) to cover, hence no change necessary.

If you need anything else, lemme know. I'll be around.

Consumer

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), June 05, 2000.

Cin,

You don't know if you're getting a lemon, but if you take a car-savvy person with you, you can at least weed out some of the bad ones. Also, lotsa used car dealers there, some shady, some not, some very helpful. Just be polite, they can spot a lemon from across the lot.

My point is that if you want to USE the truck to haul stuff around, but in general your livelihood doesn't depend on it, a $1500 beater may be cheaper than at 20k new one. And if it breaks in a big way, junk it and buy another, you can get several even with minor repairs before the cost gets up there.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), June 06, 2000.

Sumer--

Thanks. I've already got 150/300 but I'll check with gmac anyhow. What is this, a deep pockets thing? Can the leasing company be sued for the driver's liability?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), June 06, 2000.