My Little Gas Price Survey, 10/13/05 5
Still dropping slowly. I’m filling up in Jersey tomorrow for my trip to Pine View Farm.
Penny Hill, Del., Exxon and Getty, $2.75.
Penny Hill, Del., BP, $2.74.
Claymont, Del., Sunoco and Exxon, $2.73 in the morning, $2.71 in the evening.
Claymont, Del., Getty, $2.77 in the morning, $2.66 in the evening.
Claymont, Del., BP, $2.69 in the morning, $2.66 in the evening.
Claymont, Del., Gulf (Cumberland Farms), $2.69 in the morning, $2.65 in the evening.
Claymont, Del., Gulf, $2.72.
Claymont, Del, Wawa, $2.65.
Holly Oak, Del, Mobil, $2.65.
October 13, 2005 at 11:43 pm
I’ve finally made a decision after much back-and-forth. I’m going to get a Honda Civic Hybrid.
October 14, 2005 at 9:52 pm
Why not an Insight?
http://blogs.philly.com/blinq/2005/10/not_as_we_do.html#comments
The boss has a Diesel Beatle. He used to drive a big Dodge pickup. When he showed up the Beatle, people raised their eyes; he definitely looks like a pickup type of guy. He just smiled and said, “54 miles to the gallon.”
By the way, his Dad is a contractor (among other things, he has built all the roller coasters at Six Flags over New Jersey).
His uncle was isolated by the floods in New Hampshire, though he didn’t lose anything–he lives halfway up the mountain.
Tonight, Boss and the rest of his family from New Jersey (assorted brothers, cousins, uncles, nephews, and fathers) are on their way to New Hampshire with six dump trucks, two RVs, assorted construction equipment, and clearance from the New Hampshire government to enter the cordoned-off area and help dig out Keene.
You can find pictures of Keene here.
I’ve been to Keene. It’s a nice little town. The people are very friendly.
But only in the context of a sparsely populated state like New Hampshire would it be considered a city. Heck, it’s smaller than Salisbury, Maryland. The mountains are not high, but the valleys are steep and narrow. Having been there, I can see how an inordinate amount of rain could cause a lot of damage.
October 15, 2005 at 9:32 am
There’s some real damage in those Keene pictures. I’ve heard of Keene but I’ve never been any further north than Massachusetts in that direction.
Why not an Insight? Well, that’s a good question. I’ll look at them. From what I see on the website, they may be a little small for Barb’s taste. In fact I’m kind of afraid she’s going to want to talk me up from a Civic hybrid to an Accord one. I didn’t want to spend that much money but she likes her creature comforts.
One thing I’m resigned to: I don’t think there’s any immediate cost savings in any of these fuel-efficient vehicles, not even the E-85 ethanol ones they’re selling here in Illinois. The only reason I’m buying one is because we have always driven our cars until the wheels fall off. If I were the type of guy who traded cars every five years, I think I’d actually lose money on some of these hybrids, as opposed to just getting a conventional small sedan that gets maybe 24 in town and 30 on the road.
October 15, 2005 at 7:41 pm
I also believe in driving cars until the wheels fall off. In fact, I drove my Chevette beyond where the wheels fell off. Broken A-arms at 101K, I finally abandoned it at 138K. I hoped to keep it until 141K (that would mean that 100K miles were mine) but it just didn’t make it.
Have you noticed the trend (you can see it in the Ford hybrids) to move from mileage to power?
October 16, 2005 at 10:47 pm
Although I’m not a big car buff, I think I know what you are talking about. I remember the first time I saw a hybrid SUV advertised I wondered that the point was; “hybrid SUV” sounded to my ears like “fuel-efficient gas guzzler.” But I think we learned in the 70’s oil crisis that there are a lot of people who either can’t or won’t sacrifice size and power for the sake of mileage. If Detroit can turn a 15 mpg SUV into a 25 mpg one, I’m starting to think maybe they’d better.