Why isn't this considered price gouging?ATG wrote:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Motorists can expect an easing of the recent gasoline price surge in coming weeks, with costs averaging about what they did last summer over the heavy vacation driving season, the government said Tuesday.
A lot of the reason for a lack of consumer diesels in the US is due to the faulty attempts by US automakers to convert gasoline engines to Diesel in the 1970s-80s (primarily an effort by GM). These engines proved to be unreliable, inefficient, and loud thus giving the diesel engine a poor reputation in the States. Because of this diesel never went though sustained development like in Europe.delta4bravo*nl* wrote:
Dont get me wrong I love a good muscle or sportscar but 30MPG is not good.
Over here most new cars run 50mpg or better.
and with a gas price of $7.31 per gallon you want it to be.
The strange thing is that Diesel is cheaper than gas here unlike in the us many cars use diesel as feul these days.
The end product being a lack of a diesel powered passenger car for the American market.
you're leaving out a gigantic argument here though. that being that the us government doesn't tax gasoline nearly as much as they do in, say... europe. because we are a capitalist economy, there is little incentive to create a noisy, foul-smelling passenger car, despite its fuel efficiency. with gas prices rising here in the US in the last year or so, we are seeing the car manufactures' tout fuel economy in their ads and on comparisons betwixt different models. give it time, we just may see a diesel passenger car yet here in america.Masques wrote:
A lot of the reason for a lack of consumer diesels in the US is due to the faulty attempts by US automakers to convert gasoline engines to Diesel in the 1970s-80s (primarily an effort by GM). These engines proved to be unreliable, inefficient, and loud thus giving the diesel engine a poor reputation in the States. Because of this diesel never went though sustained development like in Europe.delta4bravo*nl* wrote:
Dont get me wrong I love a good muscle or sportscar but 30MPG is not good.
Over here most new cars run 50mpg or better.
and with a gas price of $7.31 per gallon you want it to be.
The strange thing is that Diesel is cheaper than gas here unlike in the us many cars use diesel as feul these days.
The end product being a lack of a diesel powered passenger car for the American market.
Last edited by comet241 (2007-04-11 13:25:23)
Assume -> ASS out of U and MEts-pulsar wrote:
I am noticing you don't live in the USkonfusion wrote:
Why do you think GM sales are going down? My dad worked for them up to about 6 years ago (thank god: they've been going down ever since). They may be reliable, but the mileage per gallon is terrible! All American cars cannot really be compared to the Asian ones, because they simply can't or won't keep up!ts-pulsar wrote:
Not really true, most of the American cars that are the equivalent of Japanese cars get pretty much the same mileage. And American cars are just about as reliable (well at least GM, but I know GM vehicles quite well) as a Toyota or Honda, which BTW are really the only companies from japan that I would agree with if someone said they were more reliable than American cars, Nissan is pretty good, but I'd say it's about equal to American cars for reliability. Mazda isn't really Japanese, it's Ford. Mitsubishi's are serious pieces of crap, Isuzu actually builds the Diesel engines used by GM.
The problem American car companies have is that they haven't been able to ditch the reputation they developed in the 80's and 90's as being junk cars.
As I said above, it's not true that it's 10x, but definitely a lot higher!
On another note, I really hope that the USA starts using Ethanol (Brazil, being a semi-third-world-country even does - catch the hint?). They're using the most gas - more than anyone else in the world. It's time the USA started cleaning up it's act.
-konfusion
Remember that from school?
I lived in the states for around 5 years, don't gimme crap about perspective.
-konfusion
Jeese man, I wasn't trying to be insulting, I honestly thought that would explain it, but obviously I was wrong.konfusion wrote:
Assume -> ASS out of U and MEts-pulsar wrote:
I am noticing you don't live in the USkonfusion wrote:
Why do you think GM sales are going down? My dad worked for them up to about 6 years ago (thank god: they've been going down ever since). They may be reliable, but the mileage per gallon is terrible! All American cars cannot really be compared to the Asian ones, because they simply can't or won't keep up!
As I said above, it's not true that it's 10x, but definitely a lot higher!
On another note, I really hope that the USA starts using Ethanol (Brazil, being a semi-third-world-country even does - catch the hint?). They're using the most gas - more than anyone else in the world. It's time the USA started cleaning up it's act.
-konfusion
Remember that from school?
I lived in the states for around 5 years, don't gimme crap about perspective.
-konfusion
Take a chill pill.
The fuel used in the summer is actually a higher octane, more expensive blend than the winter blend. The fuel does actually cost the companies more.Mason4Assassin444 wrote:
Why isn't this considered price gouging?ATG wrote:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Motorists can expect an easing of the recent gasoline price surge in coming weeks, with costs averaging about what they did last summer over the heavy vacation driving season, the government said Tuesday.
So you are saying the 89 Octane I put in my car in the winter is not the same 89 Octane I put in my car in the summer?PureFodder wrote:
The fuel used in the summer is actually a higher octane, more expensive blend than the winter blend. The fuel does actually cost the companies more.Mason4Assassin444 wrote:
Why isn't this considered price gouging?ATG wrote:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Motorists can expect an easing of the recent gasoline price surge in coming weeks, with costs averaging about what they did last summer over the heavy vacation driving season, the government said Tuesday.
Never heard that before. Please prove it.
Last edited by KEN-JENNINGS (2007-04-12 10:36:05)
yes. the fact that gas tends to go up in summer can be explained simply through supply and demand. Families take trips, more outside time, mowers and blowers are going, more people tend to get married in the summer (compared to winter), more people tend to move in the summer (compared to winter)... many other factors lead to the decrease of supply with an uptick in demand. simple economics.KEN-JENNINGS wrote:
So you are saying the 89 Octane I put in my car in the winter is not the same 89 Octane I put in my car in the summer?
Never heard that before. Please prove it.
the gas is all the same.
Last edited by comet241 (2007-04-12 10:45:50)
I still remember in highscool (1996-2000) when 98 cents a gallon for mid-grade seemed completely ridiculous, and spending $14 to fill up my Integra (could only use mid-grade) was like an ass raping without lube. Now I'm excited just to find a gas station selling gas under $2.50 so I'm not spending over $50 to fill up my Explorer. If the gas prices stay the same into next year I'm selling and buying another car... or a hybrid or something.... maybe a bicycle. Fack!
So you use the same amount every year. Less in the winter more in the summer, yet they drive the price up in the summer, because thats when more fuel is used. So, price gouging yes?comet241 wrote:
yes. the fact that gas tends to go up in summer can be explained simply through supply and demand. Families take trips, more outside time, mowers and blowers are going, more people tend to get married in the summer (compared to winter), more people tend to move in the summer (compared to winter)... many other factors lead to the decrease of supply with an uptick in demand. simple economics.KEN-JENNINGS wrote:
So you are saying the 89 Octane I put in my car in the winter is not the same 89 Octane I put in my car in the summer?
Never heard that before. Please prove it.
the gas is all the same.
So no, then, the gas isn't different.comet241 wrote:
yes. the fact that gas tends to go up in summer can be explained simply through supply and demand. Families take trips, more outside time, mowers and blowers are going, more people tend to get married in the summer (compared to winter), more people tend to move in the summer (compared to winter)... many other factors lead to the decrease of supply with an uptick in demand. simple economics.KEN-JENNINGS wrote:
So you are saying the 89 Octane I put in my car in the winter is not the same 89 Octane I put in my car in the summer?
Never heard that before. Please prove it.
the gas is all the same.
I thought gas prices were directly related to oil barrel futures? As in, the price of gas now is based off of what the price of oil is expected to be, adding in production/distribution costs.
And while the demand does increase, the decreases in supply happen because companies shut down/repair refineries in the summer.
I think there is a bit of price gouging.
Last edited by KEN-JENNINGS (2007-04-12 11:08:17)
but you can hide/decrease margin in pay and bonuses.Malfera wrote:
It's not price gouging. If it were than the oil companies would be making a MUCH higher profit margin than they have in the past. What most people fail to realize is that there is a HUGE difference between profit and profit margin. The left has made this an issue out of a non-issue. They prey on the ignorance of the sheeple. When you sell more oil, your profits go up, yet their (Exxon Mobil/Big Oil) profit margin has remained the same, so there is no taking advantage or price gouging. But because Big Oil made this many billion dollars this year, they MUST be taking advantage of the sheeple. Not true. The thing that annoys the shit out of me is that I learned the difference between profit and profit margin in elemetary school economics.acEofspadEs6313 wrote:
I'd say more of the problem and blame is on the oil companies for what seems like price-gouging.Malfera wrote:
Gas prices ALWAYS go up this time of year and people bitch, moan and lay blame as usual... The refineries stop production to change the mixture to what they call the "summer blend". That's to please all the environmentalist wackos out there. This is nothing new, yet the debate goes on and somehow it's always Bush's fault. It's the basic economic principle of supply and demand and not some bullshit conspiracy theory that involves the Middle East.
/rant
I'm curious how you came to that conclusion? All that story stated was that their gross profit was up 9% from last year. It then went on to state how Exxon has spent monies not used in technology to make gas cheaper in the future by buying back investor stock. I read nothing about any price gouging.Mason4Assassin444 wrote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020100452.html
YEs...Id say there is some gouging.