We won't stop driving, and we won't buy a different vehicle. We live in the country and have cattle. We need our pickup to pull the stock trailer, haul hay on the flat bed trailer, etc. At the moment, it is our only vehicle.

The only "alternate" transportation available in the boonies is a horse. We don't own one, but it's not out of the question at some point...although they aren't cheap, either.

I still don't know how, from a strictly economic standpoint, one weighs the expense of another vehicle against the cost of buying gas.

I can't imagine living in this rural area in the winter and not having a 4-wheel drive vehicle. In the summer I drive my "cop car," a 1992 Chevy Caprice. It's another 8-cylinder model, but it gets 25 mpg on the highway, which is better than my 4Runner.

Alternate forms of transportation won't work here in the country, where we're too far away from everything. I've gotten very stingy about combining my errands, though.

Susan,

It's very different living in the boonies, isn't it? :-)

DH has quit checking his cattle daily since all of his calves are on the ground. He goes about twice a week now, and I think his brother still goes every day since he usually works nearby.

My Dodge Ram gets 18 mph on the highway and 15 in our daily driving, which is some town/some highway. I don't really consider it a "gas guzzler," since some pickups are so much worse!

Somehow spending $20-$40k on an "economy car" doesn't make much sense for us, and the dirt roads would beat it to death. LOL!

Even at $10/gallon, that works out to .66/mile driving my big SUV gas guzzler.

Public transportation costs in the neighborhood of $2.50/mile. Okay, that's not accounting for the cost of buying, insuring, repairing the vehicle, but based strictly on operating costs, gas would have to get significantly higher for it to be economical for me to stop driving, park the SUV in the driveway, and take public trans. Add to that--public transportation is a joke around here--it goes very few places I go, so it still wouldn't help, anyway.

That being said, I do conserve very carefully. Combining trips, not driving unless absolutely necessary. And we're frugal in other ways so that a little driving here and there, isn't going to break the bank for us.

I'm curious, though--if one considers buying a hybrid, for example... Given that the ones I saw when I last went car shopping were anywhere from 1 1/2-2 times the cost of the same 'standard' model. Given the fact that the batteries can cost from $700-a couple of thousand $$$ to replace. Given that with a hybrid, you're basically driving a bomb with a really, REALLY powerful detonato--just how economical are they, and why would one want one? My DH's company has a bunch of hybrids, so does an urban police force in the area. There's only one place they can get their alternative fuel (these particular cars are natural gas hybrids--can you imagine how dangerous they'd be in a collision?). The cars are mechanical nightmares--ALWAYS in the shop, and when they are running, they have no pick-up. Re-read all that--the police are driving cars that won't accelerate well. It's impacting on crime in the area, because the cops can't catch up to the robbers in their awful hybrid cars.

One last question for those who drive or are considering driving hybrid cars. Have you checked with the emergency services in all the places you drive, or are likely to drive? To make sure they've been properly trained for hybrids? When a collision occurs, and one is trapped in a hybrid (the electrical ones), they CANNOT BE EXTRICATED using normal methods. Emergency workers have to be specially trained, because of the many high-voltage wires running through the various parts of the car. If an untrained EMS worker goes to cut the car the way they normally do, it can create a situation that can be deadly for both the EMS worker and the trapped victim.

As we get older, we have already thought of going to one car...after all, renting a car now and then is cheaper than owning one.
And that one car will be be a fuel efficient one.

Public transportation is not for us...not nearby or convenient. No taxicabs either, here in suburbia.

We presently have 4 vehicles...will also get rid of the big van one of these days, as we use it less and less.

But, all of the above was discussed a year ago, before the big gas increases. Price of gas has not changed these plans.

DH has a VW Jetta--diesel. On the hwy I get 52 mpg. He gets about 48. Now, around town it's down to about 34. Whoever is going to do the most driving in a day takes it and the other takes my Tahoe. Today he left me the VW b/c he drove to one place to work and won't be running around.

We live in a rural area, so mass transit is not an option. We do combine errand runs, keep our vehicles tuned up and tires inflated. We have a third car, a little old "putt putt". It may not be purty, but it's great on gas.

I also live in the country...no public transportation. I am taking care of an elderly man who lives 20 mile away. He isn't doing very well. When he passes on, I won't have to make those trips any more. I do have to go out twice a week to pick up dog food and to the shelter a couple of times a week. I try to consolidate my trips to the shelter on my days to pick up dog food...even tho they are at least 40 miles apart.

I would love to stay home and not go out more than a couple times a week.

My husband just got a job where he is gone for two weeks at a time and if he works over, longer than that...so that is a big cut in our gas consumption right there. We have 2 trucks and a toyota. All are pretty good on gas, but of course, when we buy another one, that will be foremost in our minds.

We have an excellent public transportation system here in this college town. Since my new job is across town, I am seriously considering taking the bus. Medicare recipients ride for half fare, so I would only pay 50 cents each way.

I quit work in '05, I used to drive 100 miles a day. A fillup lasted four days or less. now I'm retired, I rarely go more than 10 miles a day, and I fill up maybe once in two weeks. I wont stop driving, but DH thinks our next car should be a Prius.

Not going to stop driving because of fuel costs.

For the 33 years that I've been working as an adult, I've always taken public transportation to work. I'm just now starting a new job and I have to drive - I hate the thought.

I've always been a walker - now I walk more. I stop at the grocery store more often so that I can carry the 1 bag home easily on foot.

My cousins in England are now paying about $10 per gallon (equivalent). Be thankful ours is ONLY $4.

Patser, that's something I've been thinking about, too. Gas is still relatively cheap, considering what it does for us.

I already don't drive most days, and take public transport instead.

Parking is such a pain, as is traffic, that we don't take the car unless we really need it.

When we DO use the car, the savings in time is so important to us (like, 20 mins. to grandma's instead of 60), that we'd give up other stuff before we didn't drive.

(besides which, we do have to pay for public transportation, there and back, so we'd be spending $16 on the trip, since it's 4 of us)

By the title I thought you meant at what AGE will I stop.

To paraphrase Charlton Heston, "When they pry my cold dead hands off the steering wheel."

Unfortunately there is no public transportation I can take to work.

We were car shopping just this weekend. DH will not consider a hybrid, and so we are just getting a Vue. Not great on mileage, but he'll continue to use his Geo to go to work.
We are too far out to use public transportation, whatever gas costs we'll end up paying. We aren't happy about it, but we aren't about to give up driving either. Kathy

I have always consolidated my shopping trips, and called them my "rambling days" because I check out all the Dollar stores, etc. I might think about going every other week instead of every week, but I don't have a reason for going any where else except for Dr. appointments, so to me those Rambling days are recreation! I'm pretty much of a stay-at-home type. Reckon old age has any thing to do with that?

I don't understand the theory of selling an older car, and buying a new one, just to save $$ on gas. How many years would it take to realize any savings?

My 21 year old Honda Civic finally went to Honda Heaven, and I bought a 2005 Honda Civic. I love the car, but the insurance and taxes are tremendous!

Sue

I drive a 10 year old Explorer...it is in perfect condition and gets 19 miles to the gallon. I will drive it until one or the other of us dies!! We also own a big pick-up that DH has to use for both businesses. It gets about 16 mpg. It makes no sense to me to buy a special vehicle...I can buy a lot of gas for the ones we own, for what it would cost to replace either of them with "gas-savers". When we NEED a new vehicle, we will buy something that is several years old probably, so will take what we can get in our price range, and gripe about the price of gas :^)

Good luck trading in that gas guzzler! I see a lot of them in front yards with for sale signs on them. Well the truck stays because it pulls the horse trailer and the boat. Hubby drives his 96 Accord every day and I have the Explorer (aka rolling tack shop) that I take to the farm every morning. There is not really room to park another huge vehicle there and the truck is huge.
A moped might be the next option.
We have no car payments and the $50 I put in the Explorer won't make payments on a smaller car PLUS you still need to put gas in the new car (plus higher insurance). I cannot skip checking the horses morning and evening but have cut back on trips to town.
I don't know...is the answer.
I am more worried about filling the oil tank this winter. Last fill up was $984.

We live simi rual and have to drive to everything~~I plan my driving days out to do as many errands on one side of town as possible. My family is spread out with in a 45 mile area so I havwe to drive to see them also but not as often as usual lately. My DH is retired now so that has cute out about 75 miles a day off our gas bill and I am 1 1/2 from my work.

I, too, thought that it meant when we'd quit for good.

My thought was, "When I get run over by a truck". Which is what finished my Dad ... a few days after he did about 2,000 miles in 3 days, driving alone.

Being about 8 mi. from village, 15 mi. from city (more to downtown), I figure that I can hitch-hike on some trips, quite a bit in summer (if not raining) ... less so in fall and spring.

And in winter? I don't think so! I'll keep my car for that - as long as I can keep my licence.

I used to try to aoid unnecessary trips, do so even more, now.
__________________

Patser,

Multiply English price by 4, U.S. by 5 to get accurate comparison: 4 Imperial gallons = 5 U.S./wine? gal.

ole joyful

Won't stop, but I do limit how far I travel just to go somehwere for lunch.

I was getting all ready with some smart-alec comments... until I saw the topic wasn't what I thought! :)

Considering I drive for work, I guess I'll have to quit or get fired before I can stop driving. Yes, gas prices are making an impact on income. I sure feel the pain of truckers. $800 to fill their tank and I suppose sometimes they need to fill a couple times a day, or maybe more. And planting the crops will be far more expensive.

I went to mow the lawn the other day. Thought I'd have to make a special trip to the gas station to fill the gas can. So I decided to fill them both. When I picked up the second one, it was full! YEAH! That's like finding a $10 bill these days! Used to cost $2-$3 to fill the can. All to mow dandelions. Might be better off to blacktop the yard.