Seems to me I read Tuesday & Wednesday....but I have watched prices and find they don't necessarily jump before the weekend; sometimes the Forces That Be encourage prices to be higher midweek than on a Saturday...

Keeping your car well maintained - tires at correct pressure, clean air filter, tuned up, etc, makes quite a difference too. The last time I got a tune up, I measured MPG for several tankfulls before the tune up & several afterwards. I got almost 2 MPG better mileage after! And it wasn't even like the truck was running poorly before or anything.

Ditto on low tires. They can eat up gasoline like you would not believe!

Also - check your manual. Do not use higher grade gas unless your car requires it. Even though higher octane SOUNDS like a good deal, it can actually make your car run worse, if your car was designed for lower octane. Worth pulling out the manual.

Very true. I have converted a few people I work with in the past week. Now that regular unleaded is over $2 a gallon, they were talking about "needing" premium -- at almost $2.30 a gallon. Their cars' manuals didn't call for premium, but they were using it anyhow, thinking it was better for the car. It isn't. It's just a waste of money unless the owner's manual calls for it or if the car "pings" when you accelerate.

My favorite gas-saving tip: Shut the engine off in bank and fast-food drive-ups, or other waiting situations, such as waiting for a train at a railroad crossing. I can't believe how many people let their car idle for minute after minute in these situations, burning up gasoline and creating pollution, yet going nowhere.

Walk.

Or ride a bike.

joyful

I think Ed has something there. If we all cut back (note I am not talking about the one day boycott that will not work), demand will decrease and supply will increase. If everything goes according to how it should then prices should fall. Kathy (who unfortunately lives too far away from anything to walk or bike all the time)

Kathy, I think you summed it all up pretty well in what you put in parenthesis: Most of us drive because we have to travel to places which are too far to walk or bicycle.

I've definitely cut down on my trips, running back and forth to town. I try to consolidate errands when I go out. I am probably using half the gas that I was before it went so high. Maybe less than that. Still hate paying that price tho.

I know it's true for a lot of people. I have cut down on short trips and canceled plans for longer ones. When I fill up with gas, I try to preserve what's in there as long as possible because I know the next time I'll be paying even more.

They say in news articles that demand has been unaffected by the high prices. I don't believe that. I think it will be affected, but it may take a little while to show up.

Sell the Hummer and buy a Prius.

Drive a car with a standard transmission.

A couple of months from now it will have been seven years since I bought the little 1990 Dodge Colt, around seven years of age at the time, that had 138,000 kms. (about 87,000 mi.) on the odometer.

It turned up 288,000 km. the other day.

I went to visit the person who sold it to me, owner of a body shop and friend of over 30 years, to thank him for having sold me a car that has given me 150,000 km. of service without major trouble (until recently) - for about $2,700.

Bonus ... he took me and another friend out to lunch just after.

He said that he had something to show me ...

... took me about 6 blocks to a used car dealer friend who has a 2 year old Cavalier, 2.2 litre engine, standard transmission, that he's having a hard time selling because, " ... nobody wants a standard transmission". It has about 31,000. km. (under 20,000 mi.) on the odometer, some factory warranty left.

He'll sell it to me for somewhat under $10,000.

I'm tempted.

Standard trasmission vehicles use less gas ... and are easy to drive.

Remember a couple of years ago when I was going to North Carolina to a reunion of former Korea missionaries, my starter quit near Detroit, and I drove from Detroit to Peoria with no starter?

If I'd been driving an automatic transmission car, I'd have returned home (or had it fixed at my cousin's garage, whom I was visiting a the time). Driving a small vehicle with standard transmission, I figured that there was a good chance that I could get someone to help push and get it started, in case I had to stop it. By the way - the only time that I turned it off during that trip was when I could park it on (even a small) hill.

Stopping at a rest area, with no hill, I was glad that I carried an extra key, so that I could leave the engine running in a locked car while I brought myself a sense of relief - without adding further to my stress by leaving a car running with door unlocked.

Hope you're all having a great week.

ole joyful

P.S. Friend says that, since the Cavalier should go 400,000 kms., if I take seven years to add another 150,00 km., to 181,000, that I'll be 82 by then, adding another 150,000 km. would be 331,000, with me at about age 89 (suppose I keep driving at my current rate, rather improbable) ... so it could well be the last car that I'd need to buy.

How do you like them apples?

oj

It's not a good idea to buy a standard transmission car unless you're planning, like Ed, to drive it into the ground. As he said, "nobody wants a standard transmission," and that means it'll be very hard to resell. If you trade it in, you;ll get a much lower value for it.

It's actually too bad because standard transmissions are easy enough to operate and do save on gas. But you have to face the fact that few people want them and the resale market is about zip.

The only exception to this is sports car. A lot of potential sports car buyers still prefer a ST because you can get better performance shifting the gears yourself.

Maxwell,

Maybe, if I buy it, it'll drive me into the ground, as well.

Another way to save gas:

imagine you're driving your car shoeless (at least, your right foot).

Imagine also that you have a raw egg placed between your foot on the throttle and the accelerator.

Pushing hard could lead to substantial regret.

Rapid acceleration is a gas eater.

Another suggestion:

drive a long way ahead - when you see a signal light go yellow more than half a block away - foot off of the throttle.

I can't believe how many people roar past me, then a few feet ahead of me, on goes the brake light and they slow down rather sharply.

Dumb.

By the way - following my suggestion will save on brake repairs, as well.

Cheapskates will appreciate that.

Driving quite a way ahead like that is important for safety reasons, as well.

Have a memorable week, all.

ole joyful

On the 5-speed manual truck I own right now (2003 Chevy S10), according to Edmunds.com, not having the automatic means my truck is currently worth $528 less than it would be if it did have an automatic. However, the truck when I bought it new would have cost $1,000 more if it had been equipped with an automatic. So, in actuality, not having the automatic means my vehicle has retained a higher percentage of its original value, not a lower percentage. Except for one automatic, all of the vehicles I've ever owned (both cars and trucks) have had manual transmissions, and I have found this to be true each time -- the manual transmission actually has better resale value than the automatic, once you consider that the price of the manual transmission vehicle was at least $800 to $1,000 less.

However, on the fuel economy issue, it's a mixed blessing, for sure. A skilled driver with a manual transmission can often do better with a manual than with an automatic, but someone who does not drive the manual transmission well can easily do far worse. Automatics today are very good, and there are even a few vehicles out there where the automatic has higher EPA fuel economy ratings than the manual.

I just like driving manual transmissions. In my opinion that's the only reason a person should get one. If you don't enjoy shifting gears, you'll regret having it and will probably not shift all that well, resulting in poor economy and excessive wear on the whole drivetrain.

I'm with cowboy, I really prefer driving a manual transmission. My whole life the only automatics I've had were big old/vintage American cars. I even had a '64 Ford truck for years with the old "three on the tree" 3 speed manual!

I believe the resale value b/c of the type of transmission you have won't only depend on the type of car, but location too. They seemed much more common in Colorado, when I lived there. I moved to SE MI (near Flint) and since everyone is used to GM cars here, hardly anyone even knows how to drive a 5-speed. When I was shopping for a Saab, the dealer here told me he never even ordered any 5-speeds in because nobody would buy them here.

And if you have to replace the tranny or have work done, aren't manuals much less expensive than automatics?

Yes, I see it more as a problem of not finding any buyer at all rather a question of return on investment. Most drivers do not know how to operate a manual transmission and have no interest in learning to master this skill. Even ones who do know how may still be reluctant to buy a used car with an MT because other drivers in the family won't be able to drive it, or because they know how difficult they are to resell.

I enjoy driving MT cars on the freeway or on open country roads. In stop-and-go traffic, however, they're a pain in the butt, and I'm afraid that's where most cars spend a good part of their time. Roads are more congested than ever before and the problem's only getting worse. More and more models of new cars come with an automatic transmission as standard equipment, and an MT isn't even offered. MTs are going the way of non-power assisted steering an dbrakes. Or crank starters, for that matter.

I don't think manual transmissions are going to be phased out anytime soon. Even here in the U.S., where the majority of the public has preferred automatics for over 30 years, new vehicle lines like the new Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon can be bought with manual transmissions. And this is from a U.S. company selling a truck primarily intended for the U.S. market. In Europe, most drivers wouldn't dream of buying an automatic; they see them as suitable only for a very large luxury car or someone without the full use of both arms and legs. As far as selling them, it's never been a problem for me. In fact, I've found that a lot of people specifically want to find a manual in a used car because, as Carina said, they do last longer and cost less to repair than automatics.

But again, I'm not trying to sell anyone on them. I did that once to a friend who was looking at small trucks. I told him that if he was getting a 4-cylinder, the 5-speed would have better power and economy, and he should get it. Well, he hated driving it, and his wife wouldn't drive it at all. They traded it for an automatic. So, they're great for those like Carina and me who like them, but if someone is even halfway not sure they'll like it, I'd say to opt for the automatic.

Hi all,

Is it true that those who drive automatics ...

... can be said to be "shiftless"?

Have a great summer weekend, all.

ole joyful