"RG" wrote in message
.. .


Now you're dancing. Humor me. What could consumers do to reduce the need
to manufacture so many vehicles?

Drive them less, maintain them better. In other words, make them last
longer.


How about changing what they buy, and HOW they buy? Perhaps leasing should
be on the hit list, at least for non-business customers. That almost
guarantees that someone won't hang onto a car very long. Some cars are still
babies when they're two years old, so selling them used is easy. Others are
known to be middle aged at 2 years, and you can see them lined up at any
dealership, collecting dust. That's wasteful.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
om...

If you personally have the ability to influence one of those factors,
and you are bothered by rising prices, do you think it makes no sense
at all to do your part to effect a change? I'm curious, because I'll
bet you call yourself patriotic.


*Effect* a change?

Yes. It's correct.

I did not say otherwise. I used the *'s for emphasis.




You start. Sell your boat, cars and other equipment powered by
gasoline engines. Let us know when are done with that simple task.


Another giant of a thinker. Where in this discussion do you think I
suggested that people get rid of their vehicles? Find the text and
present it as evidence of your conclusion.


You made no such proposal. I made one to you however.

You want to effect a change. Go ahead and start by doing what I
suggested. ;-)


Since this country, for the most part, is in the dark ages in terms of
city design and transportation, it would obviously be impossible for us to
get rid of cars completely.


Perhaps, but then again we could also start riding horses again.

But as was asked earlier of you..........do you really need that boat and
lawn tractor? How about the snow blower?

Come on Doug, do you want to effect a change or not? You have to lead by
setting an example.

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...


As far as the 40 mpg hybrids you keep mentioning, you need to stop that.
According to two people I know who own them, Escalades get 12-14 mpg on a
good day. A Camry or an Impala get numbers in the high 20s - low 30s. I
wasn't a math whiz in high school, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but
I *think* that's about twice the gas mileage of an Escalade.




A 40 mpg hybrid, a Camry or an Impala are not suitable to tow a 5000 lb
boat to the launch site.
A F-350 diesel pickup that gets 16-18 mpg is, among many other uses.

RCE



I never suggested that someone who needs to tow should own anything but a
vehicle capable of doing it.

Maybe we should check here and see what we both believe, based on our own
observations. I'll use the word "truck" here to mean actual trucks, SUVs,
Humjobs, etc. Now: For every 100 trucks you see, what percentage do you
think actually tow anything, or, for that matter, to do ANYTHING that only a
truck can do? To assist with the answer, think about two things. First,
think about how trucks are sold in commercials - how they portray the
customers, and the activities shown. Second, think back to the 1960s -
1970s. Do you have any memory of how many trucks you'd see in parking lots,
compared to what you see now? I'm not talking about the parking lot of a
hunting lodge - I'm talking about places which represent a more average
selection of drivers.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RG" wrote in message
.. .


Now you're dancing. Humor me. What could consumers do to reduce the need
to manufacture so many vehicles?

Drive them less, maintain them better. In other words, make them last
longer.


How about changing what they buy, and HOW they buy? Perhaps leasing
should be on the hit list, at least for non-business customers. That
almost guarantees that someone won't hang onto a car very long. Some cars
are still babies when they're two years old, so selling them used is easy.
Others are known to be middle aged at 2 years, and you can see them lined
up at any dealership, collecting dust. That's wasteful.


But aren't the people buying used cars reducing the amount of new cars to be
manufactured?

(this is fun)

RCE

" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
. ..


Come on Doug, do you want to effect a change or not? You have to lead by
setting an example.





Go play stupid with someone else. Maybe your stapler is interested.

How about changing what they buy, and HOW they buy? Perhaps leasing
should be on the hit list, at least for non-business customers. That
almost guarantees that someone won't hang onto a car very long. Some cars
are still babies when they're two years old, so selling them used is easy.
Others are known to be middle aged at 2 years, and you can see them lined
up at any dealership, collecting dust. That's wasteful.

The changing of what they buy is happening right now, this very minute.
Trust me, dealerships across the nation will be having brisk business this
week from people trading in high fuel consuming vehicles for more economical
ones. The motivator? None other than high fuel prices. The machinery of a
free market system in perfect motion.

Leasing has provisions to deal with the issue as well. Leasing companies
right now are no doubt lowering the expected residual factors on high fuel
consumption cars and trucks. This will increase the monthly payments to new
lessees, thereby reducing demand. As a side note, the car that I owned the
longest of any was a car that I originally leased and then bought at the end
of the lease term. Total of seven years, which is a very long time for me.

"RCE" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"RG" wrote in message
.. .


Now you're dancing. Humor me. What could consumers do to reduce the
need to manufacture so many vehicles?

Drive them less, maintain them better. In other words, make them last
longer.


How about changing what they buy, and HOW they buy? Perhaps leasing
should be on the hit list, at least for non-business customers. That
almost guarantees that someone won't hang onto a car very long. Some cars
are still babies when they're two years old, so selling them used is
easy. Others are known to be middle aged at 2 years, and you can see them
lined up at any dealership, collecting dust. That's wasteful.


But aren't the people buying used cars reducing the amount of new cars to
be manufactured?

(this is fun)

RCE


It *should* reduce waste, assuming the manufacturers don't keep pumping out
so many new ones that they also sit on the lots for a year at a time.
Unfortunately, they do.

JohnH wrote:
On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 02:13:10 GMT, Don White wrote:


tillius wrote:



Don't worry. Enough folks already know what Harry and the rest of you
socialist Demoncraps are trying to do.

Till


Like maybe.. save your country and your sorry *ss for you?


Don, if the US had a severe shortage of gas, would Canada not be affected?
--
'Til next time,

John H


Yes. Even though we should be able to provide enough for our own needs,
the provinces producing same expect to receive the 'world price' ...not
a made in Canada price. Your shortages drive up our prices.
As a matter of fact, our only refinery in Nova Scotia gets it's oil from
Venezuela
http://tinyurl.com/f9q3t

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
...


Come on Doug, do you want to effect a change or not? You have to lead
by setting an example.





Go play stupid with someone else. Maybe your stapler is interested.


Personal attacks and insults only show you have nothing left to argue with.

Now I could call you a bleeding heart hypocrite who wants everyone else but
himself to change...........but I won't. ;-)

"RG" wrote in message
. ..

How about changing what they buy, and HOW they buy? Perhaps leasing
should be on the hit list, at least for non-business customers. That
almost guarantees that someone won't hang onto a car very long. Some cars
are still babies when they're two years old, so selling them used is
easy. Others are known to be middle aged at 2 years, and you can see them
lined up at any dealership, collecting dust. That's wasteful.

The changing of what they buy is happening right now, this very minute.
Trust me, dealerships across the nation will be having brisk business this
week from people trading in high fuel consuming vehicles for more
economical ones. The motivator? None other than high fuel prices. The
machinery of a free market system in perfect motion.

Yep. My brother in law sells new cars....Fords. He is selling Focus's and
Fusion's like crazy while the pickup trucks and SUV's on the lot collect
dust.