Are there any SUV drivers thinking about returning their vehicle due to possible $4/gal gas prices?

If the surge in oil prices is prolonged, U.S. consumer spending, which means more than two-thirds of overall economic activity, could be threatened. The United States consumes a quarter of the world's crude.





"If oil stays at the price it's at, you could see gasoline prices at 3.60 dollars or 4 dollars a gallon," said Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, a London-based research firm.





"It's going to have a fairly devastating impact," Ashworth was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying. High gasoline prices mean consumers have less to spend on everything else

Are there any SUV drivers thinking about returning their vehicle due to possible $4/gal gas prices?
Not really. I need the Jeep for my hobbies, (hiking, camping, fishing,) and for taking care of my brother's children when the nanny gets sick. A hybrid wouldn't work for me.





You try getting the dog, (70#) to the vet, one boy in hockey with all his gear, (the bags are huge,) to practice, another boy, (into skateboarding, and all his gear,) and a little girl into figure skating, and all her gear, to their respective practices that commence at approximately the same time into a Ford Fiesta. It ain't gonna work.





Mass transit is out, in one city, and I need to be able to commute between two that are 30 miles apart, and the mass transit of both cities blows goats, and there isn't any effective mass transit between them.





I could maybe survive with one of the larger hybrids hitting the market, but those probably aren't going to be as useful on the old mining roads I use to go camping and fishing.





So, as is, I'm barely sufficing with the Wrangler when I'm taking care of the kids, and I've got the best vehicle suited to my other needs, (urban commuting, crawling and scrambling roads that were made before my great grandfather was born, weaseling through trees and tight spaces, and areas where having four-wheel-drive is more an aid to turning rather than locomotion.)





On my budget, I can't justify the cost of a second vehicle and an insurance policy for it given rising fuel costs until we're talking $20/gal for gasoline.





The rising price annoys me as well, but it's a fact of life. When I started dipping snuff, it was 79 cents a can, it's over $5.00 a can. Look at coffee prices. Inflation is a fact of life.





So, nope. Sorry. Not giving it up.





JT
Reply:Gas IS $4 a gallon in some cities. You must live in Texas.
Reply:Dan Simmons claims gas is way to cheap.


Consider everything it does for you and your life, and then compare it to the amount of money you are willing to spend on a cup of coffee.


Gas is far more wonderful and powerful and versatile than coffee, yet ridiculously cheap!
Reply:Interesting, you use "thinking" in conjunction with "SUV drivers"





Who would want to buy the returned vehicles anyway?
Reply:first off, so called "experts" have been saying that gas prices will rise to $4 for a long time now. the truth is they have no idea. this is how a free marketplace works.





and secondly, gas could be $6 gallon and still be worth it. many people don't realize what fuel does for us. everything, from the clothes on our back to the cpu i'm using right now, has been transported using fuel in some form. simple economics will determine the price at which consumers will no longer purchase fuel. how can people complain about the price of fuel and the profit margins of oil companies when they are the ones driving the industry.





it's very difficult to listen to a "gas is too expensive" argument when we as a society drive vehicles that are too big and get awful mileage (who really needs a suv). if people truly believe that gas is too expensive, then they should drive high mileage vehicles and stop driving in excess. anything else is just complaining for sake of complaining.
Reply:I have a 2002 GMC Envoy. I get 17mpg. It is a good car. I read the sticker and I am getting what's advertised. I am not trading it in for a dinky Prius. Maybe to a Compact SUV or a Sports Car.