If gas reaches $X I will sell my 4runner

[m85476585]

Just for fun, I'm wondering what gas price (USD per US gallon) people can tolerate before they sell (or stop driving) their 4runners? (poll)

For me, I would probably get a second little car for most of my driving if gas reached $5-6 for an extended period, and I would probably get rid of the 4runner before it reached $10 a gallon if there was no signs of it going back down (like, if the middle east runs out).

 

[awdjunkies]

For me personally, I wouldn't go as far as selling it. But I wouldn't drive it as much as my other vehicles.

 

[having fun]

You for see something we all don't know,
Like VP of Exxon?

I would have to find a second DD to curb the cost
if it got to far out there.
It's bad enough my work truck gets 6mpg and do 2-2.5k miles a week with it.

 

[wkeryder4]

I would just buy a DD. I already wouldn't mind having a DD right now. Not because of gas but because a lot of the things I want to do to my 4runner aren't practical for a DD.

 

[t-man]

I need it for work and it still gets better gas mileage than a full size truck, even with the 35's, so you can pry it from my cold dead hands *****esss!!! I may need to buy stock in oil....

 

[paddlenbike]

I did stop daily driving mine when gas hit $5/gal. I won't sell it because it supports my lifestyle, but now I drive daily on dirt cheap electricity.

The fuel savings completely pays the lease cost.

 

[m85476585]

You for see something we all don't know,
Like VP of Exxon?

I would have to find a second DD to curb the cost
if it got to far out there.
It's bad enough my work truck gets 6mpg and do 2-2.5k miles a week with it.

No, but there is a limited supply of oil. They are pumping it out faster now, so it will run out faster. I have no idea how long it will last, maybe 10 years or 100. But the price has to go up eventually. From what I've read it sounds like it will be low for the near future, maybe even a few years. But the oil producing countries/companies will probably get greedy and do whatever they can to raise the price.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

There's been strides in artificial gasoline via microbes and other sources. Its a matter of refining the process and making it cost effective, which I will assume is something that will become more prevalent/available as oil dries up in the transition to a better infrastructure. Electric vehicles won't be a main stay for a couple decades and even now getting even a moderate number of them to replace the existing fuel burning fleet is a daunting task because of the US's decrepit and poor infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt to match the demands that EVs place on cities and power districts in such large quantities. Not to mention better battery technology and charging systems (those I'm not as concerned by as they get better every year)

All that being said, you can pry the steering wheel from my cold, dead hands; if anything I will actively continue to build the 4Runner and protect it against EMP (may even have an older vehicle set-up for true "non-computerized" operation if it gets that bad.) While I ain't running around with a Tin Foil hat, I am very aware of how reliant today's world is on something that is extremely fragile and easily taken down by an EMP that can be easily generated via non-nuclear sources these days; so.. yeah whole lotta good that electric car does when the ECMs are fried; better to have a back-up collecting dust and never need it than to be SOL when you're pants are on the ground in my opinion.

<-- Over thinks everything and tries to account for all variables.

 

[NuclearN8]

I chuckle when some people suggest buying a second car is saving them money overall (by spending less on gas). This is the same logic my wife uses when she gets a 20% coupon in the mail but only if you spend $200 do you qualify "I saved $40 honey", "um yeah but you spent $160! haha"...
In other words, you're not saving money by buying another car, you're spending money. Likely more than or equal to the same amount as if you just drove the 4Runner with whatever gas prices (unless of course you have some ridiculous 100 mile commute each way to work).

Gas prices don't effect my vehicle selection.

Oddly enough I'm waiting for the oil companies to start investing heavily into the hybrid automotive market (this will be the first indication the oil is running out in their internal forecasts, when they start to seriously diversify their R&D money to alternative forms of energy to power cars) This will allow them to continue to profit once the oil is gone... follow the money. Make no mistake, the oil companies drive the vehicles that are released for production.

off my soapbox.

 

[Sporin]

I put $6.

Our other car is a Prius and I bought the 4Runner this spring when gas prices were close to $4/gallon here in northern New England.

The 4Runner's usefulness as a second vehicle for certain uses and conditions basically transcends gas price for us given our fuel-sipping alternative.

 

[black4vcobra]

I put $6 but wouldn't sell but at that price, though I would greatly cutback on driving it and buy a beater car. I would probably sell it at $8 though

 

[AKmoney]

Just to stir the pot, maybe I'll take the opposite approach. How about I sell it when it hits $1.75? (Where I live it's still $2.50-ish for regular unleaded). That way I'll get the most money for it. "Oh, you *definitely want the V8... look how cheap gas has gotten!" People have short memories when it comes to gas prices.

 

[Climb14er]

When I bought the 4Runner is December 2006, fuel was approx the same it is right now... $1.62 here in Denver.

The highest I paid for fuel was in the summer of 2010 when I paid $4.29 up in Wyoming, thirty miles from the huge Sinclair Refinery, east of Rawlins on the way up to the Wind Rivers.

That's been the range so far.

I doubt if the fuel price will get that high this year so there's room to enjoy the lower prices.

If it gets to the $6.00-7.00-8.00+ range... then I will consider going smaller and more fuel efficient.

 

[wadle5]

I chuckle when some people suggest buying a second car is saving them money overall (by spending less on gas). This is the same logic my wife uses when she gets a 20% coupon in the mail but only if you spend $200 do you qualify "I saved $40 honey", "um yeah but you spent $160! haha"...
In other words, you're not saving money by buying another car, you're spending money. Likely more than or equal to the same amount as if you just drove the 4Runner with whatever gas prices (unless of course you have some ridiculous 100 mile commute each way to work).

Gas prices don't effect my vehicle selection.

Oddly enough I'm waiting for the oil companies to start investing heavily into the hybrid automotive market (this will be the first indication the oil is running out in their internal forecasts, when they start to seriously diversify their R&D money to alternative forms of energy to power cars) This will allow them to continue to profit once the oil is gone... follow the money. Make no mistake, the oil companies drive the vehicles that are released for production.

off my soapbox.

Totally get the wife shopping argument...:frusty:

But in regards to get a daily our reasoning is get a cheap beater to put high stress city miles on that and keep it off of our roadtrip overland vehicle. So for us it kind of makes more sense....just saying.

Also as everyone else has said I won't sell it I would just drive it less and use the other car.

Cheers

 

[bpowa]

I messed up my vote.. I voted you can pry it off my hands.

As im typing this I will likely sell it at 7 bucks a gallon. Because if it fluctuates it will be back around 5ish bucks and at that point I remember having flashbacks when prices were floating around that range. I was driving my TJ at the time and dreaded it.

When it goes to 5 bucks a gallon, I may just ride my motorcycle and commute for a bit, and wait to see if gas prices drop back down. I will always have a 4x4 vehicle with clearance. Even if I dont drive it. I will use it to run over prius and nissan leaf's, when the zombie Apocalypse takes place.

 

[paddlenbike]

I chuckle when some people suggest buying a second car is saving them money overall (by spending less on gas). This is the same logic my wife uses when she gets a 20% coupon in the mail but only if you spend $200 do you qualify "I saved $40 honey", "um yeah but you spent $160! haha"...
In other words, you're not saving money by buying another car, you're spending money.

I will just assume you are directing this comment at me, and I assure you it can work. A Nissan Leaf is so cheap to lease and so cheap to drive that not only does it offset my fuel costs, I have a neat little brand new car to drive around while my 4Runner can sit in the garage and not depreciate further.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I chuckle when some people suggest buying a second car is saving them money overall (by spending less on gas). This is the same logic my wife uses when she gets a 20% coupon in the mail but only if you spend $200 do you qualify "I saved $40 honey", "um yeah but you spent $160! haha"...
In other words, you're not saving money by buying another car, you're spending money. Likely more than or equal to the same amount as if you just drove the 4Runner with whatever gas prices (unless of course you have some ridiculous 100 mile commute each way to work).

That's not entirely true, it depends on how much you drive and how much you spend.

I currently have a DD that is a Mazda B2300 pickup I bought for $2000 in 2013 (basically a 4 cyl Ford Ranger with a nicer interior and a slightly different grille.) It gets between 24 - 26 MPG driving to work (about a 25 mile round trip.)

I'll be honest and admit that it doesn't necessarily "save money" by the time you factor in the cost to buy, to maintain, register, insure, etc a second car.

However, there are some tangible benefits that can save money, for example, the tires on my DD cost $48 each. The BFGs that I put on my 4runner cost $213 each. Having a DD not only saves me a bit on gas (in Winter my MPG tends to drop to around 15 vs 25 for the DD) but it also keeps me from grinding my expensive tires down going to and from work.

Also I can have the 4runner torn down for work or at the shop and not have to worry about borrowing or renting a 2nd vehicle.

Having a small truck as the 2nd vehicle means that if I need to pick up some lumber, cement, fertilizer, wood chips, move furniture, etc, I can use my beater Mazda instead of my nice 4runner. And if the Mazda gets a dent in it, so what (believe me, it's got a bunch in it now!)

Finally, by having a DD I'm not running up the mileage on my 4runner to get to and from work, and that means that when it comes time to sell, I'll be able to get more for it because most people would pay more for a vehicle with 140,000 miles on it than they would on a vehicle that has 210,000.

Previously my DD was a little 4 door sedan, a Protégé that had 208,000 miles on it when I bought it for $900. Drove that for 2 1/2 years and although I ended up having to put an engine in it (at a cost of about $2k) it was still running great when I sold it in 2013. And it got 35 MPG on a pretty regular basis.

I realize the 2 vehicle solution doesn't work for everybody. If you live in an apartment where parking space is tight, or if you live in an area where rust eats cars alive and anything more than 10 years old is a rusty pile of crap, then the "buy a cheap beater" plan doesn't work. But it works for me and I enjoy both saving $$ at the pump and not putting excessive miles on my 4runner just getting to and from work. :shrug:

EDITED TO ADD: Forgot the other nice thing about having the DD. It has a manual transmission, more fun to drive. :

 

[wkeryder4]

I chuckle when some people suggest buying a second car is saving them money overall (by spending less on gas). This is the same logic my wife uses when she gets a 20% coupon in the mail but only if you spend $200 do you qualify "I saved $40 honey", "um yeah but you spent $160! haha"...
In other words, you're not saving money by buying another car, you're spending money. Likely more than or equal to the same amount as if you just drove the 4Runner with whatever gas prices (unless of course you have some ridiculous 100 mile commute each way to work).

If I didn't care about owning my 4runner and doing the things it lets me do then yeah I would sell it. I would already have sold it to get a 4 cylinder pickup truck that gets 28mpg. I want to keep my 4runner so I would look for a way to save money while keeping my 4runner. That means I would buy a cheap daily driver.

 

[BillyBoost]

I purchased the 4Runner so I can pull my RZR around. So it is a toy pulling a toy. My VW is the one I used most of the time, it is much more fun to drive on the street and track.

I get about 27 mpg on in the VW on the highway.

The Polaris 900XP gets 12 mpg

 

[ebg18t]

I don't know what the point is. But to me I am going to drive anyways so I mind as well enjoy driving what ever vehicle it is.

If I worried too much about gas prices I would be able to have toys, without toys life is no fun!