Have higher fuel prices changed how you use your bus and How?

[kyle4501]

My first car was a '69 SS Chevelle. Who knows what the fuel mileage was, it was always empty 
My daily driver is a '95 GMC 4x4 suburban. Easy for me to get in & out of & a nice ride that I can see out of.
My current fun car is a '74 v12 jaguar sedan.
My preferred means of vacation travel involves either a motorhome or travel trailer.

When ever I'm asked what the fuel mileage is, I tell 'em I'm hoping for double digits & happy when I get close. Miles per gallon isn't nearly as important to me as fun per gallon is.

Sure I could get a car with better fuel mileage, but - either the costs of such a vehicle out weigh the fuel savings - OR - I'm riding in something I don't like. I can't justify working so hard to surround myself with stuff I don't want.

I've always felt the price of fuel was the cheapest part of owning/ using a car. Sure, I'd like lower costs, who wouldn't! But I can't understand spending time bitchin' about the high cost of fuel while I should be enjoying my vacation.

Like Cliff said, there is lots to do in your own back yard.
Like Jack said, connect your trips to minimize running back & forth.

I have noticed most waste far more than necessary. If we put more effort into planning, I'll bet most could save far more than the additional cost of fuel. We have started doing this & as a result, out trips are much more enjoyable since we are spending more time together in the planing stage & seeing the freebies that are just off the beaten path.

When you find you have a bunch of lemons, why not make lemonade?


Of course, if your hobby is bitchin & moaning, enjoy the fodder of high fuel costs! 

[TomC]

I just got back from Las Vegas. Towing the car and cruising at 58-60mph, I got 5.15mpg.  At 3.29/gallon that works out to be $325.00 worth of fuel for 4 nights.  Add in the overly priced Circus Circus KOA of $275.00 for the 4 nights (will stay else where next time-used to be $22.00/nite), and I'm still on the savings side compared to flying and staying in hotels with a rental car.  Now it costs about 64 cents/mile for fuel.  When it gets to $5.00/gallon, it will cost just about $1.00/mile-which I will still be using the bus then too.  Not only is fuel alot, but all other parts on the bus are expensive when they wear out.  Good Luck, TomC

[travelingfools]

Due to the wife's work schedule, we usually do 3 day trips, and as others have said, we've found some great places to go and stay within two or three hours of home. We will do a week or two this summer with the bus. How far we go will definitely be dictated by what we can afford in fuel.

[Dreamscape]

The only thing that will stop us taking the coach for a spin is me pushing up daisies! I'll maybe be more careful about trips, but I'm not going to let the cost of diesel stop me. I have waited for years and years to have my dream of cruising around this great land. I'd rather stay in our half finished coach than any motel on the road. I travel a lot for work, and it ain't no picnic for sure. There is nothing like sleeping in you own bed, be it on eight wheels or planted on solid ground.

And that's the truth!!!!!

[michal]

   amen!!!  I'll be burning up about $2500.00 in fuel in Jan/Feb alone-and I wouldn't travel any other way!

[boogiethecat]

I love higher fuel prices... keeps all the land barges off the road and gives me more room to drive my  old Crown!
Hee hee

I actually remember going to the gas station when I was a kid, giving the guy a DIME and getting a whole gallon of gas for my go kart for that dime! Eeek

What's more interesting is this: all throughout my life, three things have always been the same price, roughly...
a gallon of gas
a half gallon of milk
a scoop of ice cream from 31 flavors...

interesting...

G

[michal]

Sounds like a conspiracy-----we should look into it. Got to keep em in check ya know.

[Jeremy]

Diesel in the UK is currently around £1.09 per litre. Converted to US gallons (smaller than UK gallons), and converted to US dollars (using £1.00:$1.98) this equates to $8.23 per gallon.

Diesel in France, Germany and Spain is slightly cheaper than in the UK, whereas for instance Italy and Holland are quite a bit more expensive. At least in the UK travel distances are fairly short, and other life-costs (health care for instance) are much cheaper than in America.

I happened to see a car program on TV earlier today where the three presenters each bought a cheap (£100) car (a Rover, Audi and Volvo, all around 15 years old), filled them with petrol and drove them from London to Manchester and back (probably a 5 hour or so journey). In each case the total cost of the fuel and buying the car in the first place  was still less than the cost of a train ticket for the same journey. The point being - although $4.00 per gallon probably seems really expensive at the moment, even the cost doubles (and it surely will) your behaviour won't change much because (a) it will slowly enough for you to get used to it and (b) the chances are it will still represent the most convienient and/or economically viable option

Jeremy

[rcbishop]

Interesting post, Jeremy...and much thought provoking......

Thanx for the spin.

RCB

[Lee Bradley]

Diesel in the UK is currently around £1.09 per litre. Converted to US gallons (smaller than UK gallons), and converted to US dollars (using £1.00:$1.98) this equates to $8.23 per gallon.

Diesel in France, Germany and Spain is slightly cheaper than in the UK, whereas for instance Italy and Holland are quite a bit more expensive. At least in the UK travel distances are fairly short, and other life-costs (health care for instance) are much cheaper than in America.

I happened to see a car program on TV earlier today where the three presenters each bought a cheap (£100) car (a Rover, Audi and Volvo, all around 15 years old), filled them with petrol and drove them from London to Manchester and back (probably a 5 hour or so journey). In each case the total cost of the fuel and buying the car in the first place  was still less than the cost of a train ticket for the same journey. The point being - although $4.00 per gallon probably seems really expensive at the moment, even the cost doubles (and it surely will) your behaviour won't change much because (a) it will slowly enough for you to get used to it and (b) the chances are it will still represent the most convienient and/or economically viable option

Jeremy

Sounds like something those wild and crazy guys on Top Gear would do. I am looking forward to their next show on Bio-fuel.

Lee

[Jeremy]

It was Top Gear. Although I hadn't seen that show before I think it was an old one because I saw it on cable - no doubt there is a copy of it on YouTube as well

Jeremy

[Danny]

My take - I figure I am saving a good bit of money over buying a bus already completed or a factory motor home  ... So, I am trading my labor for fuel down the road!      In addition, we have talked about getting a smaller car on our next trade (instead of the SUV) to save on fuel to help pay for the bus travel. 

Danny

[bobadame]

I haven't posted here for a long time, actually haven't driven the bus since 1998. Since then fuel prices have gone up at least 200%. Also since then we have occupied Iraq for dubious reasons, OK, I'll say it, for their oil. The price seems irrelevant at to me at this point. The more important issue is to what lengths we, as a nation have gone to ensure the supply of cheap crude oil. I hate what we've done to Iraq. I could go on and on but I won't. Any way I won't buy fossil fuel for my bus until we've fixed the mess we caused in Iraq.

[lloyd4515]

When we started our bus project in 1994, fuel was a lot more affordable! We traveled as far as time would allow on vacations, White Fish Point, Michigan, Orlando, Fla, Carlsbad Caverns, Moab, Utah and numerous trips to Olathe, Colorado.... These last couple years we travel to two or three rallys, not generally over 400 miles away, and look for local destinations. Even at 8+ MPG it adds up. Also, I bought a Prius and a motorcycle!

[Melbo]

The higher price of fuel just makes it easier to rationalize a repower to a more fuel efficient ( newer ) power   plant -- Just an excuse to spend more money on something else. HEY and while I'm at it maybe a new tranny and cruise control and what the heck they mean for it to be spent gotta enjoy it while you can.

Melbo

The cost of fuel is inversely proportional to the rate of production -- raise the rate of production lower the cost -- lower the rate of production raise the cost -- get government out of the fuel business it will increase the production keep them in and here we are. We all get just one vote.