Quote:
Originally Posted by Arragonis
It would be interesting to see some kind of comparison between average FE and fuel costs adjusted to a common currency - Euro or USD.
Maybe also including mean income.
EDIT - I meant to add it may answer some questions about how costs affect purchasing decisions.
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I'll be honest with you. I went over to the UK in the summer of 2007 and hired a Saab 9.5 TDI Estate Car for my trip (I was traveling with a bike, so I needed a larger car). Despite the mediocre mileage of 36-40mpg and the high price of diesel at the time of 1.30 (pounds, not dollars, but I can't figure out how to make that symbol), I brought my US attitude and didn't care. We're raised with a sense of entitlement and a culture of 'freedom is the open road' that we (as a society in general) rarely even think about how much we're using. It's not likely to change until fuel prices stabilize over $4.50 a gallon or more and even then, only for those who make less than $75k/year. For the rest, it's a right they intent to take full advantage of because they can.
These short spikes in prices really do little to change where people buy their homes, where they choose to work, and what kind of car they drive. All signs are pointing toward this price spike is nearing the end of its course and it saddens me that soon we'll be back under $3.25/gallon and people will be back to buying Suburbans and pick ups they don't use*. It doesn't bode well for any of our future.
*I have no problem with those who own Suburbans and haul around a crew of six or seven all day long or a pick up truck that sees a load of stuff every day. I just have concerns when there's folks having a hard time putting food on the table on the other side of the world because the excessive unnecessary demand in the US forces up energy costs, which in turn forces up food costs.