Do we need a dedicated thread about me and other peoples' wives?
No, no we do not.
Do we need a thread about my failed jokes?
[sob]
I do not know if there are any categories where one can predict the future, but since 1932 - 1940 gas prices have had huge cycles, but definitely an overall upward trend. However, accounting for inflation, it got cheaper and cheaper until 1998, and got increasingly more expensive since then. $1.02 in 1998 ($1.48 inflated) compared to $2.737 today, that is an average of an 8.2¢ increase every year for twenty-one years!
I am sure there are people that think that gas prices will stay "low" indefinitely, but I have never heard anyone make that claim.
I keep seeing comments on here that gas prices will go back up again and everyone will be sorry, but it seems the point where gas prices cause changes in behavior are always higher than we would expect--and short-lived.
Fuel economy seems to increase year after year, although I cannot find a neat table like for gas prices, but that took altogether too much searching. I found this:
Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Light Duty Vehicles
I would make a nice and neat graph, but my various versions of Office are not cooperating.
I know that Prius fanboys talk give anecdotal evidence of hybrid batteries lasting ridiculously long times, but there are also ones that fail under warranty.
Many people on here say that hybrids compensate for lazy driving.
This is the most recent article that I can find about hybrid ROI:
The Cost Of Driving A Hybrid
They say a hybrid starts to save you money after 4.5 - 11.9 years and the traction battery needs to be replaced after about 12 years (YMMV).
Is a Yaris comparable with a Prius One?
This lets me compare hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the same car:
Can a Hybrid Save Me Money?
I just looked at the Corolla. The hybrid is exactly $3,000 more than the standard version, but somehow gets 57.
57% better fuel economy.
It says the ROI is 6.6 years, but 7.2 if you consider interest on the additional loan amount.
Of course, electric fanboys talk about batteries being vastly better and cheaper in a short period of time.
I would not purchase a hybrid and count on that.
Do you guys expect gas prices to rise faster than fuel economy or visa-versa?
How much do you think fuel economy has improved on gas-only cars?