Will $4 a gallon gas hurt gas guzzler sales?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the people who buy those cars probably don’t care. They can afford to pay 25% more or even 50% more for gas. I just looked up the capacity of a Chevy Suburban and it holds 28 gallons. So at $3/gallon it costs $84 to fill the tank from empty. At $4/gallon it costs $112. So for a family that fills up once a week that’s $1456 more a year. A lot to some of us but not a factor for others. If the inflated car prices and crazy high interest rates haven’t deterred them yet, I don’t see this moving the needle for new car sales.

How are you doing the math? That's $5,824 per year, not $1,456, at $4 p/g and 4,368 at $3 p/g.

[Anonymous]

Studies show $5 plus will change drive habits and mpg considerations. Large gas guzzlers have big tanks like 22-30 gallons.

Gas prices would have to remain high for a year or longer.

[Anonymous]

Nope. I am buying a Grenadier. And my husband drives the Toyota LC...it is a hybrid that takes premium gas as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the people who buy those cars probably don’t care. They can afford to pay 25% more or even 50% more for gas. I just looked up the capacity of a Chevy Suburban and it holds 28 gallons. So at $3/gallon it costs $84 to fill the tank from empty. At $4/gallon it costs $112. So for a family that fills up once a week that’s $1456 more a year. A lot to some of us but not a factor for others. If the inflated car prices and crazy high interest rates haven’t deterred them yet, I don’t see this moving the needle for new car sales.

^This. In a K-shaped economy, the upper branch of the K have been the ones buying the Suburbans and Denalis, and they are unphased by $4 gas.

Have you been to middle America? The people buying these cars are not exactly one percenters.

DP. They may not be one percenters, but they are people who are buying $75k vehicles when they really need a $35k minivan. So you should realize that many of them have more money than you think (and probably more than you) and many at least have enough money to make exorbitant monthly payments. Even in “middle America.”

—east coast one percenter who has a minivan and two hybrids

Houses are like $68k in middle America though. Almost no expensive restaurants. They wear uniforms to work. Dang let them have a car.

Uniform people should just be bussed to work.

[Anonymous]

I live in Southern CA and $4/gallon sounds like a dream to me!
Sadly…..

Our current fuel price stands now at $6/gallon and is predicted to increase to $7/gallon by summer.

In CA, everyone needs a car since our public transportation system is not very accessible.

[Anonymous]

No their big SUVs are more important to their image than anything else.

[Anonymous]

I drive a Bolt and have had random strangers in parking lots ask me about it, so at least some people are considering EVs. Unfortunately the worst time to buy and EV is when gas is expensive.