[grundle]

The free market is so much better and more effective than price controls, government rationing, gasoline lines, CAFE standards, etc.

[SIDENET]

August was the dealer group's best month yet for Hyundai sales.

Of course, Hyundai has killed off their 3-door Accent model for 2006. Way to go.

[gondramB]

This is three similar articles you've started this morning... it's hard to know where to comment.

But basically I don't think $3 a gallon is that high. It was already $2 20 years ago when I was high school.

I'm more concerned about the economic effect on businesses with already tight margins - like airlines.

[Boundless]

> ... Some drivers are trading in full-size SUVs and
> trucks for smaller vehicles with better mileage, ...

And they need to do their homework, and NOT rely on the
EPA mpg ratings. According to Consumer Reports, most
hybrids get nothing like their EPA mpgs in real driving,
with some far worse than comparable small-engine gasoline
cars. And battery performance can drop dramatically in
the winter.

If you don't live in a state run by tree huggers, the
VW TDIs are worth a look. Our "45 mpg" Jetta gets a
reliable 38 mpg year-over-year. And being turbos, TDIs
move sprightly when you need them to.

[11Bush]

You are quickly turning into the Willie Green of gas prices. Five posts on the same subject in less than 10 minutes. LOL!

[DustyMoment]

Old news. Everytime gas prices have climbed into new record territory, people start buying smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles - often trading their gas-guzzler in on the smaller car.

Then, when gas prices fall (as they invariably do) people begin abandoning their smaller cars for the larger ones because they like the roominess and power of the larger cars.

This story is the same as the beginning of the school year stories when the news organizations have nothing else better to do than recycle old news and remind everyone that school is starting . . . blah, blah, blah . . . . kids and buses, blah, blah, blah . . . police enforcement of school zones, etc.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

[SunTzuWu]

I don't see the price jump as that big a deal. I burn about a tank a week. In my '99 Silverado that's 26 gal. per week. At $2 per gal. I spend $52 on fuel. At $3 per gal. I spend $78 a week, for a difference of $26 a week and $104 per month. If your budget is so tight that $100 per month is going to break you, then you are living WAY beyond your means. It means that ANY bump in spending will cause you harm. How the hell would you pay for a new set of tires, or a trip to the hospital, or even go on a date once a month.

In short I think that gas prices, while high, are not the disaster that most folks make it out to be. Most of their pain comes from poor financial planning.

[Pessimist]

"I don't see a lot of people going from an SUV to a four-door sedan,"

Not too suprising. Once you've had a high riding vehicle, its hard to consider a car again. I drove a Bonco II from 1990 to 2000, and although it would be considered absolutely tiny by today's standards, I still loved it.

I didn't go w/ an SUV this time around because the prices were outrageous. But I still went w/ a Ranger because I couldn't imagine not being able to see a little further down the highway. (That, and it was cheap, relatively economical and rear wheel drive).

[Regulator]

Just another SUV

[DTogo]

I'm definitely considering something that gets 30+mpg next time around, hybrid or otherwise.

[Logical me]

SUV serves a very important use to those of us that are 6'4" and over. How in the hell do I fit in a compact car. I bought one and had to put the seat back as far as it will go and recline it slightly for my 245 lb body. I get in the little piece of crap and is drops at least 2 inches on the driver side. I have often felt sorry for the back seat occupant with 6" of leg space. What a piece of crap. Had to purchase a van conversion for whenever I haul more than a passenger and myself. Just stop the crap and leave us alone. We do know what we are doing, and I gladly pay the price.

[yankeedame]

Some drivers are trading in full-size SUVs and trucks for smaller vehicles with better mileage, after pump prices rose dramatically about a month ago.

This is just temporary -- meaning months instead of forever and ever. In time people will become resigned to high(er) gasoline prices, make fincial adjustments in their budgets, and then slowly start once again buying what "they" condescendingly refere to as "Gas Guzzlers".

Why? Because some people simply need them, and some people merely want one...and it is their money.

[The Great RJ]

Ronald Reagan said it best... markets work governments don't.

You don't have to be an economist to recognize that that $40,000 Hummer in your driveway costs you an arm and a leg to drive regardless of the price of gas. Try replacing tires on one of these behemoths...close to $150/tire. Lots of luck trying to trade one...most dealers would be reluctant to give you anything.

[DakotaRed]

So, what they are really admitting is that the Free Market actually does work? Auto makers build what the public wants. They do not force any vehicle on the public.

The only vehicles I see being forced upon us is the new hybrids. Just wait util the public discovers what they cost to maintain over their life.