Gas prices drive Geos from clunkers to chic

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Gas prices drive Geos from clunkers to chic

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Looks like a 62 or 63 Plytmouth quarter panel Todd.

About gas. Drove to cottage on Georgian Bay in my 300 HP 32 valve overhead cam 11:1 compression ratio Northstar powered Cadillac. Very comfortable. Put 40 lbs air pressure in tires. Got on Hwy 400 and put car on cruise at 112 kph. Reason is two fold, experiment for fuel consumption and to avoid Fantino's vendetta against driving a car in Ontario. Set computer to calculate fuel consumption and average. Used 16.1 litres of premium to get there and averaged 8.3 litres per 100 km. This cost me $21.57 in gas for the trip. Is this bad?

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Divide the trip cost by the number of persons in the car...it always surprises me just how much work that litre of gas can do in a modern engine with a smart driver.

Gas is still a good value imop.

I drove 3 of us down to Myrtle in April. 05' Honda Oddysey. I maybe used $400 worth of gas for the entire trip, including driving around Myrtle for a week.

So for around $135 or so each to take us down and back with all our stuff (van was jam packed), that's still cheap in my books!

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

what is that in pre TRUDEAU ? mpg? doesnt sound bad!

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

I'm with Carl. I never did grasp that litres per 100km jargon. I'm still thinking in MPG even though the metric system came into effect when I was in about grade 3!

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Link has been fixed. Not sure how that happened!

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

427carl wrote:

what is that in pre TRUDEAU ? mpg? doesnt sound bad!

It is 28 mpg average. On that long downhill run just before Cookstown Mall it showed me 3 litres/100km OR 78 mpg, LOL!

Astro Jet · Poncho Master!

If people adjust their driving habits and drive more like grannies, you can get decent mileage out of just about any vehicle. Everything I've read indicates that about $30 of the current price of a barrel of oil is based on pure speculation by traders trying to drive the price up. I've seen several estimates that the price will be back down to about $100 a barrel in the fall as both demand drops off and the speculators take their profits. The point of this is most people will be able to survive the summer by adjusting their driving habits a bit and combining/shortening other trips. I'm always amazed by people who never plan their errand trips to go places consecutively, etc. Paying $7,300 for a 12 year old Geo Metro is just plain nuts and an over reaction to the current situation. Even going from a 28 mpg to 40 mpg, how long will it take to make up that $7,300 in gas savings? And don't even ask about crash survivability in one of those things! The biggest problem in the states, and also true to a certain degree here in the GTA, is that people live too far away from where they work. Gas costs aside, people who spend 2-3 hours per day commuting are just plain nuts! A couple of my friends are real estate brokers and they say there has been a huge move back to the city from the outlying burbs in the last few years. People who work downtown are actually discovering they can survive in a normal house in the city and don't need 4,000 square feet plus out in the boonies.

-- Edited by Astro Jet at 11:33, 2008-05-26

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

73SC wrote:

427carl wrote:

what is that in pre TRUDEAU ? mpg? doesnt sound bad!

It is 28 mpg average. On that long downhill run just before Cookstown Mall it showed me 3 litres/100km OR 78 mpg, LOL!

That better! excellent milage my 2000 S10 will get 29 at 70mph..

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Astro Jet wrote:

The biggest problem in the states, and also true to a certain degree here in the GTA, is that people live too far away from where they work. Gas costs aside, people who spend 2-3 hours per day commuting are just plain nuts! A couple of my friends are real estate brokers and they say there has been a huge move back to the city from the outlying burbs in the last few years. People who work downtown are actually discovering they can survive in a normal house in the city and don't need 4,000 square feet plus out in the boonies.

-- Edited by Astro Jet at 11:33, 2008-05-26

Hee Haw, takes me 6 minutes to drive to work ! Does this also mean my modest 1800 sq foot house will break $1,000,000 over the summer?

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

Astro Jet wrote:

If people adjust their driving habits and drive more like grannies, you can get decent mileage out of just about any vehicle. Everything I've read indicates that about $30 of the current price of a barrel of oil is based on pure speculation by traders trying to drive the price up. I've seen several estimates that the price will be back down to about $100 a barrel in the fall as both demand drops off and the speculators take their profits. The point of this is most people will be able to survive the summer by adjusting their driving habits a bit and combining/shortening other trips. I'm always amazed by people who never plan their errand trips to go places consecutively, etc. Paying $7,300 for a 12 year old Geo Metro is just plain nuts and an over reaction to the current situation. Even going from a 28 mpg to 40 mpg, how long will it take to make up that $7,300 in gas savings? And don't even ask about crash survivability in one of those things! The biggest problem in the states, and also true to a certain degree here in the GTA, is that people live too far away from where they work. Gas costs aside, people who spend 2-3 hours per day commuting are just plain nuts! A couple of my friends are real estate brokers and they say there has been a huge move back to the city from the outlying burbs in the last few years. People who work downtown are actually discovering they can survive in a normal house in the city and don't need 4,000 square feet plus out in the boonies.

-- Edited by Astro Jet at 11:33, 2008-05-26

I need a answer to this question.. Every day people are FILLING up, (in fear of ) gas going up tomorrow! would it not send a message, to oil companies, if we only bought 1/2 a tank ? I would bet that the resulting lower sales, would bring the price down! Filling up evey time, just makes the companies, rub their hands together, and raise it again! Am I crazy? (dont answer that) Carl Hicks

Astro Jet · Poncho Master!

73SC wrote:

Hee Haw, takes me 6 minutes to drive to work ! Does this also mean my modest 1800 sq foot house will break $1,000,000 over the summer?

OK, you got me beat, although when there is no traffic I can actually make it from my place to office in about 15 minutes. You've seen what's happening to house prices in EY, lotsa new people discovering what a great place it is to live! In my neck of the woods the tear downs and adding second stories are running rampant and a lot of those places they are asking just under the mil mark - who would have ever thought that in good 'ol East York?

BTW, it looks like my schedule has changed and I should be able to make it out to Eglinton Square on Wed. night. Do you and 65Camino ever go to Route 66 for wings? Maybe you could bring along that brochure you scanned for me a while ago?

65Camino · Uber Guru

I must live farther away from work as it took me 7 minutes this morning. Tell me about the reno's there are three on my street right now. Every block has at least one house being redone.

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

I'm doing things ass backwards here. I went from a 2 minute commute to 38 minutes!
Speaking of Geo safety: When I worked at Cami years ago I was on the M car (Metro) line. We used to joke "Jaws of life-standard equipment". The steel on those cars was so thin that an engineer told us with a straight face that the e-coat, primer and paint helped make up the structural integrity of the roof! I was in weld shop and I remember the bodies were so fragile. A guy was goofing off (can you believe it-goofing off in an auto plant?) and accidently ran into the side of a white body-thus destroying it! Your life is worth more than saving a few bucks on gas.

-- Edited by 69Laurentian at 14:37, 2008-05-26

CDN2PLS2 · Uber Guru

My old Parisienne got 26.1 last week in Brougham Comfort.305 with a Carb!

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

thats way too good of gas milage! why do people trade in thier (paid for) auto, and take on a monthly payment to "save gas" penny wise - pound foolish, I guess. biggrin

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

In the 90's we had a bad hailstorm hit our dealership. I can tell you with a straight face that Geo's where hammered bad, and the pickups parked RIGHT next to the Geo's had maybe 1 or 2 dents per panel!!! We could hardly believe the difference. Actually, I can't tell you with a straight face. It still makes me laugh when I remember looking at the 2 side by side and seeing one beat up and one almost perfect!

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

You should see what happens when said Geo hits said truck!

eeluddy · Uber Guru

Maybe i should look for a 6 cyl. instead of rebuilding the 455

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

eeluddy wrote:

Maybe i should look for a 6 cyl. instead of rebuilding the 455

NEVER!!! Bury me broke but happy!

67BBSD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I worked at a General Motors body shop in the early 1990's, when a Geo had front end collision damage, we often unbolted several key items under the hood, then actually grabbed the rad support with our two hands and pulled it back in place, set the hood down to see that it fit and bolt the parts back on ! talk about precise frame equipment !

I can remeber trying to fix a wind noise on the driver's door of one, pulling in on the window frame would usually do it, but once I lowered the glass-the window frame was now at a 90 degree angle to the door !

My wife drives an LT1 94 buick roadmaster, comfort and power to spare-24 mpg highway, 20 city-I had a 99 sunfire briefly this winter got 27 mpg-sorry I'll take the roadmaster ! now driving a 91 305 woody wagon seems to be getting better than the LT1 !

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

You have likely noticed in my signature that we share a similar interest in daily drivers!

My brother drives a twin to your wagon except for his being an LT1 like your wifes car.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

67BBSD wrote:

I worked at a General Motors body shop in the early 1990's, when a Geo had front end collision damage, we often unbolted several key items under the hood, then actually grabbed the rad support with our two hands and pulled it back in place, set the hood down to see that it fit and bolt the parts back on ! talk about precise frame equipment !

I can remeber trying to fix a wind noise on the driver's door of one, pulling in on the window frame would usually do it, but once I lowered the glass-the window frame was now at a 90 degree angle to the door !

My wife drives an LT1 94 buick roadmaster, comfort and power to spare-24 mpg highway, 20 city-I had a 99 sunfire briefly this winter got 27 mpg-sorry I'll take the roadmaster ! now driving a 91 305 woody wagon seems to be getting better than the LT1 !

love the woddy wagon ! very nice! what gears in it 2.41? 2.56?

67BBSD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

What happens if you have a Geo Metro convertible ? ? ?