The Idiocy of Americans: Rinse, Repeat edition

"505Turbeaux" (505turbeaux) 01/19/2015 at 08:14 • Filed to: None

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Cheap gas! Why do alot of Americans !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ? "I miss my last Suburban that I sold when gas was expensive at massive depreciation to get into a Prius. Well we don't have expensive gas again, so I am going to buy another Suburban (for my family of 3)!". Why don't you put the fuel savings into the bank so you don't have to trade in your upside down suburban in 3 years when all of a sudden gas is up near $4 a gallon and soak all that depreciation into your next loan, on another Prius. Trust me, alot of dealers and banks are laughing their asses off at your expense. The only way for America to be free and keep almost half the nations wealth flowing and not in the hands of a select few, is to get out of debt. And your car being the average mans second largest piece of debt is a damn fine place to start.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

/Rant

Happy Monday Oppo - 505 is salty this morning

thebigbossyboss > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:16

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Murica: All your moneyz belong to us. Sincerely Canada :)

505Turbeaux > thebigbossyboss 01/19/2015 at 08:20

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hahaha no doubt

Mattbob > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:23

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cheers to buying cars in cash off of craigslist.

505Turbeaux > Mattbob 01/19/2015 at 08:24

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all fucking day and night

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:24

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Actually, suburbans have historically held some of the highest residual values in the automotive world. My dad bought an avalanche in 2002 because he needed the bed to haul engines and transmissions and whatnot but needed the interior for myself and my brother in the back (little bro was still in a car seat) and I remmeber the salesman joked that with the GM family discount and another "truck month" or whatever the equivalent was bonus, we could go to the used car lot and get it valued for what we paid for it as a trade in.

New explorers? Yeah those things sink pretty bad with the redesign.

CalzoneGolem > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:25

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I dunno but hey cheap 'Burbs when gas goes up again.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/19/2015 at 08:27

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I disagree slightly. Throughout a long sample period this is true, but last time gas spiked up to 4$ they were down pretty low. I know because someone traded me one as partial payment for a Corolla S I was selling for someone and I barely made even on it. And it was CHEAP too

Alfalfa > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:29

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The perfect time to buy something fuel efficient. And then maybe sell it when gas goes back up?

505Turbeaux > Alfalfa 01/19/2015 at 08:32

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I will tell you, my ex had a Corolla S 5 speed with 6K miles on it when we found out we had just bought a house and were having a baby. I convinced her she needed a wagon so we put the Corolla up for sale when there was a shortage of them on dealer lots. Sold for over what she paid for the car a year earlier with the incentives, plus someone traded us a Suburban on top of that. Sold that for peanuts, all kinds of good stuff going on in that deal

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > thebigbossyboss 01/19/2015 at 08:36

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Or if you own XOM and CVX.

thebigbossyboss > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 01/19/2015 at 08:36

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wut?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:40

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But but but but...I *might* need to tow a small boat to the lake with the kiddos!!! So obviously I need a 8.1L Suburban 3500 with 4WD.

At least that means the Burbans will get cheap so I can do truck stuff with them. Once the F-150 dies (or I want to get an enclosed trailer).

#WaitingForADieselOneTon

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > thebigbossyboss 01/19/2015 at 08:43

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You could also own the companies that refine and market the finished products, like ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) or Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX).

You know, so you can get a cut of the money.

505Turbeaux > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 01/19/2015 at 08:46

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dass what I am talking about right there!

Alfalfa > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:46

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Riding the fuel market like a boss.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:47

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At least my F-150 stays parked until race weekends. Because I don't feel like burning fuel at the rate of 8-10MPG to go to *work*...

#ThatsWhyIHaveAMini

XJDano > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:48

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I'll admit I have thought about getting a used suburban for my wife & 2 kids. She doesn't work and hauls nephew to school in the mornings. The main reason being that for recreational activities, and towing capacity. She doesn't drive as much as I do, so keeping a cheap beater for my work would be my justification.

BUT her car is paid off and we are almost out of debt besides houses. It would make less sense to go into a car payment, camper payment after getting free of credit cards. Gas prices wouldn't play a part in decision.

Also stereotypical housewife driving a suburban. Nope.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:49

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Desperation + unusual circumstances can do that but anyone who bought a used suburban at that time probably made money or at least broke even if they kept it for a little while. Even as gas prices stayed high, the values have gone up as well. Although the GM trucks with the highest value are the ones with quadrasteer.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/19/2015 at 08:52

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my boss has one, I dont think he'll ever sell it. Works pretty damn good!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:54

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I would love a 2500 sierra with quadrasteer for a long term "truck". Not to daily drive but I'd keep it for decades as a workhorse.

mr2gud2u > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 08:55

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IMHO The big three has done a great job at making white Americans feel like driving a big truck makes them more American. Like a cowboy, farmer or contractor. I don't mean this in a negative way. The big three's truck advertising campaigns have generally been geared towards white Americans that romance the life of a farmer or cowboy. "True Americans", salt of the earth types.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/19/2015 at 08:56

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that is the plan. He has some alfas, some Volvos, and some Alpina/BMW's to drive in most of the time. He is DD a Milano right now with snows on it instead of his 2500 sierra QS

thebigbossyboss > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 01/19/2015 at 08:58

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Oh. I am not a stock owner sadly.

itschrome > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 01/19/2015 at 08:58

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Hear, Hear!

#waitingforadieselhalfton

505Turbeaux > mr2gud2u 01/19/2015 at 08:59

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Proof:

Seger - check

Cowboys and construction workers - check

Implied sex with a blonde because you drive a truck - check

jariten1781 > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 09:02

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Convinced a guy at work last week to get a Volt instead of trading in his Land Rover on another one. Well, I tried to convince him to sell his LR and pick up a 10 year old used Civic or something until he was rightside up (this would have been his 4th LR in ten years, upside down all the time) but he was having none of that. So half victory?

I'm not convinced people rush out to buy more SUVs when gas prices are down. I think the 'I'm going to buy now' decision is more driven by incentives and rates and the folk's individual purchase schedule. It's more that they weigh efficiency less when they'd purchasing regardless if gas prices happen to be low. It's more short sighted than idiotic.

E92M3 > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 09:02

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Now they can buy more STUFF when they make their bi-weekly Costco trip.

Justin Hughes > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 09:21

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I've heard it said - but I have no numbers to back this up - that modern SUVs, CUVs, or whatever we're calling them this week have become more fuel efficient than the last time we rode this gas price roller coaster. Therefore, when prices bounce back up again, there won't be as much demand for gas as before. People won't be so hot to dump their big vehicles, and gas prices won't spike as much due to more efficient vehicles, especially the big ones.

This may be wishful thinking, but it's an interesting point of view.

505Turbeaux > Justin Hughes 01/19/2015 at 09:28

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it is, and they are certainly more efficient. But cars have gotten alot better as well. It was only a few months ago we were at $4 a gallon too

TopSirloin > thebigbossyboss 01/19/2015 at 09:29

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Not the pennies.. you have no use for them, Mr. $X. 95

thebigbossyboss > TopSirloin 01/19/2015 at 09:30

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Hahaha that's true. When I go to America and people expect me to pay the pennies I look askance, like "I paid you enough already get a move on"...lol.

Slave2anMG > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 09:48

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You hate our way of life.

Now, having sarcastically noted that...I've had a 'burban LTZ and a Yukon XL as rentals in the past six months. Enormous things to eat up highway miles in comfort...provided I don't have to pay for the fuel - and I didn't with those beasts. I wouldn't want to navigate around town all the time in one, either. But for road trips...hell yes. Towing? Yes. Carry the kids? Gimme a minivan please. But we've got no kids...the biggest car we own is my wife's Golf TDI; my company car is a VW CC...

505Turbeaux > Slave2anMG 01/19/2015 at 09:50

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Ha I do agree, if you need one by all means. Just like pickup trucks. If you use it, great. If not, not so great

As Du Volant > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 10:01

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I swear there's something about vehicle purchasing that just zaps everyone's brainpower down to zero, and sadly whenever things don't work out the way people want them to the salespeople/dealerships get blamed for it.

I remember when gas first hit $4. Everyone flocked into the dealership looking for $5000 Hondas and Toyotas to drive so they could park their trucks.

If they drive an average of 12,000 miles per year it'd take them 800 gallons of gas to fuel a 15mpg truck or 400 gallons of gas to fuel a 30mpg car, meaning the car will save them $1600 per year in gas if they never drive the truck again. They'd have to drive the car for slightly over 3 years, with ZERO additional costs for maintenance and insurance and ZERO miles put on the truck for it to pay for itself. Realistically it'd take them more like 6-7 years to make it worth their while to pay for this $5000 car.

Of course we never had any cars like this in stock at that point in time, so I'd tell people these facts and let them know they either need to replace the truck altogether and keep the new car several years, or just suck it up and keep driving the truck. Their response was always: "So... will you call me if you get a $5000 Honda in stock?"

505Turbeaux > As Du Volant 01/19/2015 at 10:04

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I remember around this time Geo Metros were suddenly worth 5 grand as well...

Makoyouidiot > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 10:17

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Typing this reply while I browse Range Rovers on Autotrader on my second screen. But I do that no matter the gas prices.

505Turbeaux > Makoyouidiot 01/19/2015 at 10:23

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see, no problem there. Shit I do the same thing. But I assume you are looking at second hand ones that have depreciated already, right?

yamahog > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 10:24

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I must be the only person in the market for a new car right now looking to buy a modern V8 muscle car to save on gas money. I just got used to my daily driver getting 14-16 mpg and now this cheap gas feels amazing.

Also, if everyone just rode motorcycles we could all still have fun and pay less at the pump :P I get 40-50 mpg on mine, track days excluded.

505Turbeaux > yamahog 01/19/2015 at 10:29

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one of my Puch DS60's gets almost 100 and will do 50 mph, my BMW who knows, but it is prewar so who knows or cares (also 50 mph bike). My PC800 seems like a pig, I get maybe 35 mpg out of that for some reason. Must need a tuneup or something

Makoyouidiot > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 11:10

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Oh hell yes. I wouldn't be able to afford half of a new Range Rover. :P More like third or fourth hand ones.

YellowGoat > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 11:13

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But its a lot easier to get your friends to buy Jalop-worthy cars when gas is cheap.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > 505Turbeaux 01/19/2015 at 14:44

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My parents leased an SUV for 36 months in 2005, only to hand the keys back and laugh at the dealer when they asked if they wanted to buy it. They dodged a bullet in 2008 when prices spiked and values plummeted. Sadly they didn't listen and went out an bought another in Oct.

i would like to buy a cheap 4X4 for random adventures.

RallyWrench > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 01/19/2015 at 15:25

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This. I bought my '95 F150 for $2k when gas was over $4. It sits all week, and I use it for trucky stuff when needed on the weekend.