yeah, I have no idea where they go for their goods. just figure it's saving them boatloads of the cash
Here is what I have done, and I did this before the world went all energy nutty... I converted my offices and my home to use nothing but CFLB (compact, fluorescent light bulbs.) Have 1-2 no gas days a week, where I do not use any internal combustion engine powered vehicle of any kind. Have electric lawn tools, trimmers, etc. Bought a home 1 mile from work, so the commute is small. If it is nice, wife walks kid and dog to school, he rides his bike. I ride my bike to work and pick him up from school and we ride home. I don't shop at terrorist owned gas stations, this includes citgo. I only buy the cheapest gas, for everything I drive. (little known secret - there is only one difference between the 3 grades of gas; the price) I bought a motorcycle - gets 45MPG, but still does over 140MPH. I recycle absolutely everything. So much so that our recycle bin gets so full that we are usually forced to either hold back what we have, or throw the excess in the trash. At work we switched to green only power supplies and saved about 60% energy per server. On sunny days, lights are off and shades open. We recycle heat from our HVAC systems and in the winter, NEVER have anything more than the basic gas charge... When I can, I ride my bike.. If my wife wants a soda, there is a BP a few blocks away, so I ride the bike. It does not take long and does the body good. I believe in conservation to lower our dependance on foreign energy, PERIOD, not to save money, not to help the environment, not to find alternatives.. These are all secondary. My main motivation for reducing my energy consumption occurred on 9/11. I realized that day that energy is what drives war and our economy. Our dependance on energy from countries that do not like us is a bad thing. If it goes away, we will be in real trouble. Anyway, just a few stats. I have saved $30/mo. on my electric bill at home, just using the compact fluorescent bulbs. I've saved about $1200/mo. in heating at my offices by recycling hot air from our HVAC/server room. I've saved about $2/mo. per server with more efficient power supplies. I save about $50 a week on fuel by simply biking or walking places I would normally drive. I've cost Citgo about $300/mo. by not shopping there anymore. That is not only where we use to get gas, but also bought beer and other convenience items in a pinch. I've probably reduced my carbon foot print by 50 tons between work and home. What so many do not realize is that for these changes I have described to take place, it will take all of us just DOING IT, not an act of congress, or some other mandate. Oh yeah, never owned and SUV, and never will.. I despise them! Yes, I do have several toys and collector vehicles, but my MG, Vette, Boat, etc., are all more efficient than most modern day counterparts, and they're not driven daily. I love the automobile, and some day hope to extend my collection to include something along the lines of what Leno has amassed. My love affair with that automobile will keep me dependent on gas, that's a fact. I don't have a problem with that. What I have a problem with is being dependent on other countries for that gas. We've got more here than they'll ever have, we should start using it.
Personally I think European cars are extremely reliable, although there are some exceptions, especially when talking about cheaper models. Diesel engines are even more reliable, some Mercedes taxis here in Portugal have been known to make over 500.000 km (310.685 miles).
No doubt, and the same is true here, but... And this is a very big but. The Mercedes and BMW is a status symbol, or luxury car in the US. In Europe, the Mercedes especially is like a Chevy is here. Its the every day, everymans car. Used for all kinds of purposes, taxis, etc... That said, its obvious that it is not quite as expensive to repair given it is so common place. The reverse is true here. And visa versa. Anyway, that was the point I was trying to make.
impressive to say the very least! If the avg. Joe/Joni would do 5-12% of what you are doing this country would be a lot better off! good call on Citgo....there's one going in near us now...
Importing a car to save money would be self-defeating. First, I'm sure the warranty wouldn't be honored outside the country of purchase. For another, parts availability and serviceability would be compromised.
We here in Europe have one thing going for us, taxes. The price of petrol in Portugal is about 60% tax. Currently one little costs 1.5 euros That's why most of our suv's and other big cars are Diesel power. Contrary to what is happening in the US, buying big cars is common and on the rise. Another thing is we also invested big in renewable energies. Wind, solar and wave farms are popping up everywhere, the only thing I think we should be allowed to do is choose where we buy our energy from. I agree with you about buying energy from nations that don't like us (not only the USA). They hate our way of life, our religion and just about everything else we do. They are making money from our greed and it is going straight into de wallets of terrorist.
Could not agree more... And, while everyone is whining over here, some countries pay $11/gal... Thanks to that VAT you mentioned.
You can not compare gas prices from other countries to the US on many levels. #1 We get worse fuel economy. #2 We drive further on average. Many peoples commute to work in the US is as far as driving a crossed some European countries. #3 There is A LOT of money put into taxes, into our huge armed forces to help us secure the oil and contracts above and beyond the simple price per gallon. Just a few thoughts to ponder...
We also travel a lot, the only difference is we use mainly diesel cars. Taxes forced us to invest in smaller engine cars with better gas consumption. If you really took into consideration all the money that is needed to produce petrol, you would have to pay well over $10 per gallon. All the money that is going to your armed forces to secure oil production in third world countries isn't being added to the bill. But unfortunately people don't see it like that.
We have them here, but only in major cities.. People really did not use them that much, because fuel was cheap. Now that it is not, we are seeing a change with that as well. Hell, the park and rides near us are full now, where as they never were before. I'm kinda glad prices are so high, in a way... I think it is going to force us to change our lifestyles and will finally force detroit to make fuel efficient vehicles.
I don't doubt you travel a lot, however the US is much larger than 'most' European countries. We have states that are bigger than many of your countries. Yes, as stated you do get better fuel economy Yes it is added to our tax bill, not directly in the fuel cost. -- There is also much more than standard cars to think about, there is also the trucks and trailers that deliver the goods in the US. Forget your personal driving, it's the product prices going up through the roof because of increased delivery costs that are going to kill us.
#5 people (on the whole) are over weight in this country and are therefore burning more fuel per mile
well sometimes its a little bit scary because it made me think of drive by(the one which gangs usually do...) this is mine...