Are us middle class Jeepers going to be (fuel) forcefully priced out of enjoying our Jeeps? [CLOSED DUE TO POLITICS]

[NMPirate]

This thread has me ROTFL!!

Jeep owners complaining about GAS PRICES?? Then turning around and blaming the GOVERNMENT??? Particular politicians??? Political Parties??? The strange dude around the corner?? Last time I checked, the president didn't sign on the dotted line when you made your purchase.

What!!??

Jeeps cost $40 - $60 THOUSAND DOLLARS right now! Jeeps are NOT known for stellar fuel mileage! (hint hint...)

I'm sorry, but in this country (USA), gasoline is CHEAP. Go ask (as some have already posted) someone in Canada or Europe what they pay. I listen to people complain about food prices too, but same deal, here food is ABUNDANT and CHEAP.

If you are pinching pennies to put gas in your Jeep, possibly you purchased the wrong vehicle?? Perhaps you need to re-evaluate your budget???

This is the best comedy I've read all day!

But just because the rest of the world pays more for fuel does not mean we have to in America. We have the ability to be energy independent and not have to rely on others. Remember, we live here because America is the best place to live. It does not mean we have to follow the rest of the idiots in the world.

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[Blanco802]

I don't think the middle class will be priced out of enjoying their jeeps. I think some families will evaluate their travel plans and commutes. It's unlikely gas prices move materially lower in the coming months or years. I see the middle class first cutting out leisure vacations that involve airfare and hotel first. Jeep aside, consumers will face a large tax due to inflation from non-discretionary items like food, shelter, and utilities. So most will need to re-evaluate needs and wants over the coming quarters.

 

[NMPirate]

So, I have read every word that has been in this post. I have to say that this is how the world should be. We have all stated opinions and have had a great discussion on what we believe. Nobody has personally attacked anyone and we continue to be.... Americans!!

 

[76_iron]

I can certainly live with the 19 mpg my JLR on 37" tires delivers. Just wish it held more than 17 gallons.

 

[blnewt]

So, I have read every word that has been in this post. I have to say that this is how the world should be. We have all stated opinions and have had a great discussion on what we believe. Nobody has personally attacked anyone and we continue to be.... Americans!!

lol at the King Shit of Turd Island, how long did it take to become the king???

 

[USNavyLDO]

I don't think the free market cares much about how you vote. There is a lot of disinformation floating about.

I’ll agree, there is a lot of disinformation out there And most of the free market doesn’t care how you vote. However in the case of a speculative market like oil, it very much cares. Administration policies in either direction can have a great impact on oil futures by telegraphing what they plan to do.

 

[NMPirate]

lol at the King Shit of Turd Island, how long did it take to become the king???

Not too long. It's not a very big island. And we have no gas stations. All the Jeeps run on fairy dust and unicorn farts.

 

[Odyssey USA]

Umm Europe taxes the F out of their citizens including fuel. They also don’t drive as far and since everything is closer, public transportation is less costly to that population.

 

[ads75]

Everyone had a choice of what vehicle to buy. We wanted something fun, not efficient. A lot of Americans want something big, hence all the trucks/SUVs and not many sedans or compacts on the market. People became entitled to cheap gas. Oil prices have always gone up and down, even by world events that the USA isn't involved in. A year or two ago wholesale oil actually briefly hit negative values. No one was rushing to bail producers/traders out then. It should be no surprise producers dialed production back, they don't like taking losses. It takes time to turn stuff on again. Now demand is high again, but they may see how long they can enjoy high prices for before opening the spigot.

The next vehicle I buy will most likely be electric, I will probably keep the JLR (electric prices have gone up lately also, but should still be significantly cheaper than gas - and I can charge at work). It doesn't seem like Jeep or their corporate overlords are looking at that market seriously.

 

[mnjeeper]

Any one of my prior Wranglers , running the Alphabet gamut, only saw 15 mpg on a good day, average.
My 2Dr Sport, 2.0T, gets a 25mpg average, on 87 octane.
It's still fun and fast, but keeping speed 55 and under is key.
That makes it "practical ", even in the Land of Inflation.

My longarmed TJ on 35s saw 12MPG highway if I kept it to 60 and got lucky...My JL on 37s can rock that speed and going slow like that will push 18MPG. Look at me saving money!!!

I don't know where you live too but there's a large population that live in a city. I did some very light searching, and it sounds like if you want to install solar, you're going to have to get a permit so now there's a paperwork trail. And then if you want to hook it up to your house to reduce the cost, there's an integration with the utility company. I'm wondering at what point, if you use your own solar panels and batteries that you bought, that you're going to get taxed anyways since everything is all integrated.

I see a lot of responses to complaints about gas prices being high to "stop driving a gas guzzler and get an EV". Well sure, that's an option. But I'm just waiting to see how this all plays out with how things are going to get taxed. My guess is that whatever you choose, it's not going to be cheap.

Now if you live on 100 acres, that's another story. But you may need to build another charging station at the edge of your property to recharge as you get to town. :D

I am glad you brought this up. I am in a home in the suburbs of MPLS I had built just about three years ago. I was also waiting on a Tesla I had "pre ordered". Time passes, I am now in the house three months, My sedan is paid off, I learned I was slated to convert to WFH. and tesla says I can order. The model 3 I specced at $72K had no more draw for me. I had a paid off Fusion titanium with 45K miles on it. Tesla order canceled. I still tried for solar. Tax breaks, yadda yadda. Three companies, not one would tell me the cost. They all touted their financing. I said "but I want to pay cash" ( I really just wanted to know the total). No straight answers, I do not have solar.

My buddy who is a house away had a model S already. He got the solar. We've talked about it, he still doesn't understand it and he can't tell me what it cost him past the monthly. He can tell me he sometimes gets money back. Sorry, I am not dropping 30K or more to finance a mystery.

I left January 4st for an extended Jeep travel. Gas was about $2.40 to $2.60 a gallon. By the time I get home I will have about 30,000 miles logged for the trip. We planned for fuel to be around $300 a gallon. We have paid as high as $6.79 a gallon and the last two months the fuel has been around $4.50 to $4.60 a gallon. We will soon be back into California, Canada and Alaska for an approximate 12,000 more miles before we do any exploring or wheeling. Will probably be closer to 15,000 miles because Initially the whole trip was approximately 20,000 miles and I am still in Arizona.

The increase in cost of fuel has pushed an additional $700 to a $1000 onto our travel budget each month.

We are 4,1/2 months or so into our trip and we are getting close to 16,000 miles since leaving home.

The park hung is the added cost hasmeant that we are less likely to eat out or get a hotel room. Our original plan was a hotel room once a week. More like less than once a month now.

The bold shows the trickle effect. This won't be limited to a Wilborn trip, others will do the same.

 

[Remorseless]

Recycling is coming online, as pointed out in another reply. Details are indeed important, but the over all picture is BEV is the best bang for your buck in decarbonizing personal transportation, followed by PHEV.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/0...ower-life-cycle-emissions-new-study-confirms/

Aye, and like I said - they're either burning the batteries to slag, which results in producing toxic fumes and carbon emissions, or using pools of acid to break down the batteries, which creates a need to deal with pools of acid filled with toxic materials - which isn't as rosy as that article presents the situation. Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, respectively, are the terms - https://www.science.org/content/art...rs-are-coming-what-happens-all-dead-batteries .

So, they might be able to recover 95% of a certain component (if true, would love to see some outside data on that claim), but it's still a partial story. What outputs were created in the recovery of that material? ICE and EVs both are imperfect, IMO, and neither one is straight up the only answer, and neither one is going to save the world, just impact it in different ways.

Yep, they're coming online, but like I said above, they've basically shunted the carbon/toxin output from the driving portion of the vehicle's lifecycle to the mining of the battery materials and the processing of batteries for recycling. Nothing's free/perfect, and IMO BEVs still make sense for many applications, but many publications and advocates of the tech gloss over the impacts of both strip mining and the byproducts of the recycling. It's cool tech, and I'm glad to see advancements being made beyond Li-ion, but the whole "it's gonna save the world" angle isn't all that in touch with our current mining and manufacturing realities.

Personally, for alternative energy, I think if/when hydrogen gets more development on the production side - currently it's mostly siphoned off of fossil fuel production, and electrolysis takes a fair amount of electricity (though, so does charging a BEV, usually through a fossil fuel power plant for either alternative energy) - it will be a significant portion of the solution, especially for Jeepers. Quick to fill, and the possibility of refueling on the go/off grid in a short amount of time, not to mention generally extended range compared to batteries due to the intense energy density that makes up for the inefficiency of fuel cells.

 

[KarlN]

OK, so I have a 4xe BUT.....Fuel cost is secondary thought. Just live and take shorter trips if the expenses are getting to you. It's a lifestyle choice and if you can't enjoy yourself why are you alive?

Challenge and Adventure on!

 

[Ted392]

Back to OP, my thoughts are my actions. I parked my 2500 Ram diesel (unless I have to tow) and now use my TRX as a DD. When the 392 arrives, it will become my DD because it gets the best mileage.

 

[Chris2183]

What’s considered middle class?

There is a post from the other day that shows the demographics of Wrangler owners. The research company found the average household income of JK and JL owners to be $115k-$123k.

While it varies from state to state what income is considered middle class, these numbers land easily in the middle class range in even the most expensive states.

Basically if you can afford to own a JL, then its safe to assume you fall in the middle class or higher bracket.

https://www.yahoo.com/now/income-level-considered-middle-class-220034193.html

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...phics-stats-age-gender-income-and-more.93841/

 

[jjvincent]

I have an RV and tow my Jeep. So far I took a trip to VIR and Road Atlanta. next up is Watkins Glen. After that, a trip to NH and ME with the family for vacation. I accept it and move on. If the price of gas is a real problem for a Jeep owner, then sell it and buy a used Prius or something like a Civic. If you want to be cool and have the capability to go off roading, then you got to pay the price. When I go to the track, race gas is hitting $12-$15/gal. Yet guys decide to burn 15gal/hr to go tracking their racecar. It's life.

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