Screw the Oil Companies

“Nationwide boycott of buying gas on May 19th. They are taking money from us, let's return the favor.”

“word up!!!!!”

“Sounds good I filled up yesterday so I shouldn't need more gas until Thursday or Friday.”

“okay, i'll fill up today then.”

“Not buy gas on the 19th? It's the least I could do...”

“Sure, I don't usually buy gas on Wednesdays anyway. One day at the pumps isn't going to make a bit of differnce, though. People will still need the same amount of gas. They'll just fill up either before or after.

The real impact would be felt by changing long term gasoline usage habits.”

“Nationwide boycott of buying gas on May 19th

This won't accomplish a damn thing.”

“Something else I heard about was to boycott Mobil/Exxon. They have a greater influence on gas prices because they are the largest of the oil companies.”

“For some reason, Mobil seems to be more expensive than others. The Mobil station down the block from me is charging 2.40 for regular now...”

“I'm going to power my car with oxycontin on the 19th.”

“Yeah they're always 3 to 5 cents more than everyone else around me.”

“Hey cool, Buddha! Is your car going to start a conservative talk radio show next?”

“How about maybe someone organize a National Do Not Use Gas Day? Wouldn't that be more effective?”

“Bearmagnet for President!”

“I like that! And I promise to have as many relations with interns as possible and to post reports about it here!”

“At least he's honest about it.”

“'Internmagnet'?”

“Whelp, it might not be effective; however, it is a good source of an outlet for people who might be a little more than pissed about this. I was just having a conversation yesterday about the lack of outrage over these gas prices. It seems to me that the public has bought stock in the Vaseline Co.

Last year, and the year before that, my local "news" stations were busting out reports about gouging and such. This year....nothing; we are already topped last years mark before Memorial Day.

Although I know better, the way things are going, it does lead one to believe that there might be a last minute gouge before Georgie and the Cronnies are outta there.

OPEC has said that it will increase prodcution when after it meets in June. The futures moved up at that news. WTF?”

“I'm reminded of a time when I was in 3rd grade.

The teacher punished the whole class for a minor infraction caused by one or two kids. The rest of the class was mad about it but they didn't know who the real culprit was. Being a kid you are pretty much powerless but they just had to do something to fight back, make a point or whatnot. So they decided to stage a "hunger strike" by not eating lunch.

End result is they spent the rest of the day feeling poorly with nothing to show for thier efforts.

End result is that the gas stations and accountants get a light workload for a day and they will STILL get your money.

I'm with Mutt. It's sad when a whole nation acts like 3rd graders.”

“To talk about gouging would be unpatriotic.”

“This weekend I went for a hiking trip even though the price was about $2-$2.05 a gallon. It cost me about $4 more than ussual. I don't see the reason for panic.

A good thing to do is fill up before the prices get jacked for the weekend on Thursdays. May 19th is a wednesday so I'll be filling up and as I am already boycotting Borden Ice Cream for the mistreatment to cow teats and also boycotting Disney for calling their last movie "Brother Bear" and thus being sexist to women by not calling it "Sister BEar"...I can only juggle so many boycotts at once.”

“It cost me about $4 more than ussual. I don't see the reason for panic.


Frankly, Nigal, if this were the only price that I am worrying about as a consumer, then I may be a little more tolereant. It's combining this with the prices of everything else that is going through the roof that has me a bit perturbed...”

“We all have our priorities Treebeard but frankly I'm more concerned with those poor cows and their mistreated teats. LOL!”

“"This weekend I went for a hiking trip even though the price was about $2-$2.05 a gallon. It cost me about $4 more than ussual. I don't see the reason for panic....."

Yes, a four dollar increase on it's own wouldn't be cause for concern; however, are you taking into account that gas last year was only 1.35, or so around this time? So, in fact, it's not a 4 buck increase, but a 100 percent increase in one year.


I will guess that your tank holds about 20 gallons or so. Let's do the math:

Last year, Nigal went hiking and had to fill up his tank. At 1.35 per gallon, nigal spends 27.00 for 20 gallons.

Last weekend, nigal went hiking and had to fill up his tank. At 2.00 per gallon, nigal spends 40.00 for 20 gallons, almost double than he did last year. How will this effect nigal?

Well, short term maybe not much but seeing as though hiking is considered a hobbie, or a "want" if you will, nigal might not be able to go out as much as he did before. Also, nigal spends more money on beer, food and heating gas because of this increse.


So you see, it's not just a mear 4.00 increase, but a heck of a lot more than that.”

“We can beat the oil companies with Bio-Diesel.

Any diesel engine can burn vegetable oil.”

“LOL! Q, my post was in humor, not as bait. I’m not an alarmist and I’m not going to debate how much a .30 increase has crushed my dreams and freedom. I haven’t paid $1.35 in over two years. LOL!”

“How about some modified version of the windfall profits tax with the proceeds going into a massive government funded research project into alternative fuels and tax credits for the purchase of hybrid vehicles?”

“nigal - "LOL! Q, my post was in humor, not as bait....."

I know it was, but it brought up a great opp to debunk that line of thinking. I read that line too much and I see it as a "Oh well. WTF can I do about it?" line. Sorry to drive home my point at your jokes expense!

"We can beat the oil companies with Bio-Diesel......"


We can beat the oil companies by demanding a change in the way we do things. More urban commuter trains, more bike friendly through fares, codes to make sure newer communities are built around people, not cars.

I do agree that we needs to wean ourselves off of the heroin that is gas. I do find it troubling that for every penny I spend, some of it goes to buy weapons/resourses to try and kill me and my family....”

“We can beat the oil companies with Bio-Diesel.

Now you're talking! Time to buy the new Passat TDI.”

“Hell, I blame the Auto Manufacturing Companies as much as I do the Oil Companies.


I mean the fact we still produce vehicles that have no hope in getting anywhere near 10 mpg is pretty sad.”

“"Hell, I blame the Auto Manufacturing Companies as much as I do the Oil Companies....."


Well, shouldn't we all blame ourselves for creating the demand for these gas hogs? They wouldn't produce the things, if we didn't buy them!”

“And the technology is there too. Plus it looks like the muscle cars are coming back too on top of the big truck fetish.”

“Well I'm stuck with my gasoline-powered car for at least 3 more years until it's paid off. Maybe by that time there will be a very reliable alternative.”

“Correct, laqtis. However on the other end of the scale, how many vehicles get more than 40 MPG?”

“"Correct, laqtis. However on the other end of the scale, how many vehicles get more than 40 MPG?....."

Interesting question. When I was car shopping, I noticed that there were a few that got close to that. I settled on a Chevy Cavailer; it gets about 36 or so Highway. This past weekends trip, I spent about 32.00 bucks on a trip that would have costed about 125.00 in my BAV (read - Big Ass Van)....A very nice savings indeed.”

“"Something else I heard about was to boycott Mobil/Exxon...."
lumberzac
08:29:49 AM
05/17/04

I haven't bought gas from Exxon since the Valdez disaster....”

“Chevy Cavailer

What possibly could have made you choose such a crappy car? Honda's & Toyotas get comparable gas mileage, and they have the advantage of being modern designs....”

“Ive actually thought about going back to a Neon only this time with a rack. Plus I could trick it out with lights, coffee can muffler and a wing like the cool kids do.”

“Any of the Volkswagen diesels will burn Bio-Diesel.

The only problem with older VW's is that bio-diesel will eat the fuel lines.

The new ones bio-diesel-friendly.”

“Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: SUN 05/16/04
Section: BUSINESS
Page: 5
Edition: 2 STAR

Budget cars en route from China

By DAVID KAPLAN
Staff



Their names are Solo, Deer, Leopard, Safe and Sing, and thousands of them are on a boat headed this way.

U.S. car buyers will soon have a new option: very-low-priced Chinese cars , trucks and SUVs.

Four Houston partners will be exclusive dealers for two major manufacturers of Chinese cars for the entire state of Texas, with the first dealership scheduled to open in the city this summer.

China Motors of Texas will import automobiles made by Geely and trucks and SUVs made by Great Wall, China's leading manufacturer of such vehicles.

Cars will sell in the range of $7,000 to $11,000.

The manufacturers and dealers are hoping Americans will embrace these new import brands like they did the Toyota - as opposed to, say, the Yugo, a Yugoslavian import that came to the United States in 1985 with high hopes but flopped so badly it became the butt of jokes.

Auto industry observers say that any consumer love affair with these Chinese products will not develop overnight, no matter how good the vehicles are.

But Ken Rams, CEO of China Motors of Texas, is optimistic.

"We feel the timing is perfect for this," he said.

"Most of the other manufacturers have abandoned the low, entry level of the price market," said Rams, noting: "Chinese car makers are committed to becoming a world force."

Geely and Great Wall are privately owned companies in mainland China.

There will be 24 other China Motors dealers in 13 states.

Rams gave some speculation on pricing. The Geely sports sedan, called Solo, will cost $10,888 fully equipped with leather seats, power windows, a remote control entry system, CD player and wood trim. A fully-equipped Solo sedan is $8,888.

Some pickup trucks sell for $7,900, and subcompacts cost $6,900. The prices for the SUVs have not been announced.

Geely offers 3 -cylinder and 4-cylinder engines, made in China, as well as a V-6.

Like a charming immigrant still learning the culture, the Web site for Geely USA offers some delightful car descriptions.

For example, it notes that the Solo gives its drivers a special feeling, "making you relaxed and happy. Uneasy no! Lost, no! Fashionable life, and fashionable car!"

As for the Geely sports car, the Leopard: "The infinite vital force and the excellent driving feeling heats up your endless enthusiasm in your blood vessels."

Geely's U.S. operation is so new that the English version of the company's Web site still identifies the cars by their Chinese names: The Leopard is called the "Beauty Leopard," and the Solo goes by "Merrie" and "Haoging."

How enthusiastic will Americans be for these Chinese vehicles?

"There have been many successful foreign car arrivals in the U.S., but we also remember the Yugo," said Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association.

The ability to inspire confidence in the durability of the vehicle and the availability of service networks are the keys to winning acceptance among American consumers, Taylor said.

"The Koreans) dealt with it by giving very long-term warranties and low pricing," he said.

Low-priced Korean vehicles like Kia and Hyundai compete mostly with used cars , Taylor noted.

China Motors vehicles should appeal to consumers who want a new car and warranty at "a low, low price," said Brian Moody, road-test editor at Edmunds.com, a Web site for car buyers and sellers.

The Chinese vehicles won't be competing with Japanese products because manufacturers like Toyota and Honda have moved up-market: "The Civic and Corolla were once bargain-basement priced, but they're not cheap anymore," Moody said.

"Now it's Kias, Hyundais and the Dodge Neon that are among the very inexpensive products. That should be where the turf war is with the Chinese cars ."

Winning over car buyers will be an uphill battle for China Motors, Moody said.

Their vehicles may be first-rate, he said, but they'll be entering a U.S. market where they're unproven, and car buying is greatly based on reputation.

"Just ask people at Kia. The Kia Optima is a great value," Moody said, "but the public's perception of the car lags far behind the actual quality of the product."

China Motors cars and trucks are made in China at new plants using state of the art technology, Rams said.

All vehicles come with a free 36-month or 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. For $495 the buyer can get 36 more months, Rams said.

China Motors will have a service department, and any auto shop that repairs Japanese cars will be able to fix Chinese vehicles, said China Motors partner Ted Jonick.

After opening the Houston dealership, most likely near The Woodlands, the partners plan to open a San Antonio operation, followed by the simultaneous openings of two more Houston dealerships and one Dallas showroom.

Rams is a 42-year veteran of the car business. His Ford and Dodge dealerships were in California and Michigan.

In 1985, he gave up cars for greeting card distribution and consulting.

Over the past few years he'd been wanting to get back into the auto trade but said he could not find anything that had significant potential.

Through the Internet he learned that Geely and Great Wall were headed this way, and he contacted the distributor.

His other two partners are Randy Fernandez and Bill Kesler.

David Shelburg, 75, is an executive the North American division of China Motors, based in Phoenix. His son David Shelburg Jr. is president of the company.

The elder Shelburg was previously a dealer for American Motors, and going back much further, the Kaiser. He also helped bring the Subaru to the United States.

Shelburg has visited the Great Wall and Geely factories, and he noted that at the plants, only women do fitting and finishing work on interiors because in China, he said, it is believed that women are more precise than men.

Copyright notice: All materials in this archive are copyrighted by Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspapers Partnership, L.P., or its news and feature syndicates and wire services. No materials may be directly or indirectly published, posted to Internet and intranet distribution channels, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed in any medium. Neither these materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use.”

“I've noticed that the quality of gas is getting worse. I can't seem to get the gas mileage or power out of my car as compared to a month ago.”

“When will those cars that are powered by Artex's natural gas be out?”

“Something you all aren't considering, or at least not mentioning, is the approximately 33 cents per gallon tax that the federal and state govs tack on. That's a pretty good chunk of change every time you fill up. Pretty sad too.”

“How common is the Bio-Diesel? How much does it cost?”

“Mutt - Reason = economics. I got back a total of 5,000 in rebates on that car, bring it down to within my price range. The Honda/Toyota people were not willing to work with us to get into one of there cars, so they ost my business. Being on the fore front sometimes breed arrogance.

Also, my uncle in a test driver for GM and he told me that they have made improvements over the years on that car. I don't need something fancy, just something to putz around in town with the kids. I have found it to be a very good car so far. It's got a little pep, and the style is not to flashy, but more euro than in the past. 160 HP for a 2.2 is not all that bad. Plus, the GM people gave us full price foe my BAV, something we were afraid would not happen. The Honda/Toyota people did not want to work with us on that issue, and wanted us to eat the negitive equity in the Van on the back side of the new car payment(almost 3,000!) That would not be smart.”

“Buying American never came into the picture? With the increase in quality of the Big 3 I couldn't really even justify NOT buying American.”

“No No No. Free market means consumers buy the best products without regard for where they come from. What kind of republicans are you people?!”

“You're right, laqtis - that updated powerplant is pretty spiffy. Also, I understand your justification, but I would buy a used honda/toyata/subaru before buying a new cavalier.”

“"Buying American never came into the picture?......"

I will admit that it was a pleasant after thought. I was happy to see that the majority of the car was made here...almost 75% of it; however, "buying American" hasn't been a battle cry for many, many years now. Most of the cars out there are mostly foreign built, or have foreign parts in it.

Hell, GM ain't even bothering creating their hybred engine....they're gonna just buy it off of the Japanise!”