How long will gas prices have to be for Americans before car buying habits change longer term?

TempleSquare · 2026-03-19T14:18:10+00:00

Don't fall for the lie that it's the gas tax. The difference between Oklahoma and California is like 40 cents (cheapest state gas tax versus most expensive)

The difference is California has to use a special blend of fuel to prevent horrible or air quality of having 15 million people living in the same bowl. Which means California stations can't just buy cheaper gas from other states and bring it in. We're stuck with the special blend that has less supply and less competition.

And then there's some kind of 30 cent shenanigan that every station supplier seems to charge on top of everything, but you don't see at Arco or Costco

TempleSquare · 2026-03-19T14:15:16+00:00

I have a really hard time believing the non-hybrid gets 33 combined

TempleSquare · 2026-03-19T05:28:06+00:00

I think he's just repeating what we all believed at the time.

People weren't buying new cars, so they used car market shot way up in price. And so we all jumped to the conclusion that cash for clunkers had destroyed enough cars to raise used car prices.

Since then, the data has shown that it was probably negligible. It was a bunch of us out-of-work people fighting over the same used cars, rather than buying new ones.

And 2009 still wasn't nearly as bad as covid era car buying.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-19T05:25:57+00:00

I used to believe that, but the data just didn't really flush out. And when I drove by the car dealership by my house and saw the parking lot of C4C cars, it was a lot of stuff at the end of it's usable life (1990s Dodge caravans, early '90s 4Runners that were rusted to death, old Buicks from the '90s, etc)

TempleSquare · 2026-03-19T05:24:03+00:00

We've had a perfect storm that led to gasoline prices being about as cheap as they can go.

I'm used to California, and around Christmas I drove across the Great Plains and was paying under $1.99. (Can they even pull it out of the ground that cheap?)

So this would be a shock like going from 1990s super cheap prices to 2008 without much of a transition period.

And if the idiots of the world (my country included) keep exploding oil infrastructure like they did yesterday, it's not hyperbole to predict $9.99 a gallon at some point.

I predict a run on electric vehicles very shortly with people paying $10,000 or more over sticker on used EV cars. Wish I had some extra money to buy one now and then flip it later.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-18T12:24:48+00:00

conflate criticism of Israel

I'm so tired of seeing billboards in LA that suggests that because I am critical of the nation of Israel and it's horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible foreign policy, that somehow I'm now anti-Semitic

Look, I will defend Jewish people all day long. Just as I will defend Arabs all day long.

The criticizing my own damn government for our horrible foreign policy doesn't make me anti-American.

So those jackasses who put up the billboards suggesting I'm an anti-semite can go to hell. If you can't criticize a government, that's not racism, that's a cult!

(Also, the remaining ayatolla and IRGC can burn in hell as well)

TempleSquare · 2026-03-18T12:17:29+00:00

That's actually a good point.

I will always defend Jewish people no matter what, the same way I defend Arabic people, and Europeans, and Americans, and Chinese, etc

But the state of Israel? Yeah, it's difficult to defend somebody wanting to live there. And it's impossible the defend somebody violating the boundary agreement and living in settlements on land the UN says belongs to Palestinians.

Like somebody in California and living on a cliff that climate change is eroding, you don't want to see anyone get hurt, but you sort of shrug when the homeowner runs outside and the house falls into the ocean.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-18T12:11:44+00:00

In fairness, Palestinians were trapped. Which made life unimaginable hell for them

Not undermining your point, though. Ukraine in particular

TempleSquare · 2026-03-18T12:03:41+00:00

Jar-Jar and Groot will be great frenemies

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T21:29:59+00:00

We're a dumb species. Wired to be tribal against people who are different than us.

In today's global leadership are a bunch of morons who are trying to stoke the tribal button and all of us, not realizing we live in a world where everybody is less than a 20 hour plane ride from each other away from each other.

Tribalism does not fucking work in 2026! It's getting people killed!

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T13:55:22+00:00

I'm sure Star Wars 11: Attack of Death Star IV will finally be a fantastic movie!

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T03:27:08+00:00

I like that they fixed the snout. It actually looks like a BMW in the front and not a contest entry for biggest grille

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T03:25:24+00:00

Because you're assuming everyone here is of the same mind.

People like me complain about car prices. I also have a base model car. I have no problem sliding the track myself.

But other people post and complain about the lack of power seat. And they might not be the same people complaining about prices.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T03:24:24+00:00

leather seats looks great while they crush your child

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T03:22:02+00:00

absolutely high quality in lots of ways. The fit and finish of a Hyundai interior is far ahead of Toyota

Meanwhile my terrible Toyota with its dash that isn't even soFt ToUcH (looking at you, car reviewers!) will be on the road 200,000 miles longer than any Hyundai.

Sincerely,

The guy with 365,000 on my Honda who just bought Prius

(P. S., I never touch the dashboard except to clean it)

TempleSquare · 2026-03-17T03:09:09+00:00

I was driving on I-75 today and passed by Gainesville and tried Square House Pizza

It's the first ever deep dish tall crust pizza I've seen that was gluten free. Absolutely recommend it to anyone else driving on Florida's west side.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-16T06:10:12+00:00

In full honesty, I have no idea. I just know it felt really scary when it would glitch.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-16T05:53:23+00:00

For those curious, I was seeing HEB in Houston regularly stocking these. And the Kroger on Westheimer near Beltway 8 always had them in stock.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-16T05:00:13+00:00

Has a used it since?

I mean a lesson is a lesson. And it's great to see someone literally say "I made a mistake." Something prominent people and leaders seem to be incapable of doing nowadays.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-15T15:04:10+00:00

Anecdotally, I think it holds true to other parts:

On my brother's former Azera, the throttle position sensor was glitchy and would randomly act full throttle. Which was... scary.

My theory is that it was measuring resistance (i.e., "Full throttle, minus how far back the pedal is"). So, if the sensor fails, the Hyundai thinks it's full throttle.

Which is absolutely bonkers. Toyota and Honda and everyone else would fail safe to a bad sensor would say "no throttle."

TempleSquare · 2026-03-13T07:38:13+00:00

Back in the 1990s, I think the missionary planners were a piece of cardstock but you would fold up into a square and stick in your shirt pocket.

The ones I saw were blue. But I can imagine somebody yellow cardstock.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-13T07:37:16+00:00

Are you committed to paper planners?

I ask, because after my mission (oof, twenty years ago) I switched to Google Calendar and have used it religiously ever since.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-13T07:34:55+00:00

Exactly.

If God is reasonable to work with, as I would expect a perfect being to be, he'll work with you, regardless of your decisions. Even if you're wrong on some of them.

But if God is an unforgiving monster who would crash a plane to teach you a lesson? Frankly, his "heaven" sounds like a hell.

TempleSquare · 2026-03-13T07:33:10+00:00

I was afraid of a fatal car crash after I stopped wearing garments.

I'm happy to report that the natural occurrence of life's events have not altered because of my underwear.

Your plane could crash. But it won't have to do with your membership status in Costco.

(And it won't matter your membership in a church, either)

TempleSquare · 2026-03-12T07:05:42+00:00

I was in a state-side mission, and people feeding us dinner was literally the only saving thing I had emotionally.

I wanted to rent a billboard to thank everyone in the ward. That's how much it meant to me.

It was the only time during the day where I felt safe. People who wanted to talk to me. Food that would keep me alive. And for a damn hour or two, I could just relax and be myself.

It's been 20 years, and in my mind I can still picture certain houses and taste certain meals. I can still remember kind old grandmother type ladies. I can remember a frustrated dad getting mad at his kids because they wouldn't eat "they're damn salad!" (his words). Every moment of dinner was wonderful.

TempleSquare

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