There does seem to have been a notable rise in the number of road captains on our roads. I never gave it much thought as to why that might be, and people trying to change how they drive and how much fuel they use could be one of those reasons.

With fuel prices on the up, I do think central and local Government's need to start designing road junctions to keep traffic moving, instead of all this stop start, stop start nonsense which seems to be flavour of the month for some time now. Reading is a great example of this, with it's sea of traffic lights at any junction.

feck_on_a_stick - Where I live 50 is the new 60, so it's not quite that bad where I am. But then I put this down to the fact 90% of people don't know what the speed limit on a NSL single carriageway roadis these days.

 

My feeling is we should look at the positive aspect of fuel hikes; it is extremely likely we will see sooner rather than later vehicles that are smaller, much, much lighter and employ increasingly sophisticated hybrid systems.

The new VAG Up! is a pointer to the future direction of vehicles - but so is the new NSX.

Honda of course could be in the game immediately with a reissue of the generation one Insight; even by today's standards it is still advanced.

 

Shush you! There is no replacement for displacement!

I know fuel prices are making it harder but I've still to buy a big noisy V8 at some point in my life, and I'd be looking to run it rather than just look at it lol

 

How does the Jazz Hybrid compare? Presumably it has a similar (and hopefully more advanced IMA) system, and has the one crucial thing the Insight lacks - practicality.

I guess the main obstacle to hybrids and electric cars really becoming more popular are the high purchase prices relative to the fuel savings, along with uncertain 2nd hand values (especially for electric cars)

The same goes for the likes of the VAG Bluemotion models which command a premium far in excess of the savings that could be made over a regular version.

Interestingly, the Up weighs 130kg more than an equivalent Toyota Aygo. The Up has lower CO2, but higher fuel consumption figures.

 

Funnily enough... I took the Old Dear for a test drive in a Jazz Hybrid a week or so ago. The average MPG shown on the computer (in the hands of whomever at the dealer used it regularly) was a paltry 49 mpg.

I just can't understand why dealers wishing to sell a premium vehicle, whose raison d'être is economy/efficiency, put it on demo with no thought for someone asking what is the MPG and then seeing the evidence of how poor it appears.

Anyway, the Jazz was not hugely impressive - other than the usual Jazz practicality features - and was too expensive IMHO. The Yaris Hybrid with its downsized Prius power-train will undercut it and it has a much more sophisticated system; analogous with a comparison between the current Insight and Prius.

Whilst biased, I'd suggest the first generation Insight is eminently practical if you only require two seats; usability, reliability and luggage space it has aplenty. It still has the 'WOW!" factor too as Mrs P will attest to; she couldn't get out of conversation with the guys she uses to clean it near her office - they wouldn't believe it was a 12 year old car that was achieving 70.8 mpg!

 

Petition as promised:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32081

If you have FB, please post it on your status.

If you are on another forum, please post it there.

If you have friends, please email it to them.

If you have children, please force them to sign it.

If you have colleagues, please give them the link.

Please, please ,please, spread this as far as you can. I will actively be pushing this petition out to as many people as possible so that someone in Westminster takes notice and does something to lower duty...

...I will not rest 'til I see a significant reduction (I'm aware I may die before then).

 

Oil is not at record prices.

However, our currency is very weak against the US Dollar and that is what oil is traded in.

The reason it's weak is because every man and his dog knows that the best way to get out of debt is to inflate the living hell out of our currency.

Prices aren't actually rising, we are just getting poorer as the £ becomes more worthless.

 

Thank god I'm not the only one having these thoughts!

Road captains:

Yes, Yes! There are definitely more of these f**kwits out at the moment.

I commute to London on the train - thus massively offsetting my carbon emissions with my S2000, which is purely a weekend joy. (Overall emissions tax break perhaps???)

My otherwise fun blips around (not 2 wheels round every bend at 70mph in a 30 zone, just enjoying the car, road and sensation) are almost always being frowned upon by some ex bullies' punch bag who belives that putting their full beam on after I overtake their Mondeo LX TDCi which was going 37mph in a 50 zone but not indicating anywhere or letting others pull out is A Educating me, or B safe! Or the other favourite with regards to their slow rate of travel; only being able to muster 60% of the speed limit no matter what the prevailing conditions are (clear day, dry roads, sunshine etc) and [I]YET[/I} mysteriously increasing speed as I perform a relaxed, off cam overtake to the point that I have to drop a gear just to make sure I make it back in front of them. They are going 30mph in a 50, you move out to overtake at 40mph, and by the time you actually get back in, with their full beam blinding you, you're doing more like 70! Weird eh.... Grrrrr.

Fuel Prices.

I am not an accountant, not do I claim to have the most comprehensive understanding of the taxation on fuel, but I do know this:

We have to work, we want to drive, we will pay. I pray to god no one in power reads this, but they could charge £5 a litre and many would still pay it.

Like London's congestion charge, we are not driving around in the city at 9am for something to do!

I dont think we should smile, bend over and take it; but like a lonely man in quicksand, there comes a point where you realise just how far your struggling gets you. When I started driving (about 9 years ago) fuel was around 78p/litre I seem to remember. I also remember a couple of years after that when people were panic buying when there was just talk of fuel going up to £1 a litre.

Today, now, 2012. If I found a station selling fuel at £1 a litre I'd barricade the place up and live there!

If they did hike the fuel cost to some figure that is absolutely unimaginable in 2012 like £5/litre, it would cost £250 to fill the S up, but would I suffer it to indulge my hobby? Or would I sell it and take up stamp collecting?

Regrettably for my savings, my bank manager and my future financial security, I suspect I already know the answer.......

 

I passed my test in 1997 and it was 59.9 for unleaded and 62.9 for 4 star at my local Shell station, big price increase in the last 15 years!

 

For now...

There are active moves to shift the middle east away from the $ as a trading 'standard'.
This is already happening.

And why USA will likely be a third world country by 20yrs.