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Tuesday, September 2, 2008
WBR01 - In Wyoming, we love our gas guzzlers
This column appeared in the Wyoming Business Report
There was a sign at the station near by my house that said, `We take Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express. After I filled up they took my Visa, my Master Card, my Discover Card, and my American Express. Jay Leno
To me, driving a big Sport Utility Vehicle was always because of safety concerns.
And for most Wyomingites, the typical mode of transportation over the years has always favored big rigs for lots of reasons.
Whether it was a cattle baron in a big Cadillac, an energy worker in his jacked up 3/4-ton pickup, a cowboy in a mile-long pickup and horse trailer or mom in her SUV, well, we were living large when it came to our outfits (which is what cars and trucks are called in Wyoming). We also drive more miles, per capita, than just about anyone in the USA.
Gas mileage was not a big issue. We’ve always had just about the lowest gas taxes in the country and lots of refineries. For a long time, gasoline or diesel prices were not something to talk about. Or complain about.
My, how times have changed.
There is a genuine rant going on statewide over fuel prices, especially across the northwestern tier. Although prices are going down, they are still high and definitely higher in some places more than others.
A Riverton citizens group bought a big ad in their newspaper showing photos of Casper gas pumps with prices 50 cents per gallon cheaper than in their town.
In Jackson, the price is $4.09 and folks are steaming. “Gouging the tourists,” my friend Clay James says, lamenting that he paid $3.36 per gallon in Missouri recently.
In Lander, a new convenience store opened with lower prices and the place was overwhelmed. Now, their prices are just like everyone else here – high, $3.99 as this is being written.
Best consumer deal is when it is a loss leader. Sam’s Club in Cheyenne was recently selling at $3.74 per gallon with Safeway even lower. Up here in Fremont County, the Wind River Casino’s Smoke Shop fueling center often has the lowest prices. Prices in Casper and Gillette dropped to the $3.62 range.
On a national level, one big oil company exec went public to answer the complaints and compared gasoline to milk ($6.29 per gallon), bottled water ($21.19 per gallon) and Pepto Bismol ($123.20 per gallon). That last example certainly did not make him a lot of friends. He has not been heard from since.
So what about our gas-guzzlers?
The Wyoming Business Report had a story on this subject by Tim Monroe Aug. 8. Most Wyoming car and truck dealers claimed they were holding their own despite a national downturn.
They complained that the biggest price drops were in used diesel 3/4-ton pickups and large SUVs. They were running $6,000 lower than blue book. On eBay, the bigger SUVs were at least $10,000 under what you would expect.
If you are in the market for a big outfit, wow, now is the best time to buy. But, before going to eBay, give your local dealer a chance to find you a rig. They will welcome you with open arms.
The Ford Explorer is the best selling SUV in history. Yet, last month, just 5,000 were sold worldwide. It is a dinosaur.
Another dinosaur is the Yukon XL/Suburban line by General Motors. A year ago, GM had a 92-day supply. This year, they have a 174-day supply.
As stated above, my car is that same GMC Denali XL (yes, a dinosaur). It gets 18 mpg on the highway, which is good considering we haul a lot of people. We appreciate the safety of a big four-wheel drive SUV. But it has not been enjoyable to endure gas fills costing over $100.
We just completed a 1,400-mile drive to Denver and then over to Flaming Gorge and then home.
It was truly astonishing to see the number of hybrid Toyota Prius cars on the Interstate highways. Now, this is the ugliest car to come to market since the AMC Gremlin a generation ago.
Yet, with Toyota’s reliability and good gas mileage, over 1.1 million have been sold. And a lot of people are taking their family vacations in these little tin cans.
It is easy to conclude that the smart money might be in buying that big late model SUV now. Take your pick among a Navigator, an Escalade, an Expedition, a Durango, a Sequoia or even a Yukon like mine.
Just figure out how much money you are saving off the sticker price and then add up how much gas that saving would buy.
And then as an added kicker, consider the safety aspect of driving one of those on Wyoming’s winter roads compared to a Prius?
I know. I know. We have a responsibility to cut emissions and reduce gasoline consumption.
But let’s give one final little cheer for our long-time Wyoming friend, the gas-guzzler. Like dinosaurs, they may soon be headed toward extinction.
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