gas prices and Corvette market value

[Roy B.]

Re: gas prices come on it's only MONEY

because people that can a ford these plastic toys , don't worry about the gas prices.The price don't make no differance.

[mike mccagh]

Re: Suggest when you play with your Willy...

only a perverted cerebral cortex, such as housed in the TC shull, would think of such a deviated practice when mention is made of the Willys-Overland products. shame on you, TC. Saint Michael the Archangel

[Joseph T.]

Re: gas prices and Corvette market value

Joe

I drove up to Ann Arbor from Arkansas this past weekend getting about 15 miles to the gallon in the suburban..and spending about $250 in gas.

Now I am getting ready to trailer the 57 up to Mike Yagers funfest and hopefully the Waco meet in October. The mileage drops to about 10 miles per gallon pulling the trailer.

The costs rises significantly.

Yes..it is our choice to do it..but doubling and quadrupling the fuel costs does not get ignored.

Oh..by the way..I saw a new Pontiac Solstice in Ann Arbor and it looked great.

[Michael H.]

Times 10 in 40 Years Rule....

Actually, The price of gas today isn't really out of line if you compare it to other commodities of, say, 40 years ago. Everything has increased by a factor of ten. A new 65 impala was about $2,500., today their $25,000. A new Corvette was $5,000., today their $50,000. A pack of cigarettes was $0.30, today their $3.00. A $25,000. house costs $250,000. today. Gum was $0.05 then but $0.50 today. Gasoline was $0.30 cents a gallon then but $3.00 a gallon today. Wages were aprox $4.00 an hour and today their.... ah....well, maybe not everything went up the same percentage.

Michael

[Donald M.]

Re: gas prices and Corvette market value

Joe, excellent anaysis. However, I think we are all overlooking an imminent threat to our hobby, that of crazy-blended fuels that harm our older fuel systems. MTBE is on it's way back in high smog areas. This stuff is nasty to the environment and it will deteriorate the rubber components of the old fuel systems. Why then, if the environment is threatened, is MTBE still allowed on the market? Two words: George Bush. His recent energy bill contains a clause forbidding environmental groups from suing oil companies for the damage done to the environment by MTBE!!
Secondly,Gasohol is making a comeback. Gasoline is blended with ethanol (grain alcohol)to stretch fuel supplies. Can you say "Farm Subsidies"? This stuff in high enough concentrations, is poison to older fuel systems, too. New cars thrive on these fuels and auto manufacturers will,of course, encourage their use to sustain sales.
So,the price of gas is really only a very small factor in the continuity of our vehicles.

[Wayne W.]

Re: Times 10 in 40 Years Rule....

And eggs were? Higher than today, I would expect. TVs were higher than today, by a long shot. It dont exactly translate across the board.

[Joe L.]

Re: gas prices and Corvette market value

Don-----

Alcohol and MTBE do have some detrimental effect on older fuel systems. However, the overall detrimental effect is less than the detrimental effect of the old, high lead concentration fuel that older Corvettes originally "drank".

The primary detrimental effects of MTBE and ethanol-based gasohol involve the rubber components of fuel systems. These are quite minimal in most older Corvettes and can be easily retrofitted to modern materials that are quite resistant to MTBE and gasohol. The high lead concentration in "days of old" was detrimental to the METAL components of fuel systems.

Sometimes, when folks focus on the detrimental effects of modern gasoline blends, they forget that there were VERY significant detrimental effects of the "old time" gasoline, too. As I've said many times before, lead and the scavengers that had to be used with it were great for octane enhancement and exhaust valve seat protection. They were BAD for everything else in the engine.

The late John Lingenfelter once said that unleaded gas was the best thing that ever happened for performance engines. I agree with him, especially since I think I said this way before he did.

[Donald M.]

Re: Times 10 in 40 Years Rule....

Talk about rationalizing a ripoff! I know all the arguments for high gas prices. I use the "pocket method". If I spent $20 to fill my tank last year and it now costs $35 to fill the same tank, well, that's a ripoff. See, simple.

[Joe L.]

Re: gas prices and Corvette market value

Joe-----

Yes, I really like the Solstice and am considering buying one at some point. The problem is that the rated fuel mileage is really not all that great. With the 5 speed transmission (an automatic will be available next spring with, presumably, somewhat lower fuel mileage) the rating is 20 city and 28 highway. That's really not all that different from an LS-2 Corvette or MANY mid size or larger cars out there. It seems strange to me that GM can't do better than this with a car with a 4 cylinder engine, 500+ pounds less weight than a Corvette or other mid-size cars, and 230 less horsepower than a Corvette LS-2.

[Patrick H.]

Re: gas prices and Corvette market value

Joe,

I suspect some of the mileage is due to "weight vs. horsepower" just as performance is. The rest may be due to gearing. After all, to avoid the gas guzzler tax they "have to" make the Corvette do well and even add the silly skip-shift feature. They don't have to work hard to make a 4 cyl car make 28 mpg. Even the old air cooled VWs can do that on the highway. But, they don't have power.

Patrick