This must have been what is was like at the end of the Last Century.....

[hammersley]

I mean so many of us still cling to our old ways... . all we can talk about is "I'll need a diesel to tow, etc..... I'll bet in about 1895 they were saying similar things - "..... like how the heck are they going to get anything reliable unless it's driven by a horse!"



IMO - we have witnessed the highpoint of diesel ownership in big pickups among us ... ... those days are over... ... . I know for myself I won't buy another one... ... this is my last... ... . it's no more "buggywips" bring on the electrics... ...

 

[jcarey]

At least in 1895 they still had an economical alternative :-laf

 

[jgillott]

I agree with your point, but I see the trend to be more like what happend to the auto industry in the '70's. That decade began with a multitued of big block powered vehicles, and ended with the surge of the 4 cyl compact. The big, luxury styled cars of the early to mid '70's were replaced with more bare bones, basic transportation.



Just the other day, I was browsing around one of our local dealer's lot. This place used to have at a minimum 30-40 diesel trucks on the ground at all times. There were exactly 2 there now and probably a dozen or so 2x4 6 cyl half tons. Last year this time, you would have never even seen a 2x4 base truck on the lot, let alone a dozen. Where the trucks used to sit are now several dozen 4cyl Calibers and Avengers, again all modestly equipped.

 

[Cummins Thunder]

I went yesterday and drove a new 6. 7 just because. I loved the truck but the damn salesman really ****** me off. He asked why I seemed hesitant to buy. I replied with I am just too unsure of what our economy is going to do in the next few months. He just stood there and gave me this I cant believe he just said that stare!!!! He then says what are you talking about!!!????#@$%! I was gettin so ******!

The truck I chose to drive coughed and sputtered when he started it and had bad converter drain back (probably been sitting 2+ months) he tells me its just because its low on fuel!



BTW, this dealer (which is the place my 02 came from) used to stock more diesels than gassers. They now have maybe 25 diesels and 50+ gas trucks.

 

[Ncostello]

The glory of diesel pickup ownership days are over? They sure weren't around for long were they? I mean... its not like we've been enjoying them as we know them for 50 years. I hope not.



Ya... the 70's started out with big block fullsize cars... and ended up with 4cyl econo cars. But look were we are once again. 8. 1L Suburbans, 381HP Toyota pickups, Hemi Magnums, H2's by the dozen. 30 years later... and you can still get something to chug gasoline by the gallon.



The turn of the century was different. The mechanical revolution almost came overnight. You were dealing with transportation dating back to medieval times (animals)... to the mechanical combustion engine. Leaps and bounds. Totally different. Worlds apart. A gas engine was a marvel. Something of dreams.



Here we are looking at just making the piston engine more efficient and cars smaller. So its not like we are going from gas engines n' tires to electromagnetic floating hovercrafts. Are electric versions of exactly what we have now... which charge using the grid powered by coal fired generating stations actually a marvel. Hasn't that idea been around since... . the turn of the century too? Weren't the first city big delivery trucks filled with banks of batteries? Could the grid really handle every person plugging in to charge their car?



I don't think we have to let go of anything until some revolutionary breakthrough occurs light years ahead of anything we know now. The answer is something we haven't even dreamed of yet. Maybe not even from science as we know it.



Until then... as long as people demand fuel... it will be for sale. Just my opinion.

 

[AKaiser]

A 1/2 ton gas truck has to get 18 MPG to be as cost efficient as my 21 MPG diesel pickup based on $3. 87 gas and $4. 69 diesel, which is about what the cheapest fuel prices are in SW Indiana. Of course, that's strictly based on fuel cost, and doesn't take into account other variable costs (maint) and fixed cost of purchase.

 

[bmoeller]

My Ram gets the same mileage as a '04 Ford Ranger. Figure that one out... .....

 

[DHayden]

I don't think we have to let go of anything until some revolutionary breakthrough occurs light years ahead of anything we know now. The answer is something we haven't even dreamed of yet. Maybe not even from science as we know it.

QUOTE]



Hmm I need a dilithium crystal for my warp core :-laf

 

[Tractorat]

Just to be a little technical. The end of the last century was 1999 or 2000 (depending on which camp you belong to as to the end of the 20th century) The end of the 1800's was the end of the century before the last.

 

[AKaiser]

Just to be a little technical. The end of the last century was 1999 or 2000 (depending on which camp you belong to as to the end of the 20th century) The end of the 1800's was the end of the century before the last.

Since there is no "year zero," the first year of any 10, 100 or 1000 year period ends in 1. Therefore, Y2K was the last year of the 20th century. Sure, some people dispute this for various reasons, but I think they're on shaky ground.

 

[Tractorat]

AKaiser,

You and I are in the same camp. I included the other guys (who just happen to be wrong) so as not to offend anybody.

TRat

 

[Ncostello]

But since there wasn't anything neat introduced in 2000 and beyond, as was promised by everyone in the 50's... its still like were in the 20th century.



2000 was the future for me. But its only got worse

 

[duckcarvr]

you would have to have the actual figures but... . my old gas truck got 10 mpg around town. my diesel gets 14. thats 40% better fuel miliage. to night gas was $4. 25 and diesl was $4. 97. so diesl was aprox. 17% more than gas. Depending what the numbers are it probaly would not benifit me to change.

 

[gonzo2]

I thought the end of the last century was 1999. :-laf

 

[AKaiser]

I thought the end of the last century was 1999. :-laf

That's what you (and a lot of people) get for thinking. :-laf



I assume you're being facetious, but anyway, you do the math. There are 100 years in a century, right. What's the first year of the first century A. D. (C. E. if you will)? ONE, right. Therefore, what year is the last year of the first century? 100. Not exactly rocket science, is it.

 

[hammersley]

Big Fallacy about the Power Grid not having

the Capacity to Charge Electric Cars... ... ... ... ... .



The Grid has huge spinning reserve at Night when the charging would occur..... for example.....



"One common critique of an electric car revolution is that the increased energy demand might just lead to the generation of new power plants, negating some of the cars' positive environmental benefits. Well, according to a new study by the U. S. Department of Energy, those critiques are misguided. The study shows 84% of the 198 million cars, light trucks and SUVs on America's roads could be fueled by the existing energy infrastructure if switched to plug-in hybrid vehicles. When you add vans and other vehicles in the "light duty fleet," 73% of the 217 million vehicles could be powered with the power plants we have in place today. In switching from 6. 5 million barrels of oil every day to electric cars fueled by off-peak power production, the study estimates a reduction of greenhouse gases by 27%. "



Excess Nightime Energy Could Fuel Over 158 Million Plug-in Hybrids : TreeHugger

 

[rbattelle]

My Ram gets the same mileage as a '04 Ford Ranger. Figure that one out... .....

I had a Ranger 4. 0L (well, a Mazda B4000, but they're identical) before my Ram. I think the Ram gets about 1 MPG better than the Mazda did.



I think it's hard to legitimately compare now to the changeover from the 19th to the 20th century. Perhaps a better time to compare might be the early-to-mid 1800s (say 1820 - 1860).



I happen to be reading George Stephenson's biography right now - he is the father of the railroad. It is unbelievable how much people resisted the change to steam power, and the propaganda regarding it dispensed by the "media" of the day. Anyone who trusts media reporting (of anything) would do well to study the early 1820s when steam power was coming of age.



Considerable expense (in both dollars and horses lives) was spent "proving" the horse was better than steam.



Stephenson was considered a nitwit by many, particularly when he would occasionally suggest that locomotives might one day travel at the insane speed of up to 10 MPH. The British government nearly killed the early railroad over such a suggestion.



But I digress.



Ryan