so it seems thecamaro is going to be outi n3 years or so?? don't you think with gas at 3.50ish or so a gallon among other things gm will be late to the party AGAIN???

 

Just because gasoline is expensive now, doesn't mean it will be a year, or two, or three down the road. Things change.

And as was amply demonstrated by the 4th gens, power != crappy fuel economy. M6 4th gens could easily pull 30 mpg on the highway, much better than any minivan or SUV. It's all perception.

 

This is not the first gas price crunch we've been through, and won't be the last. These cars made it through last time, and our technology and efficiency is much better now.

So I'm not too worried about it. As long as people keep gobbling up big SUVs I think there's room to sell some Pony Cars.

 

GM REALLY needs to get the word out about their V8's fuel economy...

It's equal to or better than most V6's out there, and offers 75-100% more power than those engines.

I'm amazed, especially on this board, that the whole "gas prices are going to kill the sports cars" thing comes up so often.

Again, perception is reality for so many... so, ironically, it COULD have an effect, and it SHOULDN'T.

 

I sure didn't buy my camaro with great fuel economy in mind and I'm sure most other buyers wont either. And for the record, my Camaro z-28 gets better gas mileage than my 2000 Grand Prix GTP.

 

Fuel economy was my least concern when I bought my Z28. I ran it off of reg for the first 2 months while i looked for a job then when i put in premium i saw a 5-6 mpg jump. I'm about 50/50 on city/highway and I get 19-20mpg consistently...7mpg better than the 3.0L in my old Ranger, and about the same as my brothers Grand Am GT.

 

Ok, who left the barn door open?

 

For the ACTUAL ECONOMIC EFFECT to be the same as during the gas crunches of the 70s and 80s, sweet light crude would have to go to ~$90 a barrel. Its hovering around $66 a barrel right now. Sure, gas is expensive, but, adjusted for inflation, its not as bad as it has been in the past.

Its my opinion that if the ecoweenies could get off the bong long enough to allow some new refinery capacity to be built, we could drive the price of crude in this country down by 10-15% in a few years. It wont ever be as cheap as it used to be, but from what I can see, the current market is inflated well past its actual value.

 

Yeah, once all the dust settles which could take a good year I expect:

Oil: $50 barrel
Gas $2.15-$2.20

I think things will settle down to these levels and then (barring no major gas crunches for awhile) slowly rise at the annual inflation rate ~2-4%

 

Agreed. We're in a nice sweet spot in that we don't really care toooooo much about prices, but we're not dropping 50-60 bucks a tank like some SUV owners either. We have the best of both worlds, fun cars, and mileage which is right in line w/ most mid sized cars, regardless of engine. Compacts and small cars won't ever do it for me, so even if I were to trade down, it would be to an Impalla or GP or something, and frankly, theres just not enough of a MPG improvement there to get me to do it.

 

If it hasnt been said yet I would like to point out that in another thread RP noted the best selling year for Camaro was in 1979. A very poor time in our economy as far as energy prices.

 

Sadly enough, my Z28 gets almost as good of gas mileage as my '01 Grand Prix GT!! Highest tank ever with the GP was 29.2 MPG...Z28 was 28.5

In normal driving, the GP gets 22 while the Z28 gets 19. For 3 MPG, I'd love a second Z28 for daily driving

 

That adjustment for inflation where they say oil has to get to $90 to match 1981s oil prices is a bunch of garbage In 1981 after I graduated from high school I made 4.50 an hr. Today I'm not even making $4 more an hr than what I was in 1981. And there are no jobs around here where I live and I'd have to drive 50 miles or more to get better paying jobs but by the time I paid for gas, I'm further ahead staying where I'm at. I'd have to make $13 or $14 (or more..just a guestamite)to match 1981 for inflation. Sorry, but I get real mad when the media says that oil has to get to $90 to match 1981s prices.

 

That's using the "Average National Inflation" for calculations.

I've lived in Appalachia for a year (Zanesville, OH) after graduating College until I got promoted and was able to move back to Indy.

The inflation there is a FAR cry from the national average. I mean hell, the MEAN income in Zanesville is 25k. That's poverty level here in Indy. Zanesville, you can get by...

The fluctuations in Incomes/Inflation/Costs of Living in the country IMO is TERRIBLE. But that's another story.

The LS engines seem to have very good fuel economy and I wouldnt' be afraid of buying one. Also, I think it will drop back down when things eventually settle down. Iraq needs to get things straightened up and start producing at 100% again too.

 

comon guys, when the hot rods were popular... in the late 60's if gasoline prices kept up with inflation gas would be near 5.50 a gallon... and the 60's cars were plenty popular... so gas prices dont stop performance, lack of gas does however...

hell I work at a dealership and people say, Hey I want something with good gas mileage, they pick out a tahoe with a v8 and they cant resist the power...