You don't understand. I'm from Louisiana, yes there was an accident, and believe me no major oil company want's to be responsible for a similar clean-up. They've been been drilling in the Gulf for 60 years and this was the first major accident. So with no drilling permits, these multi-billion dollar drilling rigs have been deployed to the north sea and other foreign, distant locations with long-term contracts. So if and when O-Blame-o decides it's safe, there will be no drilling rigs to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. It will be years before new rigs are built and our economy will be deep in the toilet before we get any production on line. I guess most of you guys weren't around in 1973 and 1978 for the oil embargoes and gas rationing. I can see it coming back with a vengeance. With 60% dependence on foreign oil, if OPEC were to shut us off, this country is toast.

 

Change is never easy. We DO have to get things going with alternative energy.

Carter was trying to get us to do energy conservation in the 1970s. We didn't listen and the decadent 80s led to us move toward bigger and more powerful vehicles without regard to fuel consumption.

Like it or not we have a lot of tough and painful decisions to make toward our oil consumption, our spending, changing to renewable energies, and many other things. While we may not be ready for change, it may not be our choice. It is kind of like a person who has gained a 100LBS but still insists on fitting in their old jeans. Something has to give!

As long as oil flows and is affordable, why change?

 

I was 3 years old in 1978 so my memory of this isn't very good!

What I find funny is that similar sized cars from the 80s got 35-40 MPG that now can't break 20 MPG. Technology??? Granted a Mustang GT of the early 80s had 125 HP so maybe there is something there?

 

You just simply pull this stuff out of your behind, don't you?

 

So cars from the '80's got 35 - 40 mpg in one post, but in another post the decadent 80's had bigger vehicles without regard to fuel consumption.

Ummm, Okaaaayyyy.

 

You see, the people are ready for change, they voted for it two elections in a row now. Thing is the dipsticks in DC are not doing the change right, but who's surprised? All they are good for is throttling the taxpayers by sitting on their hands about this whole oil thing, and it's been going on for decades. When was the last oil refinery made? The 70's. That is pathetic.

We still need to produce and process oil until the alternative energy is viable. Until then it seems like the dipsticks in DC want us to walk, because we won't be able to afford to drive, and we need a way to buy our overpriced food.

With all this walking in our future, maybe I should invest in Nike? No, no, I'll invest in New Balance, they are mostly made in the USA.

 

So which is it? Cars in the 80's were gas guzzlers, or cars in the 80's got good MPG?

 

K-mac, who you crappin?

 

I meant the cars from the 90s became gas guzzlers again with the emergence of SUVs. My error. I was on my BlackBerry and my fat thumbs hit the wrong key. Sorry!

 

We definitely need more refineries. The tree huggers fought against adding refineries. Still since the 70s were over the GOP had the presidency the most so why didn't they get them done?

I honestly think natural gas seems to make the most sense in the interim. It is fairly safe, burns clean, we have a good supply and most people have it already in their homes so the infrastructure is fairly cheap as opposed to alternatives.

I still think it is funny that people got 35-40 MPG out of midsize cars in the 80s and by the 90s, 20 MPG was efficient. Got it right this time!

 

Yeah, he's gotta be. Most cars had carburetor's in the 80s and very few models had overdrive transmissions. Even with our 55 mph national speed limit, they couldn't get the mileage they're getting today with twice the horsepower.

 

I still think it is funny that you think people believe you when you make up stuff.

Dude, just give it up.

 

No they didn't. The closest it got was about 30 mpg on the HIGHWAY doing 55 with a 90 hp 4 banger that wouldn't get out of its own way.

 

This link is a compilation of gas mileage figures back to 1978. Bear in mind the maximum speed limit from 1974 to 1985 was 55 mph. Manufacturers used to cheat to post the highest figures possible for these estimates, so take some of the early estimates with a grain of salt. The EPA established specific criteria in 1984 for gas mileage calculations and adopted more stringent rules in 2008. Back then we didn't have ethanol either. You may also note the small engine sizes and low horsepower in the early 80s which was a response to high oil prices in the late 70s, early 80s.

 

I remember taking a ride to Washington in an 82 Nissan Sentra. We hit a head wind coming back (on the down slope of the Rockies) and the car couldn't get above 50 mph. That was a long ride. I later bought that car from my father and I got nowhere near the 30-40 mpg that it was rated at according to the link posted by Windsor. I remember driving to the college I was attending 45 -50 miles away. My average speed was about 60-65. I'd hit about 80-85 going down hill but dropped down to about 65-70 going up the other side. I also had to slow down for the small towns, there were four, of less than a mile across. I used pretty much a whole tank of gas going there and back one time. Being young and stupid I tried to peg the speedo (85 mph) many times on various trips. The car wouldn't go that fast on level ground.