Speaking of gas prices

Check out the Compare Side-by-Side and Search by Class links in the upper left as well as the New 1985-2008 MPG estimates in the lower right. While these estimates might be biased one way or the other they hopefully bias all vehicles the same. It's interesting reading.

Now is crunch time do they spend millions of dollars tooling up for small cars? They know Americans are fickle and if gas prices go down, the small cars will sit homeless on the lots while people scramble to buy the biggest,fastest vehicle on the lot.

For anybody that wants a small truck, there are plenty around. Just buy one, fix it up, and use it. The car companies wouldn't offer them because the public is short-sighted and often acts on knee-jerk reactions. The car industry can't do that - they must plan ahead a little and try to predict future trends. Yeah, I hear lots of complaining now - but . . . if fuel prices dropped - most people would be back to business as usual. Then, the car companies would be stuck with stuff they nobody wants to buy. That may already be hapening with the huge investement recenty made by the big three in offering light trucks and small SUVs with European turbo-diesels.

I certainly agree there were some neat and fuel efficent vehicles years back - and most were quite utilitarian by today's standards. Many had no AC, no power windows or door locks, no cruise, no tilt wheel, no extended cabs, and sometimes no power from the engine. Personally - that's what I prefer - but any rig like that is hard to find. Even with newer vehicles - try to find a Ford Ranger 4WD with a small engine and standard trans - it's just about impossible. Same with Chevy of Dodge. I used to have an 81 Honda Accord that often got 40 MPG on summer highway runs. My wife's 90 4WD Subaru Justy with a 1.3 liter engine got in the high 30s. She now drives a 95 Geo 4WD Tracker with a 1.6 that does almost as well.

Nice little truck, but it turned out to be invisible. Rear-ended by a drunken realtor who "didn't see it", then about 6 months later totalled by a martial arts instructor who "didn't see it". It was bright red.

But since 2002 and especially since the summer of 2005 the demand should have been really increasing for a high mileage car and in all this time the only thing car companies have offered us are hybrids. Surely they still have the technology to make a car they made in the 80's. Isn't it about time they see if folks would buy one again.