A Contrary Indicator?

Just noticed this email in my spam filter, from sender "BEATHIGHGASPRICES"*:

"Convert your car to run on water as well as gas!!!"

The three exclamation marks weren't quite emphatic enough. If they had used four exclamation marks maybe I would have opened the message instead of deleting it. Then again, maybe not.

*ALL CAPS makes for a compelling sales pitch, no?

Sphere: Related Content

Californians Buying Mexican Gas May Face Hidden Costs

The irascible blogger WC Varones yesterday reported on a story about San Diego residents driving to Mexico to fuel up, taking advantage of federale-subsidized prices.

W.C. Varones Blog: Beggar nation

Americans crossing the border to buy subsidized gas in Mexico:

A surge of drivers from the United States eager to escape record high gasoline prices flooded gas stations near the border crossing Saturday.
Motorists with California plates moved steadily through service stations. [...]
Lopez estimated that demand was up 30 percent from an ordinary weekend.
Workers at the stations surveyed attributed the increase to motorists from the United States.
Mexican gasoline comes from Pemex, the national oil company, and is subsidized by the federal government.Regular unleaded (87 octane) gasoline sells for $2.54 per gallon in the city, premium (91 octane) for $3.20 per gallon and diesel for $2.20 per gallon.

But is it such a good deal in the long run?

I asked some friends of mine from San Diego, and their responses were completely negative. One told me "You don't want Pemex. By the time it's trickled through the different levels of corruption five different politicians all have tanks full of pure and pockets lined with pesos and the fuel is about 10 percent water. Even the high-octane option'll make your car rattle and stink and run like shit."

Another friend said simply "I absolutely ruined an engine in a jeep on that trash."

Bear in mind that the plural of anecdote is not "data" but their response bears consideration.

Sphere: Related Content

More Bloggotage About CE And Fuel Prices

Marketnews' Christine Persaud just blogged about the tacit impact of fuel prices on the cost of doing business, in response to my column last Tuesday about fleet management.

MarketnewsGadgetTalk: How is the Price of Gas Affecting Your Business?

As you can see, the rising price of gas affects more than just the consumer. So if you're buying a big ticket item and have to pay for delivery when you never had to before, don't blame the retailer, at least not during these trying times. And if you don't have to pay, appreciate that offering even more now. As for retailers, if your sales rep is skimping on visits as of late, it probably has nothing to do with your relationship, or your importance as a business partner.

As I commented on her blog, I was talking yesterday with one of my sales rep friends. He puts in about 100km a year covering Alberta. He said that last year his average fuel bill was $500/month, as opposed to the $1500 he just paid for this May.

Sphere: Related Content

Hummer, Quo Vadis?

Paul Kedrosky's got a link to a well-done piece in the LA Times about Hummer's reversing fortunes, as well as some eye-popping graphs.

Paul Kedrosky: Hummer Bummer

Now seems like an opportune moment to gloat about my decision last year to go with the 4-cylinder Toyota Tacoma instead of the 6-cylinder model as my work truck (or "fleet" as we like to call it here at Lee Distad's Professional Opinion). It still hurts to fill the 80L tank, but on the bright side, I don't have to do it very often.

If you're like the guy who re-did the floors in my house last year, whose load-out for a job usually involves a half-ton pallet of ceramic tiles, you can justify a truck with a monster power plant. Same with dudes who need to carry a 600lb MIG welder everywhere they go. However, for every big work truck I see here in Oil Country, I see six more that are clearly "work trucks" only as far as Revenue Canada is concerned, and where the owner is just pissing $5 bills down the storm drain for the sake of image. But hey, we all have to make decisions in our life, right?

Sphere: Related Content