In 1973, an Airstream poll asked "How much will you be willing to pay for fuel, before you would quit Airstreaming?"
The answer, 35 years ago, was $5.00 per gallon.
How much would you be willing to pay for fuel today, before you would quit towing your Airstream?
Andy
Stop completely. I am not sure. Probably when I park the truck because it costs to much to use it. The airplane is coming close to that point.
The cost of fuel has seriously curtailed my travel plans.
We will continue to use our Caravel until the first year our annual expenses overtake our annual income, and there is else to change or cut.
Don't know just when that will be, but certainly not $5.00 per gallon. We will continue to plan our trips very carefully, and always buy gas at the cheapest price.
If everyone only bought gas from the lowest price seller, the others would have to lower their price in order to sell. Then the lowest priced guy would have to lower his price in order to remain the lowest priced guy, etc,etc,etc, until gas was at the lowest price it could be sold for. That's called competition. Buying from the high priced guy eliminates the need to compete, and allows the price to continue upward. Now the low priced guy can raise his price, allowiing the high priced guy to raise his, etc,etc,etc.
Boy is this subject getting beat to death! There are no less than four other threads pertaining to fuel costs on the forum already. How about when starting a new thread folks should do a search first.
__________________ J. Rick Cipot Sandi Gould NEUNew England Unit Airstream Life Magazine WBCCI #3411 AIR #17099 2009 Silverado 2500HD 2004 22' Safari 1960 24' Tradewind
I am trying to slow down my travel and make more stops along the way. Hoping to get a tank of gas to last a week or more, instead of filling up every day.
My wife and I discussed this some recently. I'm ready to start looking for some land now to setup the Argosy for a somewhat permanent vacation spot. She's not ready yet.
But, $5 per gallon is about where I would draw the line.
Ingrid has been stationary since her husband passed away more than 15 years ago. she "full times" 4 months a year in one place. Gas costs, excluding airfare, have no direct impact. she has absolutely no desire to live in any other environment other than her Airstream.
As for myself, I hope someday to go on the road. I hope it will be in an Airstream but current quality issues on new models has me more worried than the price of fuel. I also hope that the powers that be, take this time to take Airstream to what Wally would have built with the technology of today and the care of yesterday. To borrow a slogan, "Quality is job one".
My answer to the question would be that as long as the pleasure of Airstreaming exceeds the pain of the cost of fuel, I'll still do it.
Overall, I think most folks feel the same. It may make for less spontaneous traveling and a lot more planning but maybe that's not such a bad thing.
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Ricky give life. kidney & pancreas transplant 9/9/06
Ingrid - my unofficial '"World's Oldest Airstreamer"
January 1909 - October 2008 R.I.P.
Quit is pretty strong. We usually take a big trip once a year, this year it's 5500 miles, the increased cost of fuel had to be planned for, originally figured at 1450.00 now is 2030.00 but it is less than the cost of a round trip air ticket. On a 3 week vacation 600.00 is doable
I imagine future trips may not be as often or as long but it's some thing we love to do and will probably just budget for it (fuel) and go anyway.
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'00 34' Classic Limited (LOVSHAC)
'06 2500HD, 4x4 LBZ chip D/A CC LB
AIR #12881
I decided to permanently park my Airstream at Land Yacht Harbor in Melbourne Florida and drive back and forth from Ohio several times a year and spend winters in Florida. My car gets 32MPG and this arrangement supports my budget nicely. I still am able to be around other fellow Airstreamers and enjoy the Airstream lifestyle.
Much higher than $5.00/gal. We may shorten trips, but will NOT stay at home. I didn't finally retire at age 60 to stay home. We bought the airstream to use and enjoy.
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Rgds,
Scott Air 16426
Fully retired now!
Remember:
Never start anything before noon and always plan on being finished by 5.
I will never HAVE to be anywhere ever again!
How much was the price of gasoline 35 years ago? Sorry, but I wasn't driving yet in those days. But it seems like an interesting ratio: the price 35 years ago vis-a-vis $5 bucks per gallon. Comparing the ratio then to today's ratio (current price vis-a-vis quite 'streaming price) would be quite revealing regarding how much we're willing to go today to continue 'streaming. Any economists out there?
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Todd
“Complications arose, ensued, were overcome...savvy?”
How much was the price of gasoline 35 years ago? Sorry, but I wasn't driving yet in those days. But it seems like an interesting ratio: the price 35 years ago vis-a-vis $5 bucks per gallon. Comparing the ratio then to today's ratio (current price vis-a-vis quite 'streaming price) would be quite revealing regarding how much we're willing to go today to continue 'streaming. Any economists out there?
Dang! 35 years ago, I was driving... Doesn't seem that long ago until you actually see it in writing... I can tell you though, $5 bought alot more then than it buys now...
Took a cross country road trip with a band I was in back then and remember paying $.24 a gallon in Salina, Kansas... gas war going on between 2 stations on opposite corners. Never paid more than 30 cents a gallon on the tour... matter of fact, I'm thinking our main concerns on that trip was the cost of beer... and other kinds of, uh... smokable products...
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. Bill & Kim's Marvelous Adventure "I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries and a reprieve from my obligations".
Procrastinator's Creed AIR 9218
I am 70 and retired. Lynn is 60 and retired. We say since we have not received any assurance that we will be able to enjoy our convertible and Trade Wind in the 'next' life we are going to keep on 'streaming'. We told our kids that we are deducting today's expenses from their inheritance. Our daughter's reply to that is, "That's okay, my brother and I are only expecting a whole lot of camping equipment anyway.
Neil
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Neil and Lynn Holman FreshAir #12407
Dang! 35 years ago, I was driving... Doesn't seem that long ago until you actually see it in writing... I can tell you though, $5 bought alot more then than it buys now...
Took a cross country road trip with a band I was in back then and remember paying $.24 a gallon in Salina, Kansas... gas war going on between 2 stations on opposite corners. Never paid more than 30 cents a gallon on the tour... matter of fact, I'm thinking our main concerns on that trip was the cost of beer... and other kinds of, uh... smokable products...
Okay this is my 400th post so it better be a good one. So in those days at roughly .25 cents a gallon folks were willing to pay up to $5 bucks or 20 times more in gas! They must have really loved their Airstreams. And as Jaxon mentioned money bought a lot more than today.
So if today we had the same degree of love for our Airstreams or perhaps the smokable products and beer is missing we should be willing to pay 20 times the current $5 prices of fuel which would be an incredible $100 bucks a gallon before we give up!
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Todd
“Complications arose, ensued, were overcome...savvy?”
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But it seems like an interesting ratio: the price 35 years ago vis-a-vis $5 bucks per gallon. Comparing the ratio then to today's ratio (current price vis-a-vis quite 'streaming price) would be quite revealing regarding how much we're willing to go today to continue 'streaming. Any economists out there?
Doesn't seem that long ago until you actually see it in writing... 
I can tell you though, $5 bought alot more then than it buys now... 
Adventure
we are going to keep on 'streaming'. We told our kids that we are deducting today's expenses from their inheritance. Our daughter's reply to that is, "That's okay, my brother and I are only expecting a whole lot of camping equipment anyway.
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