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May 9, 2008 6:28 pm US/Central
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People Changing What They Drive To Conserve Gas
(WCCO)
When gas prices hit $3.00 a gallon, it was enough to get people to start changing the way they drive. As prices at the pump continue to rise, it's prompting a lot of people to change what they drive.
People out at Walser Toyota Scion, a car dealership in Bloomington, Minn., aren't having trouble getting people in the door lately.
Prices at the pump are taking care of that. Kathy Scharlau is one of many car shoppers looking for more than sleek lines and extra options.
"I'm looking for the gas mileage, so that's what I'm looking for. I'm shopping around for anything that has 30-plus miles to the gallon," she said.
She's not alone. Going any kind of distance in gas guzzlers has simply gotten too expensive.
Bridget Quinn-Engstrom, who sells cars for Walser, sees a lot of people looking to trade in their old SUVs for something more fuel-efficient.
"It's not quite as big, it doesn't quite have the storage capacity that your Sequoia has, but it's going to hit that 30 miles per gallon point that you were looking for in an SUV," Quinn-Engstrom explained to a customer.
Erik Norbom is like many car buyers today. He's willing to trade down in size in order to trade up in efficiency. Norbom's vehicle, a Sequoia, only gets about 15 miles to the gallon.
"It's a great car, but just very inefficient, and I travel 25,000 miles a year," he explained.
Quinn-Engstrom convinced him to take a test drive in one of the Toyota's hybrids.
"As you drive the car and you brake, the work of the vehicle charges those batteries, so you don't have to plug it in," said Quinn-Engstrom.
Norbom is ready to fork over a few grand extra for hybrid technology in the hopes of long term cash flow savings.
"That seems to be exactly what everyone is doing," said Quinn-Engstrom.
With so many people putting a premium on gas mileage, customers won't have any trouble getting a good price on a new ride if miles per gallon aren't a high priority. Most dealers have a lot of SUVs coming in for trade-ins, and even newer vehicles with lower MPGs can be purchased at bargain prices.
"Every time gas goes over $3 a gallon, we see a bit of a panic or a rush to get smaller cars. And then when it drops under $3 a gallon, it kind of eases off a little bit," said Quinn-Engstrom. "I think most people don't think it's going to come back down this time."
In fact, some of the shoppers at Walser Toyota Scion predicted $4 a gallon by this summer and $5 a gallon by next summer.
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