The Germans are not happy about the 3 series gas mileage

[IDBMW]

If gas prices go up any more someone will torch there 135i

Man torches BMW to protest gas prices, police say

BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- A German man doused his BMW with gasoline and torched it Friday in protest at skyrocketing fuel costs, police said.
The unemployed 30-year-old man drove a black 1995 BMW 3-series sedan onto the lawn outside Frankfurt's convention center grounds at about 7:30 a.m., police spokesman Karlheinz Wagner said.
He then jumped out, emptied a canister of gas over the vehicle and set fire to it, Wagner said.
By the time the fire department got to the scene, the car was entirely burned out.
The Bavarian man, whose name was being withheld because he has not been charged with a crime, told police that gas prices were so high he could no longer afford to drive the vehicle.
As in many countries, gasoline prices have risen steadily in Germany; a liter of regular gasoline now costs about euro 1.55, or $9.40 per gallon.
Police were investigating whether the man could be charged with violating German environmental laws with the stunt, Wagner said. Penalties range from fines to five years in prison.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html

[xSegFaultx]

Haha

I wonder what about setting his Bimmer on fire seemed like a good idea. For someone concerned about the cost of gas, that is not my idea of a financially wise decision.



Before anyone says anything, yes I really do get the message he was trying to convey.

[amybang]

I love that he had to buy gas to set the car on fire!

amy!

[jbenington86]

Originally Posted by amybang

I love that he had to buy gas to set the car on fire!

amy!

first thing that came to mind....i bet that cost is 10-15 euro

[IDBMW]

Originally Posted by jbenington86

first thing that came to mind....i bet that cost is 10-15 euro

Did this make the German news?

[imported_Katera]

Originally Posted by amybang

I love that he had to buy gas to set the car on fire!

amy!

ROFL awesome Amy!

[Omega Man]

It's nuts but there's going to be a break soon and a move the other direction. Can't stay like this forever in a free market with democracies that can act on a crisis. I really believe that.

Just issuing new leases offshore around the US would get the ball rolling. Nuke plant underwriting. It'll start happening. Even greens say nuclear is cleaner and safer (Even with a catastrophe) than coal.

[canlefty]

Originally Posted by Omega Man

It's nuts but there's going to be a break soon and a move the other direction. Can't stay like this forever in a free market with democracies that can act on a crisis. I really believe that.

Keep telling yourself that... meanwhile, I'll continue taking all your optimism straight to the bank

[Spook]

Europe has had high gas prices for a long time. The response has been more fuel efficient cars. I understand the protesters frustration. If you can't afford a small diesel and you can't afford to maintain your current vehicle, you're screwed.

As for what we do in this country, I think a nice calm approach would be good. The current administration will, of course, trade off anything for pumping oil. They don't care if it's wilderness, just offshore our beaches, or in Central Park for that matter. They just want to pump oil and do some 'bidness'. I don't think there is enough oil involved available in the time frame where it would matter for this to make much of a difference. There is enough oil available from current sources to get us to the next energy source. We just need to make developing that source a priority and get there rather than milking the current crisis for all it's worth.

Sorry for the non car discussion..

[ptack]

that just burns me up

[oneaabe]

Originally Posted by Spook

As for what we do in this country, I think a nice calm approach would be good. The current administration will, of course, trade off anything for pumping oil. They don't care if it's wilderness, just offshore our beaches, or in Central Park for that matter. They just want to pump oil and do some 'bidness'. I don't think there is enough oil involved available in the time frame where it would matter for this to make much of a difference. There is enough oil available from current sources to get us to the next energy source. We just need to make developing that source a priority and get there rather than milking the current crisis for all it's worth.

Sorry for the non car discussion..

+1000 !
nuclear, solar, wind and biomass are all good alternate sources.

[MastaMind]

Originally Posted by ptack

that just burns me up

No kidding. The high gas prices are really inflaming the masses.

[ChrisK]

This thread is the gas....I mean some hi-octane discussion. Oh well, his ride was smokin hot!

[ptack]

not cool man, not cool

[walsh416]

Originally Posted by ptack

not cool man, not cool

yep, it was probably pretty hot... :wink:

[IDBMW]

Originally Posted by Spook

Europe has had high gas prices for a long time. The response has been more fuel efficient cars. I understand the protesters frustration. If you can't afford a small diesel and you can't afford to maintain your current vehicle, you're screwed.

As for what we do in this country, I think a nice calm approach would be good. The current administration will, of course, trade off anything for pumping oil. They don't care if it's wilderness, just offshore our beaches, or in Central Park for that matter. They just want to pump oil and do some 'bidness'. I don't think there is enough oil involved available in the time frame where it would matter for this to make much of a difference. There is enough oil available from current sources to get us to the next energy source. We just need to make developing that source a priority and get there rather than milking the current crisis for all it's worth.

Sorry for the non car discussion..

IMO we need to tap the oil resources in the USA. I grew up in Port Hueneme, CA (BMW VDC). In 1975 when I went to college they were drilling like mad off the CA coast. A few oil spills (I washed the birds that survived with kerosene that were covered with oil) and the environmentalist shut things down.
Even the mention of taping our resources would drop the price of oil. If we continue to let oil prices go up our economy I domed. But the USA needs an energy plan which gets us off oil. That will take decades so in the mean time we need to take our own oil in the gap.

The environmentalist will come out and complain about spills but off the Gulf cost there was no oil spilled when Katrina came through. I think we are better able to manage the oil wells these days. Additionally when they made the Alaska pipeline the environmentalists said the caribou and other animals would die. Wrong, the animals stay close to the pipeline in winter since it is warm.

The company I work for has a division that makes the machines that makes solar panels. We have found a way to adapt out machines from making flat panel displays where we use glass and deposit the solar cells on the glass. This reduced the cost of solar big time. The machines are selling like crazy. We have even developed a solar panel that looks like a tinted window. The efficiency is not where we are ready to use them yet but imagine in a few years, a high rise with these solar windows producing electricity.

[Omega Man]

Originally Posted by IDBMW

IMO we need to tap the oil resources in the USA. I grew up in Port Hueneme, CA (BMW VDC). In 1975 when I went to college they were drilling like mad off the CA coast. A few oil spills (I washed the birds that survived with kerosene that were covered with oil) and the environmentalist shut things down.
Even the mention of taping our resources would drop the price of oil. If we continue to let oil prices go up our economy I domed. But the USA needs an energy plan which gets us off oil. That will take decades so in the mean time we need to take our own oil in the gap.

The environmentalist will come out and complain about spills but off the Gulf cost there was no oil spilled when Katrina came through. I think we are better able to manage the oil wells these days. Additionally when they made the Alaska pipeline the environmentalists said the caribou and other animals would die. Wrong, the animals stay close to the pipeline in winter since it is warm.

The company I work for has a division that makes the machines that makes solar panels. We have found a way to adapt out machines from making flat panel displays where we use glass and deposit the solar cells on the glass. This reduced the cost of solar big time. The machines are selling like crazy. We have even developed a solar panel that looks like a tinted window. The efficiency is not where we are ready to use them yet but imagine in a few years, a high rise with these solar windows producing electricity.

zactly. libs say it's not enough to worry with. that's bs. just suggesting it will ease the pressure. of course it will. there are a lot of different groups that want us stuck to the backside of the miserable middle east. People who finance and produce films such as The China Syndrome, Silkwood and now today with the real thought of getting busy in the Arctic, Happy Feet Penguins and huggable lovable Polar Bears. Do you think what's his name at Disney gives a crap about Polar Bears? He does not. But he cares deeply for Israel. Meanwhile the Sheiks are like Nancy in the comic strip Peanuts. If the US domestic producers, Charlie Brown, get up the nerve once again to trust Nancy and kick the football, we all know what's gonna happen. Charlie Brown is sick of getting jerked around, especially in the oil bidness where barriers to entry are huge and return on investment long term.

As long as all it takes is sticking a straw in the ground over in desertland versus drilling through dolomite here or deep wells offshore, they can crush competition by dropping the bottom out of the price (seen it first hand in the 80's). That plus odd Hollywood allegiance and their agenda driven propaganda gets you $5 a gallon eggroll.

[Omega Man]

One more observation and then I'll leave it alone. I remember back in the 60's going to the beach in Galveston and Gulfport on several road trips. It was really shitty down there back then. Lots of oily globs washing up and regular spills. Now I live near the gulf coast and it's never been cleaner. They are still drilling in the Gulf. I believe processes and quality has gotten a lot better since the bad experiences of the 60's. But it's totally understandable why people in CA and FLA don't want their beaches trashed. that's a big part of the economy, clean beaches. It's a tough deal. But we all gotta eat, as they say.

[60Driver]

I was in Germany in April and gas was about $9.40 a gallon. It doesn't seem like prices have moved at all in two months compared to our prices here. Um, I don't know where I'm going with that. :iono:

All I know is that when we develop some kind of alternative to gas we can leave that part of the world to themselves. And then let's see what gas costs.

[Jackdaws]

As for high American gas prices, that's what you get when you elect an oilman as President who starts an unnecessary war resulting in more instability in the Middle East. Mission Accomplished!

[Spook]

Not sure where the idea that there were not spills during Katrina came from:

Aug.-Sept., New Orleans, Louisiana: The Coast Guard estimated that more than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled during Hurricane Katrina from various sources, including pipelines, storage tanks and industrial plants.

This is from: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001451.html

Offshore drillling is far from it's peak so you would expect fewer incidents. I don't believe it when the oil industry tells me they have technology that has mitigated the risk. I lived in Houston for 25 yrs up until 4 yrs ago and spent a lot of time on the water. There are still lots of oil dollops floating about and on the beach. I had to keep cleaners in the truck to do my waders and the boat hull after the trip. Hardly pristine.

When it comes to taking care of us, are we really going to believe Exxon and W?

[RobLS]

Originally Posted by Jackdaws

As for high American gas prices, that's what you get when you elect an oilman as President who starts an unnecessary war resulting in more instability in the Middle East. Mission Accomplished!

Wow you really think thats the reason? ok....

but anyways, do any of you think this guy filled up his tank to make the trip over there to set his car aflame?