Yeah, there's that, too. I just filled up the tank for $50. That'll last two weeks, thankfully, because it's not far to work and back for us both. (Our Kia gets about 30mpg in-town, and 40-ish on the highway.) I really miss that about Scotland - nothing was terribly far away. So although we had to use public transit or rent a car, at least the distances were short and you could get almost anywhere in an easy day's drive.
Gas where I am right now is about the same price as it was around 2010 in Calif, so I can't complain about it. (Although it was half as much when we landed here in 2020.) My co-workers, who bought big boats of SUVs a few years ago, are complaining bitterly. I'd like to be sympathetic, but find it difficult. The younger ones I can cut more slack, as they missed the 2008-2010 and the 1970s-1980s fuel price/shortages debacles, and they don't seem to have any real awareness that it's a finite resource, with prices driven by market conditions that can turn south on a dime.
I really don't have a lot of sympathy for people who should know better who buy cars that are not fuel efficient who then complain about running costs - with the exception of those who cannot afford better. I bought the most fuel-efficient car I could get paying cash (about $15,000 for a used, four-year-old one) last year. I would have preferred one with better mpg, but couldn't find one in my price range. So, yeah, I can definitely relate to not being able to afford something more efficient, but not to being so blind as to be buying those huge boats that just suck down fuel. That's just... well, if you can afford to purchase one I guess you can afford to fuel it.
(Last year's Tahoes were going for around $50,000 and get maybe 15 mpg in town.)
I have often wondered why the cars available in the EU/UK are not marketed here. I assume it's because of either protectionist legislation or safety issues. Probably the former. Unfortunately. It's not as if there are a lot of cars built in the USA anymore to protect. I enjoyed driving the UK cars, even with the wrong-side-of-the-road-thing-and-the-shift-stick-being-done-lefty. I even grew to appreciate roundabouts. Surprisingly, there are a lot of roundabouts where we are now. Of course, after my excellent driving instructor there in Scotland, I have to be very careful to not auto-pilot the wrong way going into one! (I also took a refresher diving course here and got dinged for relying on my mirrors so much - something he had drilled into me to do! I had a few things to "unlearn" again here.)
All of which leads to: the local Denny's is offering free delivery for a limited time, so I don't have to waste gas if I want Denny's. Of course, it'll be cold when it gets here, but....
