Copyright 2000 The Tribune Co. Publishes The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
March 25, 2000, Saturday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: UNIVERSITY/NEW TAMPA, Pg. 1
LENGTH: 683 words
HEADLINE:
RIDING HIGH;
BYLINE: SEAN LENGELL, of The Tampa
Tribune;
BODY:
Despite rising gas
prices, many area motorists aren't ready to give up their SUV's and
other large vehicles.
NEW TAMPA - The steady increase in gasoline
prices has dominated news reports and water cooler conversations for
several months. Gas prices have so rattled the nation's
collective psyche that some members of Congress even are suggesting
government intervention to keep prices down.
But in New Tampa the mood
appears different. So just how worried over gas prices are
those in this community, where sport utility vehicles and other
gas-guzzling behemoths are commonplace? Not much, say several local motorists
interviewed this week at a New Tampa service station.
"I've been through
more than one gas crisis - they come and they go," said Sandy Tabor of Meadow
Pointe as she filled her Nissan Maxima at the Shell station on Bruce B.
Downs Boulevard at Dona Michelle Drive.
"(Prices) will come down
eventually."
Despite high gas prices, people who drive trucks and sports
utility vehicles say they would not trade in their big wheels for more
economical cars.
"Never! I love my SUV," said Theresa Howe of Tampa
Palms, who spends more than $ 30 to fill up her Infiniti QX4.
The
safety benefits of driving a large vehicle far outweigh the burden of paying
higher gas prices, she said.
"I love sitting high," Howe said. "I
love the secure feeling it gives me. Yes, I'm kind of inconvenienced
(paying more for gas), but I love (my SUV)."
Tampa Palms resident Jack
Monday, who uses his four-wheel drive Toyota T-100 pickup for work, said
the gas price increases haven't affected business.
"Business is
business. It's got to go on, so we just have to pay the prices, whatever they
are," Monday said. "I enjoy the truck a lot. I worked hard to get this
truck."
Monday said he doesn't buy premium grade gasoline as much as he
used to, although he prefers to use the top grade in his truck.
James Johnson, who recently moved to New Tampa, drives 12 miles to work
each way. Although the relatively long commute necessitates frequent gas
fill-ups, he said gas prices weren't a factor in his decision to live in
New Tampa.
"It didn't make a lot of difference to us," he said. "(The
high price of gas) is an inconvenience. It's a little more expensive, but
it's not, at this point, significant."
Relief may be on the way. The
American Automobile Association reports the average price for a gallon of
self service, regular-grade unleaded gasoline in Tampa sold for $ 1.55 on
Tuesday. That's about a penny cheaper than the previous week.
"What we're seeing is that (gas prices) are starting to stabilize," said
AAA spokesman Kevin Bakewell.
The U.S. Department of Energy
reports if prices are adjusted for inflation, the cost of a gallon of gas
is considerably less today than at many times in the past. Prices are about 16
percent lower now than during a price spike that occurred in the weeks
preceding the Persian Gulf War in late 1990.
Prices also are 40
percent lower today - after adjusted for inflation - than during March 1981,
when the adjusted price of gas was at an all-time high, the Department of
Energy states.
And gas prices in Tampa, as well as across the nation,
are considerably lower than throughout much of the world.
That's
only partial consolation to motorists who have endured skyrocketing gas prices
in recent months. The current price of gas in Tampa is about 61 cents
higher than at the same time last year. And prices have increased almost
30 cents since late September.
Cindy McGraw of Hunter's Green says the
gas price increase hasn't affected her. But if prices continue to rise, it
will be a major concern for her 15-year-old son, who soon will be behind the
wheel.
Because gas prices usually increase during the summer,
motorists may be stuck paying relatively high gas prices for a while yet.
"I wouldn't really look for prices to drop drastically until (at least)
the summer season," Bakewell said. Sean Lengell can be reached at
(813) 977-2854, Ext. 23.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO (3C),
(2C)
Above left, Jay Nice of Atlanta fills up his Land Rover while heading to South
Florida. Above, businessman Jack Monday says business will go on in spite of
higher gas prices. However, he says he now tends to use a lower grade of gas.
CLIFF McBRIDE, Tribune photos
LOAD-DATE: March 26, 2000
