Cheap gas- big motor?

[Bonnewagon]

So the last time I had put a Pontiac 400 in my Malibu wagon gas was exactly $1 a gallon. When it approached $4, I gave in and yanked it out to replace it with a 3.8. ( which promptly broke but that's another story). I have used 301's since then, my Bonnewagon now has a 301, and gas has been pricey for quite a few years. Now that gas prices are plummeting I was wondering if I should consider building another big motor. I've got some 400's and a 455. They sure are more fun, but will prices stay low? It seems everyone is jumping for joy right now but no one is asking why the hell prices were so damn high for so long. I don't buy all the BS reasons I'm hearing on the news. I think the false bottom finally fell out and the Wall Street bastards that were screwing us all along finally got clobbered. Maybe "we won't get fooled again"? What do you guys think?

 

[ssn696]

Put the 301 in a crate and go for the 455! Enjoy the ride while you can! You're out ahead of those of us in the 10-year rebuild cycle...
(You might want to locate a spare transmission...)

 

[gpguy]

to enjoy a 400 or 455 gas prices should not be a concern.....my opinion...life is short

 

[Bonnewagon]

OK, except this is more of a work car. Tow a boat, load up at Home Depot, go fishing. I used to say I didn't care about the price of beer or gas, but then they both went bonkers. I used to drive the 400 powered Malibu to work any day I wasn't on my mountain bike, but like I said, gas was cheap. EDIT: You know what? I think I'm all backwards on this. I have a Trans Am I've been neglecting. I should get it back on the road and enjoy that 400 4-speed. Yup. Sorry Bonnewagon, you will keep the 301, the TA is WAY more fun.

 

[Fastmax32168]

I think you need a 2nd car to house the 455. Then you can have the best of both worlds.

 

[King_V]

at, load up at Home Depot, go fishing. I used to say I didn't care about the price of beer or gas, but then they both went bonkers. I used to drive the 400 powered Malibu to work any day I wasn't on my mountain bike, but like I said, gas was cheap. EDIT: You know what? I think I'm all backwards on this. I have a Trans Am I've been neglecting. I should get it back on the road and enjoy that 400 4-speed. Yup. Sorry Bonnewagon, you will keep the 301, the TA is WAY more fun.

Bingo!

Let the TA be the fun car... and the Bonnewagon the relatively economical workhorse. You'll be quite happy, I think.

(and the 301 isn't nearly as lame as people make it out to be. In stock form, I do find it to be a rather enjoyable driver, though I know it'll impress exactly no one for maximum power)

 

[Bonnewagon]

King_V- yes, the 301 is a great everyday motor and surprises me all the time what a smooth reliable power plant it is. And mine is a manual trans 4 speed version, so it's even better. But a fire breather it isn't. I even yanked the loud dual exhaust and replaced it with a normal quiet single exhaust. The duals made absolutely no power difference just more noise. 20 mpg highway is pretty nice too!

 

[pencero]

Low fuel prices are a house built on sand and nothing more than a temporary fassad. With the looming election year 2016 coming soon, you can bet on oil prices being artificially inflated for the quite literal siphoning of funds into campaign trails in the very near future as a purposeful and deliberate cornerstone for a campaign promises which may or may not be fulfilled thereafter. Legal verdicts against fracking / resource exploitation in Alaska/ pipelines and loss of popularity of the war in Iraq are future obstacles likely to drive up the cost of fuel as well.

 

[82GPLJ455]

If it were me,id put the big motor in.im stuffin a 455 in mine real soon.im not gonna let gas prices dictate what im gonna drive.im gonna spend the same money on fuel no matter what i drive.im gonna drive what i want and enjoy it.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

The older I get, the more I'm realizing you only live once. If nothing else put it in the TA so you can have a little fun.