Gasoline

[strupgolf]

I'm going on a short "vacation" to Tenn. and NC this weekend. My car takes high-test which is now $3.35/gal. Its about 400 miles each way plus lots of roads in the mountains. I have events that I go to each year which I love, and the gas is a added expense. I'll cut down on the other things to buy because at my age, I dont need them. I dont know where it will end, but it has to be a drain on our way of life. I wish I had the answer.

[gprsh924]

Here in southwest Ohio its just above $3 a gallon I believe. I don't know exactly as I don't drive more than about 20 miles a week right now. This price increase is certainly going to hurt over Christmas break though. Myself and 4 buddies are loading up my friend's lifted Nissan Xterra and driving to Colorado to skiing for a week. Its probably going to be a 2300-2400 mile roundtrip by the time were all said and done, and with 5 guys, a fully loaded truck, and the skis up on top hurting the aerodynamics, we will be luckily to get 13 or 14 mpg. Last winter going up to Wisconsin to ski we only managed 11mpg on two separate occasions, although that had more to do with myself and my friend's heavy right foots. Damnit, I was hoping gas was going to be between $3-$3.30. Oh well, it will probably only end up costing us $10 or $20 more per guy.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I get a good laugh every time I see one of those H2s or Yukons ferrying a soccer mom around.

[legion]

I also think that traders are creaming themselves about the possibility of $100 oil...they want it to happen.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by The Gaijin

I see the price of 914s going up...

LOL my last 914 got about 6 mpg

[Nostril Cheese]

I think it's about time automakers bring small turbodiesels to the US. Was reading somewhere that the Euro Ford Focus has a 50MPG td rated at 150HP with 300ft/lbs. of torque.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I get a good laugh every time I see one of those H2s or Yukons ferrying a soccer mom around.

Ha! Don't kid yourself... most people with a $40K plus vehicle aren't going to be sweating another $100 per month in gas expense. Its still a very minute portion of their monthly expenditure. The lower income people with crappy old cars getting lousy gas mileage are the ones being affected here.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Gonna be over $4 a gallon for regular in so cal by end of May. Premium will prolly be cloe to $5 but I doubt it will get there.

Why do you think that?

I'm asking because you know about 10000X more about predicting gasoline prices than I do . . .

[speedracing944]

We drive over 700 miles a week to get to school and work. Our fuel bill is already through the roof.

I once totaled our gas reciepts for a month and it was over $600

Speedy

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

I think it's about time automakers bring small turbodiesels to the US. Was reading somewhere that the Euro Ford Focus has a 50MPG td rated at 150HP with 300ft/lbs. of torque.

most US consumers are not willing to pay for or drive such a vehicle.
I'm not. We drive big trucks and SUVs because we want to. We want them. We don't want little wimpy econo-clown cars. If we did, they would already be here and be top sellers.
For most of us, $20 extra a week for gas is not going to be that big of a deal.
It certainly won't bother me. I like my big truck. I don't care if it only gets 16 mpg. I can afford the gas, and it is worth it for me to drive my truck.
People should drive what they want, but should not try to tell others what they should and shouldn't do.

If a vegetarian tells me I shouldn't eat meat, I'll tell them to eat *****.
If someone tells me I shouldn't drive a full sized truck, same message.

[Blanco]

This picture was taken back in '04. Damn I wish gasoline was still this cheap.

[Rick Lee]

I think it will take $7 a gallon before Americans start getting serious about consumption and lifetsyle changes. Europeans pay it without blinking an eye and it was twice as expensive there long before the Euro even came into circulation. But I'm sure our gov't. would try to do something to lower the price long before it got to $7, though I think they should make a floor tax so it never gets below $5. I'd be happy to see fewer SUV's out there. My bike gets about 55mpg and I hate being around SUV's, whether I'm on the bike or in my cars.

[trekkor]

I just spent $3.62...For diesel!

Someone please tell me why diesel is currently $.20 more expensive than premium?!?

7-8 years ago it was $.99 .


KT

[Jim Bremner]

I drive 45,000 miles on work miles alone

ya'll need to stfu.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

I think it's about time automakers bring small turbodiesels to the US. Was reading somewhere that the Euro Ford Focus has a 50MPG td rated at 150HP with 300ft/lbs. of torque.

Yeah, but the price of diesel in L.A. is no bargain. It's roughly equivalent to premium gas, which is $3.73 a gallon.

One way or the other, big oil is going to get you, unless you plug your car into a wall socket.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by motion

Ha! Don't kid yourself... most people with a $40K plus vehicle aren't going to be sweating another $100 per month in gas expense. Its still a very minute portion of their monthly expenditure. The lower income people with crappy old cars getting lousy gas mileage are the ones being affected here.

I see your point, but EVERYONE gets affected - rich and poor. My grandfather used to always tell me that the difference between a rich man and a poor man was a penny - a rich man knew how to hold onto one and a poor man didn't. I agree with this logic. The "rich" people that see nothing wrong with stupidly shoveling hundreds of thousands of dollars into big oil in order to toodle around town in their oversized, 4x4 behemoths are well on the way to putting themselves into the category you mention.

Their money, they can do what they want with it, but I still get a good chuckle out of how stupid some people can be and how little they can value money. . . I can think of a lot more fun things to do with a couple of hundred bucks than feeding a glorified minivan.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by trekkor

I just spent $3.62...For diesel!

Someone please tell me why diesel is currently $.20 more expensive than premium?!?

7-8 years ago it was $.99 .


KT

7-8 years ago they weere losing money on every gallon produced, too.
I remember that well, the refiners were selling their products for less than thy cost to make but the goverment would not allow them to reduce production. Some of my freinds lost their jobs during that time to cut costs.

Diesel does not cost more to produce that gasoline, if anything it is a little cheaper to produce. But, refiners have to make a choice. They can maximize diesel production or gasoline production. The market determines which they do, if they can make more money maknig diesel they will make more, if they can make more on gasoline that's what they do.

The wholesale price of diesel in Ca right now does not justify a 20 cent premium over gasoline, it would appear that the station owner is raising the price. Either he doesn't want to sell as much diesel or he thinks he can sell as much at the higher price.

[motion]

Sammy, I was under the impression that diesel was tied to the heating oil market, which always increases during the winter. I could be totally incorrect, however.

[livi]

You Americans are still fortunate in this area. We pay almost $2/liter. My monthly gas bill is typically around $500-600. Every month. Really sucks.

So, why am I still driving a thirsty American V8 ? I pay the extra money for nice sound and torque. Almost criminal self indulgence.

[The Gaijin]

This is my own pet conspiracy theory and have expounded on it here (and bored all of you) more than once.

Cheap home heating oil, not cheap gas is the bread of our modern "give them bread and circuses" mentality.

Mcmansion owners, middle income folks and oldsters on fixed incomes need this stuff by the truckload to keep warm...

If diesel cars and trucks become as popular as they are in Western Europe and Japan - they are going to put upward pressure on the cost of HHO.

Hence all of the EPA rules and the reluctance of the major automakers to sell more than a few diesel cars and light trucks...