Gasoline

[74-911]

Wonder how high gas will have to go before the economy really starts taking a hit? It's now 2.95/gal. here and this area usually has some of the cheapest gasoline around. TV station interviews last night indicated lower income workers are already stopping all unnecesary spending in order to buy gas to get to work, etc.

[IROC]

It's about $3.10/gallon here. I went to Road Atlanta in September and gas (for the car and tow vehicle) was by far my biggest expense (waay more than hotel, etc). Scary.

[widebody911]

~$3.50 for super here in NorCal

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by widebody911

~$3.50 for super here in NorCal

Same here and EVERY one of my cars require super.

[Palum6o]

I heard somewhere that the effect from consumers (their response) will be most felt once it reaches $5 a gallon. the price has been hovering around $3 for super here for a while.

[masraum]

Here it's bounced around between $2.50 and $3.25 for quite a while now. I suspect it'll have to get up to around the top of that or higher before people start freaking out. I'd not expect anything weird to happen until it's up around $3.25 - $3.50.

[The Gaijin]

So long pickem'up truck and hello hyundai!

[Seahawk]

There are threads here on how the Euro has replaced the dollar as the currency of choice but their gas prices are at least 2x higher than ours...now how is that?

I know in the mean it is because of our huge government and personal debt, but choices must be made. France is 75% nuke, their cars are smaller and more efficient, etc. We are gas addicts, pure and simple.

We will adjust, but there will be pain as we work through the new reality of permanent, high gas prices. I personally think it is a good thing.

Welcome to the next, last big thing, energy.

http://goeurope.about.com/od/transportation/a/gas_prices.htm

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by 74-911

It's now 2.95/gal. here....

Oh my gosh, I think I'm gonna faint!

At the most expensive place I pass by in San Marino (Ritzy older neighborhood in SoCal) premium was $3.79 yesterday. it will be over $4 at this place probably within the month I would guess.

Currently I am driving a company car...but I expect a crack down on that to happen any day. Once it does? I am planning on using my free access to the Metro system. I'm not gonna drive the 911 since it uses premium and not my Ram quadcab 4x4 since it gets 12 MPG and I couldn't sell it for a nickel at the current cost of gas.

[RickM]

Can still find regular in the high $2.70s here. Most places had a big jump in the last week.

A few weeks ago I heard it would be $4.00 by Thanksgiving. Sounds like it's pretty much there in some places.

[The Gaijin]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

There are threads here on how the Euro has replaced the dollar as the currency of choice but their gas prices are at least 2x higher than ours...now how is that?

http://goeurope.about.com/od/transportation/a/gas_prices.htm

Road fuel taxes.

[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.

[1fastredsc]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

There are threads here on how the Euro has replaced the dollar as the currency of choice but their gas prices are at least 2x higher than ours...now how is that?

Taxes

[74-911]

Originally Posted by masraum

Here it's bounced around between $2.50 and $3.25 for quite a while now. I suspect it'll have to get up to around the top of that or higher before people start freaking out. I'd not expect anything weird to happen until it's up around $3.25 - $3.50.

Some of the "energy experts" were saying to get ready for $4 / gal by next summer. That will definitely put a damper on things.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by The Gaijin

Road fuel taxes.

Look at our taxes on fuel. The point is that consumer pays and we've been on a holiday...the rest of the developing world wants what we thought was our oil.

[The Gaijin]

A holiday indeed. Driving these big dufus SUVs and F-250 pickups with nothing in the back. I see the price of 914s going up...

[jyl]

I am, on balance, pleased when the price of oil and gasoline go up.

High oil/gasoline prices have positive effects. Drives investment in alternative energy. Encourages smaller cars, new fuel-saving technology, mass transit, and other conservation.

The downside is that the US economy suffers, inflationary pressure increases, global tensions over oil increase, and oil producers gain power (e.g. Russia, Venezula). But I think most of this is short-term and/or would happen anyway.

If it could be guaranteed that oil and gasoline prices would rise 10% per year for the next ten years and then stay high, I think the net benefits would be great.

Personally, since our family uses about 6-7 gal gasoline/week - and can get it down to 5-6 fairly easily - it doesn't have any meaningful "direct" impact on us.

[David]

I think it's great. I don't think there's any other way to get Americans to lower their fuel consumption and the gov't's too scared to raise fuel taxes to where they need to be.

In a hundred years, Americans will look back at the 20th century and wonder why we wasted as much fuel as we did.

BTW, I drive a full size truck so I guess I'm a hypocrite, but at least I'm paying my fair share of road taxes .

[legion]

Keep in mind, oil prices started their rise right around the time Russia nationalized Yukos. Coincidence? Funny how Iran starts saber-rattling every time oil prices start to drop...

[WolfeMacleod]

Sitting at around $3.25 for regular here in Seattle. Been going up steadily the last couple weeks. Started about two weeks ago i guess...