I love gasoline!!!

nicfargo · May 23, 2008

It's insane where prices have gone in just the past 7 years. When I was in high school gas was right around $1.00 a gallon. I had trouble filling my car back then at times. Since minimum wage has barely gone up since then, I don't understand how kids can fill up when it's $4.00 a gallon. It boggles my mind. The US hasn't created a new refinery in 3 decades...this all could have been avoided if the government wasn't in bed with big oil this whole time. Now, big oil decided it doesn't need to play nice anymore and we're getting screwed. We should have been done using oil years ago. Henry Ford didn't think we'd still be using Oil today, he'd probably roll in his grave. There are so many decent alternatives but every time one comes up and we should switch to it the government just says "it's really hard". I don't care if implementing a new fuel system is hard...it's something we have to do.

Chris of Arabia · May 23, 2008

That's what it was earlier today up near us in Lancashire. It was £1.14 when Anne-Marie went to fill up.

Petrol in Saudi is fixed at 60 halalas (100 to the Riyal, 3.75 Riyals to the Dollar) a litre. That makes petrol 60 cents a US gallon, or £0.73 an Imperial gallon.

astrostu · May 23, 2008

It was $3.649/gal at Costco here last weekend. This is why I fill my 15-gal tank about 1x per month and ride the bus to/from campus during the week (though I'm looking into getting a bike).

Jon0807 · May 23, 2008

Gas here is about $3.95 to over $4. I just fueled up my big rig yesterday at $4.99 a gallon. I put 84 gallons in so thats about $420 and it'll last me about 2 days. I know long haul drivers spend over $1k every 3 days or so on diesel alone. You wonder why everything you're buying is going up? Fuel prices are affecting everything. And now American Airlines is wanting to charge you $15 to check in your FIRST piece of luggage. I really don't see this getting better any time soon

Heck · May 23, 2008

Too bad I still sit in traffic every day lol. Gas prices make everything go up but gas will go down I think but everything will stay at the same prices lol.

Rhys · May 23, 2008

I paid $3.79 a gallon and filled up with $66 worth.

My SUV does 19mpg.

Actually, although the price increase is dramatic - only 3 years ago unleaded was $2.65 and in January $2.95, it's not as horrible as it could be.

I'm somewhat surprised people haven't really started trying to produce alcohol replacement fuel etc. I'm sure it would work out cheaper. Here in the southern US it's hot enough that brewing alcohol doesn't need special preparation although distillation would.

Interestingly, vegetable oil which works well in diesel engines as fuel is horribly expensive in the US.

Josh66 · May 23, 2008

I just filled up, it cost $68 @$3.799/Gallon. I had 1/2 a tank before I filled it. This was the first time in months that I could actually afford to top it off. (My tank holds about 40 gallons.)

This tank ought to last about a month, assuming I only drive to work and back.

Stacey · May 23, 2008

It's crazy how differing gas prices are all over the states...Even in Peoria (which is about 45 minutes to an hour drive for me), gas prices are different all over the city. It's funny though, one of the bigger intersections in Peoria..there are 2 gas stations caddy corner from each other...and one is always 5-10 cents cheaper than the other and everyone always goes to the more expensive one! (Road Ranger is always cheaper and BP is always more expensive and the gas is the same!) Even here where I am where I work is 10-20 cents more than where I live! (and it's only like 15 miles away!)...I just find it all crazy! We so need to start drilling in Alaska! This is so frustrating! Especially people on a fixed income, and people who work on minimum wage and don't live and work in the same town...it's hard to make it work anymore! :grumpy:

Corry · May 23, 2008

What is the difference between a US gallon and an imperial gallon?

Phranquey · May 23, 2008

Sometimes I have a hard time comprehending how people complain about the price of a resource that has to be found, drilled, tapped, extracted, shipped, refined, shipped again....$4.00 a gallon.

Yet I have never heard anyone say a word about going into a gas station and paying $1.29 for a 16oz bottle of water....which equals $10.32 a gallon......for WATER.

Josh66 · May 23, 2008

Corry said:
What is the difference between a US gallon and an imperial gallon?

A US Gallon is 3.785 liters, an Imperial Gallon (UK Gallon) is 4.546 liters.

Rhys · May 23, 2008

I keep seeing all the con tricks being advertised now. I saw one the other day - some gizmo that was supposed to turn water into fuel for $79.95. Some people will believe anything!

Senor Hound · May 23, 2008

I wouldn't mind paying that much for gasoline if a) I had a short (kilometer-wise) commute, and b) if there was adequate mass transit. Where I am, my commute is 70 miles (112 kilometres) a day, and the nearest subway is 300 miles (480 kilometres) away. We complain about these sorts of gas prices because our country was designed around cheap gasoline. No other country in the world has its two largest cities 3000 miles away from each other.

I wanna move to the Netherlands where I can bicycle around all day. If I tried to bike to work as it is now, It'd take me 3 hours each way!

nealjpage · May 23, 2008

nicfargo said:
It's insane where prices have gone in just the past 7 years. When I was in high school gas was right around $1.00 a gallon. I had trouble filling my car back then at times. Since minimum wage has barely gone up since then, I don't understand how kids can fill up when it's $4.00 a gallon. It boggles my mind. The US hasn't created a new refinery in 3 decades...this all could have been avoided if the government wasn't in bed with big oil this whole time. Now, big oil decided it doesn't need to play nice anymore and we're getting screwed. We should have been done using oil years ago. Henry Ford didn't think we'd still be using Oil today, he'd probably roll in his grave. There are so many decent alternatives but every time one comes up and we should switch to it the government just says "it's really hard". I don't care if implementing a new fuel system is hard...it's something we have to do.

I miss the days of the Casey's and Kum & Go gas wars! I remember the summer after i graduated high school (1997) paying 92 cents a gallon because the stations were trying to drive down prices in the name of competition. Gas in Nebraska was still cheap when I was in college. Oh well. Things change.

These days I live across the street from my office, so I hardly ever drive.