At What Price Do You Start Worrying About The Cost Of Gasoline?
#1
   
To absolutely no one’s surprise, the price of gasoline is on the rise again, just in time for the holidays. The driving factor is the current price of crude oil, which has now topped $90 per barrel. It doesn’t matter that the gasoline already in the system was refined when oil was less expensive; what matters is that people drive more at the holidays, so retailers can charge more for the product. In fairness, I’m sure gasoline suppliers are charging more to the retailers already, so feel free to pass the blame up the food chain. I know from first hand experience that the gasoline retail business is not for the faint of heart, and only casinos are more relentless in their pursuit of profit than oil companies.

Most of us can absorb a pretty significant increase in the cost of gasoline without any major re-budgeting. Still, there comes a point when you have to take a step back and ponder your options, which may include driving less (fat chance), taking public transportation (if available to you) or even buying a more fuel efficient vehicle. I used to drive around 45,000 miles per year, including 27,000 miles per year just for my commute. At $2.85 per gallon for premium unleaded (in 2007) and with a fuel economy of 26 miles per gallon, I was spending nearly $5,000 per year on gas. Had the price of gas risen by $0.50 per gallon, my costs would have increased by nearly $800 per year, or roughly $67 per month. That would have translated to one less dinner out, but really wouldn’t have changed my life much. At $5.00 per gallon, however, it would have been an entirely different story, and the car would have been parked for all but essential trips. I’d have been racking up miles on the motorcycle, which averages better than 40 mpg.

I suspect we haven’t reached the tipping point yet, at least not for most people. Historically, gas goes up in price, then it comes back down, so most people choose to wait it out and maybe drive a little less when gas is expensive. Here’s my question: what do you pay for gas in your area (regular or premium), and at what point would you start considering other options for transportation? At what price would you consider buying a more fuel efficient car, or even a hybrid? Is there a price at which you’d call gasoline “too expensive”?
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#2
At the moment in my area 91 octane is around $1.25/litre, 95 octane $1.30/ litre and 98 octane is $1.35/litre. The price does cycle during the week so we try to buy it at its lowest. You can buy unleaded with 10% ethanol and it is usually a couple of cents cheaper than the 91 octane. I don't drive my mustang everyday so I don't dwell on the price but I do try to get it at its cheapest. It can make around $7.00 difference to a full tank though if you buy it at its highest point.

18/02/2011 prices .........91 octane is around $1.35/litre, 95 octane $1.45/ litre not sure about the 98 octane at the moment.
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#3
Can we get some of that 98 octane in the USA? Wink
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#4
Anything over a Buck or so a gallon is ridiculous. The Oil companies are the biggest rip off of the century! First a little history. This Country hasn't built a new refinery in this country since 1972. Thanks to the EPA. The first oil shortage was a sham! I worked for a major oil company about 1978 I was told point blank there was more oil in the west half of this country then we could use in a hundred years. They drilled the wells took down the rigs and capped them off. Oil shortage MY ASS!!! Then in the 1980's they started calling it the strategic oil reserves. Same frickin oil but all of a sudden we had a surplus! So far nothing has changed except the price! Then along about that time came OPEC. The deal with them was if we (the american oil companies) could search and find the oil, we would then drill for the oil, build the refineries teach them how to run it and maintain it, and then we Gave it to them!!! In exchange they agreed to sell us the oil at a cheap price. Well we see how well that worked out! Now with all the trouble the economy is in it can be directly linked to the oil companies and the oil speculators, these are stock brokers who trade oil futures, not oil. They never actually take possesion of anything except a piece of paper. Fred sells it for $50 a barrel Sam sells it for $55 Tom sells it for $60 All thats changed hands is the paper the oil is still in the same tank it started out in. They need to stop oil speculation and require someone who buys the oil to have to take physical possesion of it and move it to his storage facility and not trade just a piece of paper! Until we do that we are simply the victims of some very greedy people.Checkthisout
JTS 71 Mach1
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#5
Gas prices SUCK!!!!
I generally don't look at the price due to the fact there isn't alot that cane be done about it. I fill my truck up about once a month and the amount of fuel I use in the Mach's over the summer really doesn't add up to alot. Hopefully it never gets to the point where I can afford to drive my '70.
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#6
Super Unleaded in Arizona is around 3.10 a gallon right now. The highest I can remember it being here is 3.55 for Super unleaded.
We sure cant do anything about it if it goes crazy, but I honestly think we will see 4-5 dollars a gallon for super someday, I saw a news story that asked, should Gas cost less or more than a gallon of milk.
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#7
Well, considering that my '97 Dodge Ram 4x4 is my daily driver and gets only 12-ish mpg in town, and my Mach 1 should be able to get slightly better fuel mileage with the engine goodies I've picked out, I'm afraid I don't think I'll have a definitive answer for this. Still gotta get to work and back, after all.

On the flipside, I rescued a '95 Honda Civic VX from going to salvage yard after a friend blew the engine up from overheating a few years ago (when gas started getting crazy-expensive). I was fortunate enough to enjoy 39mpg in town, but it was at the expense of a little bit of discomfort in driving that tiny little car. The new owner is seeing 45mpg these days - so good for him.

I'm not expecting the Mach 1 to get anywhere nearly that great of gas mileage, but it'll still most likely do much better than the Ram... and more than make up for it in the coolness department. Everything has a trade-off value, I suppose.

(I guess if things get desperate enough, I can always start driving my wife's '02 Grand Prix GT and/or find another econo-box)
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#8
Our weekly cycle has hit its peak today. They have put it up 15 cents a litre. Bloody crooks. The price gradually goes back down over the week but it is a bit of a lottery now trying to figure out what day they are going to put the price up. It used to go up on Thursday but ever since people started complaining alot about the gouging they change the day they put the price up to try to catch people out. Trying to teach people a lesson for complaining I guess. If I filled up today instead of yesterday it would have cost $10 more.

LoserLoserLoserLoserLoserLoserLoser oil companies
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#9
It's amazing how the price varies between gas stations. I noticed late this summer that four stations co-located within a half mile of each other, who normally sell within a few pennies of each other, varied as much as 17 cents a gallon for several weeks. So it pays to shop around if you don't drive to far out of your way to get gas.
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#10
This is what we are being gouged at the moment. They say it is due to the falling dollar, funny that the price didn't fall as much when the dollar was good.

   
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