Gas Prices

[donk]

So I looked out at the gas station across the street and saw that the price of gas has jumped 11 cents per litre (42 cents / US Gallon) since yesterday. The price of gas is now 79.9 /litre (3.04CDN/2.18US gallon).

What is the gas price in your area and how much has it shot up over night?

Thankfully I filled up yesterday.

 

[Tranplanner]

Last time I checked it was 71.9 cents/litre around here. Haven't passed a gas station for a few days though.

I don't drive enough to get upset about high gas prices, though I do try to fill up when I see a lower price.

 

[Greenescapist]

It's $1.56 US for a gallon where I live near Boston. I noticed it went up a nickel, but that's it.

 

[H]

Let it rise, let it rise.

Let it rise, let it rise.

I know the economic implications and I don’t care. Use trains. I like trains.

I drive about 1 tank every 3 weeks or so and just don’t care.

Oh, and I will check later today what prices are here when I walk to the bank and drycleaners at lunch. But it wont do much good, because I dont know what they where yesterday.

 

[donk]

If I am good, and stay home, a tank of gas can last me upwards of 6 weeks. But usually a tank lasts about a week.

The real reason I notice gas prices is that a gas station is across the street from the office and with such a huge jump overnight I figured something must be going on.

 

[H]

If I am good, and stay home, a tank of gas can last me upwards of 6 weeks. But usually a tank lasts about a week.

The real reason I notice gas prices is that a gas station is across the street from the office and with such a huge jump overnight I figured something must be going on.

Yeah, I am not sure whats going on. Didnt mean to spout off like that. My coffee intake is sub par this morning.

 

[donk]

Didnt mean to spout off like that

Not a problem, i found it humourous, if only the train ran where I want to go I would probably use it.

 

[jordanb]

I can't remember the last time I checked the gas prices.

 

[biscuit]

Didnt mean to spout off like that. My coffee intake is sub par this morning.

That's why it's never a good idea to post before getting your proper caffine intake. It usually ends the same as getting drunk and calling old girlfriends.

 

[H]

That's why it's never a good idea to post before getting your proper caffine intake. It usually ends the same as getting drunk and calling old girlfriends.

ahhhhhh, the ole DIU: Dialing Under the Influence. I have some on the record.

What about a PUI: Posting Under the Infleunce, I bet you could intert the ole foot into the mouth that way as well

Ps. I have had my intake now, I am fine.

 

[BKM]

Gasoline has not changed much over the last few months since the Iraqi war spike.

Premium is $1.99/gallon US (You can pay more if you want to continue feeding one of Vacaville's city councilmen's politcal fund his stations are 30 cents more)

 

[Richmond Jake]

gas is $1.69/gallon at my convenience store here in north Idaho.

 

[nerudite]

We are running at about 66cents/litre ($2.50CAD/gallon or $1.80 US/gallon).

 

[biscuit]

ahhhhhh, the ole DIU: Dialing Under the Influence. I have some on the record.

Truely a high point of pride in a mans life

What about a PUI: Posting Under the Infleunce, I bet you could intert the ole foot into the mouth that way as well

Ummmmmm, now that you mention it... You know how Howard Stern has the annual Drunk Show in Vegas? Perhaps we should organize a Cyburbia Happy Hour Posting Session. Just think, a bunch of nerd planners getting housed as they sit alone posting in an on-line forum... Or then again, maybe that's not such a good idea.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Mid grade is around $1.65 here in the foreign land of Utah. Hey RichmondJake, are you in Hayden or Coeur d'Alene?

 

[H]

Ummmmmm, now that you mention it... You know how Howard Stern has the annual Drunk Show in Vegas? Perhaps we should organize a Cyburbia Happy Hour Posting Session. Just think, a bunch of nerd planners getting housed as they sit alone posting in an on-line forum... Or then again, maybe that's not such a good idea.

Only if Dan would promise to PERMANENLY delete EVERYTHING afterwords.

But even then, thou it would be fun, definitely a bad idea.

We will just have to wait until the next conference.

DC!!!

 

[nerudite]

[OT]

What about a PUI: Posting Under the Infleunce...

I've done it. Usually on my Friday off in the afternoon, but it's fun to read some of the threads in the FAC in the evenings with a nice buzz on. Especially if they involve singing squirrels.[/OT]

 

[jresta]

$1.60+ in Philly (gas is always more exensive in the city but i'm not sure what it is in the PA suburbs)

$1.39+ in NJ
and as you may know, full-service is the law in NJ.


If i can speculate for a moment on the rise, i think it's because Iraq is still out of commission. Not that anyone should be surprised but the white house hubris had everyone thinking things would be back to normal fairly quickly. I guess Rumsfeld didn't study his Murphy's Laws of Combat

 

[Zoning Goddess]

$1.35 for regular, unless you're near the interstates, where it goes up to $1.59 to $1.64 per gallon. I just got back from a trip to Georgia, where prices were about the same.

 

[NHPlanner]

My usual station went up from $1.37 to $1.42 the other day.

Most of the other stations around are hovering near the $1.50 mark.

 

[Plannerbabs]

Not sure about the gas prices here (Indpls), I think around 1.49, but diesel is all over the place. 1.29 at one station, 1.79 at another. Guess which one I end up at with a near-empty tank....

 

[Suburb Repairman]

Our gas prices are still hovering at the 1.35-1.39 level. I don't notice much since a tank lasts me about three weeks.

 

[jresta]

not that i drive - or own a car for that matter - but it looks like those of us who live near cheap gas are near the gulf/coast in cities with more than their fair share of refineries.

Ohh how i long for the day that our refineries shut down. I think i have 10 in a 15 mile radius of my house, if you expand the radius to 30 miles the number easily doubles - each one giving off the emissions equivalent to 100,000 cars.

 

[jordanb]

Ohh how i long for the day that our refineries shut down. I think i have 10 in a 15 mile radius of my house, if you expand the radius to 30 miles the number easily doubles - each one giving off the emissions equivalent to 100,000 cars.

Jesus christ!

There's a massive one in Joliet that I go by on the train. I can't imagine living near ten of those things.

 

[Chet]

I was watching this thread when I realized I have NO idea how much gas is per gallon (and I just filled up a 20+ gallon tank with premium this afternoon - sorry no metric conversion donk, I gave that up when Jimmy Carter left office)

I just know I need gas, I know I need premium, and I fill the tank. They've got ya one way or the other, so just pay and move on.

 

[jordanb]

Why do you need premium exactly?

I ask because I remember reading that the only thing the higher octane does is help prevent nocking in older engines because it has a higher ignition temperature (new engines generally shouldn't have a nocking problem unless there's something wrong anyway).

 

[Habanero]

You also use premium if it is a higher performance engine... but let me elaborate:

If you're supposed to put premium in your car, let's say 92 octane, it's a slower burning gas. If you use 87 octane in that car (high compression engines need higher octane) the fuel with self ignite and you are not getting the maxium power out of the engine.

On the flip side if you put 92 in an car that has a lower compression (let's say my Fous, which is about 8.5/1 compression) the fuel will not burn completely and can harm a catalic converter. Now that's not to say you couldn't run it in your car and then switch back.. also with older 90s cars with OBDI1 computers if your car's O2 sensors, fuel filter, or whatever is dirty it's cutting fuel from you engine and so you could run a higher octane in your car to stop the pings. In newer cars if you run higher octane and then switch to lower typically the computers will readjust in a fair amount of time and you will not ping any longer.

On older cars typically the reason for knocking is human error in not taking care of the car (timing is off, distributor, etc). You can run higher octane, but you could also just start taking better care of your car.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Mid grade is around $1.65 here in the foreign land of Utah. Hey RichmondJake, are you in Hayden or Coeur d'Alene?

Even further north...Sandpoint area.

 

[JNL]

I thought petrol (sorry, gas!) was meant to be relatively more expensive over here but our current price of 0.617280 USD per litre (just ran it thru a currency converter) doesn't seem too bad compared to the prices discussed here. sorry gallons are foreign to me.

I ALWAYS check petrol prices, every day, as I pass a few gas stations on my way to work. It's a habit.

 

[Runner]

Re: Let it rise, let it rise.

Let it rise, let it rise.

Actually, I agree with this! I'd be happy to see a half or even a full dollar added to the price. Preferably in taxes to be used for a good cause.

 

[jordanb]

Re: Re: Let it rise, let it rise.

Actually, I agree with this! I'd be happy to see a half or even a full dollar added to the price. Preferably in taxes to be used for a good cause.

Fifty to one hundred billion dollars in taxes. That could take a (little) chunk out of the deficit!

 

[JNA]

How this for rising
On July 1paid 1.279 / g reg. unleaded
On July 15 paid 1.419 /g reg. unleaded
in sw Indiana

 

[donk]

Chet, I hear you about not really thinking about gas prices, you just know you need it. This is called price elasticity by economists.

My car, the "girly" jetta, runs better on premium. I get better gas milage and most of the premium gases here are supposed to burn "cleaner". That being said I only use it for long trips.

As for gas taxes taking a chunk out of the deficit, that is what they say here and it has not improved the debt or the roads, both things the tax is supposed to be used for.

 

[jresta]

Jesus christ!

There's a massive one in Joliet that I go by on the train. I can't imagine living near ten of those things.

Yeah, well, the Delaware River (and Bay) is lined with them from Bristol, PA well past New Castle, DE. I think the biggest facilities are along the banks of the Schuylkill right where it empties into the Delaware (the landing path for the airport) and directly across the river from there in Deptford, NJ, a little further north on Petty's Island just off of North Camden, then further south in Marcus Hook, PA, and Claymont, DE and then on either side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge around Wilmington, DE and Bridgeport, NJ. I'd post some pictures but i'm pretty sure i'd get arrested taking them.

There's also all of the lightering facilities in the Bay (ship to barge - because most of the ships have a draft deeper than 45 foot channel we have in the river) that give off all sorts of smog/ozone forming elements.

******

Price elasticity? economists say that at around $2 a gallon people start to change their driving habits.

 

[Chet]

Price elasticity? economists say that at around $2 a gallon people start to change their driving habits.

After I flunked macroeconomics my sophomore year I hopes I'd never hear the words 'price elasticity' ever again. Thanks for ruining my day, donk!

 

[giff57]

After I flunked macroeconomics my sophomore year I hopes I'd never hear the words 'price elasticity' ever again. Thanks for ruining my day, donk!

I thought that I had successfully blocked out such terms from my memory. Then last week someone stopped by to complain about us raising the fees at the pool. She said "when you raise the fees to a certain point, the city my even get less revenue as people stop going" that term just flashed through my brain. I guess all of that stuff is still in there somewhere.

 

[donk]

Considering I got a c- in macro economics and a b- in micro, i can't believe I can use the terms correctly either.

 

[SkeLeton]

hmm prices here must be around 450-500 Chilean Pesos per litre, and 1 USD=700 Chilean Pesos, so we have gas at about 64 cents to 71 cents per litre. Petrol, on the other hand costs like 280-290 Chilean Pesos per litre (40 to 41 cents)

Oh.. and I don't know why our fuels are in higher octanage than yours the "regular" is 93 octans (leaded/unleaded), the "medium" is 95 octans (unleaded only) and the "premium" is 97 octans (only unleaded). And another thing.. our petrol sucks

 

[H]

Okay, had to drive somewhere this afternoon and filled up at $1.55 per gallon (87 octane).

I was thinking that I usually spend about 20 bucks a tank. Use about 1 tank every 3 weeks, except for the road trip curve occasionally thrown in so I will figure at a tank every 2.5 weeks.

That puts me at somewhere between $375 to $415 a year on gas. Not that bad if you think about it.

So anyway, Lets say I pay $400 on gas, then $600 on insurance, then maybe $1500 on maintenance and repairs over the last year.

That is a grand total of $2500 I spend to have this car.

That is not to mention depreciation, I call that at least $1000.

$3500. And I consider myself getting away “cheap” in the car game since I have no payments and don’t pay to park it. Wow. Now I am depressed.

I don’t even want to think about my wife’s car.

 

[Michele Zone]

Re: Re: Let it rise, let it rise.

Actually, I agree with this! I'd be happy to see a half or even a full dollar added to the price. Preferably in taxes to be used for a good cause.

You may get your wish (for higher prices -- but not due to taxing it for a good cause). This has been covered in two of my classes: the most solid numbers for what our 'oil reserves' are indicate that we will have used up 50% of all oil in about another 8 years. The most optimistic numbers push it out only about 10 more years.

The first 50% that you remove from an oil well is 'cheap'. The last 50% is much more expensive. So, the end of 'cheap oil' may be just around the corner. All the whining and crying about 'when we run out of gas' is silly. It is when we run out of CHEAP gas that we will have to make major changes to our lifestyles.

These estimates fit well with the historical track record that it took about 50 years of whining, crying, and claiming it was 'the end of the world' to transition from wood fuel to coal fuel, and the same for the transition from coal to oil. They have been whining and crying since the '70's. So, another 20 years will be the 50 year mark (or there abouts).

While good intentions (world famous for paving a road to hell) have failed to really launch any cleaner technologies in a big way, a steep rise in gas prices may launch some alternative fuel vehicles (price is one of the big obstacles at present) and simultaneously reign in spawl. Sprawl 'works' for people right now because it is cheaper to buy a house way out and put up with a long commute. If the cost of commuting skyrockets, those 'pricey' homes closer in may be more practical.

Additionally, it may make public transit a whole lot more attractive. If you cannot afford to drive in to your job from your house in the burbs, maybe it will make more sense to take the train (or bus or whatever).

 

[H]

Re: Re: Re: Let it rise, let it rise.

While good intentions (world famous for paving a road to hell) have failed to really launch any cleaner technologies in a big way, a steep rise in gas prices may launch some alternative fuel vehicles (price is one of the big obstacles at present) and simultaneously reign in spawl. Sprawl 'works' for people right now because it is cheaper to buy a house way out and put up with a long commute. If the cost of commuting skyrockets, those 'pricey' homes closer in may be more practical.

Additionally, it may make public transit a whole lot more attractive. If you cannot afford to drive in to your job from your house in the burbs, maybe it will make more sense to take the train (or bus or whatever).

BINGO.