GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:39 pm Post subject: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

OK, it's time again for an update on regular grade gasoline prices. Sad

Prices 40 miles NW of Chicago are $3.55 a gallon. Surprised

Prices in Chicago are $3.80. Shocked

Electric car, here I come!

51hornet · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

Its about $4.50 here...

Also lets keep this one thread going so when we add new prices we can see the difference over time.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

OMG!

10-4, will do.

zewwi · Hornet Joined: Nov 07, 2007 Posts: 196 Location: Sweden

Hi !
Think of this.there will allways be oil Shocked

Why ? The last gallon will be so expencive that no one have the money to pay for it Crying or Very sad

Dave53-7C · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:32 am Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

We all need to buy bicycles. Then, we can save on gas and get some exercise.

zewwi · Hornet Joined: Nov 07, 2007 Posts: 196 Location: Sweden

I guess there are plenty of bicycles in China for sales, now when they can afford to buy cars.We Swedes are cycling now,because the price of gas is so high Smile

Its about 9 dollars for 1 gallon Rolling Eyes

Dave53-7C · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

Yes, being in the bicycle business in China would not be a good thing right now. Are you serious? $9.00 a gallon in Sweden...WOW! Shocked

I was talking to someone today whose parents live in Germany. They said that it is common for people to turn off their engines when they stop at traffic lights there. Do you do that in Sweden?

Today - Regular gas:

40 miles NW of Chicago = $3.65 a gallon
Chicago= Almost $4.00 a gallon.

Zephyrmec · Hornet Joined: Aug 19, 2007 Posts: 623

Southwest Florida: $3.47 today. Expensive? not really. If you look at it like this: When I started driving, and was pumping Gulf Gas at my Grandfather's Station, Gulftane was 27.9; Good Gulf was 29.9; No-Nox was 33.9. My car got about 15 MPG, and held 20 gallons. Theoretically I could go 300 miles for about $6. I had a good job, and made $2.00 per hour (minimum wage was $1.60) So I had to work 3 hours for a 300 mile tank of gas. Using the evil SUV my wife drives as a worst case example, in order to go 300 miles, it would take me about 17 gallons. Again using worst case of $4.00 per gallon that's $68. Is that 3 hours work for me? nope, not even close. To top it off, that is in an Eddie Bauer Expedition, with all the goodies, air, tunes, etc. If I counted my usual mode of transportation, (Harley) or a mid sized sensible car, the cost would be far less. Normally that $68 worth of gas lasts 4-5 weeks minimum. As an absolute dollar number, $4.00 seems expensive, it's not. When you were paying $0.49 per gallon a new entry level car was $2K, now it's 10X that, gas isn't. I forget the exact number, but here in my county of Florida, the total taxes on gasoline are over $0.58 per gallon, as a percentage, taxation is more than 4X the oil company's profit. Who is making the killing?

Dave53-7C · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

What kind of magically evil Expy is your wife driving? My 08 Explorer (with V-8) has a 22 gallon tank and my old 97 (with V-6) had an 18 gallon tank. In my 3rd and 4th year of HS, I made about $75.00 a week. A gallon of gas was around 32 cents and you could buy a hoopty for $100.00. Plugging in those numbers into your equasion would mean that HS kids are pulling down $750.00 per week and are buying $10,000.00 hoopties. Sorry, that's not working for me. The price of gas is out of line everywhere. For me, I just pass the cost off to clients and take my write offs. To those who can't do those things, they have less to spend on everyday needs to say nothing about saving for the future or buying lifes' little extras. In your case, you are luckier than most since it seems you can get by on very little gas. As far as who is sucking down the moola on gasoline, you hit that one square on the head. But, if I were a lawmaker seeing what I normally do while traveling our roads I'd come to the conclusion that most citizens race around like fools and don't give a rats ass about the cost of gas so why should government back down on the taxes. Sadly, I feel that we as a society have reached the "Every man for himself" plateau. If you trust your life to others, you are screwed. It seams that the only way to survive in todays' world is to be as independent as you possibly can. This works well with my "If you build it they'll come, so don't build it" philosophy.

Zephyrmec · Hornet Joined: Aug 19, 2007 Posts: 623

Our Expedition isn't too magic... drive it gently, 60-70 no hot-rodding it, and 17-18 mpg on the highway is within reason (no hills here in FL either, it makes a difference)

We bought beaters from $50-$100, the kids down here aren't buying them now, it seems like the beaters of today are bought by folks with no or poor jobs, just starting outs, down on their luck single parents, or younger people who are figuring out that it's not a good idea to have 5 kids before you are 25. The proverbial hooptie goes for $500-$1000 down here. It seems like most kids are getting mommie and daddie to buy them pretty decent second hand ricegrinders to make into street racers and lowriders, they won't touch a beater. (or they are getting financed out the ass for newer cars at second hand- BHPH lots) Down here the cheap beaters don't do too well, if a car has no air, you pretty much can't sell it.

Gas is by no means cheap, but with what we always used as conservation measures, you don't have to spend your whole check on gas. Even at "day-labor" places here you get about $70-80 per day. Not rolling in the bucks, but it's a stopgap that can get you on your feet.

Where did you get the $10K hooptie? Got an extra decimal place I think!

Your taxes must have been low, when I made $2.00/ hr, my take home was $52.20 a week from $80 gross. (New York taxes)

My take on the gas expenditures is too many people don't think of fuel costs except for when they pull up to the pump. Many seem to think nothing about jumping into the car and driving 5-10 miles to pick up a pack of smokes, or something on the grocery list they forgot, or maybe just taking off to run errands without a plan to make your stops in a certain order to reduce the total trip distance. How about the idiot that drives all the way across town to save two cents a gallon.... use 2 gallons of gas to save 40 cents... way to go! Or you see 8-10 kids heading to the beach to have a little fun, play frisbee, soak up the sun, shoot some baskets or play tennis at the park, whatever... when it's time to leave, every one of them gets into their own car and goes home, even if they live close to one another. How often do you check with friends or neighbors before you take that trip "to the city" for whatever purpose to see if they need to go along for something as well? or maybe they just need a gallon of milk you could grab for them while you are out? Simple things that used to be the norm will save big! and as a benefit, you may get to know your neighbors better, it makes for a safer neighborhood.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:19 am Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

Dam those flat states. You guys probably don't have the reformulated gas either. Here, the winter blend burns quicker than the summer blend. Where you saying that your Expy has a 17 gallon tank or it gets 17 mpg? A vehicle that size should have a gas tank the size of a small car.

I like the term "hooptie." When I was a kid, we called them beaters too. When I see kids that shovel money into their old ricegrinding hoopies, I shake my head and roll my eyes. Now I know what adults must have thought about our cars with glass packs and jacked up rear ends. Here, the hoopties are bought by the same crowd you mention and a certain segment of the population favors vans for their bus-like qualities. It would be almost impossible to sell a car without a heater.

Oops on the $10k hooptie. My bad.

Oh, yeah, our taxes "were" low and I was paid hourly plus commission.

There are so many online places to check gas, it's much easier and cheaper to do that. Still, you are right about people spending dollars to save pennies. Here, some people with kids drive down the road to drop or pick them up from the school bus. They'll sit for 20-30 minutes with the egine running. No wonder so many kids today are out of shape and lazy.

Where I live, we have about 20 houses on 150 acres. People live here either because they have horses or want privacy. So, getting to know the neighbors is not in the cards and I like it that way. After 16 years, I know about four people, a jerk, a busy body, a community activist and one that seems to be OK. Since civilization is only a few miles away, the neighbors can get their own milk or call Peapod and have it delivered. When I go to Chicago, it's for business so I can't cart people's asses with me.

I know life here is all about freedom of choice, but I'd rather be civil in the way I drive so I can spend the savings in gas on other things. Obviously, most people could care less and drive like there's no tomorrow.

51hornet · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:59 am Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

I can attest to Dave not knowing anyone in his area. I first met Dave when I won the contract to install the barbed wire fences, Light towers, Concrete Pill boxes and the M50 Mounts along the driveway. Dave enjoys his privacy.

He also had me install those windmill whirly Jigs and a pond for ducks.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:45 pm Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

Sean, you're right about everything but the pond and whirly jigs. The pond was here when I bought the place and the wife bought the whirlies and Flamingos with flapping wings. Cool

Since most people are goofs or just plain trouble, I'm selective about who I associate with and would rather keep to myself, mind my business and not have my time wasted by mindless jabber. My profession keeps me very busy and I have more than enough friends and family to complete my life. Since my life has been good without knowing my current neighbors who, by the way are just nosey busy bodies, I'm sure I can make it happily to the end of my days by not making their aquaintance. When I'm at home, it's Dave time and tampering with Dave time is a bad, bad thing. Laughing

51hornet · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:53 pm Post subject: Re: GASOLINE, PETROL PRICES!

Yes and a liberal ground cover of M50 fire is always a deterrent to nosy neighbors.

Zephyrmec · Hornet Joined: Aug 19, 2007 Posts: 623

When I still lived in NY, I had a 72 AC farm, the "Moe Compound." Down here I've had to adjust to having neighbors. My wife deals with them and I tolerate them. She does the June Cleaver deal, baking cookies for the neighbors at holidays, everybody gets along, and keeps an eye on each other's place. (over half are well off retirees or part-time "snowbirds).
It's different, even after living here for 15 years. I'd rather have big acreage out in the interior, swamps, gators, and miles of nothing.

Anybody gives you trouble: What ever happened to ol what's his face? "I dunno, haven't seen him in a couple of years, maybe he moved up North somewhere"