crude jumps 49 cents now at 62.80 this morning

May be showing my age, but I remember the fiasco when gas broke the 99.9 cents/gal barrier, which was a real barrier because many pumps at the time didn't have a $ wheel for adjusting the price. So you had pumps with little signs saying "pay twice the indicated price."

Of course, old fogies like me also remember filling up the tank and getting change from a five, asking for two bucks worth and actually getting a reasonable amount of gas, having to specifically ask for "lead free" and when filling up the tank also got your oil checked and your windshield washed. On the other hand, I also remember how happy I was when I got an above minimum wage summer job that paid $1.25/hour.
--
Vince

 

That's just about to happen here - unleaded prices are headed up above 99.9p per litre.

 

Whoa! What is the new average going to be now?



Vince, the sad thing is it wasn't even that long ago when prices were less than $1 a gallon. I only 24 and I remember filling up at .88c a gallon. I could fill up for $8 or $9! Course, that was in a little Geo Prizm, but I sure do wish for those under $10 fillups.

 

It was below $1.00 just three years ago. In January, 2002, I moved from Oregon to Philidelphia and I drove cross-country in the Explorer to get here.

Gas at the time was $1.42 in Oregon, but right before January 1st, 2002, it dropped. During my entire trip across the northern US, gas was between $0.90 and $0.99 and it remained at that price in the Philidelphia area for another month or so after I got here. Then it started going up again, and hasn't really stopped since.

 

its 2.439 here now. that tops the high water mark for last summer and this spring. we recently added another gas tax that is probably going to be repealed.

that will only lead to no transportation improvements and an increase in comute times due to congestion and an estimated loss of $3-14 per day for each person stuck in traffic.

apparently we prefer this over the 9½ cent gas tax over the next few years.

of course, there is no garantee that the gas tax will do what it promises to do. but generally the gas tax does work better than levies like the Seattle Monorail project.

 

Tony, its been 2.50 a gallon here for a while. I saw it at 2.08 in Lafayette a week ago. I wish it was 2.08 here.

 

Yeah I remember 2002 the local Arco was $0.83/gallon

or maybe 4 years ago.

 

i feel your pain Tony. i havent been out of town this week like i normally am because helping sis with some house mods on my days off so im at 2 bars and gas has gone up 11 cents since the day i would have normally filled up.

 

Gas in the Dayton (OH) area just shot up to 2.499. That is the highest I have ever seen it (disregard the 9/12/01 fiasco). A few stations are lined up at 2.259 but they won't last.

Of course, this is all a method to get us acclimated. You know, go up 25 cents, go down 24, go up 24, go down 23.....until we think it is OK for gas to be this high. It is a neat marketing tool as far as I am concerned. There is no real reason fo gas to jump around so much. And most of us are becoming conditioned like Pavlov's dog. People at work talk about getting gas on Monday's, or tuesdays before 9am, or Sundays after 11pm...come on!

Here is my sanity saver...my last car averaged about 24mpg. My Pri is averaging about 50. So, in real dollars, I am only paying 1.249

I remember my Dad driving all over hell's half acre to find gas for 0.249 (no, the decimal place is correct) Seems all so silly now.

 

I got lucky today - heard a story on the local news about gas prices jumping to $2.49. I took my daughter's car (not the Prius) which was almost on fumes to the local Kroger where gas was still $2.23 and filled it up. I took about 5 minutes to buy a few groceries while I was there and when I came out, regular was up to $2.49. wow

 

just saw on the news that there is a website that is taking bets on the price of gas in California or new york.

they are taking bets on the likelihood of gas exceeding $3 per gallon before the end of the year.

the odds?? 30 to 1 that gas will be above and beyond $3

 

just saw a blurb on the news that there is a new online betting site. however, it aint sports betting. they are betting on the price of gas for LA or New york.

the bet that gas will exceed $3 a gallon before the end of the year. the odds? 30 to 1 in favor

 

KOM's Cost of Petrol

In case nobody has computed it, KMO's gas cost is approximately $7.67 an American gallon. Adjusting for the Imperial Gallon and calculating the Pound at todays price of $1.79. But I don't live in Cambridge, you might cry! Gas prices for Americans will also reach these levels unless "Necessity, the Mother of invention" steps in and the average person (not just Americans) screams, writes, Votes, not much change will occur. Personally I've joined them and bought Energy shares, so I don't care. The Prius, as much as I love it, (and I've never loved a car before) is only a very shortsighted answer. Please don't cry too much my fellow Americans over the price of your gasoline, the Italians pay even more! Please some Italian.........reply (Teach us to be grateful).

 

I am kicking myself now for waiting to fill up a couple of days and gas jumped 5c overnight. I am really starting to get worried about how high gas is going to go.

I really want the US to dump all of it's gas guzzling unnecessary vehicles, but how much is it going to cost me? I shudder at paying $30 a tank. Regardless of what Europeans pay, I don't live in Europe and this is a lot for me.


(Dreading routine $25 fillups--Several months ago it was just $20).

 

It's sure great having a Prius. I can be happy when gas gets cheaper because I am saving even more. I can be happy when gas prices go up because I am saving more relative to all the SUV clogging the highways.

But I agree this is short term. Why don't we have lithium battery conversion kits yet that are affordable for the Prius with pluggable power? And hydrogen gas dual fuel kits?
With these we can get ready for whatever oil does.

 

$30 i can handle, heck i was paying $30 a week with my truck when gas was !.50. now i only get gas every 17 days on average and drive more now.