October 2004. Oh those were the days...

 

A number of reasons...

For example...in Chicago which is the highest price right now, is high because their BP refinery is working at half capacity (supply problems), their gas taxes are high, and they use a special blend of gas for environmental purposes which costs more to make.

Put all those together and they pay out their *****.

NJ has the third cheapest gas in the nation and that is because we have more refineries and less taxes on our gas.

I hear they pay close to 7 dollars in some parts of Alaska...they have a lot of crude oil, but no refineries and the gas has to be flown in.

 

I got a question for you all then? Who here Honestly has changed one driving habit because of this. I bet none of you. Heck on monday the RV dump at the gas station down the road had a line about 10 deep of Big trucks hauling Fifth wheel campers and towing a boat behind the camper. Obviously gas is still cheap. Heck look at my garage my best gas mileage vehicle is my 2000 explorer. (after I get my Dyno tune on the Impala it should be back into the 20's though)

~HJ

 

Don't bet on it John. I went out and bought a new bike and finished rebuilding my old honda scooter. I drive the truck to work, home and up north. Hell for the first time since I have had a drivers license, I didn't take my vehicle up north this past weekend (took the GF's taurus and got 35mpg). I don't use credit cards and get into mountains of debt, so gas is litterally sucking me dry....

 

I know I haven't. Hell..I've been off-roading more than usual lately. I just bear and grin it and pay to play.

Last weekend I counted...5 cars at my fiance's beach house in Jersey...and there were 7 family members there! Aunt and Uncle (from the same house) came down at different times, I came from Delaware, and fiance's mother w/ fiance showed up same time I did, and fiance's brother showed up the next day (lives in the same house with my fiance and their mom).

 

And to think, back then it took about 5-7 years to go up $1 for a gallon of gas, now it has taken less then 3 years.

 

I did. I don't drive to work anymore. I have a 45 mile round trip commute every day so I stopped doing it. Instead, I ride my bike to the train station, put my bike on the train, take 30 minute nap on the way in, and then ride my bike to my office. Same thing going home. Work pays for half the cost of a monthly train pass. My half of the train minus what I don't spend on gas and parking saves me about $150 per month. When I do drive, I set the cruise for 65 instead of a 75.

Hows that?

 

I have to drive to work everyday (we dont have trams/tains or that fun stuff)...about 35 miles round trip. i get about 21mpg right now, that was before the efan, and i havnt had the cover on the bed for a month now.

Its half highway/half city. But i know when i hit the highway i let her open up with the foot to the floor, passing the slow cars. So like most people i dont drive to save gas, i try, but end up not.

I complain about it, but what are you going to do. Like my dad said "its not going to stop me from enjoying what i like to do"


I read
It's a the third most important thing people need 1. Oxygen 2. Food 3. Gas

 

I thought about doing that, but it's way too many miles between home/work and the train station. So I'm stuck driving.

 

Thats easy to say when you have the money....

 

Believe me, we dont have that much money.
Im only 25, and make hardly anything at my job, my dad is ok, but he isnt loaded, more like semi comfortable (on the lower end).

 

Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean it in an ofensive way, but its getting to the point where it does stop me from doing what i want.....

 

None taken, i understand your point.
But its not like you can just drop everything becuase gas is way high.

The biggest issue with this IMO is no ones pay rate is keeping up with inflation over time. If that were to happen i dont think raising prices on stuff would be as big of of a deal as it is right now.

But yeah, there is a point where too much is too much, but we just have to live with it.
Im just thankful i saw gas today back down to 3.19 gal. Thats so weird thinking that is cheap...hahah i remeber the good ol days of 1.69 a gal...how i wish

 

haha i remember when i was like 5 gas was like 1.08

 

Gas was 89 cents here as recently as 2002. About 6-8 months after 9/11.

~HJ

 

John Gas got as low as 1.89 last fall, I remember the price being really low, then rising.

Oh, and for the record, Nobody is driving to work who is paying 7$ a gallon of gas in Alaska. They are literally natives paying to fill up snowmachines and 4 wheelers, not trucks. They live in glorified mobile homes and usually live off of subsistence hunting. You're basically saying "I heard a thousand people living in remote villages pay 7$ a gas".

But more importantly, fuel prices mean we get more in our yearly checks from the state PFD :-D

-Aaron

 

Funny, I don't remember it being that low since the late 90's.

 

I did not know that...I heard it on NPR and they didn't say they were natives. Thanks for the clarification

 

I paid .92 a gallon back in December of 01. I only remember the year and month because it was on my first date with my wife. Filled up before a trip into NYC

 

To say that people are not changing their driving habits is not true. I just saw a news report last night that more people here in Denver are using mass transit to get to work.

Even I refuse to drive my ranger everywhere, I use it mostly on weekend to go camping. I used to drive it everywhere I go but when it costs $60.00 to top the tank it's crazy! So I have been using my gf's Dodge Neon that is almost twice the distance with gas.

It really sucks because I hate driving it, I would much rather drive my Ranger. But oh well!

I hope when we have a new president some things can really get turned around.

 

I remember when i first started driving 9 yrs ago ('98) gas was .89 cents here...cost me like 8-10 to fill up my car at that time. Now im lucky if its under 40.

I'm not disagreeing with you in anyway, im sure in cities that have that commute on a daily basis with mass transit. But some of us, like me are not fortunate to live in a great city with mass transit. Funny thing is we have an old subway system that never got completed running under our entire city, but when they were in the process of it long ago it got turned down...now its just filled with water/rats/sewage, and who knows what else.

Cincinnati Subway

 

hasnt hit 3 dollars in Charleston YET but im like 10 cents off at like 2.90 or so

 

^^^ Even that would be nice since its sitting at 3.49 here....

 

Its in the neighborhood of $3.05 around here. I wish gas was cheap again...

 

You all have it easy i live in chicago and has is still 3.70 here in the suburbs. When i go visit my friends in the city i dare not even get gas down there its still 4.00 a gallon downtown chicago. Even E85 is 3.30 a gallon whcih i think is ridiculous