1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

High Price of Fuel

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by hycamguy07, May 8, 2007.

  1. hycamguy07

    hycamguy07 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    2,707
    2
    0
    Location:
    Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius

    I tried to keep it to a minimum, sorry its kinda long....
    Whats the saying? Education is power? ;)

    I also included the links so that [you] can read the rest of the story.

     
  2. eagle33199

    eagle33199 Platinum Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    5,122
    268
    0
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    FWIW, Washington isn't the only place hit hard... I was back in Ohio this past weekend, and had to fill up my sister's car (which i was borrowing) sunday at $3.20/gallon. It was a huge relief to get back here to the twin cities and see prices at $2.88
     
  3. hycamguy07

    hycamguy07 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    2,707
    2
    0
    Location:
    Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ May 8 2007, 11:51 AM) [snapback]437519[/snapback]</div>
    Wow..... :blink:

    I pay $2.91 here in Central Florida I have seen it as high as $2.95 a gallon at the name brand stations.
     
  4. h2photo

    h2photo Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2007
    432
    3
    0
    Location:
    Chandler, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    wow, it was $3.20 in ohio!? It's at least $3.15 for 87 here, but at costco its still under $2.92
     
  5. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    well.... i LIVE in Wa state and please please please tell me where i can get gas for $3.14 a gallon. cheapest place in town that i know of is $3.279

    obviously the figure takes the average of the entire state into consideration. i can assure you that the "average" stated is not the average paid around here

    *edit*

    ok, i see the article was written a few weeks ago. the average now is more along the lines of $3.35 or more



    *update* article in the olympian this morning, average gas prices in Thurston county set another record this morning going to $3.449 a gallon...and the beat goes on
     
  6. rudiger

    rudiger Active Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2006
    696
    45
    0
    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Although the US certainly sucks up an inordinate amount of the world's petroleum-based fuel, the problem is exasperated by many developing countries that subsidize the price of fuel, keeping the price to consumers low and the demand high.

    Examples are countries like Saudi Arabia ($.45/gal), Iran ($.33/gal), Venezuela ($.25/gal), China, Russia, Egypt, et al. Not only does it put a strain on those country's economies, it also keeps the world price for fuel high as there is absoluetly no incentive to cut back on consumption in those countries where the price of fuel is kept artificially low.

    Where Gasoline is Cheap
     
  7. airportkid

    airportkid Will Fly For Food

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2005
    2,191
    538
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    I am always perplexed at the national obsession with fuel prices. Unless you're driving the equivalent of 747 1,000 miles a week, the weekly difference in expense is negligible compared to other things we piddle our money away on without a second glance.

    Look at the effect of a 50 cent increase on an average driver driving 700 miles a week at 20 MPG. That's 35 gallons a week for a $17.50 weekly increase in expenditure, or $2.50 a day.

    That's a couple cups of coffee, a few extra minutes on a long distance phone call, a candy bar, or any of a million negligble expenses we toss off every day without a second thought.

    We buy food, clothing, wine, butter, milk, coffee, vegetables and bottled water without even being conscious of the individual cost of these items, let alone conscious of how their pricing fluctuates - why this obsession with the price of fuel?

    Mark Baird
    Alameda CA
     
  8. eagle33199

    eagle33199 Platinum Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    5,122
    268
    0
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    I think the obsession with fuel comes from multiple areas. First, obviously, is the cost we pay at the pump. Gas is the one item that we see prices for daily (if you're buying wine and butter, etc daily, you've got problems :p). It's also a frequently purchased item. Second, we have the war in Iraq and the impression that gas prices are artificially high. Third, we have the downstream effect on the economy - gas prices go up by a buck, odds are that candy bar that was shipped to the store by a truck using gas is going to go up in price, too. Finally, we have a media blitz on the issue, ensuring that it stays in the forefront of everyone's mind.
     
  9. priussoris

    priussoris New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2007
    1,005
    4
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(airportkid @ May 8 2007, 11:14 AM) [snapback]437579[/snapback]</div>
    When we go shopping we keep all cost in mind even during the grocery shop.
    like in a previous posting the cost of the prius was high and it was not a easy choice to make because one says " hey do I want a bigger car payment" you have to weigh the cost of fuel current and future . I do know gas will not go back to .99 cents a gallon it will go up , same with this flex fuel crap, it makes everything cost more right down to your food in the grocery store. so yeah gas prices are a concern along with all the daily stuff. I don't know about anyone else but my family we cut back on a lot of items because the "extra money" is not there any longer.
     
  10. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2006
    2,505
    232
    28
    Location:
    Chicagoland, IL, USA, Earth
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ May 8 2007, 01:23 PM) [snapback]437632[/snapback]</div>
    I think it's mostly psychological. Gas prices are unique in that virtually every store that sells gas has them prominently displayed. That doesn't happen with milk or coffee or candy bars or shirts or tires. So it's an easy benchmark to watch as you drive past the same signs every day. Plus, it's more volatile than some other goods, going up a few months for double digit percentages each month, then turning around and dropping again.

    The downstream effects are there, but they don't play on the psyche as easily. I'm not sure why people are convinced gas companies are colluding to gouge customers. People have looked into that so many times, they'd be idiots to try something like that now. I'd be more worried about how pharmaceuticals lobbied successfully to to stop cheap imports of prescription drugs. What about all the oil-change companies telling you you need to change your oil at 3,000 miles (like they had to in the 1950's) despite evidence (and owner's manuals) that 5-7K is fine. I recently read one columnist saying he had changed to 5,000 mile schedule - because he was using synthetic oil! What a scam.
     
  11. fshagan

    fshagan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2005
    1,766
    4
    0
    Location:
    Noneofyourbusiness, CA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    There's another factor with high gas prices. While milk may cost more, few of us go the store for only milk and end up paying $59.33 like I did the last time I filled up my "other car". People who are paying for gas each week, and see their average tank fill jump $15 from last winter see it all at once, so the emotional impact is much greater for this "necessity" than it is when we are anticipating that nice latte, with a muffin and a newspaper. In short, we see no more value in the gas we buy today at $3.63 than we did when it was $2.49.
     
  12. mojo

    mojo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2006
    4,519
    390
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ May 8 2007, 05:02 PM) [snapback]437811[/snapback]</div>
    The following reeks of likely market manipulation.
    "Unexpected refinery problems are a big part of the reason for the spike in gasoline prices of recent weeks. There have been at least a dozen additional partial shutdowns in the U.S. and internationally that cut refining capacity.

    For instance, one of the nation's largest refineries, a BP PLC plant in Indiana that processes more than 400,000 barrels of oil per day, will not be operating at full capacity for several months due to unexpected repairs. Other examples include a 170,000-barrel-per-day plant in McKee, Texas, that was shut down for a month, and a 470,000 barrel-per-day plant in Texas City that's operating at less than half of capacity.

    The refinery problems have led to an oversupply of oil and an undersupply of gasoline. That's pushing oil prices lower, Ritterbusch said. And while gasoline futures prices were down Monday, that could change quickly in a market that remains volatile, he said. "