I payed $3.35 a gallon in gas today.

[Reverend Rick]

I believe the American love affair with fossil fuels will be coming to an abrupt end very soon.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Our car's a diesel. Diesel's supposed to be cheaper than gasoline (IMO), but lately, it's been around 5-10 cents per litre more than gas. Bah.

Diesel here has been floating around $1.20 - $1.25 a litre lately - $4.54 to $4.73 a gallon.

My truck gets about 10 mpg. I travel about 6K miles per year hauling machinery. But I welcome higher prices....good to ween us off gas guzzlers,
encourage more biking/walking, living closer to work, less dependence on foreign oil, cleaner air, etc, etc. People in general won't do what's good
for the country unless it's good for themselves. If prices go high enuf, maybe even Al Gore will trim back his wasteful ways.

The problem is that prices are volatile and people have short memories. When prices are high, everyone's screaming for some way to get better fuel economy or reduce their auto dependency. Then prices drop again and two weeks later, everyone forgets and goes back to their old ways.

It isn't just a matter of people only doing what's good for themselves; it's a matter of people only doing what's good for themselves right now.

 

[Reverend Rick]

I'd happily walk in those shoes, heck, I'd eat them if it would get me a boat.

I have a feeling boat prices are about to fall. Having a boat will be nothing special, a gallon of gas might be however.

 

[Rakhel]

When I first started driving, gasoline was 24.9 cents a gallon. They checked the air in my tires, pumped the gasoline for me and cleaned my windshield.

WOW You are soooooooo old!!! :yes::run:

I don't drive. But the monthly bus pass went up from $38 to $41. Not nearly the cost increase I would expect if I drove though.

Only $41 a month?? A one month bus pass is $104 here. Weekly it's $27.

 

[Valjean]

My first thought echoed the European posts: "You lucky dog! It costs twice or thrice that in most places.

I'm also reminded that American economy cars get miles per gallon (that's how it's calculated here) in the mid thirties, while in much of the rest of the world they average mid sixties.

 

[McBell]

 

[Revoltingest]

Our car's a diesel. Diesel's supposed to be cheaper than gasoline (IMO), but lately, it's been around 5-10 cents per litre more than gas. Bah.

Diesel isn't "supposed" to be either cheaper or more expensive. Tis a matter of supply & demand relative to gasoline.
Diesel typically fetches more per gallon because it has more energy per gallon. Wikipedia says .88 gal of diesel = 1 gal of gasoline.
You're getting a bargain! And you're getting the diesel's much better thermodynamic efficiency to boot.

The problem is that prices are volatile and people have short memories. When prices are high, everyone's screaming for some way to get better fuel economy or reduce their auto dependency. Then prices drop again and two weeks later, everyone forgets and goes back to their old ways.
It isn't just a matter of people only doing what's good for themselves; it's a matter of people only doing what's good for themselves right now.

As a herd, people don't think very rationally....tis more about emotion. What really rankles them isn't so much
the price of gas, it's the fact that it's going up. (If it stays the same or goes down, that is never noticed.)

 

[Panda]

Please don't even compare.....UK vehicles go by liters not gallons

I converted our price in litres to USD per gallon a few pages before. We pay roughly double compared to you, though a lot of that is tax.

 

[Panda]

My first thought echoed the European posts: "You lucky dog! It costs twice or thrice that in most places.

I'm also reminded that American economy cars get miles per gallon (that's how it's calculated here) in the mid thirties, while in much of the rest of the world they average mid sixties.

I would disagree. The average family car driving in town is probably closer to the 40-50mpg mark. We do tend to drive much smaller cars here both in physical and engine size though. 1.8l or 2.0l probably normally on the average family ford focus.

 

[lunakilo]

If we drilled ANWR you could have gotten that for $3.52 a gallon. Something to think about . . .

I can beat that.
Current prises in denmark is about 12.5 DKK for 1 liter, I make that about 8.75$ a gallon

 

[Revoltingest]

I can beat that.
Current prises in denmark is about 12.5 DKK for 1 liter, I make that about 8.75$ a gallon

Now that's more like it! There's some behavior altering pricing.
I don't have much sympathy for Americans whining that we'll suffer economic ruin if
we don't get gas so cheap we can p*** it away. It's cheaper here than bottled water.

 

[Valjean]

I was talking about the little "economy" cars, Panda, like Ford's diesel Fiesta or Volkswagen's Blue-motion Golf or Polo.

 

[lunakilo]

Now that's more like it! There's some behavior altering pricing.
I don't have much sympathy for Americans whining that we'll suffer economic ruin if
we don't get gas so cheap we can p*** it away. It's cheaper here than bottled water.

Is there any price high enough to make americans stop driving cars or at least switch to smaller more fuel efficient cars?

 

[Revoltingest]

Is there any price high enough to make americans stop driving cars or at least switch to smaller more fuel efficient cars?

We shall see.
Some of us already have stingy cars. Our Vibe gets about 36 mpg.
My gas guzzling truck is used only for trucky things, which keeps the gas bill way down.

 

[lunakilo]

You should just get one of these

 

[lunakilo]

Works for children to:

 

[Revoltingest]

Find me one capable of hauling 15,000 lbs!
I do like those things though.
I have a trailer for my bicycle. I hauled a drill press on it once.

 

[Panda]

I was talking about the little "economy" cars, Panda, like Ford's diesel Fiesta or Volkswagen's Blue-motion Golf or Polo.

Ahh sorry. Yea those little run about cars get amazing fuel consumption. A lot of family's I know have a bigger sort of family car and a small car like that for going back and forward to work.

 

[Panda]

We shall see.
Some of us already have stingy cars. Our Vibe gets about 36 mpg.
My gas guzzling truck is used only for trucky things, which keeps the gas bill way down.

36mpg isn't good economy. That's the sort of thing you expect from a big merc estate.

 

[Flankerl]

Oh no poor poor Americans.

3,35$ = 2,42 €
1 Gallon = 3,785 L
1 Liter = 0,63 €

Oh my thats so expencive that i hope you can eat tomorrow. oO

I had to pay 1,55 € per liter today. Thats about 5,87 € per gallon. So about 8,12 $ per gallon.


You really got my sympathy. Really...