Author Topic: gasoline prices (Read 2318 times)

storch · « **on:** November 24, 2005, 11:31:03 PM »

I just filled up with $2.29 regular fuel. the prices have been dropping steadily here. are any others experiencing this?

Chairboy · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2005, 11:32:28 PM »

Ever since I bought a siphon, I've experienced record savings.

ASTAC · « **Reply #2 on:** November 25, 2005, 12:12:53 AM »

1.98 here in Virginia Beach

Golfer · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2005, 12:26:19 AM »

$1.83 Columbus, OH

beet1e · « **Reply #4 on:** November 25, 2005, 04:00:27 AM »

Yes Storch - here in Limeyland, I saw diesel for sale yesterday at a mere 90p/litre. That's the lowest (I can't bring myself to say "cheapest") since the summer.

mechanic · « **Reply #5 on:** November 25, 2005, 04:04:29 AM »

my local monopoly tesco garage sells diesel for 98p/ltr.

everywhere else is between 95-99p.

what the hell are our guys dying for if we are seeing prices rise over here?

i say pull out all troops from service from those coutries not happy with their fuel prices.

Panzzer · « **Reply #6 on:** November 25, 2005, 04:30:37 AM »

About 1.20 euros/ltr here, diesel around 1 euro/ltr.

storch · « **Reply #7 on:** November 25, 2005, 05:37:39 AM »

are these prices reflecting recent increases in europe? for example my last fill-up was at $2.69 about one week ago. we had an all time high of $3.23 after hurricane katrina. folks here were in a panic due to the sharp increase with the local media on air personalities all but tripping over themselves to find the highest prices in town and around the nation. they had a field day blaming boosh but they have been quiet as church mice as the prices plummeted inspite of local gasoline tax increases.

there was one positive note to the gasoline price increase though. the prices of the big SUVs dropped markedly. I buy my wife a brand new car every ten years or so, whether she needs it or not. earlier this month I strolled into our local ford dealership and drove off with a 2005 eddie bauer expedition with every option for the vehicle including TV, VCR, DVD and satellite radio for US$27k (out the door at just over US$30k) down from a sticker price of US$42k. the poor guy had a glut of the thirsty monsters on the lot, there must have been 60 unsold expeditions of all flavors that weekend. now my bride tools around town to the tune of 12 miles per gallon. I expected the monster to do around 8mpg in town. on the highway it does around 17mpg. i'm very impressed with how economical the new 5.4L V8 beast is. I suppose it will improve a bit once it's "broken in". the other notable points are the sharp turning radius and how much pedal it has.

beet1e · « **Reply #8 on:** November 25, 2005, 06:04:41 AM »

I had a visitor recently - English guy now working in Qatar - and he's paying 12p/litre - that's about 20 US cents (=75 cents/US gallon?)

Mechanic - that 90p/litre I saw was at Total in Caversham. But I've seen similar prices at 2 Esso stations near you - the Esso just near Handy Cross as you take the road into Cressex Estate, and the one in Marlow - on the right as you come into Marlow off the A404.

cpxxx · « **Reply #9 on:** November 25, 2005, 06:40:15 AM »

It was about 1.08 Euro a litre here in places when I last filled. It was about 1.20 in places a couple of weeks ago.

Beetle, I was in England, Guildford last weekend and I'm sure I saw 87 pence a litre. I could be wrong, maybe it was diesel. Still silly prices. I was staying with a friend who is basically rich but who's only indulgence, apart that is from a £1 million+ house, is a 4.4 litre BMW X5 SUV. Even he thinks twice about long trips in it with the price of petrol. Paying full fare and flying is cheaper!

Shane · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2005, 07:03:49 AM »

$1.92 in San Antonio.

Ghosth · « **Reply #11 on:** November 25, 2005, 07:26:13 AM »

Soon as everyone starts screaming about the Oil companys & record profits, Govt starts talking about investigating. Prices start dropping back to pre Katrina levels.

Oil companys trying to stand around looking innocent. "Hey no huge price gouging going on here!" as they stand around trying to keep money from escapeing from their pockets.

We all know what the problem is. What I don't know is how to get them to actually compete with each other instead of getting together to set prices.

jigsaw · « **Reply #12 on:** November 25, 2005, 07:32:22 AM »

More likely that prices were dropped so people would be able to spend $$ for holiday goodies. Several reports had been out in months preceding the drop on how consumers would not be as loose on shopping due to gas prices cutting into their budget.

Wait and see if they go back up early next year.

Panzzer · « **Reply #13 on:** November 25, 2005, 07:34:27 AM »

In the past 2-3 weeks the price has gone down here in Finland. A while (a month or so.. or even more?) back it was almost 1.30 eur/ltr, it's now come down to 1.20ish again.

beet1e · « **Reply #14 on:** November 25, 2005, 09:00:04 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by storch
now my bride tools around town to the tune of 12 miles per gallon.......i'm very impressed with how economical the new 5.4L V8 beast is.

LOL - and this exemplifies what the rest of the world is up against as it tries to persuade America to sign up to the Kyoto Summit and reduce emissions caused by the burning of hydrocarbons. Having stuck my head above the parapet to say that, there are now two knee jerk responses I await from the other side of the pond:

"This is America - our gas guzzling vehicles are a tradition and represent our 'freedom' which you guys don't have..."
"12mpg is economical to us because we don't pay $6/gallon..."

OK, fine. It may be "economical" in terms of cash outlay at the pump, combined with the reduced purchase price of the vehicle, but not in terms of the volume of crude oil which must be wrung out of the earth to run it. In the ROTW (rest of the world - ie outside North America, but not including oil rich states in the Middle East) oil products are rightly considered to be a precious commodity and are priced accordingly. I'm not saying that the motorist should be treated as the goose which must lay golden eggs for his nation's treasury, but I do support measures which steer people away from gas guzzlers and towards more thrifty vehicles. In the EU, countries like Austria and Italy have it about right. Their diesel is taxed much less than petrol/gas, with the result that 60% of cars in those countries are diesel. That means that the fuel needs of the motoring public can be met using a much smaller volume of crude oil than would otherwise be the case.

And American motorists could be dissuaded from driving vehicles which commit such profligate waste as those grandiose SUVs: I don't buy the argument that folks "need" such vehicles as those. Indeed, as Storch found, there was a glut of around 60 of those monsters unsold on his dealer's lot - that's 60 motorists who did not buy one, but presumably bought something more frugal instead.

One day people will realise the importance of conservation of oil and other natural resources, instead of taking them for granted and pooh-poohing the ROTW for holding a different point of view.

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"We need a tax on consumption so bad, it's pathetic..." - former US Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca