Gas Prices are Climbing: Who Cares?

[nissangirl74]

I see these articles from time to time about the gloom and doom of escalating gas prices and the economical impact it has around the nation, especially during the Holiday season.
"For those who plan on Interstate travel, that perhaps means shelling out a few extra bucks of gas money. And if the higher prices persists, it could put a noticeable dent in consumers' already very fragile family budgets."

They're talking 15 cents/gallon on the high end of estimates. I guess they haven't sat down and done the math so I decided to do it for them.
For a vacation of 1,000 miles, traveling in a car that gets 20 mpg, the extra cost is a whopping $7.50! If you leave your house to go on vacation without an extra $10 in your pocket, you probably deserve to end up stranded on the side of the road. Hell, to drive from Miami, FL to Fairbanks, AK roundtrip <9789.74 miles> would only cost an additional $73.42!

So, the next time you hear someone panic about the rising cost of fuel and trading their 25 mpg car that happens to be paid for, on something that gets 39+ and costs $25,000 or more, do them a favor and educate them.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-b ... ravel-time

[PEZi]

oh logic..... i love you

[Jesda]

Crude is traded in US currency, so any manipulation/increase of money supply (like, very recently) will cause the price to spike, just like the stock market.

With only a $73 price difference, I'd definitely rather drive.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

The media....EXAGGERATING!?
I must learn more.

[angrypenguin182]

wow that is funny, this literally came up in a convo i had this weekend, because some kid i know was bitching about the prices going up, and how he HAS to get premium gas. i asked if he sat down and actually saw how much it cost him for the additional money he has to pay. after finding out it costs him only $20 extra per month, he quickly dropped his bitching haha

[audtatious]

I have not really heard a peep about gas prices much this year. When it breached 3-bux a few years back it was in all the news stories about big oil gouging everyone while making their whopping 5% profit margin.

[es.biggs]

If nobody cared about climbing gas prices, then there would be no reason for the gas stations to keep their prices competitive.

$7.50 in my pocket beats $0.

[AZhitman]

^ True.

But will it keep you from traveling? Doubtful.

[br4dysays]

i wouldn't mind as much if i didn't have to get premium lol, but its fine, if the price of gas went up like 1.00$ it'd be a bigger deal but i can't see that happening anytime soon.

[themadscientist]

My car runs on baby tears. Get it in the jug kid, Mad wants to cruise this weekend.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Driving a fun car > Saving a few cents every fillup. This fact is not debateable unless you're a hobo, in which case it becomes:
Driving a roomy car with power bench seat > Saving a few cents every fillup.

Gas prices are like gravity: I don't like them, but I haven't discovered a way around them yet. So, in the meantime, I'm going to do my best to ignore them and get on with life.

[themadscientist]

Ask Neal about gas. the Yen rate is Y79 = $1 and he buys Japanese high octane at probably 190-200 yen a liter. 19 liters is about 5 gallons. I only feed my bike that for now, but when the 180 is back up I get to pay Colombian nose candy prices for my gas too.

[RobPaulson]

So, the next time you hear someone panic about the rising cost of fuel and trading their 25 mpg car that happens to be paid for, on something that gets 39+ and costs $25,000 or more, do them a favor and educate them.

been say'n it for years, amen sistah!

[cellardoorv]

Noo! Spread the hysteria! When I go shopping for the XTerra, I want cheaper prices because no one will want an SUV.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Noo! Spread the hysteria! When I go shopping for the XTerra, I want cheaper prices because no one will want an SUV.

EXACLTY.
Help keep V8 resale down so I can keep buying nice cars for dirt.

[breadbox]

I just grabbed some reg at 2.67 a G x 11 gallons. I wish it was way closer to $2 a gal, but oh well. At least is isn't as costly as other places.

[numbnuts240]

the only octane under $3 right now is 89. it's lame, especially when the tanks on the shore are only about 20 miles from home.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

I've come to the realization that I don't care about gas or gas prices anymore with my car. If I think about it I get sad, lol.

I just throw in $30 every few days and cruise happily! My foot keeps telling me to drive, but my bank account does not! As long as it stays under 3 for midgrade, I'll keep driving aimlessly as much as I do.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Noo! Spread the hysteria! When I go shopping for the XTerra, I want cheaper prices because no one will want an SUV.

EXACLTY.
Help keep V8 resale down so I can keep buying nice cars for dirt.

Vicious cycle though, because then if no one buys V8s, they're stop being made, and we'll have the "lost years" all over again, but without the Japanese to introduce fun, economical cars.

[charat]

but if i do the math i'd save somewhere between $500 to $700 a year... thats pretty legitimate to me.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

You'd have to drive over 50,000 miles a year to see any significant loss of income... At 10,000 miles a year @ 20mpg it's only a 75 dollar difference.
Though what we're all failing to take into account is the hit transporters, delivery businesses, and shipping firms will take...which increases costs all over the board.

[C-Kwik]

Gas prices are like gravity: I don't like them, but I haven't discovered a way around them yet. So, in the meantime, I'm going to do my best to ignore them and get on with life.

I like gravity a lot. Keeps me from flying off into space never to be seen again. Keeps the air I breathe close to earth at a density I can effectively use. Allows me to apply friction to the ground so I can walk...

Of course, this doesn't mean I like gas prices...

[Ajax]

Though what we're all failing to take into account is the hit transporters, delivery businesses, and shipping firms will take...which increases costs all over the board.

Excellent point. For those that require fuel as a delivery means, that extra few cents per gallon can certainly increase the cost of doing business.
For individuals complaining, I agree- kinda ridiculous. Not that you should waste gas idling for hours. I don't pay attention to how much I pay at the pump, but I also don't use drive-thrus, and will turn off the car if I know I'll be sitting at a red light for more than a minute, or waiting for a long train,etc. I want to use my gas, not just let it burn.
BTW, I recently got 32mpg with my stroked KA on a late night trip from Chicago to Minneapolis; Hell Yeah!

[IBCoupe]

Curse me and my 33,000 miles/year.

[IanS]

do them a favor and educate them.

This is accomplished via a hammer, correct?

[nissangirl74]

do them a favor and educate them.

This is accomplished via a hammer, correct?

a BFH to be exact!

[AZhitman]

Another twist on this story:

I have to chuckle at people like this... There's a guy in my office who was driving an F150 (like a 2003). Paid for, nice truck, 100K miles. He was whining (INCESSANTLY) about the cost to fill it up, saying his fuel expenses were "killing him".

He was continually asking me for advice on "what car to buy" (even after I told him the smart move would be to keep the truck). Gauging his needs / wants, commute distance, budget, etc, I pointed him towards the Corolla / Civic / Altima type cars.

He went out and bought a used Accord Hybrid. $16,200 out the door (after his truck trade-in). 5 years of payments at 8%.

Only 4 years newer than his truck, I say. But it gets great mileage, says he. Time for some quick math.

Here's what I showed him: At $2.87 for 87 octane, and assuming 15mpg out of his truck, for what he spent on the Accord, he could buy 5,645 gallons of gas with that money (not counting the 8% interest), which means 84,669 more miles of driving (we can assume another 10k miles there, just for fun). The Accord will STILL have to be fueled (just a little less frequently). The Accord costs 2x as much to insure, the registration tags cost 5x as much as the truck's, and repairs / maintenance will cost substantially more as well.

He's not speaking to me.

[audtatious]

People in general want to be congratulated or awed by their purchases, not shown their faults.

[AZhitman]

I kill dreams.

[BusyBadger]

He went out and bought a used Accord Hybrid.

I love showing hybrid owners and would be purchasers the math. Then I bottle their tears for TMS.

Oddly enough the greenies I tend to hear complaining about gas prices and the evils of big oil think nothing of shelling out $3 for a bottle of water from Fiji (and know nothing of its socio-economic on Fiji).