better gasoline?

[427TJ]

Don't get excited about gas prices coming down. They might come down a few cents here and there but only to soothe us a little after we've gotten used to the higher price. Over time it's going to go up and up and up. It's gone up what--a dollar in the past 12-18 months? Just let that sink in for a minute and you'll realize what's going on.

They know we need it. They know we can't get it from anyone else. "They" aren't just the Arabs, "they" are the oil companies too.

[Chevy454]

[ QUOTE ]
Over time it's going to go up and up and up. It's gone up what--a dollar in the past 12-18 months? Just let that sink in for a minute and you'll realize what's going on.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think Johnny Cat said we paid $1.52/gallon on our way up to SCR7...this year, on our way to SCR8 at the same station, we paid $3.00...

[CamarosRus]

There will be always be car shows, car events, and car collectors, etc........but with gas prices at these levels and rising at a HIGHER rate than the cost of living index....I feel that attendance at ALL shows, tours, auctions, cruise ins everything will go down measurably........
People dont speak out yet publically too much yet, but Ive had several recent phone conversations, where people didnt go to one event or another, due to fueling up their tow vechicles and/or cars.

Chuck S

[Belair62]

It could definitely be a factor...its 55 bucks to fill a crappy Explorer

[tirebird]

Well, to my surprise, it looks like gasoline is not immune from the laws of economics, ie., supply and demand. More people are opting for fuel efficient cars, motorcycles, and scooters for errands and parking their SUV's for use on non-essential chores. Not everyone, but many that I know of.

As far as car show attendance, well, our cars are our recreation. Yesterday, in Alameda, the annual Park Street car show had more than 400 participants,..and not one of them had mileage in double figures. Everyone I talked to was willing to sacrifice a second or third $3/cup Starbucks frappo/crappochino for a gallon or two of high octane. They weren't happy with the cost of gasoline but no one would even think of giving up driving their muscle cars.

[427TJ]

[ QUOTE ]
Yesterday, in Alameda, the annual Park Street car show had more than 400 participants

[/ QUOTE ]

Gotta' give a shout-out for Ole's Waffle House (established 1927), may favorite breakfast spot for getting together with my Bay Area car buiddies.

Now back to the topic of better gas.

[ANDY M]

$43.00 to fill up the Camaro today, $3.15/gl for Sunoco 94.
I like to tell people that it'll pass everything but a Sunoco.
I'm sure glad that I don't live in France!

[Jeff H]

The hurricane situation shows that we need more refineries and high gas prices isn't as much to do with the higher price of oil as it is the high demand and low supply of gas. Refineries need to be spread out better so there isn't a major disruption like the hurricanes caused. But how many years will it take to build these new refineries and get them up and running? It won't help gas prices any time soon. With the better computer technology in today's fuel injected cars, we don't really need these blends like we used to for emissions reasons.

[Chevy454]

Here's what makes my head hurt...I can understand the supply/demand thing in regards to the refineries and prices, but the thing I don't understand is the way gas stations themselves play with prices. They seem to raise/lower them at will, regardless if they've gotten a new load. I live in a town of only 600 folks, and we have 3 stations in town...my front porch is literally within 100 yards of one station, and the other 2 are within an 1/8th mile...so I know exactly when they get their loads of fuel. But, their prices rise and fall each time you turn around. I get the fact that if you get a load of fuel and it costs the station *more* than the last load that the end price will have to be adjusted to reflect the same profit margin, even though they have fuel left in their tanks that they may have bought for 20 cents less...and while they're usually slower to react to getting a load of gas cheaper, the converse should be true. BUT, how/why do they get by raising the price when they're working on the same load as yesterday, or last week? Shouldn't the end price reflect the same profit margin? The speculation part of the formula should only come into play at the opposite end of the spectrum in the futures market...am I missing something?

[Daves70SS]

[ QUOTE ]
Here's what makes my head hurt...I can understand the supply/demand thing in regards to the refineries and prices, but the thing I don't understand is the way gas stations themselves play with prices. They seem to raise/lower them at will, regardless if they've gotten a new load.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think the news media plays a big part in the rapid increase in gas prices from one day to the next. It seems that when they report on the news that there sources have reported that there will be an increase in gas prices when the hurricane hits and it could reach as high as $3 - $4 a gallon, the station owners started raising there prices the very next day.I think if the news media would have kept there mouth shut the prices wouldn't have gone up so soon and as fast as it has and maybe not as high.
Once its reported the station owners think that since the consumer is already prepared for the increase that gives them the ok to raise the prices right away.
Have you ever noticed that when the state or city government says that there going to investigate price gouging at some stations the prices start dropping. I wonder why?