We need more idiots like these running our gas stations.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
quote:Station employee Shane Weller said the price for premium gasoline was supposed to be $3.35 a gallon. He complained that customers paid the cheaper price all day without saying a word.
Uh. And he actually expected them to??
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
I am surprised that they didn't run out of gas, they have some mighty big tanks.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Or they have varying definitions of "long lines"
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
I would just like to point out that 3 hours and a tank and a half ($25) of premium is very tiring for your back. Gas is $1.23 a liter so it's gunna start paying to think about something other than your 4 wheeled deathmobiles. Just sayin' is all...
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Fucking SUVs.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Well, in my town, regular unleaded in $3.42 right now, which is above the state average, and the average of the city of buffalo, which is currently $3.29. When I was on the bus to NYC, I noticed that those lucky bastards were paying $2.92 in the suburbs and Jersey, and only $3.15 in the city.
Sad thing is, I remember when gas was under $2 a gallon.
Posted by HopefulNebula (Member # 1933) on :
Sean, I remember when it was under $1/gallon.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I remember the first time it crossed $1/gallon, how *angry* everybody was. "This is ridiculous!" my parents would say. Little did we all know...
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
35 cents a gallon...
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
"Sean, I remember when it was under $1/gallon"
"I remember the first time it crossed $1/gallon, how *angry* everybody was. "This is ridiculous!" my parents would say. Little did we all know..."
"35 cents a gallon"
Lest I remind you all that I was no more than a zygote at that time, or so young that I thought my parents needed to obey the "speed lemon" or they will get thrown in jail.
Strangely enough, my parents also talk of a day when a penny could buy you candy, and there were 5 cent hershey's bars, and Crystal Beach Loganberry...
Oh, to be old. Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I can remember Dubble Bubble for a nickel. That's about as cheap as my memories get.
Edit: And when I was a *real* wee bairn, I can remember pieces of sasparilla sweets for two pence. But that's like a nickel too after the exchange.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Sasparilla sweets?
Oh, I forgot, you're half English. You grew up in the UK? I had a teacher who taught for a time in england, and still uses the terms "loo" and "mate"...
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Didn't grow up there, but spent a fair amount of time there as a kid. Mostly, it seems to me, running around South Shields chasing after my cousins, but there must've been more to it than that...
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Gas here lately is hovering around $1.10-1.15 per litre. My current car gets 30 MPG, usually, so its not too awful bad. Although a motorcycle this summer for the commute to work would be pretty sweet.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fabrux: Gas here lately is hovering around $1.10-1.15 per litre. My current car gets 30 MPG, usually, so its not too awful bad. Although a motorcycle this summer for the commute to work would be pretty sweet.
Damn right it is! Although the best are those early morning Sundays when the traffic is almost nonexistent. Words can't describe the experience, it's almost like a total Zen kind of thing.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
My uncle took me on his bike around town when I was 8. Then he took me offroad and almost killed me. And the funny thing is, you're right, it was very Zen (although of course I didn't know that word then) and I was hardly scared at all even after we wiped out.
Posted by HopefulNebula (Member # 1933) on :
My first motorcycling experience was when my cousin took me downtown on his motorcycle.
Probably wasn't a good idea to take the interstate. But I loved it.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fabrux: Gas here lately is hovering around $1.10-1.15 per litre. My current car gets 30 MPG, usually, so its not too awful bad. Although a motorcycle this summer for the commute to work would be pretty sweet.
^ The conversions necessary to make sense of that statement are horrid.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I remember going to Canada a few years ago and seeing gas at .89 cents per litre.
You know what else I like about Canada?
Bags of milk. At the lodge we stayed in, we couldn't figure out what a strange looking pitcher was for ( we didn't know that it was for the bags of milk), and since we had brought our own milk up with us, we just refilled the jug with the milk from bags... It was messy.
BACK TO THE TOPIC...
I think I'll hate motorcycles as much as I hate Jet Skis, and Snowmobiles. Too dangerous...
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
I like milkbags....
Posted by HopefulNebula (Member # 1933) on :
Funny you should mention those conversions in the same few posts as milk... on another board I was on a few years ago a bunch of people were complaining about the cost of gas, and someone went in and said "What about a gallon of milk?"
Half of us rolled our eyes. The rest of the bunch were like, "you people buy milk by the gallon?"
But we spent a good while agonizing over the conversions, too...
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Yes I know, the conversions are horrid. But the metric way of computing fuel mileage doesn't make sense to me, so I convert to MPG.
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
Ditto. It's about $2.15 a litre at the station down my road (maybe 5/6c cheaper nearby). That works out at about $8.65 a gal, with my car doing about 35 mpg (about 40 us gal per mile). About 85% of that is tax.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Holy shit! $8.65 per gallon? Is that in USD, or CAD? And we complain that we have it bad at 3 bucks a gallon, which is also about the same price we pay for milk. I am always afraid that I will drop the bags of milk that we get from the IGA in Northbrook when we vacation, so I don't touch them. I also have a fondness for canadian hot dog buns, you know, the ones that look like mini loafs of bread sliced down the middle. THey hold condoments better.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I got this in an e-mail a while ago. -------------------------------------- Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump...
Compare with Gasoline......
Think a gallon of gas is expensive?
This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective.
Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 ....... $10.32 per gallon
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 .$9.52 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 .... $10.17 per gallon
Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 . $10.00 per gallon
Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 . $33.60 per gallon
Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 . $178.13 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 .. $123.20 per gallon
Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 . . $25.42 per gallon
Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 ....$84.48 per gallon
And this is the REAL KICKER...
Evian water 9 oz $1.49..........$21.19 per gallon?! $21.19 for WATER - and the buyers don't even know the source. (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)
---------------------------------
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean: I think I'll hate motorcycles as much as I hate Jet Skis, and Snowmobiles. Too dangerous...
You think Jet Skis are dangerous? You fall off and get wet, how is that dangerous?
Motorcycles are only dangerous in two instances. 1: When the rider is too inexperienced for the bike he's riding. and 2: When cage driving nitwits don't watch where they're going.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Aquaphobia.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80: [QUOTE]Originally posted by Sean: [qb] Motorcycles are only dangerous in two instances. 1: When the rider is too inexperienced for the bike he's riding. and 2: When cage driving nitwits don't watch where they're going.
You forgot 3: When the idiot on the crotch rocket doesn't watch where he's going and/or drives like an idiot. (i.e. Cutting in and out of lanes, driving down the center, etc.) And there's also 4: When you're not wearing a fucking helmet.
I really try not to prejudge motorcyclists, but the fact is that a disproportionate number of them are absolute idiots.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Gatorade is *not* $10 a gallon. I bought a gallon of gatorade the other day and it cost me $4.98 plus tax.
I remember a few years ago my grandad told me the price for petrol in Jarrow had hit what converted to about $8.50 a gallon. Don't know if it's higher or lower than that now, though. I seem to recall him mentioning they were rationing it at some point so that you couldn't buy more than a certain amount per week?
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by MinutiaeMan:
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80: [QUOTE]Originally posted by Sean: [qb] Motorcycles are only dangerous in two instances. 1: When the rider is too inexperienced for the bike he's riding. and 2: When cage driving nitwits don't watch where they're going.
You forgot 3: When the idiot on the crotch rocket doesn't watch where he's going and/or drives like an idiot. (i.e. Cutting in and out of lanes, driving down the center, etc.) And there's also 4: When you're not wearing a fucking helmet.
I really try not to prejudge motorcyclists, but the fact is that a disproportionate number of them are absolute idiots.
We like to call them "squids". No one quite knows how the phrase came to be. Most people agree it was coined by a paramedic who attended the scene of a motorcycle accident in which the riders lower half was separated from his torso and his entrails were splayed out like the tentacles of a squid.
I'll admit I've cracked open the throttle on a public road, there's nothing like going from 60 to 160 in less time than it takes to squeeze out that little ball of fear building up in your bowels. But I disagree with your statement, it's stereotypical in the extreme. There are many responsible riders (yes, even crotch rocket riders) that keep their head and fight the urge to do anything stupid.
And what makes you think there are any more stupid riders than there are stupid cage drivers? I've been cut off, tailgated, run off the road, and struck because "people couldn't see me." It happens EVERY single time I hit the road. 2/3 of all motorcycle accidents involve another vehicle, and 2/3 of those accidents are caused by the other motorist violating the motorcyclists right of way. So before you go thinking that a disproportionate number of motorcyclists are idiots, stop and think about what that motorcyclist thinks of YOUR driving habits.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
My dad is a paramedic, and he tells of the countless times he has to collect a snowmobileer's body, and then search for the head 300 yards away. Some bastards around here like to string wire across the trees of the trails that cross their properties, which accounts for the two piece snowmobileers. So I think I'll stay off of the Kawasaki. And they go too fast. I dont like fast things, where I am exposed to open air, like speed boats, and the afore mentioned alternate transportation methods.
And I think they were thinking of the smaller bottles of Gatorade, not the huge value bottles.
But c'mon people. Evian? That much for water ?
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I'm betting before I click that that will be a video of Jim Gaffigan. Nope.
I drink water all the time from the tap. Not straight cuz it tastes bad but you know, tea, etc.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Appearently, America is one of the cheapest areas to buy gas.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
A guy I know on LJ is a trucker. recently he filled up & took this picture:
He said about 30 or 40 gallons of that was to fill the reefer tank he was pulling, but still. A few days later, he filled again & it was $60 more.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Appearently, America is one of the cheapest areas to buy gas."
Sure, but, as the article points out, our mass transit sucks by comparison. People in countries where gas is more expensive don't have to buy as much of it. Plus, their prices are higher because of higher taxes, so they actually get something back from what they pay. Our money just drops right into the pockets of the oil execs.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
And here's the big thing I don't understand: Everyone talks about the gas prices going up, but noone ever talks about why. Food prices are going up because gas prices are going up. But why are gas prices going up? If people are driving less because of high prices, shouldn't prices be going down? Or at the very least stabalizing? But they don't. They just keep going up.
I'm no economist, but shouldn't gas companies be competing with one another? They're not doing that either. They're all the same price.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
In two months, I will be living within and working within walking distance of the DC Metro and will not own a car. Hahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
My dad is convinced he needs to buy a motorcycle, because it gets 50 mpg. He says it should pay for itself in like a year compared to how much it takes him to fill up the car he drives to work every day. I think he may be right.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Aban: There was an article about that recently. Every economist did indeed expect the obvious to happen - people would drive less and prices would fall. However, it's hard for people to drive less because our public transportation sucks, and the non-OPEC oil producers such as Russia simply aren't increasing supply. They've had problems with their refineries and drills and so on. Pretty soon the problem will be that there isn't enough oil left to increase supply.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean: My dad is convinced he needs to buy a motorcycle, because it gets 50 mpg. He says it should pay for itself in like a year compared to how much it takes him to fill up the car he drives to work every day. I think he may be right.
Kawasaki's new "Versys" gets up to 52 mpg. It's an entry-level "adventure" touring bike, very nice ride too. Suzuki's V-Strom is another decent little bike, but it looks like junk.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: And here's the big thing I don't understand: Everyone talks about the gas prices going up, but noone ever talks about why. Food prices are going up because gas prices are going up. But why are gas prices going up? If people are driving less because of high prices, shouldn't prices be going down? Or at the very least stabalizing? But they don't. They just keep going up.
I'm no economist, but shouldn't gas companies be competing with one another? They're not doing that either. They're all the same price.
I think I've heard that other countries like India and China are increasing their demand for oil which is responsible for driving up the price per barrel. While I imagine the price OPEC charges has an impact on the price per gallon, but I mostly blame Shell, Texaco and other oil companies making massive profits. As long as they can get people to keep paying $3.50 they have no desire to reduce their profit. Plus I figure they buy enough congressmen in DC to keep the government from stepping in against them.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Are there any laws/loopholes that allow the gov't to stabalize the price of gas and oil, if they ever decide to?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
They can prosecute them for collusion.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Yeah, but we really can't do anything about OPEC's prices, except perhaps boycott them, which we would never do.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
So, this is what my dad has decided to buy to save on gas.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
A hybrid could help save some money on the pump. I saw a Prius with a customize license plate that said "60MPH". However I live in Denver and AWD is a must.
I know there's little we can do about OPEC. On the one hand I would think the government could put some kind of pressure on them, like lower prices/increase production or we cut off aid or something like that. There's still the companies like Shell to deal with though. Some how I think even if OPEC went back to charging like $40 a barrel the gas wouldn't cost what it did per gallon when it was $40.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean: So, this is what my dad has decided to buy to save on gas.
Does him no good unless he has a motorcycle license.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Which he doesn't. His motorcycle experience consists of jumping motorbikes off of the curb at the end of our street when he was younger.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Then he can't ride it & he spent money on nothing unless he gets trained up & redoes his license.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by Hobbes: A hybrid could help save some money on the pump. I saw a Prius with a customize license plate that said "60MPH". However I live in Denver and AWD is a must.
Apparently those hybrids are more expensive in the long run than a regular gas car. I was talking to one of the mechanics at work and he tells me the battery in a Prius costs over $10,000 dollars. And they only last a hand-full of years.
quote:Originally posted by Shik: Then he can't ride it & he spent money on nothing unless he gets trained up & redoes his license.
It's actually very easy to get a motorcycle license, at least in Canada. The first test is just a written test for your learners permit, then it's just a simple road test for your full license. Because you already have your regular drivers license you already know the rules of the road, the instructor is just looking at your technique really.
Oh and Sean, tell your dad to start on something used. A 750 is a good size for a beginner cruiser, but for the first few years he should be on something a little cheaper to maintain and repair, since almost everyone drops it when they're just starting out. It would really suck for him to buy a brand new shiny bike then drop it a week later. Not saying it'll happen, but the chance is much higher for beginners. It's better to start cheap and go fancy after you've gotten some experience under your belt. And jumping motorbikes off a curb does not count.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"I saw a Prius with a customize license plate that said '60MPH'."
MPH, or MPG? 'Cause there's something of a difference.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Someone told me prices just hit $3.85 here. That's up from $3.79 on my way to work this morning and $3.68 on my way home yesterday. This is the only product in the world that can go up in price like this day after day after day. Shouldn't that say something?
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
my bad, MPG
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Well, he ordered the bike yestersay, so I guess used is out of the question. He is mechanically inept, so anything that needs more than an oil change is out of the question. Gas here is 3.89 as of my bus ride home 5 minutes ago, and was 3.72 this morning.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote:Originally posted by TSN:
"I saw a Prius with a customize license plate that said '60MPH'."
MPH, or MPG? 'Cause there's something of a difference.
Al Gore's son was stopped for doing 100 mph in a Prius.
I know a couple of Prius owners, and nither have had battery trouble.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Power Split Device FTW! Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
So here's what I don't get...
Ok, basically first you have OPEC producing less barrels per day which limits supply and drives up prices. Then you have more countries increasing their demand as well. Most notably India and China, as well as other developing countries trying to pull out of the third world status and live like Americans despite hating us because of our spoiled lifestyle.
I digress. So anyway, decreased supply and increased demand by other countries drives up the price. I guess the question is, with gas prices as they are and people reducing their driving and gas usage you would think it would reduce the amount used which ought to drive down prices.
Also with the popularity of hybrids... which brings about another question, you think the oil companies are pissed about the popularity of hybrids and keep the prices up. Maybe as a well of justifying the apparent loss in profits by hybrid owners spending less?
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I think that a lot of people don't realize that the proposed gas tax holiday would actually drive up the price of gas. If the price is lowered because of less tax, people in America are going to use more gas, or at least stock up, so they will be buying more, which will increase demand. That increased demand will drive the price of gas back up, and then when the tax is added again, it will probably be more expensive than before.
My dad got his motorcycle the other day though, so he could care less now. 60 mpg, 3.9 gal tank... he even got fringe to velcro on to his leather bmber jacket. It is hilarious.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I don't know if people *are* using less gas. Nobody I know is. They still have to get to work and the store and the same places they've always had to get to, and out here in the boonies it sure ain't within walking distance.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
I've been taking mass-transit a lot lately. Actually my company reimburses me for the expense, so if I were to have a pure transit month, it would cost me around six bucks to get to work. Of course, I have to leave two hours early, and I can just forget about having plans for the evening. Anyway, in urban areas, it's possible, if less convenient ($4/gallon is pretty inconvenient, though, when you think about it)
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Historically, as is my understanding, the total numbers of miles driven in the U.S. don't tend to map to gas prices at all. But I did hear a story the other day about how fewer travelers were predicted for Memorial Day weekend, bucking previous trends.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Well I know I've cut down a lot on my driving compared to last year and car pool when ever I can.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
In order to save gas, a group of teachers decided to organize a "ride your bike to school day". Everybody either walked or rode their bike, and completely vetoed the school busses for a day. I don't know what that did for the environment, but it showed that people at least give a hoot for fuel efficiency. Oh, and gas is now $4.05 at my local station, and $3.92 at the station in the next town over. It is ridiculous.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
The gas station in my parents' town is selling regular for more per gallon than the super...hmm..
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Probably because everyone buys regular gas over premium because it's cheaper, raising demand thus prices. I know a lot of people went over to diesel when gas started really going up, there's almost as many Jetta TDIs around town as there are crappy banger-mobiles. And there's a ton of those around. Or it could be a little fuckup on the part of the gas station manager. Premium's still about 10 cents more than regular here.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Regular is currently $4.18 in town right now.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"I know a lot of people went over to diesel when gas started really going up..."
Is it different there than here? Because here, regular is around the $3.70s-$3.80s, and diesel is, I think, $4.50-something.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Here it's $1.31 a liter for regular and diesel's the same now. Before the snow melted diesel was much cheaper, I'm not sure why it went up so suddenly, but a lot of people who bought a diesels are suddenly kicking themselves in the pants. There've been people at the dealership that bought a Super Duty less than six months ago are now suddenly trading them in for Rangers.
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
$3.999 for regular over here in Hawaii.
What I truly hate about this whole gasoline crap is the fact that there are still soo much SUV's and huge pickup trucks driving around when none of them really needs it. I mean, unless you work construction or carry around a lot of cargo, I don't see why you need one of those huge trucks. And the concept of SUV's seems stupid to me.
I can't wait until they start rationing gas and all those guys start taking it up the ass. Then again, we could just invade another country and solve the problem altogether Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Hummers, SUVs, and pickup trucks just make me angry. They're just pollution machines and people don't care at all about it. They just want something that's big, looks impressive and expensive, and can pull a heavy load - but nobody ever seems to need to pull a heavy load, or haul a bed full of cargo, or (in the case of Hummers) invade fucking Normandy or somewhere. I mean it seems like there are very few people who actually need the towing or cargo-carrying capacity of a pickup and those who need it intermittently can rent or borrow one, so what's the point? (OK, small one, maybe, with comparable gas mileage to a car...)
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Well, my family has a Ford Escape. However, we need the 4WD around here, and any car we have needs to be able to pull our boat. It actually gets about the same MPG as our Ford Taurus Wagon, which we use to haul the whole family places and stuff.
However, I see no reason for a single person to own an SUV in an area where terrain is not an issue.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
I drive a Subaru Impreza 2.5i. It gets ok mileage, could be better. But I also live in Denver, CO so having an AWD car is a must. The gas station by my apartment is at $3.89 for regular, however apparently due to the altitude regular starts at 85 instead of 87.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I went boating on a lake about 60 miles from home, 2 counties over today. Regular was $4.98 at one station. That's pretty damn high even for this neck of the woods.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I walked to work today. Took me 20 minutes. It cost me $0.00. Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
You're missing an Enterprise Marathon on Sci-fi then, and air conditioning.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Haha, I have no AC, if I want to cool off I just ride faster. Although if you ride by McDonalds with the wind just right it really makes you think twice about eating there ever again...
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
My dad just got an " EZ Pass" for his bike for the toll booths. The adhesive side, which he has attached to his wind shield, has a giant M stamped on it. I think it stands for moron, following today's events. He was driving down the highway, and his bike sputtered out. He called the dealer, they didn't know what was wrong and suggested he check the engine. After 30 minutes, he finally realized that he had run out of gas. This idiocracy is what I have to look forward to in my later age.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80: Haha, I have no AC, if I want to cool off I just ride faster. Although if you ride by McDonalds with the wind just right it really makes you think twice about eating there ever again...
Working there makes you think three times about it, then decide not to.
Idiocracy, eh? A good, solid word.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Well, stupidity is such a harsh word... Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Except that "idiocracy" is a political system: rule by the dumbest.
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
ahhh Lions for Lambs, ain't it true?
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Sean: Were you looking for "idiocy" or...?
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean: My dad just got an " EZ Pass" for his bike for the toll booths. The adhesive side, which he has attached to his wind shield, has a giant M stamped on it. I think it stands for moron, following today's events. He was driving down the highway, and his bike sputtered out. He called the dealer, they didn't know what was wrong and suggested he check the engine. After 30 minutes, he finally realized that he had run out of gas. This idiocracy is what I have to look forward to in my later age.
Hmm, If your dad can't tell that hes run out of gas maybe you should think about getting him into an MSF course. And find a forum dedicated to his model of bike and have him sign up, there's a lot to be learned there.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
He already took the saftey course, although the online forumn wouldn't be a bad idea.
"Sean: Were you looking for "idiocy"
Probably. Grammar has never been my strong point.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
$4.32 at my local station. And, it is predicted to reach $6.00 by Labor Day
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
$4.079 in HI
You'd think that it'd be more expensive out in the middle of nowhere eh?
-ross
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
$1.33/L or $5.027/gal if you wish. Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I have no idea what it is here. I haven't bought a drop of gas since September. I feel apart and distant from your suffering Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Over $4 now in most of Colorado. Usually more in the smaller mountain towns. I'm sure it don't help that extra charges get added for delivery and what not. I've heard companies added extra shit on top of the value of gas bring up the prices.
As much as I'm against big government, and the government getting involved in private companies I wish they would step in. I know I already stated that I think the government should start regulating gas prices to prevent oil companies and gas stations from ass raping the regular people. Then again, that would mean the government cared about the middle and lower class America and not just the rich. Then again, in my opinion oil companies financially backed half (if not all) of congress, senators, representatives, etc... office so I don't expect the government to act against their string pullers.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Frankly, I'm not sure there's much the government can do. Would they raise taxes on the oil companies? Then the companies will just charge more to make up for it. And I don't think they could get away with making a law that says "you can't sell gasoline for more than x dollars".
Basically, they should have been funding R&D on new fuel technologies for years. That's about the only thing they can do about it.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
But why would they do that when the Vice President of the US has $32 million of Big Oil money in his pocket and the President's family is big into it too and so are their buddies the Saudis and the lobbyists for Big Oil must grease the political machine with so much money it's running just the fuck for them.
Can anybody tell how much I dislike unabashed capitalism?
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I hear that the saudi oil minister has decided to increase production by 200,000 barrels per day. He said that it was so that people don't buy less because of increased prices and lower supply. Like that will work.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Gas has dropped a bit in my area! It has dropped by 14 cents. It is now 4.19 a gallon. How much is it in Canada on average now?
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Dropped $0.10 last week. Now at $1.289/L.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I was gonna say "What's that in USD?" but then I remembered a CAD these days is like, what, 99 US cents?
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
They've just dropped the price at some supermarkets here. Morrison's is now down to £1.14 a litre.
Which is about $8.69 per gallon.
And this is down 4 pence from last week. I need to buy a diesel.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Are those US liquid gallons or UK Imperial gallons?
And diesel over here is about a dollar more expensive than regular unleaded.
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: They've just dropped the price at some supermarkets here. Morrison's is now down to £1.14 a litre.
Which is about $8.69 per gallon.
Wow, the dollar sure had dropped quite a bit.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Yeah, it has. Exchange rate is is 0.50258USD/GBP, 0.63601USD/EUR, and 1.02037USD/CAD.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Talk about our economy being in the shit...any chance of us switching to the Euro? When it reaches 40 Yen per dollar, I'm moving to France.
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
You do that. And I'll stay right here where freedom reigns free and just munch on my Freedom Fries until I die
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
THey have freedom in France too...also, a killer public transportation system, like the Paris Metro. Not to mention escargo, and Croque Monsieurs.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I'm not sure, but I think Shikaru was joking ;P
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I know...I was answering in a semi-sarcastic way...
My dad has decided that he is going to fill up the car, and the boat, and then a bunch of gas cans before we leave, to take with us, so that we don't have to fill up in Canada. We'll still probably need to fill up during the week, but at least it won't be as much as we normally have to buy while we're up there.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
This is why my dad has a 90gal tank in the back of his truck. He fills it in the US and rarely has to buy diesel when he's home.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Well, it normally takes us a tank and a quarter to get to our vacation lodge, but it might be more, since we're pulling a heavier boat this year. The boat is pretty good on gas, but I forsee needing to fill it at least once. We'll probably spend over $200 ( USD & CAD) on gas alone next week.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Oil price dropped $23 a barrel (16%) but on the other hand the world trade negotiations that have been going on for 7 years just collapsed. So, good news and possibly bad news for the economy and fuel/food/prostitution prices.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Our local station has dropped petrol again, so we're now down to £1.10 a litre. I wish I'd written down the formula to convert that to $ per gallon, but I'm sure someone can manage it.
Diesel is more expensive than petrol over here too, but about 10-15p more expensive. It still works out cheaper than having a petrol car. The road tax is cheaper too.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
£1.10/L = $8.25/gal.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
What is this "road tax" of which you speak?
Posted by shikaru808 (Member # 2080) on :
Yes, please educate us Americans... Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
From my understanding of it, a road tax is a levy imposed in metropolitan areas on vehicles, based on their perceived impact on the environment. The road tax on a large truck that gets 16mpg would be a lot higher than a small car that gets 30-40mpg. That being said, the corresponding taxes would be less for diesel versions of the same vehicles.
The whole purpose is to limit road vehicle traffic and usage in the city to cut down on congestion and pollution and make the streets better for pedestrian traffic.
(No, I'm not a highly-specialized civil engineer in training, no siree.)
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Close. What Fabrux is talking about is called a "congenstion charge" and only exists in London, and possibly Manchester. Cities where travelling a mile can take weeks.
Road tax is different. Over here every single car has to be taxed before it is allowed on public roads. Hence, a road tax. It used to go on engine size (one bracket for 1.4 and below, another for anything bigger), but now it goes on emmisions in an attempt to be greaner and to get people to but more efficient cars. So a 1.1 Clio diesel would be £30 road tax for the year, while a big range rover could be up to £250 per year.
Automatics tend to be about £50-£100 more per year because of the emissions. That's why the UK is one of the rarer countries where manual (stick) driving is more common than automatic.
If you care, here are the road tax brackets for the Ford Focus, the most common car in the UK. I think.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
(Waves at Liam)
When i left work yesterday, I headed for a Kroger (Grocery) that sells gas. They had lines around all of their pumps. Price had dropped to 3.99 a gallon. I drove a mile and Go Mart was the same price, and i didn't have to wait. Someone said it hit 4.15 here during the 4th of july weekend, but I didn't see it.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Dropped to 3.99? The cheap stations have yet to go over that here! (It was $3.67 this morning.)
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
It's just over $4 here, or at least that's what people bitch about at work. I don't own a car. Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
quote:Originally posted by B.J.: Dropped to 3.99? The cheap stations have yet to go over that here! (It was $3.67 this morning.)
Sonuvabitch. ( exclamatory, not directed at you B.J.)
My area has the highest prices in the state, which is already above the national average. I think the lowest its been here in a while is 4.15 I think the average is like $4.30 though.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote:Originally posted by B.J.: Dropped to 3.99? The cheap stations have yet to go over that here! (It was $3.67 this morning.)
I need to come to Bama to get my gas!! I saw 3.67 in South Carolina, on the way back from Surf Side beach in June. It was 3.97 when I went to lunch today.
When prices were going up, it could change from hour to hour, now that it is down, it takes a day.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I have a friend who's visiting North Carolina right now...she lives in Texas; I'll ask her to report gas prices of both states so we can all go oooh! or DAMN! as appropriate. Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kosh: I need to come to Bama to get my gas!! I saw 3.67 in South Carolina, on the way back from Surf Side beach in June. It was 3.97 when I went to lunch today.
When prices were going up, it could change from hour to hour, now that it is down, it takes a day.
It was $3.59 today.
But yeah, how come the prices go up like a rocket, but they take forever to come back down? (As if I didn't know.) Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
When Bush took office, gas was $1.46 a gallon. Or so I hear.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
GRAGH DOUBLE! IGNORE!
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I don't know why Pelosi is being such a bitch and blocking any attempt at a vote on off-shore drilling. Even Obama said very recently that he supports it. I don't like our dependence on oil, but until we change people's minds about nuclear power (which even Greenpeace backtracked on recently), it's pretty much all we've got. Besides the fact that even if we don't go after that oil, the Russians and Chinese are already there, drilling just off of our shores.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I'm not sure about this, so feel free to correct me, but wouldn't it take about 10 years to see the results of off-shore drilling?
Also, aren't there several areas of the US where the oil companies have claimed there land and then proceeded to do nothing, preferring to wait until they'll get (even) more money for it?
And wouldn't the amount of oil generated in ten years time be less than 1% of the world's output? I can't see that having much of a difference.
According to some web-sites I just looked up, the average mpg for US cars is 24.7, while it's about 32 mpg for UK cars. I'd be curious to know if everyone knew what mpg their car got.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Are those sites using the same kind of gallons? US gallons and Imperial gallons are not equal.
My '94 Ford Explorer only gets 17.5 mpg. But I bought it for only $2k when my last car died, so I figure it's a wash in the costs for me. Eventually I'll replace it with something that gets much better mileage.
As for the drilling, for some reason the people who set the current price do so based on future availability. So yes, it would be a while before we saw anything tangible, but the price would be immediately affected. And here's a bit of postulating, but we could use the money saved now to develop better/alternative technologies that don't rely so much on oil so that we wouldn't need the oil as much when it comes available in ~10 years. It's kinda circular logic, but whatever works is good for me.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: I'm not sure about this, so feel free to correct me, but wouldn't it take about 10 years to see the results of off-shore drilling?
Also, aren't there several areas of the US where the oil companies have claimed there land and then proceeded to do nothing, preferring to wait until they'll get (even) more money for it?
And wouldn't the amount of oil generated in ten years time be less than 1% of the world's output? I can't see that having much of a difference.
According to some web-sites I just looked up, the average mpg for US cars is 24.7, while it's about 32 mpg for UK cars. I'd be curious to know if everyone knew what mpg their car got.
My Accent gets 31mpg, 32 with the wind behind me.
Off shore wouldn't be available for 10 years, plus there is only about two years worth of oil at just the USA rate of consumption. McCain voted some time ago that if we drill, the oil should be on the open market, so after 10 years of waiting and billions spent to get the oil, it'd last about a week.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I heard about a man who built a hydrogen station in his backyard - solar-powered water electrolysis = free hydrogen for his fuel cell car. It's funny how easy it is to power something that people in the West seem to think is so difficult (as I understand it, they've implemented a lot of hydrogen fuel cell cars in Japan - truth?).
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
I don't know, but this page looks like a good place to start.
Oh yeah, Gas price per gallon 8/5/08 was 3.93.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
My old 1.25 Fiesta got 41mpg (34 US mpg) when new, and I'm not sure how much they drop over time. I'm saving up for a Focus, either a 1.6 petrol (40 UK mpg) or a 1.8 Diesel (about 60 mpg) depending on what I can afford.
The main difference is in emmissions. The 98 Fiesta, smaller in both body and engine size does 171 g/km squared of CO2, wheras the bigger Focus does 165. If I got a a post-2005 Focus, it drops further to 159. Apparently all they had to do to get companies to reduce the emmissions their cars made was to pass the cost onto the customers (who are therefore much less likely to buy the "dirty" cars).
I have no idea what an Accent or a Ford Explorer is. Are they big and grr?
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: I have no idea what an Accent or a Ford Explorer is. Are they big and grr?
(BTW, my Explorer looks like the one at the top of the wiki article, only black.)
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Ah, yes. The Explorer certainly isn't overkill at all for an ordinary family car driving around relatively flat terrain. God bless America.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Our family car is actually a minivan. The Explorer is basically my commuter vehicle, and I wouldn't have bought it except for the fact that my previous car died (i.e. need a replacement NOW!), it was the right price, and I knew the previous owner.
Besides, most minivans don't come with a trailer hitch, or are really capable of towing anything! Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
I've seen a lot of minivans with trailer hitches.... although you're right, they can't really tow much.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
When I left for Canada last saturday (8/2/08), gas here was $4.21 a gallon. I came back today, 8/9/08, and gas was $4.02 per gallon. What happened in the last week to make the prices drop?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Gammera attacked Saudi Arabia.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
And Georgia and Russia are on "the brink of war!"
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
You'd figure that would raise the prices though.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Yes, I didn't read the post before that unfortunately...
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
The Price per barrel went up yeasterday for the first time in a little over a week. The Russia/Georgia melee seems to be the cause, as if they really needed a cause.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Around here it is now around $3.93 per gallon, which is good, but not this good.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Can't blame people for not reporting it. I think I would report it...but I'm pretty sure I'd fill up first.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Not that good here, either, but much better than most places. $3.35 today!
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
$3.80's myself in Denver.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
The lowest I've seen here today was $3.89. Let's just hope it stays this low.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Why? I hope it goes lower so $3.89 is not considered low.
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Well, lower would be preferable, as long as it doesn't go up, we're happy. THis is around 30 cents cheaper than we're used to. I remember the days when $2.99 was considered un-godly high priced.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I remember the days when everybody went to the gas station for $5 of gas.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Cue the Four Yorkshiremen!
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
I remember seeing posted pump prices of $0.55/L. Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I remember that within the last decade, prices actually dropped to $0.79/gal for a short while!
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
It is now $3.50 per gallon at my local station. So, we're finally where we were a year ago...
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
$2.94 in St. Louis. I hear it's $2.70-something farther outstate.
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
Yeah. Funny how thee wholesale goes down a quarter and the pump prices go down about 5%, isn't it?
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
$1.09/L around these parts.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
So now gas is like its cheapest in 6 years. It's about $1.50 in Denver.
It started making me think, how many times has the cost for things increase using the price of gas excuse? For example, I just took a flight and had to pay $15 for my first checked bag. A charge started over the summer with high gas prices. Or how about the price of a stamp?
In other words... you ever think it's likely all the companies that raised prices cause of gas will reduce them?
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
No. Companies will still try to squeeze every cent out of us they possibly can. Anyway, these prices probably won't last for long. Starting in January, OPEC is reducing it's production by 200,000 barrels per day, and then after 3 months, by 1,000,000 per day, to "drive up prices and demand".
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
That's because of the asshole countries that depend on oil revenue- and have greatly overextended themselves with military budgets factored on oil exceeding $70 per barrel) may tank now that the figurative well has dried up.
Sure is funny to watch Chavez and Putin have to scramble over the price of oil for a change.
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