Fuel Rants & Raves

Thomas $.20 a gal was long after I had left home but I do remember Salems being $.25 out of the machine or $2.00 a carton. You know we had it made back then. I wish I could remember some of the prices I paid for cars in the late 50s as I had some nice ones, 58 Impala conv, 59 Impala Conv, 61 Corvette. Bought a 65 GTO for $2950 and a 66 442 Olds for about the same. I only remember the GTO because I still have it---others are just pictures and memories. Hope my oil and gas leases keep paying me and no one steals the 110 gal of diesel in my DP.

grant135b wrote:
If you "leave the country" you're far more likely to see HIGHER fuel prices, not lower.

+1

I would not want to visit the places with low fuel cost let alone move there.

ferndaleflyer wrote:
Imagine--I have seen gas for $.20 a gallon, coke out of a machine for a nickle, new loaded cars less than $2000, movies a dime. On the other hand I have worked for less than $1.00 an hour. I am riding no matter what it costs--SO FAR!

That was then, this is now?

I probably have fewer miles on the odometer than yourself, my wistful memories go back to 19 cent a gallon gas and 50 cents for a pack of Marlboros. I did tell our daughter I've seen an inflationary cycle or two but nothing like the current experience in my lifetime anyway......

Imagine--I have seen gas for $.20 a gallon, coke out of a machine for a nickle, new loaded cars less than $2000, movies a dime. On the other hand I have worked for less than $1.00 an hour. I am riding no matter what it costs--SO FAR!

wintersun wrote:
I will believe that fuel prices are high when I see that people stop wasting it and drivers slow down to the legal speed limit. When people start looking at getting a smaller RV instead of a bigger one so they have room for a 40" TV (or two).

Our "RV" averages 15 MPG and there are the Class B motorhomes like the Roadtrek that are built on the Mercedes platform and with the 5 cylinder diesel engine that average over 25 MPG. That assumes that people can forgo some of their creature comforts and the bigger is always better mentality.

Gas and diesel are more expensive in Europe but then they have protected pensions, free university schooling, free medical, great mass transportation systems (London to Venice entirely by high speed rail at 200 MPH), and work a month less per year than in the USA, and they live longer and they don't have to worry about their sons and daughters going off to fight and die or be permanently damaged in foreign wars for oil, so I guess it evens out.

Yep, and going smaller allows for towing with an electric vehicle which is definitely cheaper and actually gaining ground pretty quick. I think the new 1/2 ton electric pickups will see this aspect of RVing grow. But yep. Gotta be smaller RV’s for that to work.

Having said that we just came from a camping trip last week and noticed that even though we were putzing along in the right lane at 90 kmh there were a lot of others who weren’t towing doing the same thing.

Headed out in a couple days for our 6 province, 11000 kilometre, 8 to 10 week trip. It will be interesting to see how fast people are travelling and how busy the campgrounds are.

Safe travels all.

hedgehopper wrote:

rehoppe wrote:
Soooo, Has everyone figured out that we will not see cheaper gas unless we leave the country?

So who has cheaper fuel than the US? Last time I was in Canada the fuel was higher. And the last time I was in Europe it was way higher.

Venezuela is around 40 cents a gallon. If your quality of life is dictated by fuel prices it is a virtual paradise there. /s :)

Walaby wrote:
Invoke the Defense Production Act Make the US companies fulfill America's requirement first before shipping overseas.:W

We were energy independent and can be again. We just have to WANT to be.

Little known fact about strategic reserve... it is not the high grade crude that refineries are used to, so it takes more effort to refine it.

The act is largely symbolic, and has a very short term impact on price.

Mike

We are energy independent, what we're not independent of is the worldwide market where the price is established. Sure one can create a ".gov controlled" distribution system, but nobody wants that. (You're suggesting taking profits from the oil company shareholders and owners and then redistributing the wealth to others, is that correct?)

And keeping all our oil onshore will just make it that much more painful for the countries that are our partners doing everything possible to stop Russia short of starting WW3.

Saying injecting 180 million bbls in the supply of oil is symbolic ignores the very basic theory of supply and demand. The refineries nearby the reserves can all handle the sour oil in the reserve just fine, as they have processed it for decades.

Perhaps instead of crying over the price of fuel folks can slow down and save 10-15% of the cost by just by easing off the gas pedal. But people would rather be angry than actually do something constructive.

Invoke the Defense Production Act Make the US companies fulfill America's requirement first before shipping overseas.:W

We were energy independent and can be again. We just have to WANT to be.

Little known fact about strategic reserve... it is not the high grade crude that refineries are used to, so it takes more effort to refine it.

The act is largely symbolic, and has a very short term impact on price.

Mike

ferndaleflyer wrote:
Spoiled? Really. Since we have and can produce more oil and gas than any country in the world why shouldn't it be cheaper here? It has become a cash cow for state and federal taxes and now is being used by the current administration to encourage sales of electric vehicles. Do you really think our gas & oil supplies just disappeared all of a sudden? 2 years ago we were energy independent and all of a sudden we are begging the world to sell us oil.....Where did it go?

#1 it's a worldwide market w no export limitations aka, capitalism, the highest bidder gets the product.

#2 2 years ago we were DOA w covid - did you forget that? Or the negative prices for crude and ship upon ship parked full of crude and LNG that NOBODY wanted? (Also many marginal wells were shut off at this time, producers are now unwilling to turn them on because....see #3.

#3 Have you seen the profits that the oil companies are posting now???

#4 Fuel taxes are the same now as they were 2 years ago and in some cases states have rolled fuel taxes back (just allowing the oil companies and gas stations to profit even more.)

#5 This admin pumped 180 million bbls out of the strategic reserve to LOWER prices.

I'm not a fan of the term "fuel ranting." It's just too much like a rant