RV Fuel Issues & Prices - Post 'Em Here!

[Dick_A]

All other fuel threads will be automatically deleted. 🙂

[Sea_Dog]

stevelv wrote:
Frank

In 2002 when my RV was new, diesel cost $1.35 a gallon - I enjoy seeing the US and travel $15-$18k a year - at 7mpg that was $3,500 in fuel. Today it costs $13,000 - so to some people it makes a huge difference in their lifestyle - in your case the impact is minimal unless you drive a 16mpg truck 30 miles each way to work every day - then you have a problem.

I think that the point being missed is that we RVers, wealthier than the average Joe by definition, are only seeing the direct cost of fuel for a trip.
When everyone and his brother diverts his discretionary dollars from restaurants, ball games etc to the fuel tank, that is when trouble will strike.

There is a big difference between a bunch of old farts spending their pensions and acumulated savings and a young couple spending a hundred a month or more on unexpected commuter cost.

[eltejano1]

No, Frank, you're not wrong. Your math adds-up, but, with all due respect, you are being short-sighted. I daresay any of us here could come-up with another $135, or $1000 for that matter, to take a trip, but we have to draw the line somewhere. It's mostly matter of principle with me, but I also see this situation getting worse and forced cut-backs in consumption, whether voluntary or by force of law, are absolutely inevitable. It's less traumatic for me to gradually make changes now rather than have it all come down on my head like sledge hammer.

We have a choice. We can either start to restructure our lives around expensive fuel now, which I choose to do, or we can "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die." I like to be in control of my own life and refuse to be exploited, gouged and victimized by highway robbery at the pump.

For most of us that have rv's, it's not about the money, at least not yet - Joe's right on that. It's the principle of the thing. If you think I'm extreme, Joe, I know a guy who got mad at Entergy and cancelled his electrical service. He erected a soundproof building in his backyard and installed two GM 2-71 generator sets and a thousand gal diesel tank. His power cost him 100 times as much - which was worth it to him. On a lesser scale, I'm making the same statement to Hugo Chavez and the Saudi.

It's been fun and therapeutic - hope nobody has any hard feelings.

Jack

[stevelv]

Frank

In 2002 when my RV was new, diesel cost $1.35 a gallon - I enjoy seeing the US and travel $15-$18k a year - at 7mpg that was $3,500 in fuel. Today it costs $13,000 - so to some people it makes a huge difference in their lifestyle - in your case the impact is minimal unless you drive a 16mpg truck 30 miles each way to work every day - then you have a problem.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

sirdrakejr wrote:
Come on folks, get real!

Last year I was paying about $2.90 a gallon for diesel. This year so far I have paid UP to $4.40 a gallon. So the difference is $1.50 a gallon more this year. So if I tow my 35 foot 5th wheel 1000 miles this year it will cost me about $135 more at 12 MPG when towing. So is it worth stopping what I enjoy for a measly $135?? Sure the total sounds bad but the real difference is not bad enough to give up a lifestyle.

It isn't like we were paying NOTHING last year to travel. You have to compare the true costs of RVing this year against the past. We aren't that bad off. Let the "doom and gloomers" wail and weep. If they stopped to think about it, they would agree, this year is bad but not enough to stop RVing.

Am I wrong?
Frank

No, Frank, IMO you're not wrong.

The fuel pricing-irony of last year vs. this year has eluded many. Last year the price of travel fuel wasn't an "emergency," but this year it is an "emergency." The bright spot for the economy has been the vast number of new economy car and hybrid buyers I'm reading about. After buying a new econobox, ironically, the gas hogs are being kept at home, with no intention of selling them. The irony of spending tens of thousands of dollars on an economy car, to save a few hundred dollars in fuel, is elusive.

According to HNN & ABC news today, between 25% to 33% of Americans polled, reported cancelling all Memorial Day weekend travel plans.

[sirdrakejr]

Come on folks, get real!

Last year I was paying about $2.90 a gallon for diesel. This year so far I have paid UP to $4.40 a gallon. So the difference is $1.50 a gallon more this year. So if I tow my 35 foot 5th wheel 1000 miles this year it will cost me about $135 more at 12 MPG when towing. So is it worth stopping what I enjoy for a measly $135?? Sure the total sounds bad but the real difference is not bad enough to give up a lifestyle.

It isn't like we were paying NOTHING last year to travel. You have to compare the true costs of RVing this year against the past. We aren't that bad off. Let the "doom and gloomers" wail and weep. If they stopped to think about it, they would agree, this year is bad but not enough to stop RVing.

Am I wrong?
Frank

[roaminaround]

I just finished reading thru all this after reading a similar thread on a fishing site yesterday. The point is to get off oil as soon as possible. WE have made great strides in technology in nuclear, full cell, solar and wind in the last 20 years. In a free market economy alternative fuel sources become viable only when oil and gas reach certain prices. We are there folks. Its now a matter of national security for us and future generations to implement alternatives now. A return to cheap oil makes us forget today's prices pretty quickly. We will not be motivated until we are a little more uncomfortable.
1-conservation now- followed by stop gap measures like ANWAR to buy us time
2-implementation of a TRUE energy policy with emphasis on alternative fuels
Imagine a country with nuclear, solar and wind to produce all our electricity and fuel cells made from that electricity. Just the decision to implement that plan would make oil drop to $10 a barrel overnight. AS for national security; if the Saudis and terrorists (terms could be interchangeable) saw a 90% drop in revenues their influence would drop by the same margin. Iraq becomes moot, Iran becomes powerless, terrorists lose their revenue.
We used to invent things and make them. Then we only invented them and someone else makes them. Now other nations are inventing and making things. We have one more shot to remain the worlds premier nation and that is to be the innovators of whatever replaces oil. I hope to God we do it first because somebody will.

[Sea_Dog]

Amazing how many believe or try to convince themselves that in a few months the oil situation will sort itself out and we will return to prices of five years ago.

The trouble is, no one comes up with a reason for this to happen.

I have already told my adult kids we will not be giving them any large amounts of money to save their homes if it comes to that.

I explained that we now have lots of room for them to come home if worse comes to worse.
If I burn up my funds in a futile attempt to hang onto their houses, then we will all be broke.
What will happen then?

I hope non of this takes place.
On the other hand, I see no way that the fuel prices will turn around and return to what we have come to consider normal.

[macira]

I think we all miss the real issue. YES, fuel is out of sight, BUT many other things are following it. We are on our way to a recession that will make the 30's look like a picnic. The politicians we have and those that hope to take over either have no clue or are too crooked to be of use.

[Skid_Row_Joe]

crudeman wrote:

topflite51 wrote:

crudeman wrote:
Back to the conspiracy theory, if it was that simple why did the oil companies not do this years ago, if its that easy as some suggest and its all this greed/conspiracy theory why wait this long? Heck they could have done it back in the eighties/nineties etc when they were shutting down refineries, and all the mergers of the late nineties and early 2000 time frame. I would think they would all still be American companies instead of losing some of those companies and others having foreign partners etc as the case is now.

The biggest thing that blows the conspiracy theory is WHY ONLY 10%why not 20 or 25%? If you are in danger of going to jail, and you could if it were really a conspiracy, why not get as much as you can as quick as you can?

Oh I understand, trust me. that has been my point there are countless threads with all the answers and greed, conspiracy seems to be the top ones on the list. Not may, says anything I better take care of myself and worry about the latter, but its always this big conspiracy and greed and again if it was that simple it would have been done long ago. Oil is 130 plus a bbl and there is no more cheap gasoline at that price. I worked in this business a long time and seen the bad times and some of the good times, but it has got better in the past year or so. I am not waiting on someone to do what is best for me, I am doing what is best for me myself. Its the same ol story every post, sorta reminds ya of those other posts that has WM in them.

I'm with ya....... I know of one with something like NINE or TEN vehicles, most of them GAS-GUZZLERS, with an X on the back of the oil executives, that cites GREED, present Administration and OIL COMPANIES as the price boogie-man. Too dim a bulb to figure it out. The country is exporting it's wealth for gasoline, and he's searching far and wide for an oil company executive to scalp. There is only oil company conspiracy on his brain. What a nutty doofus-brain.

[crudeman]

topflite51 wrote:

crudeman wrote:
Back to the conspiracy theory, if it was that simple why did the oil companies not do this years ago, if its that easy as some suggest and its all this greed/conspiracy theory why wait this long? Heck they could have done it back in the eighties/nineties etc when they were shutting down refineries, and all the mergers of the late nineties and early 2000 time frame. I would think they would all still be American companies instead of losing some of those companies and others having foreign partners etc as the case is now.

The biggest thing that blows the conspiracy theory is WHY ONLY 10%why not 20 or 25%? If you are in danger of going to jail, and you could if it were really a conspiracy, why not get as much as you can as quick as you can?

Oh I understand, trust me. that has been my point there are countless threads with all the answers and greed, conspiracy seems to be the top ones on the list. Not may, says anything I better take care of myself and worry about the latter, but its always this big conspiracy and greed and again if it was that simple it would have been done long ago. Oil is 130 plus a bbl and there is no more cheap gasoline at that price. I worked in this business a long time and seen the bad times and some of the good times, but it has got better in the past year or so. I am not waiting on someone to do what is best for me, I am doing what is best for me myself. Its the same ol story every post, sorta reminds ya of those other posts that has WM in them.

[topflite51]

crudeman wrote:
Back to the conspiracy theory, if it was that simple why did the oil companies not do this years ago, if its that easy as some suggest and its all this greed/conspiracy theory why wait this long? Heck they could have done it back in the eighties/nineties etc when they were shutting down refineries, and all the mergers of the late nineties and early 2000 time frame. I would think they would all still be American companies instead of losing some of those companies and others having foreign partners etc as the case is now.

The biggest thing that blows the conspiracy theory is WHY ONLY 10%why not 20 or 25%? If you are in danger of going to jail, and you could if it were really a conspiracy, why not get as much as you can as quick as you can?

[DanHouck]

This has been one of the most interesting reads in quite some time. Put it all together and I think y'all have pretty much summed it up.

Perfect storm is a good description of this situation. A little unrest in Nigeria, an earthquake in China, too much obstructionism of energy development in the U.S., an over-consolidated energy industry, unexpectedly fast increase in consumption in China and India, it has all come together to cause a spike we all knew was coming but few expected this soon.

My wife and I were just talking. Our DP is parked and will remain so except for one trip this Fall. It is garaged in Texas, we live in Mexico where our energy consumption is a fraction of what it was in the U.S.

BTW anyone who thinks nationalizing oil is the answer needs to do some research on Pemex. I promise you that you won't be impressed. The usual government-run incompetence, overstaffing plus good old Mexican corruption thrown in. Pemex is the LAST thing you want north of the border.

I think the country is in big trouble. Everything up there is designed around cheap energy. Big houses far from work, reliance on personal cars, every city lit up like a Christmas tree, you name it, the U.S. is absolutely wedded to cheap energy in all forms and that is coming to an abrupt end.

If we don't chose to buy $5 diesel, we'll miss it but it won't cause any real hardship. What will next Winter bring for those who heat with oil? We're talking real hardship here. Not driving an RV is one thing, finding another way overnight to heat one's home is quite another.

It's easy to say, live closer to work, drive energy efficient cars, use public transportation. But the reality is that the entire country is designed around cheap energy and the freedom of choice to live in the country and work in town, and live in low density suburbs rather that the high density cities and villages that most of the world lives in. What are you going to do, move everyone to town overnight? Hardly.

This situation, which is as much about speculation as it is about a real supply shortage, should be viewed as a wake up call. A wake up call to get serious about reducing imports, cutting down on the energy used in commuting, living in more reasonably sized homes, in short, joining the rest of the world in learning how to live just fine on half the energy.

Not sure what we'll do with our DP at the moment. One option is to park it on a small ranch we own in New Mexico. Doubt it could be sold for any price now.

[eltejano1]

The trouble with all conspiracy theories is that if the plot requires the involvement of more than a handful of people, secrecy cannot be maintained and the truth will come to light. A conspiracy of this magnitude would require participation at all management levels, cross international lines and necessarily involve the complicity of several government agencies.

Given the hundreds, if not thousands, of people with insider knowledge the whole house of cards would come tumbling down with a single credible witness with evidence. Don't you suppose that at least one disgruntled employee, rejected lover, angry ex spouse, a soul tortured by conscience, would-be author of a best seller, etc. etc. would drop by the New York Times or Washington Post and spill their guts, complete with audio tapes, phone and appointment logs? Don't you think that every stone has been turned over several times by eager, young investigative journalists bent on being another Woodward?

It strains credulity to think a conpiracy of his magnitude could be kept under wraps for long. More likely, it just a series of circumstances that enabled the oil companies to cash-in on favorable market conditions - in the same way Florida citrus growers benefit from a springtime frost in Calif. Are the Florida growers criminals for demanding more for their product when the market is tight? Or should we crucify the futures traders that gambled on a good crop in Florida and won?

But, of course, we can all do without orange juice but not gasoline. A good case can be made for govt intervention in the case of vital commodities.

Jack

[Prevost82]

I'm not big on the conspiracy theory. But the reason this didn't happen until now is that certain forces had to come into play and it’s the perfect storm.

1) 24hr cable news and business cable cannels. We never been inundated with so much information in our lives and most of it bad news.

2) Bad US energy policies e.g.: no new refineries, or nuclear plants, no new drill for oil. The US is 1/6 th the population of the world but consumes 25% of all oil.

3) China, India and other 3rd world countries, middle class & power requirements have reached a critical mass that eat up excess supply. They are also subsidizing the price of fuel at the pump, around $1.5 gal. … India’s launching a $2500 car next year .. I wonder how much more strain on supply this will have @ $1.5 gal

4) Enron showed big business how it could manipulate market prices in a perceived strained market. I seem too remember refinery runs well over 90%, now they have a hard time getting over 85%

5) The Goldie Locks economy …an economy that didn’t want to quit … a lot of new money pouring into the stock market looking for high profits and found them in commodities … and a lot of speculators to drive the price up. There also have never been so many small investors, like you and me, in the market.

6) The war, Katrina, Hugo Chavez and any other fear the news media can broadcast 24/7 that effects the markets. Now a field mouse runs across a pipeline and the price of oil goes up.

The list could go on and on.

Ron

[crudeman]

Back to the conspiracy theory, if it was that simple why did the oil companies not do this years ago, if its that easy as some suggest and its all this greed/conspiracy theory why wait this long? Heck they could have done it back in the eighties/nineties etc when they were shutting down refineries, and all the mergers of the late nineties and early 2000 time frame. I would think they would all still be American companies instead of losing some of those companies and others having foreign partners etc as the case is now.