Just bought gas for under $3

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 1:17 pm

gas here is +/- $3.30

meanwhile in LA people are paying $4 +

JonathanStrange · Post by **JonathanStrange** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 3:29 pm

wonderpug wrote:
JonathanStrange wrote:There's a chain (is that what gas stations of the same name called?) that has $2.15/gal gas BUT says "Cash Only". I have never used them but I guess that means actual folding money?
I've seen plenty of gas stations that allow debit cards but not credit cards, to avoid credit card fees eating into their margin, but I don't think I've ever seen a paper cash only place.

Okay, that makes cents.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 3:31 pm

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 4:02 pm

We have a chain of places called Freebird that started up as cash only maybe a decade ago maybe a little longer. They eventually started taking plastic but recently went back to cash only. They also tend to have be the cheapest gas stations.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 4:47 pm

I haven't seen a cash-only station around here in years. Given that all of my income is direct deposited, and the closest branch of my bank is 30 miles away, that's a good thing.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 5:42 pm

Of the three stations nearest me, one has a cash discount, one has a loyalty-card discount, and one gives a discount for grocery points. I think the effective price is around $2.50 at all three places.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 5:45 pm

Fortunately this spike hit after our Midwest/Canada driving tour. I probably bought as much gasoline then as I do in year. The rest of the time I probably go through a gallon or two of gas a week. A tank lasts me over a month.

I also never understood why people will climb over corpses to get $0.10 off per gallon when gas is $4.00 but they don't care when it's $2.50. It's the same dollar savings on a single tank and it's a much higher discount at the lower price.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 6:58 pm

Scuzz wrote:gas here is +/- $3.30

meanwhile in LA people are paying $4 +

$3.05.9 (+35 cent Arco Service chg) at the cheapie station in Marin this week - about $3.30 at the 19th ave cheapie stations in SF.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 7:40 pm

Pyperkub wrote:
Scuzz wrote:gas here is +/- $3.30

meanwhile in LA people are paying $4 +
$3.05.9 (+35 cent Arco Service chg) at the cheapie station in Marin this week - about $3.30 at the 19th ave cheapie stations in SF.

Yea, I usually shop Valero and they hit me up for a $.45 debit card charge.

Apollo · Post by **Apollo** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 9:37 pm

$2.05 here today.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:50 pm

While it had dipped to $1.74 briefly in August, it went back up to about $1.98 by the start of October. It is now back to $1.77. It would be nice if it stayed there awhile.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:59 pm

stessier wrote:While it had dipped to $1.74 briefly in August, it went back up to about $1.98 by the start of October. It is now back to $1.77. It would be nice if it stayed there awhile.

$3.39 last time I filled up with midgrade, early last week.

The differential between regular and premium is up to $0.80 around here now.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:05 pm

$1.78 within a mile of me. I paid sub-$1.90 when I filled up last.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:11 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:$1.78 within a mile of me. I paid sub-$1.90 when I filled up last.

I'm pretty sure if the gas were free, the taxes here would be higher than that.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:21 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:$1.78 within a mile of me. I paid sub-$1.90 when I filled up last.

But don't you Canadians buy it buy the litre? What is that in gallons?

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:28 pm

I paid $2.65 to fill it up yesterday. I am thinking of ripping out my backyard and putting in the largest gas tanks I can find. I can't believe prices will stay down much longer.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:29 pm

Hyperbole aside, your taxes do suck:

As Illinois motorists hit the road for Labor Day weekend, they’ll shell out an average of $4.14 for a gallon of gas.

In Chicago, motorists are paying $4.31 a gallon, according to the AAA.

That’s a whopping 48 cents more than the national average at $3.83 a gallon.

At these prices, motorists in Chicago are paying a staggering 80.2 cents per gallon in taxes, or nearly 20 percent.
...
In addition to these motor fuel taxes, the State of Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago also charge sales taxes on gas. Illinois is one of only seven states that charge a sales tax at the gas pump!

Currently, the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax adds nearly 20 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline in Chicago. The county and city sales taxes add an additional 11 cents per gallon to the price. The 31 cents of sales taxes account for nearly 40 percent of total taxes on gas.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:29 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:
Isgrimnur wrote:$1.78 within a mile of me. I paid sub-$1.90 when I filled up last.
But don't you Canadians buy it buy the litre? What is that in gallons?

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:37 pm

Scuzz wrote:I paid $2.65 to fill it up yesterday. I am thinking of ripping out my backyard and putting in the largest gas tanks I can find. I can't believe prices will stay down much longer.

When the current administration forced the auto industry to adhere to the MPG standards, imposed by the federal government, it improved things quite a bit. It took about 4 years for the effect to hit but the increase in average MPG has substantially lowered our consumption in the US, which in turn has lowered demand and thus lowers cost per barrel. OPEC has had difficulty trying to artificially inflate the price per barrel because no OPEC nations can undercut them now. I think that unless higher taxes come into play, lower gas prices should continue. In fact they are predicting average gas prices to be sub $2 per gallon by 2016. Of course some crisis will probably be used to raise the price before then but one can hope!

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:37 pm

Scuzz wrote:I paid $2.65 to fill it up yesterday.

Do you drive a moped or do you just really like to keep your tank topped off every 25 miles you drive?

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:43 pm

rshetts2 wrote:When the current administration forced the auto industry to adhere to the MPG standards, imposed by the federal government, it improved things quite a bit. It took about 4 years for the effect to hit but the increase in average MPG has substantially lowered our consumption in the US, which in turn has lowered demand and thus lowers cost per barrel. OPEC has had difficulty trying to artificially inflate the price per barrel because no OPEC nations can undercut them now.

This doesn't make any sense compared with what I've been hearing for a while regarding gas (or rather oil) prices. OPEC has opened the spigot to full to drive the price of oil down to reclaim lost market share, coupled with a slowdown in the global demand (particularly in China). I've never heard it (until this moment) asserted that the drop in gas prices is part of some 4-year consequence for administration-imposed MPG standards to take effect. Data please.

I think I paid $1.89 yesterday. It is quite glorious.

Edit to add: For example, there's this, which lists four reasons for the drop in gas prices:

article wrote: Reason No. 1: More oil out there
Reason No. 2: Oil price has been falling
Reason No. 3: No major disasters
Reason No. 4: Cheaper blends in winter

I don't see "federal mpg standards" in there. Unless you were being sarcastic? Because then that would make sense.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:44 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:Hyperbole aside, your taxes do suck:

As Illinois motorists hit the road for Labor Day weekend, they’ll shell out an average of $4.14 for a gallon of gas.

In Chicago, motorists are paying $4.31 a gallon, according to the AAA.

That’s a whopping 48 cents more than the national average at $3.83 a gallon.

At these prices, motorists in Chicago are paying a staggering 80.2 cents per gallon in taxes, or nearly 20 percent.
...
In addition to these motor fuel taxes, the State of Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago also charge sales taxes on gas. Illinois is one of only seven states that charge a sales tax at the gas pump!

Currently, the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax adds nearly 20 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline in Chicago. The county and city sales taxes add an additional 11 cents per gallon to the price. The 31 cents of sales taxes account for nearly 40 percent of total taxes on gas.

They don't suck, they help pay for the toll roads!

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:45 pm

One would hope that the tolls would do that.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:51 pm

US crude oil production has increased 62.7% between 2009 and 2014. US refinery production has increased 21.5% over that same time. US refinery finished motor gasoline has only increased 5.5% during that time.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:56 pm

I also believe that before the price started to drop and the US was at full output, that we were an oil net exporter rather than importer...which is kind of incredible. The new drilling methods/technologies and frakking have opened up a bunch of fields that were thought to be not worth the effort.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:59 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:One would hope that the tolls would do that.

The hell you say! Tolls are used to pay off politicians to make them forget that the Tollway Authority was only supposed to be a temporary agency and that tolls would be abolished once the roads were paid for.

George Ryan was even elected governor on a platform reminding everyone of this tidbit. We put him in prison for his crazy talk. Blago expanded the tollway program, tripled the tolls, and got put in prison anyway.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:00 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:One would hope that the tolls would do that.

One would. But with $1.4B revenue, $1.4B in expenses, and over $4B in debt, I'm going to guess they don't cover it.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:00 pm

RunningMn9 wrote:
rshetts2 wrote:When the current administration forced the auto industry to adhere to the MPG standards, imposed by the federal government, it improved things quite a bit. It took about 4 years for the effect to hit but the increase in average MPG has substantially lowered our consumption in the US, which in turn has lowered demand and thus lowers cost per barrel. OPEC has had difficulty trying to artificially inflate the price per barrel because no OPEC nations can undercut them now.
This doesn't make any sense compared with what I've been hearing for a while regarding gas (or rather oil) prices. OPEC has opened the spigot to full to drive the price of oil down to reclaim lost market share, coupled with a slowdown in the global demand (particularly in China). I've never heard it (until this moment) asserted that the drop in gas prices is part of some 4-year consequence for administration-imposed MPG standards to take effect. Data please.

I think I paid $1.89 yesterday. It is quite glorious.

Edit to add: For example, there's this, which lists four reasons for the drop in gas prices:

article wrote: Reason No. 1: More oil out there
Reason No. 2: Oil price has been falling
Reason No. 3: No major disasters
Reason No. 4: Cheaper blends in winter
I don't see "federal mpg standards" in there. Unless you were being sarcastic? Because then that would make sense.

I put forth a very simplified casual explanation of one of the possible causes for a gas price drop. I didnt expect the Spanish Inquisition!

No sense in arguing about it, but #1 and #2 just might be in part due to reduced consumption, which in turn just may be in part due to an increase in average MPG ( which just might be fact ). Hopefully I put enough qualifiers in there! Maybe?

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:04 pm

rshetts2 wrote: Reason No. 4: Cheaper blends in winter

See, here we have higher summer blend keeping prices high in the summer, and then high prices as refineries switch production to summer blend in the winter as they prepare their stock for summer. At no time is there ever "cheap winter blend," when this gas is being used, we're charged extra so the refineries can start making summer blend.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:07 pm

Jeff V wrote:
Isgrimnur wrote:One would hope that the tolls would do that.
The hell you say! Tolls are used to pay off politicians to make them forget that the Tollway Authority was only supposed to be a temporary agency and that tolls would be abolished once the roads were paid for.

Once the debt was paid for. Know how to avoid paying off debt? Find more debt. How do you find more debt? Build new toll roads (or if you can't find a new project, restructure the debt). Voila, the ISTHA lives on and the tolls continue.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:09 pm

I can only assume if the US doesn't consume oil that the rest of the world will, however,

http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=23&t=10

In 2014, about 136.78 billion gallons1 (or 3.26 billion barrels) of gasoline were consumed2 in the United States, a daily average of about 374.74 million gallons (or 8.92 million barrels).3 This was about 4% less than the record high of about 142.35 billion gallons (or 3.39 billion barrels) consumed in 2007

Gas consumption had come down in the US, since its peak right before the economic shit storm of 2007-2008. I don't know about oil consumption and I don't know how much a 4% decrease in demand in one country would affect pricing.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:10 pm

rshetts2 wrote:
I put forth a very simplified casual explanation of one of the possible causes for a gas price drop. I didnt expect the Spanish Inquisition! No sense in arguing about it, but #1 and #2 just might be in part due to reduced consumption, which in turn just may be in part due to an increase in average MPG ( which just might be fact ). Hopefully I put enough qualifiers in there! Maybe?

The best way to put it is that demand has slowed and supply hasn't. Better automobile efficiency is certainly a factor but not a top contributor.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:11 pm

Meanwhile, yesterday my wife asked how much it would be to buy a Hummer.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:13 pm

Jeff V wrote:Meanwhile, yesterday my wife asked how much it would be to buy a Hummer.

The best time for that was in 2005-2007 when gas prices were peaking and everyone was buying Prisuses (Prisusi?). Dealers couldn't give away gas guzzlers fast enough.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:13 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:The best way to put it is that demand has slowed and supply hasn't. Better automobile efficiency is certainly a factor but not a top contributor.

I'm guessing US and Canadian drill, baby drill has been the top contributor. When BIG OIL though a gazillion dollars per barrel was reasonable and smaller drilling spots started opening across the US and fracking and off shore drilling increased, BIG OIL said, "oh no you don't" and here we are.

But in the immortal words of the Femmes, this is only a guess.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:13 pm

rshetts2 wrote:I put forth a very simplified casual explanation of one of the possible causes for a gas price drop. I didnt expect the Spanish Inquisition! No sense in arguing about it, but #1 and #2 just might be in part due to reduced consumption, which in turn just may be in part due to an increase in average MPG ( which just might be fact ). Hopefully I put enough qualifiers in there! Maybe?

I actually reacted to your post because OPEC is doing the opposite of what you were saying. They aren't trying to prop up the price of oil at all. They are trying to drive it down (or at the least they aren't doing anything to stabilize the price).

While MPG standards in the US would certainly have an impact on demand in the US, cheap gas has the opposite affect - we tend to drive a great many more miles, we stop using public transportation, we stop carpooling, etc.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:16 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:
Jeff V wrote:Meanwhile, yesterday my wife asked how much it would be to buy a Hummer.
The best time for that was in 2005-2007 when gas prices were peaking and everyone was buying Prisuses (Prisusi?). Dealers couldn't give away gas guzzlers fast enough.

That was about the time I jettisoned my own SUV and vowed never to return.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:21 pm

Jeff V wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote:
Jeff V wrote:Meanwhile, yesterday my wife asked how much it would be to buy a Hummer.
The best time for that was in 2005-2007 when gas prices were peaking and everyone was buying Prisuses (Prisusi?). Dealers couldn't give away gas guzzlers fast enough.
That was about the time I jettisoned my own SUV and vowed never to return.

If it weren't for having a mid-sized garage and the need to occasionally street park, I would have bought the biggest, cheapest SUV out there.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:21 pm

RunningMn9 wrote:While MPG standards in the US would certainly have an impact on demand in the US, cheap gas has the opposite affect - we tend to drive a great many more miles, we stop using public transportation, we stop carpooling, etc.

UM

2015 model year sales have kept MPG numbers flat this year.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:29 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:
RunningMn9 wrote:While MPG standards in the US would certainly have an impact on demand in the US, cheap gas has the opposite affect - we tend to drive a great many more miles, we stop using public transportation, we stop carpooling, etc.
UM

2015 model year sales have kept MPG numbers flat this year.

That's just sticker MPG average on new cars sold. Doesn't say much about MPGs per mile driven or actual consumption.

Retail gasoline sales are up (from last year), as RM9 says.