I'd love to pay $120 + to fill up my lardy SUV . Maybe people will finally start selling those clown wagons.

 

HOLY CRAPETH!

I'm only paying $3.47 up in Stockton for Valero. Not top tier, but I toss a can of Sea Foam in the tank every few months.

 

$3.09 Regular
$3.19 Plus
$3.29 Premium here in NC

 

Shhhhhh!!!!!

Quiet Mark. We already have enough "westies" migrating here...

 

Ouch!!!!!! Rusty are those the prices down in So. Cal? I thought Fresno was bad . We started filling our other cars at Costco, .25-.30 cheaper. Still only use Chevron or 76 in my Mini.

 

 

SC and GA are always 10-20 cents less per gallon than NC-less gas taxes.

 

I live in CA (SF Bay Area) and I filled up with the good stuff for $3.51 a gallon at Costco.

 

Thats crazy. Over here(near LA) its only around $3.50 or so for Plus. I almost have to fill up my tank too. :(

 

Theres a bit more to that story than just that. i saw it a few weeks ago.

heres another story i found online about it.

SAN FRANCISCO: As gasoline prices reach new highs ahead of Memorial Day weekend (May 26-28), one U.S. station owner is charging rates that are shocking city drivers accustomed to some of the nation's priciest pumps.
Oyster's gas station in San Francisco charges $4.33 per gallon ($1.14 a liter) for economy grade and a $4.53 ($1.20 a liter) for premium — about 44 cents more than the next highest station tracked by SanFranciscoGasPrices.com.
Station owner Bob Oyster says the prices are meant to raise eyebrows. He set his prices far above competitors to protest onerous franchise rules imposed by Royal Dutch Shell PLC.
"It doesn't necessarily reflect market prices, though I'm sure they'll get there really quick," said Oyster, who owns numerous stations and Redwood City-based Oyster Petroleum. "We just took up the price because I wanted to bring attention to what's really going on: The oil companies are making billions but putting the little guys out of business."
Oyster isn't concerned that high prices will put him out of business. After 22 years at the station at Sixth and Harrison, he's vacating at the end of the month. He says he can't afford to keep operating on razor-thin margins.
Shell spokeswoman Anne Peebles said Wednesday that the multinational corporation wanted to raise Oyster's base rent from $8,154 (€6,007) per month to $10,228 (€7,535) over three years. Those rates were the result of a third-party audit of commercial real estate in the bustling zone surrounding Oyster's shop, she said.
Peebles acknowledged that Oyster's campaign to taint Shell's image has caused the company some pain — particularly amid a run-up in gas prices in California and the rest of the country.
"We're certainly disappointed by Mr. Oyster's actions — it's inconvenient for consumers, and it's not in line with the rest of the Shell retailers who are trying to provide good service," she said.
On Wednesday, the average economy-grade gasoline nationwide was $3.103 per gallon (82 cents a liter), according to a daily tracking service from the American Automobile Association. California had the most expensive gas in the U.S., with economy-grade averaging $3.474 per gallon (92 cents a liter) and premium averaging $3.759 (99 cents a liter).

 

Its about $3.80 (91) here in SoOC SoCA although if you drive to NW OC it drops in price about 20c

Was in TX a few weeks back buying a new home and prices were about $3.05 for 93

 

About $3.85, give or take a dime, in SF proper for 91 octane.

 

Do you think the quality of the gas at Costco is ok? I'm kinda leary putting it into my Mini .

 

The gas has to meet octane ratings, so I dont see any problem with it.

 

I know, but if prices keep rising on the path they're on now we'll be there before the end of the summer, in SoCaL at least. I pay between 3.60 and 3.70 a gallon for 91 octane (Premium) here in the West San Fernando Valley.

 

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

I use only top tier gasoline brands in my MCS.

 

And I thought $3.39 was bad.

 

Good question. My father is a long-time Chevron engineer who swears that you should only use "Top Tiers) gasoline in your cars. He tells me how it will shorten the life of your engine blah blah blah...

I have been using Costco gas for years. I had a Dodge van the went 375,000 miles with one rebuild at about 135,000. I had a VW vanagon, 205,000 on original engine, it now has an additional 100,000 on the second one I put in. I don't own it, but I know who does. My MINI has 54,000 an has never had as much a a hiccip.

Change your oil regularly, clean your air filter, take care of your car and burn all the Costco gas you want.

ps, My cars outlast me dad's chevron only cars

 

Costco buys from the lowest bidder. You never know what you are getting are who you are supporting.

I only use Top Tier fuels as well. They are just more environmentally friendly as they burn cleaner.

 

It's not just octane. There are also the additives and cleanliness to think about. You probably want stuff to keep injectors clean. I'm not sure how much gunk is in the cheapest stuff.

 

Not sure of how many people are aware of this, I'm sure many of you are, but for those that aren't do you know that in Europe around 80% of the cost of gasoline (petrol) is tax !!
It all balances out so you pay less tax in other areas but I bet most of you didn't know that.

So, if you are paying say $1.80/litre in the UK, which is $6.80/US gallon, the gas company is charging you around $1.36 for that gallon of gas.

What is my point you may ask, well, only around 30c of the cost of gas here in the USA is tax which means that gas company is charging up to $3.50/gallon

/rant on
So essentially we are being ripped off and this is VERY obvious from the INCREDIBLE profits the oil companies are making these days.

I have heard the term "market forces" but I personally see this as a "spin" from oil companies. Most of you read about what went on at Enron where they purposly shut down sections for alledged maintenance so they could charge more for power, the same is happening here and regrettably nothing will be done due to the extreme political influence that they have on our easily swayed (not sure if that should read corrupt) politicians /rant off

Sorry, but had to get that off my chest

 

No offense...but you put yourself in that situation by buying a Touareg. I have zero problems with the oil companies...they're doing exactly what every other corporation seeks to do..profit. It's no less ethical than any of the other million transactions that occur in our market on a daily basis.

Gas is a commodity, they have it, we need it. Gas does not currently have a viable substitute good. Gas has only inferior goods and the threshold for when these inferior goods become substitute goods is set very high.

Lifestyle choice dictates this.

 

Here's the thing. If you buy gas in he US it is shipped by pipeline to local facilities. There a Company can add its own secret blend of additives. These additives are good for your car, However they can be added cheaper after the fact. Most fuel stations have upgraded their tanks since the late 80's for environmental reasons so alot of contaminents have been eliminated for now. I look for a newer station. Cleanliness always works for me.

 

I was crying at 3.89! Good thing my MC gets good mileage...a lot better than my husband's blazer.

 

Sorry, but I don't remember saying that "I" was being ripped off I said "we" as in the general US public. I am working on the wife and got her down from a Yukon XL Denali to the Touareg and I switched from a 545 to a MCS (if there had been a turbo diesel I would have gotten that as that is what I had for 8 years in the UK before coming here)

The problem is that gasoline is like electricity & water here in CA. You have one source and you have to pay whatever they charge you. You can't (here in SoCA) switch to another water or electricity company.

They key issue in the US compared to other countries is that we are reliant on our cars as we have no alternative transportation unless you live in the center of a major city.
In the UK you can get a bus or train to almost anywhere and they are a lot cleaner and safer than here.
In Australia (live there for a few years as a kid) you could also take a bus or train anywhere almost, except to the outback

It is also NOT the same as every one of the other million transactions as we don't really have a choice.

A similar kind of situation occurred here in our local Master planned community where all the contractors and landscapers hiked up their prices because people were paying them. It got to a point where many people said "screw it" and just said no and did it themselves. Gasoline is not something we can go elsewhere for.
It almost feels like a monopoly, although I think it may be referred to as a "oligopoly" as there are just a couple of suppliers and they work together to increase prices.
Maybe the government should put a 50% tax on gasoline ?