why not just build more refineries and open oil exploration? Then everyone could drive the vehicle of their choice. .... oh I guess that's too logical.
You know MINIs don't get that terrific mileage... wanna drive some ugly Toyota highbred instead at 55 mpg (there is a greater improvement in mileage between a highbred and a MINI then a MINI and SUV)? My MCS gets a combined in-town / freeway mileage of 26mpg.... my Jeep Liberty about 19mpg.... not much difference considering the amount of safety in the Jeep.

Remember the increase of fuel costs is not due to the rarity of oil, but the lack of refineries, especially since 55% of the US refineries are shut down in the Gulf Coast. The current cost of fuel in the US has very little to do with the Middle East, OPEC, or diminishing oil reserves... it has to do with a country (US) whose oil companies have had its hands tied in the last 25-30 years, preventing oil exploration and construction of refineries.

 

it's $3.11 in Santa Clarita.... 1st it was $3.05 this morning and then on the way home, it was $3.11... outrageous.....

 

I knew it was coming and went and filled up. lol Ours went up like 45 cents. Man big jump from what it was. Geez Atleast I got a full tank right now.

 

'Twas $2.77 just yesterday when I spen 40$ filling up the trusty Accord wagon. Today there's been a 20 cent increase! Must be a few folks out there that remember filling up in 1974. Were the price increases this dramatic? Is this here to stay?
Re: supposed gouging I have to agree with the kindly proffesor. Stations near one another that have great disparity in price undoubtedly have great differences in rent payments/expenses. If you watch prices over time the disparity is probably always there. Do yourself a favor and simply hunt out the cheap ones.

 

Tonight the local gas station which alway have the best price (Shell) has posted a $3.09 per gallon. When is this nightmare going to stop. If the price of gas got to $5.00 a gallon I may have to go out and get a Scooter for work and save my MCS for my days off................:impatient

Is anyone in the Government going to do any thing about this?

 

Filled up the second car today and 91 octane was still the same price at $3.199. I noticed the shell down the street was $3.359 a gallon for 91. 76 station went up .04 since yesterday and is $3.199 for 91.

 

I take it you haven't heard about the $4 line about to be crossed?

 

Just some info that I thought we could all use:

"It is proven that if all the gas stations in the nation closed down for just ONE day, we would save up enough gas to bring prices back down to 98 cents a gallon! But since we're all pretty sure that no gas station in the world is going to close down for even ONE day we should help them out, because I don't know about you, but gas prices are up my *** lately and I am prepared to do something about it! So join the fight! We're creating a National "No Gas" Day! Which will be September 11th, an easy date to remember. So help out the economy a little and resist the urge to fill your tank on September 11th, 2005!

"GAS PRICES STANK! DON'T FILL YOUR TANK! For National "No Gas" Day"

(posted on myspace)

 

Just saw 3.19 in Santa Clarita tonight.

We should start a new thread..."Who HASN'T paid $3.00 a gallon yet?"

 

I wish you luck, man. I'll even join in, and won't fill my tank on 9/11. Unfortunately I've seen this idea SEVERAL times before, and it never works. People just don't come together....you almost need people holding signs at every gas station in America.

 

I don't consider Jeeps safer than MINIs.......not at all!


Clover

 

Clover, you obviously have never been on a head-on in one, where you were going 45mph and the car that smacked into you was going over 65mph.... I was 14 months ago and we walked away from it with just seat belt bruises (the poor people in the Subaru were airlifted to the hospital with very permanent neurological damage). My car was totaled after an estimated $25,000.00 in damages (it was designed to self destruct upon impact). The Subaru all but decinegrated (sp?).

A Jeep Liberty is not the same vehicle as any other Jeep vehicles.... it’s a 2002 first Daimler design of a Chrysler product. Very well designed and very safe! It’s about as much Jeep as MINI is Mini.

In the same accident in the MINI, we would be buried right now. Keep up the grinning though, because if someone starts removing automobiles from the road simply because of the mileage, the MINI eventually will be on the retirement list as well. The mileage is not that good compared to other small cars out there, and is actually pretty bad considering it's weight.

 

when I went to work yesterday at 4:00pm the gas station across the street was at 2.79 for regular.. every pump was full with lines in the road etc etc etc when i went to lunch about 3 hours later they were at 3.09 for regular. I hazard to say that the gas in their tank didn't increase in value that much since it was already paid for. IMHO

Oh yea sooo...

$.30 increase on a 10gallon tank is $3.00 sooooo will that stop me from driving... no

-Josh

 

Just filled up this morning and there was nothing but premium - which I use , of course. Checked a few other stations on the way to work as I drove by and it was the same. I paid $3.19 a gallon - is this panic happening anywhere other than the southeast? (I am in upstate SC.)

 

Prem near my house went like this in 3 days. $2.98, $2.99 and now $3.07

My MCS being the only car in our house to take premium is kind of funny. I come in complaining of paying so much to fill up and my parents laugh at me. But then I remind them of this...my car only takes 13gallons. Not the 20+ your cars take so it equals out how much we both pay

 

your lucky mike.
There was no gas to be bought in Charlotte, NC this morning. I went by 4 stations all out... the last price one of them saw was $4.10 a gallon. that's bad!
I saw one station that was out of gas but had people in line at the pumps, when I went inside the attendant said he was expecting a delivery some time today... so people were just lining up to wait.

 

I live in MD and im not sure about the shortage up here? I havent even payed attention to gas prices either cause im still at half tank. But i was told it was $3.19 a gallon, it might even be higher now? But that sucks for you guys in SC. Its probaly gonna happen everywhere on the East Coast. This is gonna end up sending the country into depression cause nobody is gonna buy gas or drive around to go shopping for food and goods. But who knows what will happen. All i know is gas prices suck!!

 

Anyone drink bottled water these days? Ever stopped to calculate how much you are paying per gallon for that? Or what about a gallon of milk? In comparison to many of the other "necessities" in our lives these days gasoline is still one of the cheapest, even at $3.25/gallon. In reality it is not big oil causing all the problems- taxes make up close to 50% of the cost of a gallon of oil depending on the region you live in.

Think of how a refinery works...get the crude out of the ground (billions of $$$ required for exploration), crack it into multiple streams of varying molecular weight hydrocarbons (high temperature, high pressure = expensive) using natural gas (closed at over $11 this week, up 18% on the week), deliver the product to local distributors (logistics costs nationwide up close to 40% comapred to last year plus 10%+ fuel surcharges) and I'm just talking about the gasoline streams for on-road vehicles. There are hundreds of hydrocarbon streams that exist and all businesses go through market cycles.

What will we saying when the cycle turns south? These companies have a business to run and an obligation to shareholders to maximize value and profitability (curse of publicly traded businesses) so that they can withstand the downturn of the cycles. Personally, I am happy they are printing money because that means they will be around years from now. It also means they have more disposable income to invest in alternative technologies to improve energy efficiency and develop alternative fuels...and make no mistake about it, every major oil company in the world knows crude is a declining commodity and they had better be spending their money in alternative fuels to sustain their business into the future.

With that said, I do hate paying $3.25/gallon for my vehicle, but it is better than what the rest of world is paying.

 

There are a lot of pumps out of regular around Tampa.

 

Havent seen or heard of a gas shortage around here......Did notice the gas price is up n over $3.55 a gal in certain places.

 

Wow....The lines clearly indicated a spike in demand...two days later you could pull right right up to the pump and fill up and basically the same price as before. And this is GREED....No, sorry much more of an illustration of panic than greed my friend.

Most of us fill up once a week I would say. That is driving more than 15k miles per year at 30mpg. If we take the baseline of $1.50 a gallon and we are now paying $3.00 a %100 increase in cost. We are only talking about less than $20 a week. Are we really getting so pissed at the at the prices of fuel? I know that most people spend that in being cigarettes, beer...shoot.....even lotto tickets....Frankly $20 a week just isn't that big of a burden to me to get upset about. Given the excessive EPA regulations, The dirty OPEC cartel and Natural disasters that affect oil prodution and refining. The price of fuel doesn't seem that far out of line to me. Hardly anyone has changed thier habits or the car they drive so It really isn't that big to them either.

I really think what is at work here is that alot of people get more concerned about how much money someone else is making than how much they are making. If you believe that you are not 100% in control of your life (life=product of all decisions made) that vulnurability is what drives this anger. I believe that we are all 100% in control of the decisions we make, no one has forced me to do anything in this country. I make lots of lifestyle choices. That perspective is why all this anger over the cost of fuel is misplaced.

We WANT to live far away from work, drive there by ourselves, drive our kids to school instead of let them take the bus, heat much larger houses than we need.....etc. We WANT the products and services and then we think the people who invest the time and money to build large companies and distribution networks are evil and greedy.....That just doesn't sit right with me. Greedy people can't get rich selling something people don't want. And we want oil more than ever. companies dont get rich by stealing from me, They only take what I give them. I am not a victim, I choose to live far away from work and drive the 2 miles to the grocery store.....etc. If $20 a week is really a buget buster then you shouldn't be driving a brand new car

 

I guess I am fortunate we are not suffering down here as much as others. I filled-up yestaerday In Boca Raton, Premium $2.99, saw another gas station today at $2.97

 

I also am disappointed that the MINI doesn't get better gas mileage. My wife's 96' Lincoln Continental gets 27 mpg on the highway. That's 4500 pounds with a double overhead cam 280 hp V-8. Granted, my MC gets about 35 mpg on the road, but considering the size and weight difference that seems awfully low.

 

Give it a day...that will change :(

 

Someone at work was saying they heard its supposed to go up n over 4 bucks .

I make good money but sh*t......I might have to go buy a BMX or steal the neighbors kids bike.