Every time I fill up my gas tank, I look around at the other vehicles in the station. 3/4's of them get 10 mpg less than my MINI (averaging 32 mpg). All of the trucks and SUVs get 15-20 mpg less than my MINI.

On freeway only trips (with the Sport mode enabled), I'm averaging 36 mpg.

I'm not complaining. I'm so grateful that I'm driving an economical car that's massively fun to drive at the same time.

 

Yes SoCal prices close to $4/gallon is painful, especially when you fill up twice a week like me. I'll be very happy when I can go all electric for my commuting and plugin at home and at work and never have to go to the gas station, lol. One day soon I will "fly the road".

 

Hear hear!

When I fill up, I LOVE pulling up behind or next to a huge SUV, and sighing heavily after the fill up (which usually is done before the SUV is finished. I make sure to comment loudly to my teenage son, "Gee, can you believe 41 bucks for a fill up???!!! I try not to look too obviously at the expressions on the other driver's face! (Shame on me! BAD MINI driver! BAD! BAD!)

 

That's still only 3.17 per US Gallon... combined with the year-round warm weather, you guys have it made!

Here in San Francisco, is $4 for premium, and if you find it cheaper than that... well, then it is not really premium

 

scoopmama, i'm gonna start doing that!

When we got to $3/gallon I was still having my
CRX as a daily driver. No matter how low on
cash I was when I filled up and I'm next to
a monster truck I would kinda sing and hum
to myself (even if I was screaming on the inside), but
loud enough for them to hear how happy I was.

I still do that of course.

Although I'm not getting nominated for the nobel prize in
economics, I'm still convinced though that it is supply and demand.

Is everybody here in their 20s but me?

I remember that government price fixing scam in the 70s.
Sitting in the back of my mom's bug which had no
heat, waiting in a queue for gas, only on certain days,
and even then, you could only get 1/2 tank, AND
only if you had less than 1/8 tank could you get gas.

I'm as unhappy as anyone about the prices. We just moved
to the country from the city crime zone. My commute is double.
My wife is going to school at night across town. Two
years ago I was single on a motorcycle with a fuel bill of
$40 per month. We're over $400 per month in gas right now.

But it is better than sitting 2 hours in a queue.

BTW, there has got to be some economic theory or historical
evidence that says if Big Oil doesn't make a profit, they'll just
stop making gas (?)

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like that.

 

Strange situation for me. I was spending about $40-$50 per week filling up the Rodeo a month ago, then I go the mini. First fill up was on their tab so I basically went 3 weeks before I hit the pump again. Wow did prices ever go up quick. I'm close to right back to where I was by spending around $40 every week and a half for gas.

I can only imagine how much it would hurt if I were still driving the Rodeo all the time. I had to move some equipment last weekend so I drove the Rodeo but it needed gas, $12 just barely made the light go out!

I love my mini soooooo much.

 

The good news?

Our MINIs are appreciating in value.

I dumped my 15 MPG RX-8 for (at least) double the gas mileage.

 

I'm with you. My first car in the late 70's was an unheated bug where $5 actually made a pretty big dent in the gas tank!

 

$3.89 in the OC .

 

Remember the "good old days", between 1992 and 2000, when gas prices were in the low $1.00 range? The past 7-8 years have sucked big time.

 

It will get worse before it gets better, believe me. I remember living in Houston in 99, oil was $14 dollars a barrel, gas in Houston was about 1.09 a gallon, sometimes less. Eight short years for a 400% increase almost.

I don't buy that all the increase is due to demand in India and China, some for sure. I worked with an old guy at a metals refining plant when I was young. The guy who bought and sold metals said that commodities are hot in times of unrest. We live in times of unrest. Face it. It not just oil that is going crazy, most commodities are as well.

Another reason to not forget is that the dollar is in the tank, and sinking. Its amazing that just about 4 weeks ago oil had retreated from 100 a barrel to the mid 80s and they were talking about even seeing the 70s, then BAM, we are near 110 a barrel. I have to believe there is some general manipulation of the market to keep prices high. It seems every time oil starts to retreat some third world country that produces oil has some crisis or OPEC makes some announcement.

Mini sales should be brisk!! I have three four cylinders thank goodness one being a mini the other two Hondas. The CR-V is not the greatest four cylinder for gas mileage but I need it for hauling chores, home depot etc. I used to split time in the CR-V and now I'm finding I'm letting the CR-V sit more and more and using the mini. I filled up with four bars remaining and it was still 40 bucks. Wow. Maybe I'll dump the CR-V, its eight years old and get a clubman for my hauling!!

 

Yeah and I had Civics back then which got pretty decent mileage. So trips to the gas station were infrequent and a lot less painful.

 

I drive my Land Rover in the winter, and let the Mini sleep away, thinking thoughts of motoring. The average Fill-up is costing me about $80. Thank goodness, I only have a 6 mile commute to work.

 

They never have NOT made a profit. Granted the profit was non-existant in comparison to what they are stealing today.

 

Keep in mind I am not defending the current gas prices.

I do hear on talk shows about how Big Oil lost gazillions in the
past and nobody complained, and now they're doing well, and
everybody complains.

Maybe a partial solution might be to reduce the $1 to $1.50
per gallon gas tax. That's not my original idea by the way.
And I'm sure people here have thought the same thing.

I can say that personally our household budget has been
ravaged by gas prices.

But no matter what happens, $4, $5 per gallon I will continue
to sing and hum to myself in a loud manner when I fill up
and a monster truck is filling up beside me

 

Gas prices are nothing compared to the cost of health care for my family. Everyone has their priorities.

 

Anybody old enough to remember the gas wars in the 60's? $0.19 cents a gallon,but then the minimum wage was a $1.00/hr.

 

Around here whenever gas prices go up folks start whining and once prices dip a bit they promptly forget about it. Watch...it'll happen this time, too. Gas prices spike and you wouldn't believe the number of cars flooding parking lots at the commuter train stations. Prices, dip....the cars all go away. Folks seem to have have very short attention spans about these things.

 

What is even more interesting is that the prices will probably not drop to the pre-spike level, and people will still think they are getting a break....

 

Oh dude I agree with you.
Not to hijack the thread mind you.

I pay 28% of my GROSS income for family medical insurance.

It's 30% more than my mortgage.........

I guess at least we got it.

WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD ORDER

 

Yeah I remember. And when I went with my dad the the Sinclair station I got a dinosaur bank too! No bling like that when you buy gas nowadays. Remember getting your windshield cleaned?

 

Too funny!

My uncle has a garage in BFE Tennessee.

He still has full service and self service.

Full service you get oil checked, windshield washed,
tires checked, etc.

But it's like $0.80 per gallon more.

AND PEOPLE PAY IT ALL DAY LONG

 

I for one, wouldn't be one of those people.....

 

£52 ( $100 ) to fill my R56 MCS Works up here in the UK

 

I'm in the same boat on this!! My truck gets about 17.2 mpg and it takes around $60 to fill up which isn't too bad for a truck. So when I get the MINI it will be some what of a relief. With all that being said I'm not buying my MINI because it gets good gas mileage but for FUN!! Gas Mileage is just another advantage.

Being a stoopid gas chugging American , I would personally never buy a car/truck just because it gets great gas mileage. I absolutely love my truck but just don't need it any more, I will down the line purchase an older Jeep Cherokee/Wrangler for the winter months and to do a little light offroading but once again won't care what it will get for gas mileage.

Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about gas prices except not use a car or rely on public transport and where I live that just isn't possible. Just my $0.02!!