I just read on the news that one station in Orlando is charging $4.09 per gallon of regular gas now.
But what's worse, they had several economist types on there saying we may hit $4 per gallon this summer nationwide.
Where I'm at, it's gone up 80 cents in the last four weeks. It's ludicrous IMHO. Why? I heard it was because of the war, well we'd been over there for at least two years before it started going up. So I'm not buying that argument. Then I heard it was supply in demand because China is developing. OK, China is using more than they did ten years ago, but not enough to make it triple in price over here. I've heard "Europe has always been high so we are just getting in step." Well Europe is artificially high due to excessive taxation.
So why is gas going up so much?
$4 per gallon is brutal. It'll affect my trailer traveling
Saw on Bloomberg that the fundamental problem remains instability in the Middle East coupled with political problems in Nigeria. Throw in Hugo Chavez threatening to cut off Venezuelan crude shipments to the USA and the commodity market is getting very jittery.
Big oil doesn't care -- they are on a streak of record profits.
Most anaylysts believe retail average price will peak at about $3.20 in July and then start sliding back.
Me, I'm hooking up my Sovereign and heading out regardless. Have 6 months so should rack up thousands of miles. Say I tow 6000 miles, my Titan gets 10 mpg in harness = 600 gallons. So the difference to me between $2 gas and $3 gas for this trip is $600. That is not going to keep me home. Just have to budget for Budweiser versus Heineken.
It's the pits but on the bright side I was in France last October and unleaded regular was $5.15 a gallon.
That's what I like, a man with his priorities in order.
Mac
__________________ Mac and Linda Cassell WBCCI # 3292 AIR#16287 Buckeye (Chesapeake Bay Retreiver) 1983 31' Sovereign (Carmen O) 2006 2500HD Duramax SLT CC 4x4 (Brutus B) Mount Olive, NC 28365 "Pickle Capital of the World"
Gas is pushing $3/gal here in the Florida Panhandle. Since we are getting ready for an extended Airstream adventure to Yellowstone, Glacier, and other points of interest in the Great Northwest, I'm sure gas will hit $4 in time for our trip.
I'm going to pay it, but I'm not going to like it. There was the recent price increase due to the British Marines being taken hostage by the Iranians. Then there was another price increase because they were released; go figure.
I believe that oil/gasoline prices go up to insure that oil company executives can make their idiot children rich. It is my hope that alternative fuels on on the immediate horizon, and these idiot offspring will be relagated to their rightful place working the Taco Bell drive-thru.
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
Gas is high because it has limited suppliers and supply, the suppliers realize what the market will pay. The marketing guys are giving the other excuses (war, China, etc.). Gas in Europe is going up as well. Record profits at oil companies - I think this tells you where the extra money is going. Why don't the majority of US drivers demand more fuel efficient vehicles? They exist even outside of Hybrids. Ever see a Dodge mini van, diesel?, it exists in Europe. How about a diesel Hyundai Santa Fe? Super efficient Turbo Diesels are all over the world, some would be happy pulling an Airstream. In Europe there are tiny economy cars pulling sizeable travel trailers. Why are our trailers so heavy? Even a current Airstream is heavy. Look at the weight of the 50s Airstream trailers, do we need the extra weight today? Many of the 50s trailers are still around.
Of course I drive a gas engine and have a somewhat heavy Airstream so I better not cast the first stone.
__________________
Mike Martin
1971 Caravel
2000 Toyota Tundra
Black unknown origin Dog
...It is my hope that alternative fuels on on the immediate horizon, and these idiot offspring will be relagated to their rightful place working the Taco Bell drive-thru.
Amen to that. and I am SO tempted to make a crack that will undoubtedly tick-off um....50.01% of the population.
But I won't. 'cuz being a moderator, I'm supposed to set a good example and all that.
I remember hearing gas prices were going up because of increased demand, then I heard the price was going up because demand had dropped, and they had to pay to store the gas (pure BS).
I do know that gas is more expensive because more states and locales are specifying different blend gas, custom-made trailers cost more, so it stands to reason custom-made gas does as well. That is only one reason gas costs more. Tighter emission standards for the fuel, added to demand, added to China's demand for petro products, all are helping drive up prices.
My own attempt earlier this year to keep my fuel costs down ended in disaster. While I'm dreaming, I'd like my F250 to get 50 mpg while towing...
NIMBY - a major cause of gasolene price hikes worldwide....
The inability of US refiners to keep up with demand is a constant nusance to the world gasolene spot market. No one in the USA has made a new refinery in 20+ years; and expansion and renewal at operating plants can't happen when they are working 101% capacity; so we are stuck paying commodities traders top dollar to make-up real or perceived shortfalls, and the trading houses love to feel important so act on every news-byte that is uttered... And don't even think about muttering 'Hurricane"!
I have been watching this with an increasing gut level response. I am planing on an extended trip this summer in the south west and rockies. $4 gas would be painful, but not going would be worse. Not knowing what the future holds, there is no telling if I will have the chance again. I plan on doing every bit of the trip I can. I'm also looking at the bright side; maybe the campgrounds will be less crowded
Well I already drive a diesel pickup. I know a guy who tried to run filtered french fry grease in his JCB backhoe. It blew the injector pump. Replacement part only cost $4K
I do get disgusted when I think of the whole thing. I'm all for alternative fuels. But, I know a little bit about science myself, and "they" (of which I count myself) will not have any kind of suitable replacement along with infrastructure anytime soon. So in my opinion, we should be building more refineries to hold us in the meantime. Unless a time traveler brings us the flux capacitor along with "Mr. Fusion" tomorrow, it's gonna be awhile until we have hydrogen powered vehicles.
Ah well, sorry to be a rain cloud. Just struck me hard that gas could go to $4 per. I drive a cruddy 4-cylinder Cavalier to work every day that gets 35mpg and I'm still paying a fortune to feed it.
I do have an idea for a lightweight highly aerodynamic commuter car that I believe could get close to 100mpg. It's entirely doable....GM built a car in '82 that got 100mpg. But to do it, the car has to be very light weight, and so will nowhere near meet current safety regs (the main reason most cars are so heavy today). You hit a Super Duty with my little car and you'd be toast. About like a motorcycle. So I don't know how well it'd catch on...not sure I want to drive 25,000 miles a year in it.
Ah well, we had a pic nic in the Stream last weekend in my back yard
At $4 gallon, I may have to rethink where I go. To fill my burb would cost $160!!!
11mpg means only about a 440 mile range.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 1991
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