Doing the math

[altivo]

I just filled my tank. Three of four stations in Harvard raised their prices again today, by another 15 cents per gallon. This is the most expensive tank of gas I've ever purchased, I think, certainly the highest I've paid since getting the new car in August because I've been tracking everything. Gasoline prices here have increased by 70% since January, just five months. Any bets on whether they can make it a full double in six months? At the present rate, it's possible.

On the bright side, I got 29.05 miles per gallon on the last tankful. For a non-hybrid car, I'd say that's decent. When I had a Metro, I did better, at 35 to 38 mpg, but that had no cargo or pet carrying capacity at all.

It was a beautiful day here, but I guess it will probably rain tomorrow. The blackberry blossoms are opening, and the air outside is strongly scented. Tess met me at the pasture gate again. I hope she's going to get into the habit, it's much nicer for both of us, really.

Comments

[corelog.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why gas prices are suddenly climbing so high. I try not to think about it, because it's like a living nightmare to me.

[calydor.livejournal.com]

Because the Boston Tea Party solution won't work. Not only are people too lazy to do stuff like that anymore, but if you were to pour thousands of gallons of gas into the sea, you'd get slapped with a huge fine for pollution.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The Boston Tea Party solution WOULD work. The difference is that you don't dump the product into the ocean. Instead you dump a bunch of capitalists in there, preferably in a shark-infested area.

[calydor.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't work either. Sharks don't usually eat each other.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's all right. Capitalists don't swim very well either.

[bariki.livejournal.com]

In 2001 when fuel duty hikes increased the cost of gasoline, or petrol, or $7.25 a a gallon in the United Kingdom, we helf massive protests that blocked our major thoroughfares.. or freeways to Americans.

A few days of that should bring attention to your plight in D.C.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If prices go that high here even in two years, you'll hear of similar tactics or worse, I'm sure. Not that the administration cares. They'll be like Dick Nixon, who said "Policy will not be made in the streets," forgetting that democracy really is about policy being made in the streets. He found out soon enough, though. Congress would try to react, but would face almost certain veto from Bush, and anyway, I can't imagine Congress coming up with any solution that would make sense, let alone actually work.

Getting away from fossil fuel is essential. Doing so is difficult, especially with a populace that is so dependent upon them.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Prices are climbing right now just because they can. It's the old "charge whatever the market will bear" strategy. They'll keep going up until people really do stop buying as much, and then they'll drop down somewhat once more, just as they did last winter, and before that, around last August. Of course, each time this happens the new return point is a little higher than the last one was, which is also part of the pricing strategy.

[murakozi.livejournal.com]

Sadly, the price of crude oil and the amount pulled out of the ground has almost nothing to do with the price of gasoline, other than to set the bare minimum that'll be charged.

I believe the current official reason is that production is down due to refineries being shut down or lowering production for maintenance/upgrade stuff. That results in a smaller supply of gasoline and they'll use that as an excuse for higher prices. It's all a big game, really.

[tinbender.livejournal.com]

That's pretty damn good for an SUV and pretty good for anything else. My Chrysler has been getting around 24. If it gets the increase in gas mileage that it used to when I ran 91 octane, then it's now cheaper to run premium instead of regular, but even at that I won't get that kind of mileage. Just under 31 mpg is the best that I've ever done with it, and that was a very long stretch of interstate where I could maintain a steady speed.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure the Escape qualifies as an SUV. It doesn't have 4WD, it doesn't weigh that much, and the wheelbase is much smaller. It just looks like a baby SUV. The Jeep Cherokee Sport model I had before barely even qualified. It did have 4WD, but was on the low weight end, had a higher clearance, and a relatively small engine compared to the real suburban attack vehicles.

In fact, my insurance didn't consider the Cherokee to be an SUV, nor do they treat the Escape as one. No surcharges.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

36 miles/gallon for me :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Comparable to what I got with the hatchback Metro. But that car was too small for my transport needs out here.

[doco.livejournal.com]

29 mpg? *does the math* Crikey! That's more than eight litres!

Granted, you're not the market demographic for the 48 mpg hatchback, but I wonder if the VW T5 Transporter is available in your area yet - the engine is rated at 34 miles per gallon mixed and runs on diesel.. or, maybe, even the estate version of the Golf would suffice (125 hp Turbodiesel, 40 mpg to the book, even at high speeds). Now if diesel fuel only had less of a stigma in America... :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

In this area there is a difficulty with most imports: dealerships and repair parts are much farther away and take longer to get to than those for American models. Diesel fuel fluctuates wildly in price, much more than gasoline even.

When I lived in the city I had a Geo Metro (which is just an American rebranding of a Suzuki vehicle, or was) and it could get 40+ mpg in highway driving and 36 on city driving. But if you put two dogs in the back seat the car was full.

Space, money, and insurance dictate that I can only have one vehicle, not a collection of them suited to different purposes. Where I live now, the Escape is a compromise.

[doco.livejournal.com]

You know, if only American auto makers would actually do sensible things, like offering the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa in their home market, life could be a lot easier for some of you. Actually, I've heard the Ford Fiesta is scheduled to be introduced to the US (in 2008, we've only had it since. uh, 1974?) soon, but apparently with an Americanized interior and engine (read, the car will suck, nobody will buy it, and they'll stop selling it in the US two years later while the Japanese zip past them in the sales chart). Oftentimes, the need for a pickup or van isn't -really- there, and a small car that is fuel efficient yet strong enough to tow a proper trailer really can do the trick quite well because you're hauling less weight around unless you absolutely need to.

My in-law has a 2004 Corsa and a two-axle trailer, and he's currently dealing with not one, but two houses being renovated, and has never run out of transport space so far, even with all the junk going back and forth between the houses.

Of course, he eventually ended up ordering a Ford Galaxy the other day, but this is mainly due to the fact that you can't cram _two_ child seats into the rear of the Corsa, and his other car (a 1993 Opel Omega) is presently doing the Opel thing and rusting away happily, readying itself for the journey to Africa this fall. :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Don't say "Opel" to me. Remember, I had one of those once.

I don't want to drive pulling a trailer any more than I must. I hate driving as it is, and trailers are too nerve-wracking. If they made a fuel-efficient pickup truck, I'd have considered that, but the push with trucks here is always toward bigger engines and more power.

Yup the price is gettin crazy..

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

With the Neon blowin out its tranny, Im really feelin the pain. As that was gettin right around 38 in the mountains, and 44 on the hiway 48 goin thru oregon. My diesel truck got 17 with Standard diesel, and 15 with the cheap stuff but at 3.20/gallon I was droppin over 56$/2 days. The subaru is gettin 30 mpg as of last tally (now has 2750 miles on it already). The cheap fuel in Fresno is 3.21/gallon, and the Standard is about 20c higher. Im loosing about 40 miles / tank on milage tho on the cheap stuff:p They seem to have a much different blend in the mountains vs the flat central valley.
Im glad to hear tess is being cooperative lately:) Im sure it helps shees not in pain:)

Re: Yup the price is gettin crazy..

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually, Tess hasn't been in any real pain since last June. She's just always been strong willed and a bit stubborn. I think we reached an agreement on that some time ago. She can be that way if she likes, but not with me. ;p

You drive a lot farther than I do, so I'm sure you feel these price hikes more acutely.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

I have mixed feelings on the subject of gas prices. On the one hand, every time oil and gas goes up, my energy-heavy stocks skyrocket, making me buckets of money.

On the other hand, my land yacht only gets about 20 miles per gallon, has a 23 gallon tank and requires 91 octane, so it costs buckets of money to fill up.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Why I won't invest in the stock market. Invariably, it seems, if you make money it's at the expense of someone else. Too often the someone else is a lot of people who had no choice in the matter. Mind, I'm not passing judgement here, just describing my point of view.

The real profits, of course, are being made by company execs and speculators who play with commodities and futures and don't ever even get their fingernails dirty.