How bout those gas prices?

[Chris H.]

Gas station down the road is now back to $3.47, just Monday it was $3.51. Good thing is, it's cheaper than $3.65 down the street...

The highest I've seen now is $3.68 about ten miles away.

 

[Stretch]

I think a lot of people see there automobile as a status symbol. I choose a vehicle for its utility based on what I "need" and then on safety, reliability and fuel economy. I find the one vehicle that is top rated in all those areas by Consumer Report, and that's how I pick. For 2011, the clear winner in my book is the Mazda3i, even though CR rates the Impreza as top in that class. I'm not sure how they worked that out. It suffers by comparison to the Mazda in both reliability and economy. Of course, many of those factors can change from year to year.

Did you take in the depreciation factory? Subarus hold their value ridiculously well. I could sell my car now, for about what I paid for it 2 years ago. You can find 10 year old Subarus selling for over $7-8k depending on how good they are.

 

[MacNasty]

You think you've got it bad? Try filling up in the UK.

£1.38* a LITRE at my local, for unleaded. Granted our fuel is of a higher grade than yours, but ours is still a rip off. I filled up my tank on Sunday, and it cost me £77 for just over 50 litres.

*About $8 a US gallon.

Gas here is $3.69/gallon but was 10 cents higher yesterday.
How much is tax is your area? That does make a big difference. We are forced to buy the "reformulated gas" which was supposed to burn cleaner but even after determining that spills cause major ground water contamination it is still forced on consumers here. Drive 30 minutes in any direction where it is not a requirement and prices drop an average of 10 to 15 cents per gallon.

 

[MacNasty]

I'll tell ya what...if there's one thing driving up gas prices, it's the MEDIA. I think by reporting that "gas prices are increasing" it basically gives the oil companies the okay to increase the prices, know what I'm sayin'?

By the way, how many consecutive years has it been now that they've been reporting that gas could be as high as $5 a gallon by the summer? (And how many times has it actually happened? ZERO.)

It's been worse.

Unfortunately, the speculators drive the market. Until the market rules change to prohibit the practice we'll have to live with it. In addition a tanker ship's Captain can be instructed to wait off shore till prices are more favorable - seen it done.

 

[toMACsh]

Did you buy it yet? I had a 2006 Mazda 6 and it was very trouble prone. Things started breaking from the first week I had it and never stopped until I traded it in 18 months later (and it depreciated by nearly 50% in that time period). Never again.

I may wait until the 2013s are available. They are adding more fuel efficiency components. I think CR rates the 3 as more reliable than the 6. I had a '96 Protege (ancestor of the 3) for 12 years and don't recall it being much trouble. The worst thing that happened was a mirror motor died.

Did you take in the depreciation factory? Subarus hold their value ridiculously well. I could sell my car now, for about what I paid for it 2 years ago. You can find 10 year old Subarus selling for over $7-8k depending on how good they are.

I don't consider the depreciation at all, as I don't look at a automobile as an investment. I keep my cars until they are about used up. By that time the values within classes are pretty much even, depending on how well they've been maintained. But, to be fair, one would have to have data comparing brands rather than stating one holds its value well and the other is unknown.

 

[cwa107]

I may wait until the 2013s are available. They are adding more fuel efficiency components. I think CR rates the 3 as more reliable than the 6. I had a '96 Protege (ancestor of the 3) for 12 years and don't recall it being much trouble. The worst thing that happened was a mirror motor died.

I wouldn't trust CR's data as far as I can throw them. I think the objectivity of the organization as a whole is dubious, particularly since the publicity stunt they pulled with the iPhone 4.

 

[Zoolook]

Apparently most drivers can save about 45% on their fuel costs by simply:

- Not driving like idiots (hard acceleration, breaking, acceleration, breaking on the highway)
- Checking tire pressure regularly
- Regular oil changes
- Removing the roof rack when not needed
- Not driving to the gym to run on a treadmill
- Consolidating chores than require driving, rather than doing 6 1/2 mile journeys and doing one 3 mile journey

etc etc. We're just going to have to get used to the fact that gas isn't something we're 'entitled' to have so cheap.

Cheap gas not a human right. I've always found it odd that Americans get more annoyed about rising gas prices than rising health-care costs or rising college tuition fees.

 

[XJ-linux]

Funny thought...

Personal vehicles were once for only the wealthy.
Then they were for everyone.
Then everyone and their kids.
Soon only for the wealthy again?

Progress?

 

[vansmith]

- Not driving like idiots (hard acceleration, breaking, acceleration, breaking on the highway)

I realize that Top Gear is an entertainment show but they make the exact same argument (and rightly so). A lot of the frustration that people have with gas prices can be corrected not so much by technology but by fixing the driver.

Cheap gas not a human right. I've always found it odd that Americans get more annoyed about rising gas prices than rising health-care costs or rising college tuition fees.

People have to pay for gas on a regular basis and the costs are very "visible" rather than health care costs which are obfuscated by insurance and government policy. Visibility makes people angry, uncertainty makes people confused and thus less likely to complain.

 

[pepsican]

Currently $3.69 here, just filled up. The person who filled up before me put in $88 worth of gas. Ouch. A full tank lasts me a couple of months right now if I'm not traveling. 10 gallons, 500 or so miles. Looking forward to the warmer weather so that creeps into the 600 mile range

 

[Chuckoir]

My last two fill ups have been circa $120 (£75) each, and due to family illness, I'm going to drive 700 miles this weekend so that's another $240 on gas.

Europe rocks! ;P

When I emigrate to the US in a few years, I'm going to buy a Dodge Viper, and drive it at 100mph everywhere just because fuel is "cheap".

 

[dexbydesign]

Over here in Australia, gas is sitting at about $1.50 per litre - so about $6 per gallon.
That's on the eastern coast, and that's for the E85 ethanol-blended petrol, which most cars just drink.

The next blend up is 95 octane, which is floating at stupid heights over here at the moment - it's about $1.67 per litre the last time I filled my car up, so $6.65 per gallon.

Curiously, however, move 300km inland and the price drops by nearly 20c per litre, and 91 octane fuel becomes available.

Having to transport fuel further away from the ocean makes it cheaper, for some reason. Not quite sure how that logic works.

Our excise on fuel (tax) is something equally odd - it's 48c in the dollar, about 9c of which goes to maintaining roads, and the other 39c straight into the Government's coffers.

 

[RavingMac]

Apparently most drivers can save about 45% on their fuel costs by simply:

- Not driving like idiots (hard acceleration, breaking, acceleration, breaking on the highway) . . .

Unfortunately, numerous studies have found that direct pressure upon the palms of the hands combined with breathing exhaust fumes depresses activity of the cerebral cortex.

 

[toMACsh]

I wouldn't trust CR's data as far as I can throw them. I think the objectivity of the organization as a whole is dubious, particularly since the publicity stunt they pulled with the iPhone 4.

Really? You write off their extensive automobile testing because they screwed something up with the iPhone? (I don't know what you're referring to - don't own an iPhone.)

 

[cwa107]

Really? You write off their extensive automobile testing because they screwed something up with the iPhone? (I don't know what you're referring to - don't own an iPhone.)

Absolutely. CR's credibility and integrity are routinely called into question.

For reliable, up-to-date research, check out TrueDelta.com. And they just so happen to have an excellent section calling out some of CR's missteps:

TrueDelta's blog on vehicle reliability, pricing, and industry trends » Consumer Reports

 

[XJ-linux]

I like CR when it comes to tallying test data and the like. They are pretty good at research on repairs and such. I rarely if ever agree with their subjective criteria and opinions on vehicles. To me they weigh factors I don't care about in ways the obscure factors I do care about. Much of what they recommend I wouldn't touch with a 10 meter cattle prod. Much of what I enjoy they seem to hold in disdain for the simple fact that the vehicle is not what it was not designed to be.

 

[RavingMac]

CR's credibility was built by one man (an engineer as I recall) who had a passion for developing real world quality tests for products. When he passed away (several years ago) they continued his reporting methods without his insight or passion IMO.

I tend to agree that CR today is almost (but not quite) worthless in their reccommendations.

 

[MacNasty]

Cr

Really? You write off their extensive automobile testing because they screwed something up with the iPhone? (I don't know what you're referring to - don't own an iPhone.)

Sorry but I don't trust them (CR) either and have been reading the articles ever since the better half started subscribing decades ago. On some occasions they have let their liberal political views cloud their judgement on products of which they disapprove. Some things they downgrade a car for may even be a non-issue for the average buyer.

 

[toMACsh]

Ok, so Toyota really doesn't make good cars? CR has been deceiving me!

 

[MacNasty]

Ok, so Toyota really doesn't make good cars? CR has been deceiving me!

Don't know which Toyota(s) you drive so I can't comment on that. Toyota has had major issues with quality control and recalls though. Loss of steering control on some Prius models, and braking and acceleration related problems on multiple models. Toyota claimed many of these problems were electronics related. Your mileage may vary.