Rising Gas Prices

[CurtInKS]

Up in the Kansas City area.

Very cool. We are about an hour and a half south. Will be in KC tomorrow for a sonogram.

[melonhead]

Saving Gas

Ever consider a Vespa? Especially in the desert areas? They are virtually free.

First, you'll get about 75 MPG with a 125cc-150 cc unit.

Secondly, whatever you drive now will last longer, or live beyond your payment contract. So, if your mid point on a 2004 car, and use the Vespa, your payments will go away in 2 years, and you car life will be extended.

Next, reduced driving mileage should cause your car insurance to drop, or offset the lower cost Vespa Insurance.

Using less fossil fuels means less air polution, and that won't affect your budget, just make you feel good that you are doing your part.

Finally, they are sheer fun.

Sorry, no stereos or phones.

[BKOnce]

Vespa or scooters are only for working singles with no children, mom-dad still need cars for whole family travel, drive & pickup kids (more than 1) and buy big items that can fit into I think.

[FilingOnMyOwn]

Ever consider a Vespa? Especially in the desert areas? They are virtually free.

First, you'll get about 75 MPG with a 125cc-150 cc unit.

Secondly, whatever you drive now will last longer, or live beyond your payment contract. So, if your mid point on a 2004 car, and use the Vespa, your payments will go away in 2 years, and you car life will be extended.

Next, reduced driving mileage should cause your car insurance to drop, or offset the lower cost Vespa Insurance.

Using less fossil fuels means less air polution, and that won't affect your budget, just make you feel good that you are doing your part.

Finally, they are sheer fun.

Sorry, no stereos or phones.

If you're going to go that route, may as well just ride a regular bicycle. You can still go 20-25mph if you're in shape, its much safer, you dont' have to buy gas at all, and won't set you back 3-4k.

[CurtInKS]

Great read on how to reduce consumption. Lowering demand, by using less gas, is the only way to get prices down..

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html#test1

[HRx]

Great read on how to reduce consumption. Lowering demand, by using less gas, is the only way to get prices down..

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fuelec...cle.html#test1

Thanks for the link! However....I beleive the best way for us to reduce the cost of gas is to stop all the corporate gouging that's been taking place for the past three years! Government, and private sources can't even really prove that American fuel usage has really even increased! There's absolutely no way, shape or form, that American fuel usage has increased with prices like these!! We are all being played like dummies...fuel is basically like air, and water, we are all reliant on it, therefore it's easy for the corporate fuel hogs to cook numbers, create excuses after excuses to keep prices at record breaking highs from one year, after another...these prices are going to run the economy into the ground!! Consumer spending was reported as being unsually low

[CurtInKS]

Thanks for the link! However....I beleive the best way for us to reduce the cost of gas is to stop all the corporate gouging that's been taking place for the past three years! Government, and private sources can't even really prove that American fuel usage has really even increased! There's absolutely no way, shape or form, that American fuel usage has increased with prices like these!! We are all being played like dummies...fuel is basically like air, and water, we are all reliant on it, therefore it's easy for the corporate fuel hogs to cook numbers, create excuses after excuses to keep prices at record breaking highs from one year, after another...these prices are going to run the economy into the ground!! Consumer spending was reported as being unsually low

I agree, that oil corporations are feasting on high demand. They essentially dictate supply to a degree(more on that later), and since they are able to control that, they can control pricing. One thing that needs to be done, IMO, is the decreased dependency on foreign gas. Not crude oil, but gas. The US imports 13% of it's gas. These are from very ineffecient refineries, that get bid up, and with that, along with the cost of shipping that gas, increase prices. if US refineries could increase their production by 10%(which is not unreasonable), and the public could reduce consumption by the other 3%(not unreasonable either), gas prices would drop in a huge way.

IMO, it's not the government's fault that gas prices are so high. They can't remove the built in taxes, because if they did, they'd have to get that money from somewhere else, and we'd feel it there instead. I know a lot of folks want to make a big deal about how "hard" it is for oil companies to add more refineries, or to improve existing ones, because of governmental regulations, but that's really a myth. It's just not a good financial decision for the oil companies. A new refinery costs between $3 and $5 billion, and the return on that investment is around 20 years down the road. with all the nonsense about global warming, and the move toward alternate fuels, a new refinery, that may not be making money for 20 years, is simply bad business. The Gov could lift the majority of the requirements, and oil companies still wouldn't build more, because who wants to dump that kind of money into a project, that may not be needed in 20 years?

If we want to "fix" all this, for what needs fixing, reducing consumption is the best way the public can help. We would be shocked at what reducing our useage by a few percent, in terms of gas prices. Right now crude oil isn't at an all time high, and there's actually a surplus of it. This is simply a case of high demand, and a group who can control supply.

[HRx]

It's a damn shame that I actually think $2.98 p/g is cheap! lol

[HRx]

$2.85 p/g this week....

[HRx]

The price of cost is averaging $2.67 for the "cheap" stuff!! lol Depending on the zip code, I've seen it as low as $2.55.

[DisneyGirl]

Cheap stuff is around $2.91 here right now.

[HRx]

The cheapest price that I'm able to find is $2.54 for the "cheap" stuff.

[HRx]

I spent a few days in West Palm Beach this week...and the average price of gas I saw was $2.89 p/g depending on section of town, and gas station. Some gas stations charged up to $3.15 p/g for the "cheap" stuff! While WPB does have a strong presence of "new" money, the "local" median income simply isn't high enough to warrant these sort of gas prices!

[Minnymouth]

Gas prices today in KY are $3.10 gal.............no end to it.......!!! Gouge, gouge, gouge John Q Public!!!!!

[HRx]

Ouch that's fugly!!! At the rate that prices of things have been increasing---and economic meltdown is in the pipeline...