Posted on 08/07/2005 5:10:04 PM PDT by traumer
Drivers Tired of Paying More for Premium Gasoline Switch to Regular
For some people, it's hitting the big five-oh that really hurts -- that is, dropping $50 on a tank of gas. For others, it's just that relentless upward creep in prices that gets their attention.
Whatever the trigger, drivers pulling up to the pump in vehicles that ostensibly require high-grade gas are wondering if they really need the more expensive fuel or whether it's okay just to fill it up with regular. As gas prices soar, car owners increasingly are going for the cheaper stuff -- no matter how fancy their wheels. And station owners and oil companies are seeing the impact: Sales of premium and mid-grade gasoline are tumbling.
It's an age-old response, industry experts say, for drivers to switch from pricey, higher-octane formulations of gas to cheaper alternatives whenever gasoline prices rise substantially. Now, with prices stuck stubbornly high, oil experts wonder whether high-grade gas will go the way of the Studebaker.
"I foresee no serious decline in prices anytime soon, so the question is, will consumers' buying habits change permanently if the higher prices stay as they are," said Daniel F. Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association, which represents independent filling stations. "Will it be more difficult to attract consumers back to the higher-octane fuels? I don't know."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Here are the guidelines Toyota is using to establish the engines that are prone to having the sludge (gel) condition:
Camry 4 cyl. Produced 8/96 - 7/01
Camry 6 cyl. Produced 8/96 - 7/01
Solara 4 cyl. Produced 6/98 - 5/01
Solara 6 cyl. Produced 6/98 - 5/01
Sienna 6 cyl. Produced 7/97 - 5/01
Avalon 6 cyl. Produced 7/96 - 5/01
Celica 4 cyl. Produced 8/96 - 4/99
Highlander 6 cyl. Produced 11/00 - 7/01
Peak Oil isn't BS.
I said: "The current oil crisis is in the minds of the oil speculators
And I disagree.
We currently don't have an oil crises, we have a lot of sky high prices caused by great world economies.
There are problems on the supply side also.
Had he not lowered taxes the USA economy would have tanked and the world may have been thrown into a depression.
LOL! You are delusional. The Republican man wants you to pay 35% in taxes, and the Democrat man wants you to pay 36% in taxes. Yet one causes a depression and the other causes "great world economies".
Anyway, the tax cuts really weren't that large compared to the Reagan or Kennedy ones, and whatever money the average American has saved because of tax cuts has been more than eroded by compound inflation.
We will not have a problem until you and I start seeing service stations saying no gas until further notice.
We sort of agree here. I don't think the sheeple will get motivated to do anything until that happens (or at least gas lines or other inconviences).
The perceived crises is in the mind of the speculators
It's not a crisis if you are long :-)
You severely underestimate the ramifactions of Peak Oil. Higher prices are just the tip of the iceberg.
I'm not real sure what happened, but my Uncle, who is a retired VP with Exxon-Nalco, I believe has told me that NO sulphur is allowed now, I guess for "eviromental" reasons.
Everytime the government adds a new regulation, we get hit at the pump.....
And I find it strange that energy costs are somehow omitted from inflation adjustments our government reports.
There are a lot of misleading statistics.
Jim Puplava, over at financialsense.com, wrote a fascinating article about this very subject:
Well, around here in Columbia, MD the reverse is true. The price of premium has fallen to nearly that of regular. Regular is about $2.65 and premium is going for $2.73. It's 8 cents more expensive, but gone are the days where premium cost you an extra 20-25 cents.
And for me, that's a good thing. I've got a new Volkswagen GTI and it has a nice turbocharged engine in it. Which means that Volkswagen recommends premium gasoline for it.
:-)
My Volkswagen GTI weighs about 3100 lbs. And it's the size of a Golf.
500 extra pounds doesn't seem all that much of a stretch.
What happened to “charge what the public is willing to pay”?
I think the public is willing to pay $1.39 if it's premium. LOL
I'd be willing to pay a buck a gallon!
I thought you would also have held out for a free glass or fountain drink with an 8 gallon or more fill up as well. :-)
Yep! I'd hold out for that too.
"If the oil companies continue to show sky rocketing profits, I think they will be investigated by Congress."
The only thing they'll be investigating is whether their cut made it into their campaign coffer. Midwestern congresspeople were concerned only because passing that stupid energy bill became way easier to do. Once they corn growers had their pork secured, their concern pretty much dropped off the radar.
We haven't heard about any fast-tracking of nuclear plants, no new tax credits for hybrids or electric cars. We haven't heard about R&D tax credits for battery and fuel cell research either.
You haven't seen any action on being able to drill more domestically either.
Congress will be the LAST to act.
When was the last refinery made?
I've never used anything but regular gas. It gets the job done.
High prices are due to too few oil companies? You don't really believe that do you?
Not few oil companies, more like collusion.
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