How are your gas prices?

[Bud]

Today, $2.69 for regular is about the best I've seen.

[verena]

Gas regular. Meaning 2 star petrol, I assume ('ve been heavy into the British press recently).

You say $2.69. Oh! I thought gas was almost free in the U.S.A.

Anyways, not a clue as to prices. I don't have the bloody license to drive!

[TheViolinSkirt]

Around $2.60-.69 here.

[jazzfan422]

At the BP Station up on the corner it is about $2.56 regular.....I also have on of those $20.00 rebate cards coming soon that I've earned & if they think I am going to use at the pump, they have rocks in their head....

[Rémi]

Between 1, 25 €/1,35 € ($1,51/$1,64) in France but it fluctuates every week.

[CarlG]

http://www.t-shirthumor.com/Merchant2/p ... _Code=newr

I think this TShirt says it all.

(and gas was about $2.57 the other day)

Carl.

[imnoangel1975]

$2.89 regular unleaded - $3.09 super unleaded.

[Coda]

$2.69 yesterday.

[wush]

91 octane unleaded costs A$1.20 or so per litre which works out to A$4.7 (US$3.5 or so) per gallon.

Luckily I only need to fill up once a month.

[verena]

Good day, mate ! Ach! once a month only? So I guess you must have a huge 4 wheeler. Paris is so jammed, one better do without such a big car, although they're very trendy, my sis has one, but it's for the country house trips. CQFD.

[wush]

I live downtown and walk or public transport to work. I do my shopping nearyby as well. The only use for my car is an ocasional client site visit (sometimes in a neighboring city 500km away), a dinner in the suburbs and a weekly game of golf.

The big supermarket chains in Australia have launched a petrol discount scheme where you save 4 cents/litre on petrol at selected outlets (Shell for on chain, Caltex for the other major supermarket) when you buy more than $30 worth of groceries. Makes it less painful, I suppose.

Four wheel drives or SUVs are popular the world over. I simply do not understand them. They are only good for off-road use which 99% of them never do. They are big, hard to control and impossible to park. Not to mention the dismal fuel economy.

[Coda]

There have actually been tax incentives for people to buy SUVs in the States. But now, on news shows, people interviewed at the gas pumps are saying they want to ditch their SUVs.

[Bud]

There are SUVs and then there are SUVs.

Personally, I own two but they are not gargantuan (such as a Hummer).

My first is a Toyota 4Runner. It averages about 17 mpg, and uses regular gas. This is my second 4Runner. I had a 1985 model and so it may have even predated the term SUV - can't really remember.

My second is a Honda CRV and averages about 20 mpg. It also uses regular gas. This is better mileage than the Volvo S70 it replaced, which got around 17 mpg. The Volvo required premium octane (91 or above).

Although we don't really go off-road, there are a few storms on the East Coast every year where four-wheel drive is extremely handy...

[verena]

Oh my, your're so lucky Bud. Truth is, I dream of owning a four wheeler, really... A Range Rover would be such a thrill ! Eh eh... See myself cruising the savanah with a merry bunch of no bullshit buddies and stop to pet a few lions !

Perhaps together with a shotgun, just in case. No, I think I could not kill a lion, would make me Die ! Truly, lions are not that dangerous, if you look at them straight in the eyes, with no fear. Oh they may return the favour and look at your face calmy just the same, you don't know what they are telling you, but you know you your're in one of those rarest moments, when life is all eternity.

My my my... this is a dream worth living for. I am going to believe it !

[Coda]

Bud, the gas mileage on my minivan is not much better than on your SUVs!

[imnoangel1975]

Thankfully my little Saab gets great gas mileage (28 mpg in the city and about 35 on the highway). At $2.89 per gallon, filling up can be a bit expensive.

[scielle]

Gas prices are as they should be. North Americans are way to reliant on their wheels, and perhaps when it becomes to expensive to drive your jeep 5 min. down the road for groceries, the public will pressure their local governments to pumps some serious cash into decent public transport systems, b/c right now, most of them are rather dismal.
So as far as I'm concerned, the higher, the better. It's about time we had an incentive to make smarter choices.

[imnoangel1975]

Gas is up to $3.25 now in San Francisco. OUCH!

[Bud]

Bud, the gas mileage on my minivan is not much better than on your SUVs!

Hmm -- just as I suspected, Coda! I can understand Hummer-bashing to a degree, but lumping all SUVs into one category seems excessive. My 4Runner probably gets mileage similar full size sedan, and my CR-V gets midsize mileage.

As for the form factor, are SUVs really different than station wagons? SUVs just ride higher - one legitimate target for criticism.

Regular gas prices ranged from $2.75 to $2.99 on my drive home this evening. I'm not sure I'll see any $2.75 prices by tomorrow morning, though...

[Coda]

Yesterday evening, gas was $3.15 around here. I had paid $2.69 at that same gas station two days earlier.