Ender2309
has joined the GOP
+470|6995|USA
i went to the gas station to fill up today.

my soul died a little today.

in the one year i've been driving "my" own car, gas prices have gone up a full dollar.  my parents bought "me" a pretty fuckin nice car because my mom is a safety freak and didn't want me driving anything over 5 years old and anything with less than a perfect crash rating. hell, the only reason "I" got a car at all is so that i could take my siblings to school get them from various sports practices (we all play during the same two seasons so that works out well for me), get them to and from friends' houses, and run various errands for them. it also helps that i'm the sole photographer for my highschool's newspaper and that means going to all the sporting events. my parents obviously struggle to make all this work out when they have 3 kids at home so they decided to get "me" a car to make life easier for them. so i got landed with a blue 2005 ford mustang, whose previous owner died of a heart attack. good thing i'm only 18 or i might have followed after today. by the way, i say "I," "me" and "my" because its really my dad's car. so long as i behave i get to drive it, but if i mess up at all, even on little things like accidentally snapping at my mother after a long and tiring day ( i say little because i always recognize it and apologize right after, seeing as she gave birth to me and all).

anyhoo, they bought the car and pay for the insurance, which is fantastic for me, but only pay for the gas it takes me to get to and from whatever errands they send me on and for school. i have to log it all and then they pay me back at the price i paid for gas when i filled up. anything else, including my photography position, i have to pay for myself. and after subtracting what they have me doing its not that much driving. but crap, i've burned through almost 3/4s of my $3,000 life savings.

enough with the heart-wrenching diatribe; i know you're all just sobbing.

gas broke 4 bucks where i live this week. i paid 4.05 & 9/10 today. i put in 20 bucks with somewhere between a fourth and an 8th of a tank left and got to just barely over half a tank. when i started driving that would get me to 7/8ths from the gas light easy.

https://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/mrlemon123/gas2.jpg

pic cause it happened.

i can't wait until i get to college next year. i'm going to a school in a city with public transit that actually works. its also a place i can actually bike. i'll never bike anywhere where i live for one reason: every single time i'm on the road i see at least ten people distracted enough to drive in the bike lane for at least a half mile. sorry, but i don't want to die.

edit: i guess i should clarify this: its not so much the fact that gas is 4 dollars a gallon as it is that its up so much from only a year ago.

Last edited by Ender2309 (2008-05-11 13:14:21)

FallenMorgan
Member
+53|6338|Glendale, CA
Here's a secret for you:

It's not the Iraq war, it's the oil companies.
Ender2309
has joined the GOP
+470|6995|USA

FallenMorgan wrote:

Here's a secret for you:

It's not the Iraq war, it's the oil companies.
not really. its more the fact that the world's oil production is about to peak, meaning we're about to reach the amount at which oil is hard enough to find and procure that production will start to drop rather than climb. so its partially the oil companies in that they have to price competitively to keep the resource running, and partially that china and india are getting in the game and world population is climbing which all puts more strain on the supply.
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6829|North Carolina
Sorry to hear your troubles, but I have to say a few things...

1) Convert half of your remaining savings into Euros (you'll thank me later).

2) Yes, mass transit is the way to go if you have the option.

3) If your car is paid for completely, see if you can trade it in for something with better gas mileage.
madmurre
I suspect something is amiss
+117|7134|Sweden
The price around 8 Dollar for a gallon here ( todays price ) been up around 7 at least for a long time get used to the prices my bet are it won´t get any cheaper.

Edit: Worth noting the gas is taxed as hell here in Europe.

Last edited by madmurre (2008-05-10 14:38:14)

PureFodder
Member
+225|6709
My girlfriend filled her tank a week ago in a Ford Fiesta (a small city car).... £35 ($70)
Ender2309
has joined the GOP
+470|6995|USA

Turquoise wrote:

Sorry to hear your troubles, but I have to say a few things...

1) Convert half of your remaining savings into Euros (you'll thank me later).

2) Yes, mass transit is the way to go if you have the option.

3) If your car is paid for completely, see if you can trade it in for something with better gas mileage.
no way on the trade in. parents won't let me.

why the conversion?
Phrozenbot
Member
+632|7039|do not disturb

FallenMorgan wrote:

Here's a secret for you:

It's not the Iraq war, it's the oil companies.
Here's a secret for you; it's inflation.

Turquoise wrote:

Sorry to hear your troubles, but I have to say a few things...

1) Convert half of your remaining savings into Euros (you'll thank me later).

2) Yes, mass transit is the way to go if you have the option.

3) If your car is paid for completely, see if you can trade it in for something with better gas mileage.
I agree with your other points except point 1. The Euro has an uncertain future, if not a bleak one.

Last edited by Phrozenbot (2008-05-10 15:07:31)

Doctor Strangelove
Real Battlefield Veterinarian.
+1,758|6892

FallenMorgan wrote:

Here's a secret for you:

It's not the Iraq war, it's the oil companies.
The M1A2 MBT gets <0.5 MPG, of course the war has nothing to do with it.
ghettoperson
Member
+1,943|7073

Buy a bike.
liquix
Member
+51|6877|Peoples Republic of Portland
move to portland. Ride the max, or front the extra cost to live near your work so you can just walk.
N00bkilla55404
Voices are calling...
+136|6355|Somewhere out in Space

DoctaStrangelove wrote:

FallenMorgan wrote:

Here's a secret for you:

It's not the Iraq war, it's the oil companies.
The M1A2 MBT gets <0.5 MPG, of course the war has nothing to do with it.
The M1A2 also uses aviation fuel to fill that plane engine that you call its ass.

Frankly, both are to blame.  Oil companies for being greedy price gouging money mongers, and the war for disrupting the ME's oil supply.
RAIMIUS
You with the face!
+244|7138|US
M1A2 gas rating 1gal every 400yds, so just under 0.25mpg (IIRC).
Drakef
Cheeseburger Logicist
+117|6786|Vancouver
Gasoline in Vancouver is currently at $1.35 per litre, which is roughly CDN$5.11 per gallon. It costs me roughly $70 to fill up my Volvo- Although it must be more now, since I haven't filled up in weeks, and prices have risen. I've been conserving. Of course, I have no mind to bitch at one glance at the European prices.
Lotta_Drool
Spit
+350|6607|Ireland

N00bkilla55404 wrote:

DoctaStrangelove wrote:

FallenMorgan wrote:

Here's a secret for you:

It's not the Iraq war, it's the oil companies.
The M1A2 MBT gets <0.5 MPG, of course the war has nothing to do with it.
The M1A2 also uses aviation fuel to fill that plane engine that you call its ass.

Frankly, both are to blame.  Oil companies for being greedy price gouging money mongers, and the war for disrupting the ME's oil supply.
The war in the M.E. is keeping prices down.  If the US would have done nothing after Sadam invaded Kawait Oil would be very high right now because Sadam had a big enough Army to Invade Saudi as his troops were lined up to do.  Also if the US didn't Police the M.E. after the war Sadam wouldn't have disarmed and would have been right back to invading Kwait, threatening Saudi Arabia, lobing Scuds at Israel, and building chemical weapons.  Hell he even had a plan in action to assasinate Bush #1 just after Clinton took orfice and got preoccupied with interns.

The US troops in Iraq with Sadam gone is actually stabilizing that area of the world a lot and keeping Iran on the short leash so they don't go into Iraq or Israel.

oh and I was an M1 tanker and it very much matters what terrain, how fast, how clean the air filters are, and what type of fuel it is burning as to what mileage the beasty gets.
FatherTed
xD
+3,936|6924|so randum
Bleh, try filling up in the U.K - It hurts.
Small hourglass island
Always raining and foggy
Use an umbrella
BigOrangeArmy
Don't tase me, bro!
+12|6419|Dallas

FatherTed wrote:

Bleh, try filling up in the U.K - It hurts.
Lol try here in Texas...sure, its only $3.59 here, but we have no public transit system, live out in the country, and with all the Rams and F250s, most people pay about $75 each fillup. My sister's boyfriend just payed over $100 today...yeesh...
Commie Killer
Member
+192|6811

FatherTed wrote:

Bleh, try filling up in the U.K - It hurts.
We have to travel many times the distance you need to to get from place to place. One of the reasons mass transit isnt going to/hasnt taken hold here.
beerface702
Member
+65|7117|las vegas
3.70 a galllon here

with possible myanmar invasion plans to bring in relief..the beirut issue and a number of other things. Expect wall street wigs to run oil up to over 130$ a barrel come monday morning.

you aint seen nothin yet folks.
Ender2309
has joined the GOP
+470|6995|USA
unfortunately you're probably right beerface. and commiekiller is too. where i live the mass transit is a couple of buses that don't run on schedule, don't run often enough, don't run far enough, and don't run to enough places to be truely effective.
Doctor Strangelove
Real Battlefield Veterinarian.
+1,758|6892
$4.19 at an Exxon in my town.

$4.13 at a local chain gas station a block east from aforementioned Exxon.


Yet the Exxon station gets more customers, people are stupid.
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6829|North Carolina

Phrozenbot wrote:

I agree with your other points except point 1. The Euro has an uncertain future, if not a bleak one.
Sure, there are lingering dangers for the Euro, but I don't see tham as any worse than what the dollar is currently going through.
Phrozenbot
Member
+632|7039|do not disturb

Turquoise wrote:

Phrozenbot wrote:

I agree with your other points except point 1. The Euro has an uncertain future, if not a bleak one.
Sure, there are lingering dangers for the Euro, but I don't see tham as any worse than what the dollar is currently going through.
I know, I didn't say being in dollars was any better, in fact I'm the biggest dollar bear here. I'm moving my money into gold and silver and mining stocks.
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6829|North Carolina
Gold does seem pretty safe...   even oil does for the moment.
Phrozenbot
Member
+632|7039|do not disturb

Typically there is a 10 to 1 ratio between gold and oil, so if oil hits $200 a barrel like I think it will by the end of the year, we might see $2,000 an ounce gold. I'm waiting for the price of gold to explode though once central banks give up or run out of ammo to keeping the price supressed. That will be a big winner.

Board footer

Privacy Policy - © 2025 Jeff Minard