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Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2005, 10:14 AM
Okay... let's play a painful nostalgia game.

Yesterday as I was driving to work, one of the radio announcers said, "Can you imagine -- $5 a gallon gasoline?" And the other responded: "Yeah, and someday we'll look back on $5 a gallon gasoline as `the good old days'..."

So... at the risk of demonstrating just how old I really am... when I started driving, gasoline was 29.9 cents a gallon.

How much did it cost when YOU started driving?

Dan in Saint Louis
September 24th, 2005, 10:51 AM
25 cents, until I bought a hot rod Camaro and fed it Sunoco 260!

RayB (France)
September 24th, 2005, 11:12 AM
**How much did it cost when YOU started driving?**

Can't remember what a bag of oats went for in those days. 1971/2 - Fort Wayne, IN - 5 gals for a $1. Gas here over $6.00/gal. with The Netherlands, Scandanavia and the UK even higher.

Jeff
September 24th, 2005, 01:00 PM
Okay... let's play a painful nostalgia game.

Yesterday as I was driving to work, one of the radio announcers said, "Can you imagine -- $5 a gallon gasoline?" And the other responded: "Yeah, and someday we'll look back on $5 a gallon gasoline as `the good old days'..."

So... at the risk of demonstrating just how old I really am... when I started driving, gasoline was 29.9 cents a gallon.

How much did it cost when YOU started driving?

"Ethyl" was in the low .20's as I remember, and they pumped it, checked the oil, cleaned the windshield, and gave me a glass or a plate, my choice. When I left Holland in the fall of 2003 "premium" was close to 2.00e a liter; ~$8.00 a gallon.

- Jeff

I just remembered this editorial in yesterday's Glenwood Springs fishwrapper; the Post Independent. Shrull is the editor. This is western Colorado.

Say what …

Furthermore
By Dale Shrull
September 23, 2005

Here’s an interesting take on public information:

Try calling local gas stations and ask for their prices. No chance. They “can’t” give out that information over the phone.

That big sign out front is about as public as it can get, but ask for the price over the phone and they basically tell you to get in your car and drive to the gas station to see what the price is — very interesting.
Seems like the gas providers are getting a little testy now that the prices are higher than a Sherpa’s hut.

It’s somewhat typical of the arrogant attitude of gas providers. One station told me that I had to call their headquarters in Iowa to get a price for a station in Garfield County.

The PI wants to start printing a weekly gas price survey from the six communities in Garfield County. Public info is a beautiful thing. But I guess we need your help. We need gas-price watchers from Carbondale, New Castle, Silt, Rifle and Parachute/Battlement Mesa. If people can call or e-mail us by Monday afternoon, we’ll publish a random gas survey of Garfield County prices. Give us the price for unleaded, the town and the station. (945-8515, ext. 517; news@postindependent.com.)

Gas prices are the fingernails on life’s chalkboard to most of us now. Gas prices will always be a great source of irritation and fascination. The gas pricing mystery will always drive us a little nuts.

We can’t promise to eliminate the irritation, but we’ll try and pass along a little public information.

Where you buy gas is your call — just don’t try and call for a price.

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2005, 08:28 PM
High test! I remember buying that! I wouldn't dream of it now, nor of owning a car that really needed it.

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2005, 08:29 PM
Twenty cents a gallon... sigh...

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2005, 08:30 PM
"Ethyl" was in the low .20's as I remember, and they pumped it, checked the oil, cleaned the windshield, and gave me a glass or a plate, my choice.Or green stamps! I remember my parents always went to one particular station because it gave out green stamps.

RayB (France)
September 25th, 2005, 02:00 AM
Or green stamps! I remember my parents always went to one particular station because it gave out green stamps.

I got this Tole Lamp with S & H Green Stamps in 1958. Pretty good value, I'd say!

ndebord
September 25th, 2005, 10:05 AM
Okay... let's play a painful nostalgia game.

Yesterday as I was driving to work, one of the radio announcers said, "Can you imagine -- $5 a gallon gasoline?" And the other responded: "Yeah, and someday we'll look back on $5 a gallon gasoline as `the good old days'..."

So... at the risk of demonstrating just how old I really am... when I started driving, gasoline was 29.9 cents a gallon.

How much did it cost when YOU started driving?

Judy,

I remember 27 cents a gallon in 1963 when I got my driver's license in Michigan.

fhaber
September 25th, 2005, 11:43 AM
Wasn't there a truism about 25-cent lightbulbs and 25-cent gas being the only constant in the US economy, 1920-1970 (ignoring inflation, of course)? It was cited as some evidence of the miraculous strength of the American Way (better value, etc.).

The local TV stations have started running zippers underneath with the low gas prices in each NYC borough, stripped from a website (blog?). There seems to be a lot of variation, and you can find $2.59 in Manhattan.

I expect apartment landlords to be burning tanker bilge scrapings in their boilers this winter (literal shiver).

Bill Hirst
September 25th, 2005, 01:15 PM
Okay... let's play a painful nostalgia game.

Yesterday as I was driving to work, one of the radio announcers said, "Can you imagine -- $5 a gallon gasoline?" And the other responded: "Yeah, and someday we'll look back on $5 a gallon gasoline as `the good old days'..."

So... at the risk of demonstrating just how old I really am... when I started driving, gasoline was 29.9 cents a gallon.

How much did it cost when YOU started driving?
It was about 27 cents when I started driving. A bottle of Coke was ten cents--the returnable bottle was glass and had a city name on the bottom. Twist off caps were unknown. Soft drinks did not come in cans; beer did, but you still need a "church key" to open it.

RayB (France)
September 25th, 2005, 02:05 PM
**Wasn't there a truism about 25-cent lightbulbs**

As late as 1950 in Detroit, you merely took your burned-out bulbs to the Detroit Edison office and they replaced them free of charge.

Judy G. Russell
September 25th, 2005, 02:25 PM
That's very nice! As I recall, we used ours for small appliances and dishes. (With seven brothers and sisters, I recall going through a lot of dishes.)

Judy G. Russell
September 25th, 2005, 02:31 PM
Wasn't there a truism about 25-cent lightbulbs and 25-cent gas being the only constant in the US economy, 1920-1970 (ignoring inflation, of course)? It was cited as some evidence of the miraculous strength of the American Way (better value, etc.).
Sigh... wouldn't it be nice to see that now????

The local TV stations have started running zippers underneath with the low gas prices in each NYC borough, stripped from a website (blog?). There seems to be a lot of variation, and you can find $2.59 in Manhattan.I haven't seen anything below $2.85 in NJ.

I expect apartment landlords to be burning tanker bilge scrapings in their boilers this winter (literal shiver).I'm already starting to get quotes on better insulating the house and am soooooo glad I put in a programmable thermostat last year. The kitties better grow thick coats this year given what I'm going to use for a daytime temp this year!

Judy G. Russell
September 25th, 2005, 02:35 PM
A bottle of Coke was ten cents--the returnable bottle was glass and had a city name on the bottom.I don't remember the city name, but I sure remember combing the roadsides in rural Virginia with my cousins in the summers to come up with enough returnable bottles to buy penny candy -- which (gasp) really cost a penny.

Judy G. Russell
September 25th, 2005, 02:36 PM
I'd settle for gas at TEN TIMES that amount... I haven't seen anything as low as $2.70 in weeks...

Dick K
September 25th, 2005, 05:46 PM
...Gas prices are the fingernails on life’s chalkboard to most of us now. Gas prices will always be a great source of irritation and fascination. The gas pricing mystery will always drive us a little nuts.

We can’t promise to eliminate the irritation, but we’ll try and pass along a little public information.
There is an increasingly popular website (http://www.gasbuddy.com) which has current gas prices at service stations throughout the United States. The site is reader-driven, so the information (which is never more than 60 hours old) will be there only if someone has posted it.

Wayne Scott
September 26th, 2005, 11:50 AM
Judy, when I started driving back in 1936, gasoline in Los Angeles was often as low as twelve and a half cents a gallon (8 for a dollar). As recently as 1975 I could find gas sometimes at about 30 cents.
Yesterday I filled by Lexus with regular at 2.999.

Ancient in Athens

Wayne Scott
September 26th, 2005, 12:00 PM
I'm lucky that a woman who was once a top expert on the CIS Auto Forum told me that it was silly to put anything but regular 87 in my Avalon and then my Lexus. The service manual for the Lexus demands 91 or better. The only time mine gets that stuff is when the dealer puts it in when the car is serviced. It climbs mountains (the Sierra Nevadas, the Rockies, and the Transverse Range) without a ping.
I wish I could remember the name of that lady. I would look her up even in New Jersey and give her a big hug.

Thrifty in Thrace

ndebord
September 26th, 2005, 01:41 PM
I'm lucky that a woman who was once a top expert on the CIS Auto Forum told me that it was silly to put anything but regular 87 in my Avalon and then my Lexus. The service manual for the Lexus demands 91 or better. The only time mine gets that stuff is when the dealer puts it in when the car is serviced. It climbs mountains (the Sierra Nevadas, the Rockies, and the Transverse Range) without a ping.
I wish I could remember the name of that lady. I would look her up even in New Jersey and give her a big hug.

Thrifty in Thrace

Wayne,

They run so good because you're buying Toyotas! (I used to buy nothing but Fords, but with the 2003 Toyota Corolla [1.8 4-cylinder] I get 40 mpg hwy and 36 city and nothing but 87 for me. Plus the car is great on maintenance and quite good pickup for a 4-cylinder.

Dan in Saint Louis
September 26th, 2005, 04:27 PM
The service manual for the Lexus demands 91 or better. The only time mine gets that stuff is when the dealer puts it in when the car is serviced.
Modern engines have knock sensors that detect incipient preignition and retard the ignition timing, thus protecting the engine. You lose a few horsepower. If you ever need those ponies back, just use 91 octane and the knock sensor will put the timing back where it belongs, and PRESTO! you once again have all the power you paid for.

Judy G. Russell
September 26th, 2005, 04:47 PM
in 1936, gasoline in Los Angeles was often as low as twelve and a half cents a gallon (8 for a dollar). As recently as 1975 I could find gas sometimes at about 30 cents.Sigh...

Yesterday I filled by Lexus with regular at 2.999.Ouch. That hurts.

Judy G. Russell
September 26th, 2005, 04:48 PM
I'm lucky that a woman who was once a top expert on the CIS Auto Forum told me that it was silly to put anything but regular 87 in my Avalon and then my Lexus.I can't imagine who that might have been... There are a few vehicles that really do in fact need high octane. Most don't.

chm
September 29th, 2005, 03:14 PM
Hi Judy. (Yes, do plant your spring bulbs now, also iris. "The Wayside Gardens" catalog is very good. And, the Angels will beat the Yankees and Red Sox. The Santa Anas are blowing here, and, in addition to setting fire to my state, it's making me crazy - not to mention headachey and asthmatic, can you tell?)

As for gasoline, yeah, I think it was about the same as yourself: 20 - 30 cents. I started driving (legally, as in licensed, and not in the empty parking lot with my dad) in 1966.

I often used to pull into a gas station in my mom's 1965 Ford Falcon and hand the attendant (remember those?) a dollar, "Give me a dollar's worth, please." I was a kid, I was cheap, but I still got a good mileage out of that $1.

BTW, I really miss full-service gas stations - at no extra charge. Wash your windows, maybe check your oil, too...

You know, maybe I should point out that in those days as a part-time retail clerk I was paid ~$1.50/hr (Marshall Field's) - ~$1.60/hr (Sears). Puts it into perspective.

Carolyn
http://www.carolynhmayer.com
http://groovyladies.blogspot.com

chm
September 29th, 2005, 03:18 PM
Don't forget free maps.

Green stamps! Yes. This was how I got my first guitar. If I glued in enough S & H green stamps into those little books, voila - my guitar. Took ten books.

Carolyn

Lindsey
September 29th, 2005, 08:22 PM
"The Wayside Gardens" catalog is very good.
<slapping forehead> Of course! How could I have forgotten about Wayside Gardens?

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
September 29th, 2005, 11:13 PM
Hi Judy. (Yes, do plant your spring bulbs now, also iris. "The Wayside Gardens" catalog is very good. Got it, thanks. I'll look at irises, but I really want tulips and daffodils and crocuses.

And, the Angels will beat the Yankees and Red Sox. The Santa Anas are blowing here, and, in addition to setting fire to my state, it's making me crazy - not to mention headachey and asthmatic, can you tell?)Yeah, for sure, if you think the Angels will beat the Yankees. But it's okay to think they'll beat the Red Sox. I wouldn't mind that at all.

As for gasoline, yeah, I think it was about the same as yourself: 20 - 30 cents. I started driving (legally, as in licensed, and not in the empty parking lot with my dad) in 1966. I often used to pull into a gas station in my mom's 1965 Ford Falcon and hand the attendant (remember those?) a dollar, "Give me a dollar's worth, please." I was a kid, I was cheap, but I still got a good mileage out of that $1. BTW, I really miss full-service gas stations - at no extra charge. Wash your windows, maybe check your oil, too...I remember buying a dollar's worth of gasoline. That was three gallons or more and that went a loooooong way in a '60 Ford Falcon or a '65 Beetle! As for the full service stations... they're the law here in NJ -- believe it or not, self-serve is illegal here.

You know, maybe I should point out that in those days as a part-time retail clerk I was paid ~$1.50/hr (Marshall Field's) - ~$1.60/hr (Sears). Puts it into perspective.My first real job was on the night shift of The News Tribune, a daily in Perth Amboy NJ. I was 18 years old and I made about $90 a week, including a $7 night differential. For a 40-hour week, that was -- let's see -- where's the calculator -- $2.25 an hour. Woohooo! I remember the first time I was offered a job at the absolutely fabulous sum of $8000 a year...

Mike
September 30th, 2005, 12:33 PM
I'd settle for gas at TEN TIMES that amount... I haven't seen anything as low as $2.70 in weeks...
Normally, the gas prices in CA are higher than the rest of the country.

I'm now near Baltimore, MD, and the gas prices here are higher than what I paid last week for gas!

Wayne Scott
October 2nd, 2005, 02:24 PM
I can't imagine who that might have been... There are a few vehicles that really do in fact need high octane. Most don't.
Judy: I gave Marion's old MB 450 SL to my youngest son. He finds that it does knock driving uphill with 87, so he's using 91.
Do you agree with that model's need for high test?

Wayne Scott
October 2nd, 2005, 02:26 PM
By the way, that 450 SL was a 1979 model.

Forgetful in Formosa

Wayne Scott
October 2nd, 2005, 02:29 PM
Caroline, when I was paying 12 1/2 cents a gallon for gas, in about 1937, my cousin was chief clerk at the Bank of America for $16/week.
Times have changed!!!!

Curm

ndebord
October 2nd, 2005, 06:18 PM
Sigh...

Ouch. That hurts.

Judy,

Filled my Corolla at $2.65...the station so busy that cops were turning people away including myself. Had to go around the corner and wait until the meathead was done interferring with private enterprise.

<sigh>

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 09:02 AM
There is an awful lot of price gouging going on.

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 09:04 AM
The best test for whether a vehicle needs high test is whether it knocks while being used for routine driving. Sounds like under the types of driving your son is doing, higher octane is a good idea for that car. In other words, even if I wouldn't ordinarily recommend higher octane for a car, if the specific usage of a specific car is producing a knock, higher octane is worth a try.

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 09:13 AM
You sure don't see that many 25+ year old cars on the road these days that are in the condition I suspect that 450SL is in...

Jeff
October 3rd, 2005, 12:43 PM
Judy: I gave Marion's old MB 450 SL to my youngest son. He finds that it does knock driving uphill with 87, so he's using 91.
Do you agree with that model's need for high test?

He has no choice if he wants to keep that engine in one piece. There were no 'engine management computers' in 1979, the ones that these days sense incipient knock due to inferior fuel and pull the spark advance back to compensate. Note that that maneuver is intended to protect the engine rather than to be for routine use. IAE that Mercedes doesn't have a EMC, and in some respects I'm surprised a 450 of that vintage will accept just 91.
And actually eventually the unleaded fuel sans the lubrication of the lead will kill the valves, unless you can find a lead substitute of the kind I had to use with my 1985 BMW when the last premium leaded station in the Hague caved in to the new world order. Only about a cup of the lead substitute was necessary per tank, but it was necessary for an engine designed to use leaded fuel. Tell your son to look for some.

- Jeff

Dan in Saint Louis
October 3rd, 2005, 01:29 PM
And actually eventually the unleaded fuel sans the lubrication of the lead will kill the valves
MBZ has used hardened valve seats since well before that. Even my 1973 450SL was quite happy on unleaded, at 145,000 miles.

Mike
October 3rd, 2005, 03:38 PM
There is an awful lot of price gouging going on.
It's also surprising to see the variance of prices, even on a single block. In CA, the gas stations are so competitive that it's difficult to find a variance of more than a penny for stations within sight of each other. In Baltimore, I've seen prices vary by more than 30 cents when two stations are across the street from each other!

rlohmann
October 3rd, 2005, 04:42 PM
Maybe, but probably not as much as you think.

Early in my checkered career I worked for the Defense Department's "all bidness," the Defense Fuel Supply Center, which dumped me eyeball deep in the economics of all. :)

Generally speaking, any gas station that raises its prices more than once a day is gouging. However, with respect to day-today price changes, independent (non-branded) gas stations may legitimately post enormous price increases from one day to the next. The reason is that they buy MOGAS (motor gasoline) on the "spot market," the day-to-day auction market, which fluctuates wildly.

In the case of major-brand stations, the increases should be more gradual, but the contracts they have with their distributors may provide for increases sufficient to prevent buyer runs on the pumps sufficient to run them dry.

Our gas is too cheap and we use too much of it.

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 04:48 PM
In Baltimore, I've seen prices vary by more than 30 cents when two stations are across the street from each other!Part of that has to do with the nature of the contract between the gas station operator and the supplier. And part of it is plain garden variety gouging.

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 04:50 PM
Maybe, but probably not as much as you think.We're prosecuting a fair amount here in Jersey.

Our gas is too cheap and we use too much of it.Now there we agree.

Mike
October 3rd, 2005, 09:32 PM
Part of that has to do with the nature of the contract between the gas station operator and the supplier.
In CA, the gas formulations are all the same, regardless of the refinery and the pipeline, because of the stringent regulations for air quality. Thus, your point may be the key.

AAMOF, in smaller towns the same truck fills the tanks at the Shell station, the Arco station, Bubba's Gas 'n Gulp, etc.

Lindsey
October 3rd, 2005, 09:50 PM
There is an awful lot of price gouging going on.
Prices here went up 10 cents just from Friday to Sunday. The low price in the area is around $2.95/gal. The prevailing price seems to be about $3.10. Today, anyway. :(

--Lindsey

Lindsey
October 3rd, 2005, 09:52 PM
In Baltimore, I've seen prices vary by more than 30 cents when two stations are across the street from each other!
Same thing in Richmond. And what seems to happen, is that the station with the low price runs out of regular, or at least has long lines of people waiting to get to the pumps, and the high-priced station cleans up on the overflow.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
October 3rd, 2005, 09:58 PM
Our gas is too cheap and we use too much of it.
That's true, but in most of the country, there's really very little alternative. Mass transit is mostly not available, and most communities are pedestrian- and bicycle-unfriendly.

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 10:16 PM
We don't have quite the same restrictions -- basically we have MTBE in the cold months and no MTBE in the hot months, and anything else goes as long as the octane matches what it's sold as.

Judy G. Russell
October 3rd, 2005, 10:18 PM
The prevailing price seems to be about $3.10. Today, anyway. :( OUCH. We're at about $2.85 but that's still painful. It cost me $36 to fill the tank today.

Lindsey
October 3rd, 2005, 10:58 PM
OUCH. We're at about $2.85 but that's still painful. It cost me $36 to fill the tank today.
The last time I filled my tank, it cost me $47. And that was before the latest price hike. :(

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 4th, 2005, 12:23 AM
When gas really spiked here, I paid $45.60. That's the highest so far. Ouch...

Mike
October 4th, 2005, 01:03 PM
We never have MTBE because of the environmental damage, but we do have winter and summer formulations.

Mike
October 4th, 2005, 01:05 PM
... and the high-priced station cleans up on the overflow.
And today, that probably happens quite a bit... perhaps enough to make it worthwhile!

Mike
October 4th, 2005, 01:06 PM
... and most communities are pedestrian- and bicycle-unfriendly.
As are most of the drivers.

Jeff
October 4th, 2005, 01:41 PM
MBZ has used hardened valve seats since well before that. Even my 1973 450SL was quite happy on unleaded, at 145,000 miles.

Oh yeah? Then I'd imagine that BMW would have been doing the same, but I asked the Den Haag dealer and was told to use the lead substitute that the Shell stations offered immediately after discontinuing the leaded fuel.

- Jeff

earler
October 4th, 2005, 04:07 PM
Ralph, people like warren rudmann said that gas taxes should be much increased years ago, but the politicians were afraid of consumer reaction and did nothing.

-er

Bill Hirst
October 4th, 2005, 05:55 PM
Ralph, people like warren rudmann said that gas taxes should be much increased years ago, but the politicians were afraid of consumer reaction and did nothing.

-er
Politicians are also afraid of losing their campaign contributions from the auto industry if they do anything that hurts sales of those big gas-guzzling Detroit V8 engines.

PeteHall
October 4th, 2005, 06:02 PM
Prices here went up 10 cents just from Friday to Sunday. The low price in the area is around $2.95/gal. The prevailing price seems to be about $3.10. Today, anyway.

In the wake of Katrina, there was reported a sighting of £1.29/litre (at approx 4l=1gal US... $9/gal!) in Sloane St in London... one of the posher ends of town, natch.

Currently around 95-96p/litre

Judy G. Russell
October 4th, 2005, 07:05 PM
I suspect there was a difference between a Benz and a BMW in what the engine was designed for and required.

Judy G. Russell
October 4th, 2005, 07:07 PM
We never have MTBE because of the environmental damage, but we do have winter and summer formulations.That's only been in the last three years (CA still sold MTBE-gasoline until 12/31/2002).

Lindsey
October 4th, 2005, 08:50 PM
And today, that probably happens quite a bit... perhaps enough to make it worthwhile!
Yeah, that's what I mean--it wouldn't work as well if gasoline weren't in short supply.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
October 4th, 2005, 08:51 PM
As are most of the drivers.
LOL!! Yes, that's only too true!

--Lindsey

Lindsey
October 4th, 2005, 08:55 PM
In the wake of Katrina, there was reported a sighting of £1.29/litre (at approx 4l=1gal US... $9/gal!) in Sloane St in London... one of the posher ends of town, natch.
Ouch! But at least you have a decent passenger rail system in the UK. In most of the US, if you don't have a car, it's very difficult to get from one place to another.

--Lindsey

Wayne Scott
October 5th, 2005, 01:43 AM
Thank you. Since he now lives in the mountains near here at about 4500 Ft. he does a lot of mountain climbing.

Wayne

Wayne Scott
October 5th, 2005, 01:47 AM
The old car is in pretty good shape except for a leaky transmission that has to be filled from time to time.
The one in GREAT shape is Marion's old 1970 SL which she gave to our oldest son. He has it in great shape. I drove it to the grocery store a while back when a woman parked next to it in an SUV. Her little boy was getting out with his door quite close to the old 280. The mother yelled at him, "Don't hit that car with your door. It's worth more than you are."

RayB (France)
October 5th, 2005, 03:33 AM
The old car is in pretty good shape except for a leaky transmission that has to be filled from time to time.
The one in GREAT shape is Marion's old 1970 SL which she gave to our oldest son. He has it in great shape. I drove it to the grocery store a while back when a woman parked next to it in an SUV. Her little boy was getting out with his door quite close to the old 280. The mother yelled at him, "Don't hit that car with your door. It's worth more than you are."

LOL! Can't argue with logic like that!

Judy G. Russell
October 5th, 2005, 10:23 AM
The mother yelled at him, "Don't hit that car with your door. It's worth more than you are."ROFL!!!

Many years ago I was riding in a Bentley with an automotive writer. We were stopped for a light when, all of a sudden, we heard a squeal of truck brakes behind us and watched (rear and side view mirrors) as a truck did everything except roll over to avoid hitting us (the driver ended up on somebody's front lawn). We got out, the truck driver got out, he looked at us and all he kept saying was: "I couldn't tell my insurance company I hit a Bentley!"

Mike
October 6th, 2005, 02:01 AM
That's the last that it could be sold, but it was phased-out over a few years.

Judy G. Russell
October 6th, 2005, 12:42 PM
That's the last that it could be sold, but it was phased-out over a few years.It makes sense -- despite the extra cost per gallon for CA's winter formulation, the extra cost in the long run in terms of water table pollution and more of MTBE may make us all wish we'd gone the way of CA on this one.

Dan in Saint Louis
October 6th, 2005, 06:20 PM
Filled up this morning

Judy G. Russell
October 6th, 2005, 07:49 PM
YEOWWWCH! That's painful and then some! $3.199 for self-serve? OUCH!!!

Lindsey
October 6th, 2005, 09:22 PM
Damn...

--Lindsey

Dan in Saint Louis
October 6th, 2005, 09:26 PM
YEOWWWCH!Yeah, and the carwash was broken, too.

Mike
October 6th, 2005, 11:54 PM
What grade was that?

Mike
October 6th, 2005, 11:55 PM
What started the issue was use of of MTBE-enhanced fuel in motor boats on Lake Tahoe.

Judy G. Russell
October 7th, 2005, 07:27 AM
Around here, it's the leaching of the stuff into the underground water tables. That hasn't stopped the state from requiring it, but it does scare the rest of us!

Dan in Saint Louis
October 7th, 2005, 08:47 AM
What grade was that?
93 octane. My car does not have a knock sensor to retard the spark timing.

In fact, I have electronically advanced the timing, and get about 10% improvement in gas mileage at the cost of 3% more expensive gas (the next grade down is 10 cents less). (And more horsepower<G>!)

Jeff
October 7th, 2005, 01:02 PM
93 octane. My car does not have a knock sensor to retard the spark timing.

In fact, I have electronically advanced the timing, and get about 10% improvement in gas mileage at the cost of 3% more expensive gas (the next grade down is 10 cents less). (And more horsepower<G>!)

93?! I don't think I've ever seen >91 anywhere in the States. What age and kind of car is it?

- Jeff

Dan in Saint Louis
October 7th, 2005, 01:29 PM
93?! I don't think I've ever seen >91 anywhere in the States. What age and kind of car is it?

- Jeff
May have been 91, what do they sell these days? 87, 89, 91? Probably so. They changed the method of calculating octane a few years back.

The "barolorot" red one. (http://landiss.info/mbz/mbzphotos.htm)

fhaber
October 7th, 2005, 04:00 PM
>87, 89, 91?

Have there really been that many President Bushes? Cheez, I gotta start keeping better track.

chm
October 7th, 2005, 04:22 PM
As for the full service stations... they're the law here in NJ -- believe it or not, self-serve is illegal here.

Wow, cool. Southern California is the most idiot place when it comes to King Car. Really. I get very sick of it.

I remember the first time I was offered a job at the absolutely fabulous sum of $8000 a year...

Reminds me of when my husband was hired out of college as a chemical engineer/computer expert for Sinclair/Arco Oil for the kingly sum of $9600/year. That was good money in 1968 for a new college grad. Of course, our rent was $107/month.

Carolyn
http://www.carolynhmayer.com
http://wazzup-california.blogspot.com

Lindsey
October 7th, 2005, 10:54 PM
>87, 89, 91?

Have there really been that many President Bushes? Cheez, I gotta start keeping better track.
LOL!!!

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 8th, 2005, 11:54 AM
Reminds me of when my husband was hired out of college as a chemical engineer/computer expert for Sinclair/Arco Oil for the kingly sum of $9600/year. That was good money in 1968 for a new college grad. Of course, our rent was $107/month.That was very good money in 1968. I didn't make that much until quite a bit later. Then again I'm a liberal arts type...

Jeff
October 8th, 2005, 12:41 PM
May have been 91, what do they sell these days? 87, 89, 91? Probably so. They changed the method of calculating octane a few years back.

The "barolorot" red one. (http://landiss.info/mbz/mbzphotos.htm)

I am in serious lust! Is it possible to keep it in the manner it deserves? Is there a working driveline under that luscious body?

- Jeff

Dan in Saint Louis
October 8th, 2005, 05:01 PM
Is it possible to keep it in the manner it deserves? Is there a working driveline under that luscious body?I often joke that when you buy one of those they make you sign a contract that promises you will maintain it. This one has actually required very little maintenance, it only has 99,000 miles.

Driveline? A noisy rice rocket will beat it across an intersection, but from 60 to 140 he will see nothing but my taillights. Definitely built for the long haul, it shifts into fourth at 105.

chm
October 8th, 2005, 05:10 PM
Inflation is strange. $9600/year is well below the poverty level now.

I like to point out to my kids about how I used to take the "L" for 25 cents to get into a double-feature movie (remember those?) for $1 (or less). My large buttered popcorn cost me 25 cents.

My kids were much more impressed before they understood about inflation. ; )

chm

chm
October 8th, 2005, 05:13 PM
You've got me beat, Curm. 12 1/2 cents a gallon for gas!

Almost makes you want to time-travel. Think of the money you could save. Think of how much you could do for, say, $100.

chm

Judy G. Russell
October 8th, 2005, 05:47 PM
My kids were much more impressed before they understood about inflation. ; )ROFL!! Yeah, well, what can I say? A little education can be a dangerous thing.

Mike
October 9th, 2005, 12:02 AM
Gotcha. Your prices are roughly the same as ours. Which is quite a change from six months ago, when we paid 15-30 cents more per gallon than the rest of the country.

Mike
October 9th, 2005, 12:03 AM
That was a latter concern here for the state, which drove the nail in the coffin.

Judy G. Russell
October 9th, 2005, 09:30 AM
Funny... I think we went with MTBE because it was cheaper than your winter formulation, and now gas prices are so high I don't think anybody would notice...

ndebord
October 10th, 2005, 10:06 AM
Funny... I think we went with MTBE because it was cheaper than your winter formulation, and now gas prices are so high I don't think anybody would notice...

Judy,

We've just been looking in the wrong places! Twenty-nine cents a Gallon! Really on Friday last!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051010/ap_on_fe_st/cheap_gas

<g>

Lindsey
October 10th, 2005, 10:18 PM
We've just been looking in the wrong places! Twenty-nine cents a Gallon! Really on Friday last!
Nebraska might have been a bit far to drive from Richmond to get it...

But in the last 24 hours, the East Coast station near my office has dropped the price 22 cents. Unfortunately, I filled up the tank on Friday. :(

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 10th, 2005, 10:55 PM
The store manager who said she made the mistake didn't give her name.Except to the folks at the Unemployment office...

Mike
October 12th, 2005, 12:14 AM
Sometimes I appreciate that my commute is only three miles. :-)

ndebord
October 12th, 2005, 09:05 AM
Nebraska might have been a bit far to drive from Richmond to get it...

But in the last 24 hours, the East Coast station near my office has dropped the price 22 cents. Unfortunately, I filled up the tank on Friday. :(

--Lindsey

Lindsey,

Hey, if the prices go up again as high as they might, the line might just stretch all the way from VA to Lincoln! (Pity we can't take the Lincoln Hwy to get there!)




<VBG>

Judy G. Russell
October 12th, 2005, 09:31 AM
The only thing better would be the ability to telecommute. Which is what I hope to do for the next couple of days. (I have to be in the office today, but...)

Mike
October 13th, 2005, 11:38 PM
I do miss the days when I telecommuted, but if I'm going to have to commute, then my current commute is the one to have! If I had to, I could walk or take a bus, but either of those options takes five times longer to get to work.

Judy G. Russell
October 14th, 2005, 10:44 AM
Tell me about it, as I navigate around flooded areas just to try to get in to work...

Lindsey
October 14th, 2005, 11:03 PM
Tell me about it, as I navigate around flooded areas just to try to get in to work...
"Countdown" tonight had a clip from the "Today" show, with the reporter paddling a canoe down the street. But the authorities had made her move out of the deeper water, afraid that she'd be swept away in the current, and the scene was made rather laughable when some guys crossed the street between the canoe and the camera--and the water was only ankle deep.

We had widespread flooding last fall in the wake of Gaston, and it was at least a good six months--maybe even longer than that--before all of the roads that had been washed out by flash flooding were completely repaired.

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 15th, 2005, 09:29 AM
"Countdown" tonight had a clip from the "Today" show, with the reporter paddling a canoe down the street. But the authorities had made her move out of the deeper water, afraid that she'd be swept away in the current, and the scene was made rather laughable when some guys crossed the street between the canoe and the camera--and the water was only ankle deep.ROFL!! You'd think they'd stage themselves better.

And this morning there is (gasp) some blue color to the sky and a big yellow disk up there and...

I may actually get my spring bulbs planted after all. (Then again I'm half afraid to plant them. I planted some last weekend and then it rained for 8 days!!)

Bill Hirst
October 15th, 2005, 07:15 PM
I may actually get my spring bulbs planted after all. (Then again I'm half afraid to plant them. I planted some last weekend and then it rained for 8 days!!)
Relax, Judy. I'm pretty sure you didn't cause the rain. It was probably some guy in Newark washing his car.

Judy G. Russell
October 15th, 2005, 07:22 PM
Relax, Judy. I'm pretty sure you didn't cause the rain. It was probably some guy in Newark washing his car.That makes me feel sooooo much better, because I planted more bulbs today. Of course, the skies darkened up and I ran inside and hid under the bed...

Lindsey
October 16th, 2005, 12:12 AM
I planted some last weekend and then it rained for 8 days!!)
That's OK--rain is good for them!

--Lindsey

Lindsey
October 16th, 2005, 12:15 AM
Hey, if the prices go up again as high as they might, the line might just stretch all the way from VA to Lincoln! (Pity we can't take the Lincoln Hwy to get there!)
I filled up my tank this afternoon at the East Coast station on West Broad Street for $2.47.9/gal! (And yesterday, the same station was charging $2.68! I don't know what's going on there, but I ain't gonna argue with it as long as the prices keep coming down!)

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 16th, 2005, 11:41 AM
That's OK--rain is good for them!Not eight days of rain! Some of the crocuses even washed out because of the rain (or because of the #$%@# tree rats!).

Lindsey
October 16th, 2005, 11:44 PM
Not eight days of rain! Some of the crocuses even washed out because of the rain (or because of the #$%@# tree rats!).
Yeah, eight days is a bit much.

I think you'd know if it had been squirrels--they'd more than likely have taken a bite out of them, thus ruining them for re-planting. (And I don't think I've heard of them going after crocuses. Narcissus and tulips, yes--maybe even hyacinths, I'm not sure. But not crocuses. Though I wouldn't put much past them.)

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
October 17th, 2005, 09:54 AM
I think you'd know if it had been squirrels--they'd more than likely have taken a bite out of them, thus ruining them for re-planting. (And I don't think I've heard of them going after crocuses. Narcissus and tulips, yes--maybe even hyacinths, I'm not sure. But not crocuses. Though I wouldn't put much past them.)Ditto on not putting anything past them, especially the "getting into Judy's attic despite her best efforts to keep the little #$%@ out..." part. Lord, I hate tree rats...