My opinion about higher gas prices

With all this concern about gas prices going up I've got my own
opinions.

I'm 35 and when I was a teenager I was making about $3.35 an hour at
Winn Dixie. Wow, I felt really blessed to know they started me at a
nickel above minimum wage.

Seems like gasoline was between .80 and $1.00 per gallon. I drove a
1981 Honda Prelude that got around 27 mpg. I was paying $1300 a year
for insurance. However this was just for collision on an old 76 Chevy
pickup truck. I was principle driver of it since it was the oldest
vehicle we had. Dad paid the insurance on my Honda (about $200 a year)
because it would have been outrageous if I were the principle driver
of it.

If I'd paid the insurance on it, two premiums would have covered the
book value of the car! I had filed no claims but still continued to
pay $1300 a year for insurance until I turned 21. Occasionlly getting
minimal discounts for keeping a B average.

When I was 18-21 I commuted 50 miles a day to a community college
still driving the Prelude. Gas may have been around $1.10 per gallon.
By that time I was making around $4.50 an hour. WOW!

Now I'm 35. I'm making $22.00 an hour.
I'm paying about $850 a year for full coverage on a 2003 Subaru.
I commute 16 miles a day from my job. I fill my car up about once
every three weeks. Gas is now around $2.20 a gallon.

So if I was making $3.35 an hour paying .80 to $1.00 for a gallon of
gasoline but today I'm making $22.00 an hour but gas costs $2.20 a
gallon, it's clear that the cost of driving was much higher for me
back in the 1980s.

Due to my wages and how expensive it was to drive, I barely had two
nickels to rub together to take a girlfriend out to a nice resturant.
A meal at a nice resturant would cost about $25 for both of us. When
your making about $100 a week that's a big chunk.

Now I can afford to eat out more often because I'm making more money
and I don't have to spend as much to drive as I did when I was a
teenager and young adult.

I realize that when gasoline and diesel fuel goes up, everybody raises
their prices, but the cost of spending an additional $15-$25 a month
on gasoline has not caused me any major hardships.

I just wonder if anybody looks at this the same way I do.

> I just wonder if anybody looks at this the same way I do.



Hmmm, well, I certainly notice the differece. I don't think I see it
the same way. I live in a pretty big city, and I don't drive that
often. I swear I filled my tank like 2 months ago for around 23
dollars. I just filled it agin for the 1st time snce then and it cost
me 39 bucks... How can this be? I just hope something is done pretty
soon. I keep reading about how the majority whip in congress is
attempting to do something, which is good. I just hope it goes
through.

I am sick of paying so much for gas, I don't drive that often so I
think it makes me even more angry. If you get gas 2 times a week and
it rises a few cents each time it goes unnoticed. I get it once a
month at most, and when it doubles, I really get ****ed.

On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:32:52 -0400, James >
wrote:

<snip>
>
>Due to my wages and how expensive it was to drive, I barely had two
>nickels to rub together to take a girlfriend out to a nice resturant.
>A meal at a nice resturant would cost about $25 for both of us. When
>your making about $100 a week that's a big chunk.

Yep - I remember when I was a teen and barely had 2 nickels to rub
together either.

The freedom having a car allowed me made the gas seem negligible to
me.


>
>Now I can afford to eat out more often because I'm making more money
>and I don't have to spend as much to drive as I did when I was a
>teenager and young adult.
>
>I realize that when gasoline and diesel fuel goes up, everybody raises
>their prices, but the cost of spending an additional $15-$25 a month
>on gasoline has not caused me any major hardships.
>
>I just wonder if anybody looks at this the same way I do.
>

Sort of. The numbers are not significantly different for me and gas
prices aren't a major hardship, but I did get kind of nervous last
weekend because I refused to pay $2.79 for gas, since I could go for
another 90 miles or so with what I had.

After about 50 miles, I passed a couple of places that were $2.49 -
still too much, I thought and drove on thinking I'd find some place
better soon.

After another 30 miles, I was starting to get worried especially when
the gas station that was supposed to be at a certain exit didn't seem
to exist.

I kept hoping there'd be another exit with gas, but I didn't know for
sure. There was and I ended up paying $2.29.

The remaining 150 miles or so were good - I probably averaged about 75
miles per hour and ended up getting nearly 20 miles per gallon between
buying gas and getting home - much of it was downhill though.

Nevertheless, I still got about 25 miles per gallon on the way up
there and 1/3 of the way back.

Back in the city now, and I'm under 20 mpg again - but gas is only
$2.20 (I think - last time I filled up here anyway, which was a week
ago).

On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:32:52 -0400, James, said the following in
rec.autos.driving...

> With all this concern about gas prices going up I've got my own
> opinions.

<snip>

> Now I'm 35. I'm making $22.00 an hour.
> I'm paying about $850 a year for full coverage on a 2003 Subaru.
> I commute 16 miles a day from my job. I fill my car up about once
> every three weeks. Gas is now around $2.20 a gallon.
>
> So if I was making $3.35 an hour paying .80 to $1.00 for a gallon of
> gasoline but today I'm making $22.00 an hour but gas costs $2.20 a
> gallon, it's clear that the cost of driving was much higher for me
> back in the 1980s.

All well and good for you, but for a single mother (or a teenager today
like you were in the early '80's) making minimum wage (which hasn't gone
up in several years), the effective doubling of gas prices over the last
year or so does put a severe hurt on that person. Maybe so much that they
can't afford to work due to the high cost of getting there - and moving
closer to work is usually not an option for them. I hope W and his oil
baron buddies are happy.

"harpoo" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> > I just wonder if anybody looks at this the same way I do.
>
>
>
> Hmmm, well, I certainly notice the differece. I don't think I see it
> the same way. I live in a pretty big city, and I don't drive that
> often. I swear I filled my tank like 2 months ago for around 23
> dollars. I just filled it agin for the 1st time snce then and it cost
> me 39 bucks... How can this be? I just hope something is done pretty
> soon. I keep reading about how the majority whip in congress is
> attempting to do something, which is good. I just hope it goes
> through.
>
> I am sick of paying so much for gas, I don't drive that often so I
> think it makes me even more angry. If you get gas 2 times a week and
> it rises a few cents each time it goes unnoticed. I get it once a
> month at most, and when it doubles, I really get ****ed.

I buy 18-20 gallons each week, and believe me I've noticed the rise in
prices. I am a student going to college (35 miles there and back, I make
that drive 5-7 times each week, and typically drive about 50 miles each week
for errands, going places with friends or the girlfriend, or pleasure. The
fact that my car requires 93 octane makes the cost of gas even worse, though
the additional $4/tank over 87 as my first car took is negligible, and the
additional $2/tank over the 89 octane my old engine took is also negligible,
especially when you figgure I spent $42 to fill up this week. IIRC I paid
$2.28/gal.

I remember when I got my first car I was paying less than a dollar per
gallon. Hell, it was down in the $.85/gal ballpark for a while. That was for
87 octane. premium has always been about a $.10/gal jump for each higher
grade. $20 used to fill my 24.5 gallon tank when I would run it down to
nearly empty. Now if I run it down to empty I pay at least $50. That's one
hell of a jump in price.

I tried the whole econo-box car thing. I got me a $300 '86 Honda Prelude as
a beater. Got 27 MPG the only time I calculated it (neat that James got the
same mileage... Mine was an '86 1.8l 4 banger, dual carb and 5 speed) and
was fun to drive, though painful to be in for more than 20 minutes or so.
The insurance increase was ridiculous, and it cost the same to drive either
of my Galaxies and get 12-15 MPG but be comfortable and have room to have
other people or luggage in the car, so that's what I did. Since no classic
car insurance company will insure me until I'm 25 I can't afford to have a
beater for my 200-250 mile/week commute to school/work and the Galaxie for
going out with the girl, friends or to shows and cruise nights. It would
save me a lot in gas, but I've got 5 years to go before I can do that.

Now I find myself leaning out the jets, putting heavier springs in the
secondaries, and getting every last degree of timing in as soon as possible
to get every bit of mileage I can squeeze out of it. I'm gonna go junkyard
hunting for an electric fan and see how much that helkps with mileage.
Although the fan I have on there now is a clutch fan it sounds like a
freight train when the engine revs up so I know that takes a good bit of
power to drive. I hear electric fans will typically gain 1-3 MPG. Worth
$20-$30 investment with these gas prices. I wish I had overdrive... I'm
considering swapping an AOD in place of the FMX, as with prices so high it
will pay for itself in a relatively short amount of time being as how I
drive a lot of highway miles (most of those 35 miles to school and back is
on the highway), and in the summer I drive more highway miles.

I rarely go for recreational drives anymore. I will do that more as it warms
up, but anymore I just slow down on the way to school or work and enjoy that
drive. In the summer I'll surely go out and get lsot on the two lane
blacktop like I used to, but even the toher day when it was 75* out I wanted
to go fora drive but didn't bother, because I don't have the money for it.
I used to go out in the boondocks and get lost, cruising the two-lane
blacktop all day. I'd go through a whole tank of gas some weekends. Hell, it
only cost $20 at most. Now I think twice about going for a 25 mile pleasure
cruise, because it all adds up.

I make $10/hr at my regular job for school. For my indepandant consulting I
charge $20-$60/hr depending on what the work is. Sometimes I charge a fixed
rate for particular tasks. That work is inconsistant though, only as I'm
needed for the various people and small businesses I do work for. I
regularly get $40/week from my job working at school. I do work for CMU that
ties in with that work to some degree which works out to about $80/week, but
I only get paid every month or every other month for that. So essentially
the only consistant money I get is just enough to put gas in the car. Summer
is coming so I'll have to figure something to do for summer.

In any case, yes, I do notice the increase in gas prices. A month or two ago
prices were going downa bit and I was relieved when I was paying
$30-$35/week in gas. Now I'm paying $10/week more, or $40/mo more. That's a
lot to me. That's two dinner for me and the girl and Fuddruckers on cruise
night, or going roller skating with her 3 times, or two movies, or 8 lunches
for me (don't buy lunch/dinner when I ahve night class anymore, it goes into
my gas tank). It's bowling every Monday on dollar night, or pool every
Wednesday on $5 night, either with change to spare or both and using it all.

For students it is a lot, especially when you live in teh state with the
highest insurance rates in the country (NJ). Hell, I need to change my oil
and I don't have the money to do it. I have to wait until tomorrow when I
get paid my $80. Then I have a $70 bill on my gasoline card (comes in handy
when I'm waiting on a paycheck and need gas). So between that and my oil
change I'll have maybe $10 in the bank. I'm waiting on my paychecks from my
other jobs, but they probably won't come for another week or two. Then I'll
have some money. Gotta put togehter a little money for my trip to Carlisle
for the All-Ford Nationals.

As for minimum wage, my girlfriend is telling me aobut some law going
thorugh to raise it to $7/hour. Big whoop-de-doo, that isn't enough to live
on in NJ unless you live in the ghetto and only eat once a day. Besides, I
do't believe minimum wage even applies to part time workers like her and I.
Minimum wage doesn't concern me too much beacuse I will not work for minimum
wage (I'd have to be very desperate). I have never worked for minimum wage.
At my first job I made $14/hour. My parents pay for my school, so I work to
pay for my car and whatever recreational stuff I do. Lately my mom has been
throwing me some moeny for gas since the prices have gone up so much. I
appreciate it very much, because until I get paid from my 'real' jobs I have
no money for anything, and I gotta reserve a hotel for Carlisle real soon if
my buddies and I are gonna have a place to sleep.

In any case, yes, I buy gas every week and yes, I do notice the price
increases. It's made a big difference in my lifestyle the past year now that
I'm not working full time anymore. I work far less hours, and because I
can't work at a real job only part time I make less money whihc only
compounds the effect. This year it used to cost me ~$.10/mile to drive, last
week it only cost $.15/mile, now it costs $.177/mile. Figure about 250
miles/week for me and it makes a difference. With todays prices an
additional 1 MPG will reduce driving cost to $.164/mile and save me
$3.75/week or $15/mo. An additional 1 MPG on top of that will reduce cost to
$.153/mile and save me an additional $2.75/week or $11/mo for a total
savings of $36/mo. Damn, did I do that math correctly? Seems about right.
$36/mo means a lot to me. I'm a computer nerd/gearhead going to school for
computer science, so I enjoy doing the math. Even more so for something that
costs me money and is automotive related.

Heck maybe I'll go back to the old 2 barrel Autolite 2100 and ditch the
Holley for now. I once achieved 17 MPG with that carb on the old engine
running on only 7 cylinders. I think at Carlisle I may pick up an Autolite
4100 and use that, so I'll still have a 4 barrel for that extra power but it
should give better mileage. No biggie if I don't make quite as much power as
with the Holley. In any case, I've rambled on enough for tonight.

Cory

"Cory Dunkle" > wrote in message
...
> I tried the whole econo-box car thing. I got me a $300 '86 Honda Prelude
as
> a beater. Got 27 MPG the only time I calculated it (neat that James got
the
> same mileage...

This is exactly why we need corporate average fuel economy and an energy
policy focused on reducing demand. Higher fuel prices put a dent in
everybody's pocket, especially when they don't have alot of alternatives.
If the high fuel prices keep up, and there is a super spike in prices, I
think there will be the political will there to make some changes to the way
CAFE currently works. Market forces might also demand better fuel
efficiency.

harpoo wrote:
> > I just wonder if anybody looks at this the same way I do.
>
>
>
> Hmmm, well, I certainly notice the differece. I don't think I see it
> the same way. I live in a pretty big city, and I don't drive that
> often. I swear I filled my tank like 2 months ago for around 23
> dollars. I just filled it agin for the 1st time snce then and it
cost
> me 39 bucks... How can this be?

Large government subsidies keep the price of oil artificially low.

> I just hope something is done pretty
> soon. I keep reading about how the majority whip in congress is
> attempting to do something, which is good. I just hope it goes
> through.

Yeah. Gas hogs should pay their fair share.

>
> I am sick of paying so much for gas, I don't drive that often so I
> think it makes me even more angry. If you get gas 2 times a week and
> it rises a few cents each time it goes unnoticed. I get it once a
> month at most, and when it doubles, I really get ****ed.

If you really "didn't drive that often," you wouldn't mind the cost of
fuel that much.

On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:32:52 -0400, James >
wrote:

>I'm paying about $850 a year for full coverage on a 2003 Subaru.


Just put of curiosity, what do you consider to be "full coverage"?
I've never seen an insurance company offer a package called "full
coverage."
I've known some who think "full coverage" means the legal minimum,
while others think it means legal minimum plus collision, while others
think it means that plus comprehensive, plus uninsured and
underinsured plus medical and towing and glass.
And what limits constitute "full coverage"? Enought to meet legal
requirements, or enough to cover eventualities?

How about it readers? What's "full coverage"?

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 08:59:39 -0700, Big Bill > wrote:

>On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:32:52 -0400, James >
>wrote:
>
>>I'm paying about $850 a year for full coverage on a 2003 Subaru.
>
>
>Just put of curiosity, what do you consider to be "full coverage"?
>I've never seen an insurance company offer a package called "full
>coverage."
>I've known some who think "full coverage" means the legal minimum,
>while others think it means legal minimum plus collision, while others
>think it means that plus comprehensive, plus uninsured and
>underinsured plus medical and towing and glass.
>And what limits constitute "full coverage"? Enought to meet legal
>requirements, or enough to cover eventualities?
>
>How about it readers? What's "full coverage"?

I consider full coverage,

1: liabilty which covers me if I hit somebody.
2: Collision to fix my car it the accident was my fault
3: unisured motorist, even though TN requires everyone to carry
insurance
4: comp: in a case a deer runs out in front of me or a rock hits my
windshield

I don't think I have towing insurance since I carry AAA

When I mean partial insurance. I mean liablity which just insures me
if the accident was my fault.

"Magnulus" > wrote in
:

>
> "Cory Dunkle" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I tried the whole econo-box car thing. I got me a $300 '86 Honda
>> Prelude
> as
>> a beater. Got 27 MPG the only time I calculated it (neat that
James
>> got
> the
>> same mileage...
>
> This is exactly why we need corporate average fuel economy and
an
> energy
> policy focused on reducing demand. Higher fuel prices put a
dent in
> everybody's pocket, especially when they don't have alot of
> alternatives. If the high fuel prices keep up, and there is a
super
> spike in prices, I think there will be the political will there
to
> make some changes to the way CAFE currently works. Market forces
> might also demand better fuel efficiency.
>
>

Because of the world wide increase in demand, especially China &
India, what we do here won't have that much effect.

We need alternative fuels now. They're not ready, but we need them.

DYM