Bushwack Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Average cost of one gallon of unleaded gasoline in Denver.Average cost of one gallon of unleaded gasoline in Los Angeles.Denver, CO: $2.96Los Angeles, CA: $4.12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 68vwdubb Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 To be honest, I would have thought it to be more than $4.12 a gallon in CA, since its $3.49 here in MI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDirk Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 $3.45 a gallon for 87 octane in St. Louis today. We tend to be on the low side, as we are close to refineries and have lower gas taxes than some surrounding states, to say nothing of the coasts (yeah, I'm pointing at you, California).Keeping in mind that we are still in winter (even if the temperature belies that fact) when gas is historically less costly, I fully expect to top $5.00/gal for the summer driving season. That'll leave a mark. With the muscle flexing in the Strait of Hormuz, and other geo-political storms yet to come, I predict a lot less travel and a lot more economic distress this spring and summer. The only good news for us Reatta lovers is that our cars are long since bought and paid for (and for most of us, rather cheaply at that, unless bought new). Imagine these gas prices with a $200-300 or more per month car payment plus taxes and insurance for a new(er) car. Lots of people are about to feel the pain.KDirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 The picture in Bushwack's signature was taken in the last three weeks. (late January or early February) Notice how green it is behind the car? Notice that the top on his car is retracted? I'm not sure exactly what the breakdown is or why the price of gas is higher here in California. One thing I am sure of is it is worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mc_Reatta Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I remember when the price of gas would always magically drop in an election year which always yielded benefits for the incumbent. Doesn't bode well for our sitting president if gas does make it up to $5 like they're saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCReatta Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 The price difference between NC and SC is crazy. Filled up before I left home today, paid $3.69. Filled up about half way through SC, paid $3.33.Taxes are THE difference between NC and SC.On the bright side, the '94 Roadmaster wagon with the 350 LT1 V8 was averaging 22mpg on the way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booreatta Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Its just simple math but as the price of gas goes down will speed up the recovery and as it goes up it will stall the recovery Its reality that there is only so much money in everyones budget to go around. Credit cards will once again be the cushion that will absorb the cost increase. the amout of credit on personal credit cards will determine the depth of the damage to the recovery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDirk Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Chuck is correct in that credit cards - to the extent they are still available, which is not what it used to be for a lot of people - will absorb some of the hit from gas prices until they are maxed out too. That is not a solution for most, as the plastic is being used to buffer other day to day expenses as well for a lot of people already. This will all converge to do economic damage in a lot of sectors more quickly than many probably expect. Case in point, my job as a plumber will be (and already has been) nicked badly due to lack of cushion in many people's budgets. I routinely work in houses with 4-5 bathrooms. Sometimes 2 or 3 are out of service due to some kind of plumbing problem. People ask that I do repairs in the one they use most, the rest just stay broken/out of service. The higher gas goes, the more hours (mine and many others in the trades particularly) get cut, and the less money we make and have to spend on $5 gas or anything else. Restaurants and fast food will also be hit badly, as these are almost purely discretionary expenditures. I already see this here in STL. Friday and Saturday nights are busy, but the lunch business is way off in many places, and weekday dinners are also off a fair amount. So, the restaurant servers and help at fast food outlets will see their hours cut (or their jobs will go away entirely as locations close outright) and that is even fewer people to spend money they now don't have into the economy at large. This is like the proverbial snowball that barrels down the mountain getting bigger and picking up velocity all the way down. The knock-on effects of such a precipitous rise in fuel cost (and I won't even discuss food cost; look at your grocery bill closely these days) will not only do real damage to the economy which is already in a bad spot (ignoring the propagandized statistics and stock market which is on a manipulated fiction induced run-up) but will have major political implications. I will choose not to go further on that observation as it is a Pandora's box, but there are some people who either are - or should be - very nervous right now about their future in politics. As Yogi Bera once aptly said, "the future ain't what it used to be."KDirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoltanb Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 You want crazy gas price, today I drove from Lovettsville Va (3.69) to Charlottesville Va about 125 miles away. The price just out side of town was 3.28. The only difference is the local tax which is negligible. The fix is definitely in. When I started driving gas was .26 a gallon, boy have we come along way!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 It's going up because the "experts" told us a month ago it was going to be 5.00/gallon this spring. Oh that, and a whale farted next to an oil tanker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest groingo Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I gave up worrying about gas prices, when they get high I just drive my 94 Geo Metro more plus it is the only car I have that is actually appreciating in value the higher gas gets...don't complain about gas just buy as many Geo Metros as you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I drive an old Chevy Hybrid pick up truck most of the time. It burns gas and oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Recian Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Don't forget the automotive industry. And I'm not talking the one you see in the media. I'm talking about guys like me. The techs fixing your cars that get payer by the job and they can't make anything when people can't afford to fix their cars. We lose money when they buy new ones because you can't make a living as a commission tech doing oil changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwack Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Don't forget the automotive industry. And I'm not talking the one you see in the media. I'm talking about guys like me. The techs fixing your cars that get payer by the job and they can't make anything when people can't afford to fix their cars. We lose money when they buy new ones because you can't make a living as a commission tech doing oil changes.I have no love lost for you (well...yea I do but then I can't make the following argument). Since 1965, people are holding on to their cars longer then ever before (11+ years). There is work to keep you busy for a long time. My mechanic (whose father started the shop back in 1950), continues to profess his customer base is within a 1/3 mile radius of his shop. And he most likely gets 10-20% of that business. That's not too bad considering he has 9 bays and about 16 employees (and did just under $5 million in sales for 2011).If you're not busy, I don't think its as much as people not driving or tight with their wallet. It's more as if an injection of advertising that is needed. Unless you're in NY where mass transit is good, most of us need our cars to commute. We may be driving less. But then its up to the shop owner to increase advertising. There's business out there - just have to hunt for it harder then usual during these times.And on a side note (and I am not dispensing stock advice), since 2010 it has been a good time to own independent automotive related stocks. Most have far surpassed the S&P in annual return and is projected to do so through 2013. A testament that people are either doing their own services or most likely, holding on to their cars longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WEB 38 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Shops that rip off a customer need to remember that they get a lot of word of mouth advertisment that they do not know about. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) $3.49 for 87 PON in Orlando, always fill up before heading north because it is chaper in GA. Bought my new DD/tow vehicle the end of Jan, have used just 1/4 of the second tank in three weeks & getting over 20 mpg.ps a heathy economy grows at about 5% per year (inflation), we have been running at less than 3% since 2006. Lots of built up pressure.pps my new car is flex-fuel. Edited February 22, 2012 by padgett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Recian Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 yeah dealership hourly labor rates drive them to independents now. Having warranty work, new and used cars makes dealerhips still worthwhile but im getting tired of it. I should just open my own reatta shop lol wouldnt get any business in this area tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Have been trying to figure out what to do when I retire, prolly have enough equipment/tools for about a 3 bay shop. Hard part is the manufacturers seem to be treating service manuals for new cars as proprietary information. Didn't GM get in trouble about that a few years ago, something about SEMA and radios maybe ?ps shoulda said I fill up before leaving so that I can make it a ways into Georgia before needing gas. If I head west, it is a stretch: state line is over 400 miles and in a different time zone from here. Edited February 22, 2012 by padgett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawja Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hard part is the manufacturers seem to be treating service manuals for new cars as proprietary information.Huh? I just bounced over to HelmInc.com and checked the Buick LaCrosse... 2012 FSM listed as not printed yet, 2011 available. You scared me there for a second. Bad enough they quit paper Parts and Illustration catalogs in '93, no FSMs would be the end of us hobbyists going forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawja Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Oh, and I just paid 3.559 for 87 octane filling up me Trans Sport today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDirk Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Rawja,Believe Fiat/Chrysler has taken the position that they will not sell factory service data to the customer (you know, that stinking rat who paid $30,000 or so for one of their products) until the car is out of warranty or some such foolishness. Way to show their appreciation for those who invested in one of their vehicles. Don't know if this attitude is pervasive with other automakers yet, but I suspect it could be a bigger problem going forward. The main issue I see is that dealers are almost entirely on electronic service data now, they no longer get paper copies unless they really want them for some reason. This is a cost savings (not having to publish so many phone book size FSM's and distribute them) but also makes updates and corrections nearly instant, they are just loaded to the dealerships computer by internet connection. With internet connectivity being pretty well ubiquitous now, distribution of service data on CD's or DVD's has become passe. Alldata abandoned that approach and now sells their service through on-line access. This also allows them greater control since they are a subscription service. You don't pay, you are cut off, simple as that. The upshot of all this is that one should not expect to see cd or dvd copies of FSM's available either. If the decision is made to stop making paper books, then we are well and truly screwed, if we want service data for newer cars past that point in time such a policy is adopted. Of course, if it came to that point, with GM being government owned, perhaps we could make a FOIA request. Though I'd guess the FSM would look like an DOD memo from Project Blue Book in that case [i.e. heavily redacted]. KDirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Is particularly odd for Heep because they are liable to be places no dealer can reach. OTOH with retrieval menthods there is no reason not to be able to suck down a complete manual; TSBs, parts book, and collision guide is already online.Was a little sad for me that there was no GM product as fully equipped, capable of towing 5,000 lbs (yes I remember the dig about towing a Reatta with the TransPort), and with decent MPG (over 20 mpg of mixed driving on second tank with winter gas, about 2 mpg better than Reattae) for the same money. In fact a brand new one with 15 miles on it & full warrenty was less than a used 2011. Fact that dealer had exactly what was wanted on the lot, being a Chrysler "friend", & month end helped.Admit was impressed by specs (DOHC, VVT i&e, Coil on plug, 24 valve V-6 290 hp from 3.6 liters & flex fuel capability, 90% of max torque from 2000 to 6000 rpm. 20 years of improvements from the time of the 3800.Also impressed by restyling of the WK2 and all of the toys. Do need to add a few things (back up camera), and others not well thought out (step is better suited for hooves than #11s. OTOH I never had a vehicle that needed a step before).As for the failure to make any information later than 2010 available officially, that is a problem with management & workable. Frankly would rather have in electronic form.Anyone remember what the suit against GM was ? May have been in the last century but AFAIR SEMA won.The other advantage is the entertainment value of the forums, jeepforum.com & jeepgarage.org. The culture clash between the "footballers" and the "mud in teeth" ones is absolutely astounding. The longest and most vitrolic thread I've seen is the 2WD vs 4WD one. Entertainment.The issue is the redesigned for 2011 Grand Cherokee (GMC Acadia is closest GM: seven large more & 300 lbs heavier) is attracting both people from the die-hard offroaders and the Lexus/Mercedes (GC shares its chassis with the ML)/BMW country club set.And let's face it, a serious Reattaeist needs a tow car 8*).Only thing missing is a diesel and that is due by the end of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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