With GAS prices through the roof....

[formare]

Given that the world stopped making oil a few million years ago. I'm perfectly happy using up everyone else's oil before we start using up ours.

Originally Posted by SlingShot

I normally don't disagree with you, but drilling in the Gulf or on land has nothing to do with it. ALL oil that is drilled is bought and sold in an open market. Any oil that is produced will be managed in that same open market, and will have no affect on oil prices sold to refineries. Oil producers have increased output, but the prices keep going up so it is not a supply issue ...

[CUPRA]

I am about to do my first 'big' mod...

My intake is on order, hopefully by installing that, I may be able to eke an extra one or two MPGs more! Fingers crossed.

And if not, I'll have an awesome sound while I get bitter about the high gas prices.

Talking of high gas prices... when I moved to the USA 9 years ago from the UK, gas was $1.17 a gallon. Now it's $4.28 a gallon as I saw it today. So over a 350% increase on gas prices. Yes, that's a huge price increase, but it's still nowhere near what we pay in the UK for gas. So I am still better off driving over here.

[Slake]

I'm paying $1.5/litre for premium in Ontario.

[INTIMIDAT3R]

Originally Posted by ga0358

I'm having to put off any further mods for Ol' Blue for a while. I do need to order more Adam's Car Wash and Detail Spray though...anybody else putting off mods due to stupid GAS COMPANIES and their FLEECING of American consumers?

When is 10% profit a "fleecing"? Any other industry would be crying if it was making only a 10% profit.

People complain about gas prices, but think nothing about dropping $5.00+ on a Starbuck's, $6.00+ on a pack of smokes, or $34K+ on a Camaro SS that gets 25 mpg.

But to answer your question, I never planned on modding any mechanicals so putting off stripes and such might be a consideration.

[G-Oil Guy]

: sigh : As you can guess, I work in the industry.

Oil is a fungible commodity. That means that no matter what the resource comes from several nameless / faceless sources. Also, since its a commodity and is speculated on, it doesn't follow the normal rules of supply and demand. Sucks, but thats the way the world economies work.

1. The reason gas prices rise suddenly and then take forever to come back down (referred to as "sticky prices" ) is because Gas station owners (whom by the way are independent contractors and sign a contract to sell gas under a certain brand name. I.E. that BP gas station isn't owned by BP but by the actual manager/proprietor of the station., only a few are still owned by the actual gas companies. Exxon recently began divesting all of their wholely owned stations) buy their gas from distribution centers weeks in advance. When crude prices rise, these distribution centers immediately begin charging more to keep their supply of gas going. Now the gas station owner, in order to be able to keep his shop open, immediately raises prices. Sometimes even buying the gas and selling at a loss just to keep people coming in. Then as crude prices level and fall, the gas prices remain where they are to allow the gas station owner to recoup his cost and make enough money to, you know, pay his employees and the bills for the station. Thats why Gas prices shoot up and then slowly, ever so slowly, come back down.

2. Anything, and everything, affects how speculators feel about the supply of oil. Terrorist bombing in Iraq? OPEC might have to cut production, prices go up. Revolution in multiple crude supplying nations? Those operations may be affected, better buy that crude now! Crude prices go up. Obama farts in the wrong direction? Oil prices go up. John Boehner cries? Oil prices go up.

Sucks but thats the way it is.

3. As someone stated above, the last time the gas prices got insanely high? Yes, we, as Americans, had a collective "Oh shit" moment and realized living an hour and half away from work and driving that hummer that got 10 mpg may not have been the best idea and started car pooling, taking public transportation, buying more fuel efficient cars, moving closer to work...but then, as we normally do, when things settled down and gas prices return to relatively normal, hell yea I want that gas guzzling dually and an hour long commute....if you bought any car after whats happened the last few years and didn't run the economics about your purchase through the ringers, it's your own fault. We all check if we can afford the monthly payments, the insurance etc etc. Factoring fuel in should also be included.

Additionally, the reason the prices came down is because, as someone else stated, the sudden increase in the crude oil prices and thus rising gas prices caused the people in this country to seriously stop travelling thus leading to a glut of production. When this happened and Commodities traders couldn't make a fast buck on turning over crude, they started slashing prices in order not to be stuck with something they couldn't unload.

4. Drilling in the gulf will not, I REPEAT WILL NOT, change the price of gas in the states. Want to know the reason? The United States does not have a National Oil Company. Think Venezuela, Brazil, China, Qatar, etc etc. Therefore, we, as a nation, do not get dibs on the oil produced from our own land. It goes right onto the open market in which case, please refer to Point 2.

If you want that to happen, you need to convince Congress to pass some sort of law requiring that some percentage of American produced crude and the products from those raw materials get distributed to the United States first. However, since the country loves our capitalist system and since the oil companies have some of the best lobbyist in the entire world, the probability of that is the probability of anyone of us getting laid by Scarlett Johannson. AKA 0%.

5. The price of crude is what the refineries in the United States PAY in order to get the raw materials to produce gasoline, diesel etc. Amazing but some of the oil that the Integrated Oil Companies find (that is an oil company with an upstream division [the guys who go find the oil and pull it out of the ground] and a downstream division [refining division that turns it into a usable product. ]) do not refine their own oil.

6. The top five countries providing the United States with Raw Crude are, in order of highest to least is:
Canada
Mexico
Nigeria
Venezuela
Saudi Arabia

I know at this point I've either pissed most of you off or this post was too long and you didn't read it. No insults were meant by this, but I hear this all the time and most people don't bother to research it and hold the employees of the companies as if they killed their dogs and then raised prices for the hell of it.

That being said, I still plan on buying my Camaro.

[fielderLS3]

Originally Posted by ga0358

I'm having to put off any further mods for Ol' Blue for a while. I do need to order more Adam's Car Wash and Detail Spray though...anybody else putting off mods due to stupid GAS COMPANIES and their FLEECING of American consumers?

Gas isn't going up, the dollar is going down.

[Camarodriver]

Originally Posted by ffrcobra_65

it is all a controlled conspiracy....

I agree, there is no justification for it. It's the power brokers doing with us as they wish. I am not freaking out about it anymore as it's beyond my control. I do drive in a more reasonable fashion to try to use less gas as I enjoy the fine exhaust note in every gear!

It's worth every cent! ;')

eB

[OrangeVert]

Originally Posted by ga0358

Well I have a 65 mile a day commute-If I had a 20 mile commute gas prices wouldn't matter, it adds up QUICK. I went from $40.00/week to $60.00/week and CLIMBING, That's $80.00+ extra a month I'm spending on gas that I didn't spend 6 months ago. So yeah, I'm crying....

ga0358, I definitely feel for you!! If I still had even my old 37 mile commute, I'd be looking to add an Echo alongside the Camaro. And it really would be be an Echo of the first car!

Originally Posted by G-Oil Guy

: ...

I know at this point I've either pissed most of you off or this post was too long and you didn't read it. No insults were meant by this, but I hear this all the time and most people don't bother to research it and hold the employees of the companies as if they killed their dogs and then raised prices for the hell of it.

That being said, I still plan on buying my Camaro.

G-Oil-Guy, thanks for your informative and well-written post. It must have taken you quite a bit of time to type that in! I can see what you say, and appreciate the explanation.

[shank0668]

We need a duramax, diesel is cheaper than gas here.

[G-Oil Guy]

Originally Posted by OrangeVert

I definitely feel for you!! If I still had even my old 37 mile commute, I'd be looking to add an Echo alongside the Camaro. And it really would be be an Echo of the first car!



G-Oil-Guy, thanks for your informative and well-written post. It must have taken you quite a bit of time to type that in! I can see what you say, and appreciate the explanation - which to me makes sense.

No problem. My goal, in addition to doing a kick ass job professionally, is to try and educate anyone who is willing to listen about the sheer complexity and minutiae of the industry I work for. And I may sound like a shill, but these companies, the ones that still operate in the states both upstream and downstream do provide a boatload of jobs, which is good for everyone.

But I still don't think Oil companies should be getting subsidized by US taxpayers. But thats not a topic I want to get on now.

Now lets get back to enjoying our badass cars.

well, you guys have badass cars, I'm still saving for mine.

[INTIMIDAT3R]

Originally Posted by G-Oil Guy

But I still don't think Oil companies should be getting subsidized by US taxpayers. But thats not a topic I want to get on now.

... but let's add farmers to that list too.

[G-Oil Guy]

Originally Posted by INTIMIDAT3R

... but let's add farmers to that list too.

Real quick reply to that, when farming was still done by you know, actual farmers, subsidies made sense to ensure a constant supply and to ensure that the farmers were able to keep all their hands going and the fields producing.

Now that the majority of farm produce products in this country are produced by, I believe it's 4 or 5 major agricultural conglomerates (think Exxon of farming), agreed it doesn't make sense to keep throwing money at them to produce food that will be thrown away. Now that ol' farmer joe who still farms his couple hundred of acres and raises maybe a couple dozen head of cattle? yea he can keep getting money in my opinion.

[daveagogo1]

Originally Posted by ga0358

Well I have a 65 mile a day commute-If I had a 20 mile commute gas prices wouldn't matter, it adds up QUICK. I went from $40.00/week to $60.00/week and CLIMBING, That's $80.00+ extra a month I'm spending on gas that I didn't spend 6 months ago. So yeah, I'm crying....

Something seems off on your math. I drive 289 miles per work week on my commute with 80% of my commute under 35MPH in heavy traffic in 80-90 degree heat in my SS Auto and i only spend roughly $62 a work week using 93 octane at $4.11. I also burn up about half a tank on Sat & Sun with my fun driving. Reset my DIC every fill up but lifetime over 5,500 miles since JAN 1 2011 is 17.2MPG @ 27.3MPH

Is your driving habits part of the reason?

[Sneeks20]

Originally Posted by 2SS\RS

Ya, it hurts! But i think that it will take much higher prices for me to slow down on the mods!!

I have only put off mods because its getting pricy. Gas, well im filling up with a good 65-70 weekly. Good thing i work with fiance so we sometimes take her car. Hers is a 4 banger and she fills up with 60-65. Feel kind of bad because we actually put 19k on her car last year but then again i got mine last September.