What do you think of gas prices?

[faffi]

I just re-read an old test of the V50 Monza, and in the same Cycle magazine the cost of a gallon of gas was mentioned; USD 1.30. That is about USD 4.60 in today's money, meaning gas is cheap today compared to back then.

[DoubleGuzzi]

Gasoline has always been dirt cheap compared to petrol(eum)! 
(Making two points in the one comment.  )

[Kildareman]

Presently €1.708 per litre here in Ireland for E10 - that's all that's available. Was hovering around €2 a couple of years ago.

[Perazzimx14]

In the early 90's a pack of cigaretts cost me about 90% of an hours wages. Today the same cigarettes are $13 a pack and would cost me far less than an hour wages to purchase. When were they more expensive?





 

[Dirk_S]

$1.30 in what—1982? Seems a little high unless they’re talking premium.

I just asked Google, and the search came up as $1.22. Equivalent to $3.72 today.

[Kev m]

$1.30 in what—1982? Seems a little high unless they’re talking premium.

Prices fluctuate so much I wouldn't dare guess:

https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/average-gas-prices-through-history/


And I didn't read the fine print but I sorta assume average is well average meaning all but shrugs.

[Dirk_S]

And that website stops in 2022, which was a significantly high average. We’re back down to a more normal price, which changes the figures as well. Kinda no bueno to compare prices of yesteryear with a year that had a big blip—makes all the other years look cheap as chips.

But you’re right—there’s a lot of fluctuation. And I just KNEW I remembered the late 80s dropping down to 80¢. My family never believed me. Thanks, record keepers!

[Kev m]

Kinda no bueno to compare prices of yesteryear with a year that had a big blip—makes all the other years look cheap as chips.

Meh, it's the current reality. Just know reality can and will change. There the constant, change.

I couldn't give two craps about EV's personally. The current offerings don't fit my needs or wants.

We'll see what the future brings.

But we know the future will bring changing fuel prices for various economic reasons.

[John Croucher]

If the fluctuations in fuel prices is affecting your financial choice, you have much bigger financial issues.

A 50 cent a gallon increase on 80 gallons a month is $40.00.  A fluctuations of $40 a month on a monthly household budget is insignificant.  A cheap date night is more than $40.00. 

We have been groomed to panic on fuel price fluctuations. 

I spend more per 5 vehicles a month on government mandated insurance than fuel for all of them. Whether they are used or not.

[Tkelly]

How much is gas in Norway and Canada?

[Perazzimx14]

How much is gas in Norway and Canada?

Canada average is $1.34 CAD per liter

Exchange $1.34 CAD = $0.97 USD

3.78 liters in 1 US gallon so 3.78L x 0.97 USD = $3.67 per US gallon in USD or about $0.30 per gallon more than the average Pennsylvanian is paying.

 

[Dirk_S]

…$3.67 per US gallon in USD or about $0.30 per gallon more than the average Pennsylvanian is paying.

I just saw PA’s prices are some of the highest on the East Coast. Not sure what’s going on now, but since I’ve been in New England, gas prices back home in PA have normally been a little cheaper than up here.

[SIR REAL ED]

If the fluctuations in fuel prices is affecting your financial choice, you have much bigger financial issues.

A 50 cent a gallon increase on 80 gallons a month is $40.00.  A fluctuations of $40 a month on a monthly household budget is insignificant.  A cheap date night is more than $40.00. 

We have been groomed to panic on fuel price fluctuations. 

I spend more per 5 vehicles a month on government mandated insurance than fuel for all of them. Whether they are used or not.

Well said! 

Waaaaaay too much variation in gas prices from location to location and season to season for any commentary being more than mildly intelligent or meaningful.

Entertaining, and a form of social bonding, yeah sure!

Same as any other commodity.  What are you buying?  Where?  When? Quality?

How bout those Yankees?

[Perazzimx14]

I just saw PA’s prices are some of the highest on the East Coast. Not sure what’s going on now, but since I’ve been in New England, gas prices back home in PA have normally been a little cheaper than up here.

There is a gas station close to my house and their price for regular has been $2.99 for months. All the other stations around are $3.34+

Pennsylvania is 3rd in gas taxation. California at 69.8 cents per gallon, followed by Illinois at 67.1 cents per gallon, and Pennsylvania at 58.7 cents per gallon.

[JJ]

Just another data point...

[willowstreetguzziguy]

When I started riding in Pennsylvania in the summer of 1971, Amoco premium, the best gas was $.40 a gallon and that equates to $3.17 today. The other stations were selling their gas for around $0.29. - $0.36 which is equivalent to $2.30 - $2.85 today. Yes, they were the good old days!

[JJ]

Back in the mid-to-late 70's, I remember we all drove across the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge in upstate New York to get $0.35 per gallon gas at the local HESS station.

[Moparnut72]

I just re-read an old test of the V50 Monza, and in the same Cycle magazine the cost of a gallon of gas was mentioned; USD 1.30. That is about USD 4.60 in today's money, meaning gas is cheap today compared to back then.

Regular where I live was $4.68 yesterday. I didn't check but diesel is usually a bit more.
kk

[SIR REAL ED]

Regular where I live was $4.68 yesterday. I didn't check but diesel is usually a bit more.
kk

About $2.60 here in central Virginia.

General rule of thumb is diesel is about $.50 more per gallon.

[michaell32]

My daily driver is a honda insight which usually gets around 45mpg.  If gas went up a dollar it wouldn't really affect me.  I have no control over gas prices and they have almost no control over me so I don't worry about it.

[DoubleGuzzi]

Price here just now - cost has actually dropped a good bit recently (thankfully!).
$6.596/gal (US dollars per gallon) - depends on the exchange rate used.

Point of order: $40/month is significant for those of us on a fixed income and little excess of "disposable income". Some of us only eat out at anniversaries etc. due to the cost involved!! What a rarefied atmosphere some people live in. 
 

[faffi]

How much is gas in Norway and Canada?

One liter is around NOK 20, but until fairly recently is was NOK 25-27 retail. NOK 20 = USD 1.97 due to a very weak Norwegian Krone - 5 years ago it would equal about USD 4. Anyway, multiply 1.97 with 3.78 to get the price for a gallon, and you get 7.45 American dollars.

[SIR REAL ED]

Price here just now - cost has actually dropped a good bit recently (thankfully!).
$6.596/gal (US dollars per gallon) - depends on the exchange rate used.

Point of order: $40/month is significant for those of us on a fixed income and little excess of "disposable income". Some of us only eat out at anniversaries etc. due to the cost involved!! What a rarefied atmosphere some people live in. 

Amen.  In my wildest dreams I have never considered buying some of the motorcycles many of the WGers have owned.

I was born in the wrong place at the wrong time to the wrong parents I guess.....   

[DoubleGuzzi]

I was born in the wrong place at the wrong time to the wrong parents I guess.....   

Sounds very familiar to me.
Only reason that I have my current V7III is due to splashing out a substantial portion of my pension savings!  A heart attack sure puts things in perspective.. you can't take it (money) with ya and I could never afford/was too selfish/too cautious(?) to have offspring.
Your MZs are my usual price range: I quite fancied one of them.

[rocker59]

  $40/month is significant for those of us on a fixed income and little excess of "disposable income". Some of us only eat out at anniversaries etc. due to the cost involved!! What a rarefied atmosphere some people live in. 

Aren't we ALL on "fixed incomes"?  I work 40-hours each week for the same pay.  Every week.  Week after week.  No different from retired people.  Well, except for the working 40-hours part...

[DoubleGuzzi]

No different from retired people.

Nope; pay rises, bonuses, promotion, change of/additional job etc..

[rocker59]

Nope; pay rises, bonuses, promotion, change of/additional job etc..

Are UK pensioners banned from working a part time job if they want one?

[Kev m]

I was born in the wrong place at the wrong time to the wrong parents I guess.....   

Point of order.

My wife was second oldest of 8.

They were so poor that they were lived in a vacation cottage without indoor plumbing.

If there was food in the fridge mid day you didn't eat it or there would be nothing for dinner.

They (the kids) used to scrounge under vending machines to find enough dropped change to buy a pint of potato salad and hopefully didn't have to share it.

She had no health care, no dental care, and, when she finally was allowed to go to school (she was home schooled until high school because they were part of a conservative "Christian" cult that forbade then from socializing outside the "church"), she couldn't ever go on field trips or participate in school or rec sports because they didn't have the money.

She only started studying karate in high school because my club offered free tuition to her and her next younger sister (who later joined the Marines after 9/11 and served an extended tour in Iraq).

She took $200k in loans for undergrad, grad, and medical school including high interest extra loans to cover the "expected family contribution" which she would never get from her parents anyway.

She's a physician now and we've paid off her loans.

I don't even think her parents paid for more than 20% of the wedding which we threw on the cheap with the help of a lot of friends filling important rolls.

Her parents had literally nothing to do with it other than perhaps the drive/motivation to survive and get the hell out of the situation. Which is something, but equivalent drive could have been achieved in better ways.

Hell she recently paid for her own braces at the age of 40 because, as previously mentioned, the was never going to happen when she needed it as a teenager.

Also, even back when we went grocery shopping with a piece of paper so we could add the items up to make sure we had enough to pay for them at the cashier I would have said a $40  fluctuation in fuel costs, though unfortunate, was simply something that meant we'd tighten the belt elsewhere.

[DoubleGuzzi]

Are UK pensioners banned from working a part time job if they want one?

Nope.
My own mental & physical health makes that option very unlikely, though I do earn a declining amount of 'pocket change' (petrol money) from a small group of web hosted clients. Just this week I cancelled a $18/month dedicated server due to a client 'leaving' after 20 years with me - that's how tight money can be!
Back to bikes.. I'm managing to do a garage clearout of parts from now sold bikes - at long last! If I could just get that clutch clevis pin out of the Breva, then I may pull the advert for selling that.. or not.. 'cos another Breva in better condition is poking me, even though I want a V50 instead (I think).
[/story]

Epilogue (due to Kev m)
I'm not saying people didn't/don't have a worse upbringing than me- far from it - but it was close to your spouse's experiences (some of the time). Scottish education system is fortunately a devolved matter, from UK and socialistic in the main, or was back in my days. NHS - enough said. We're now paying in full for dentistry, so feel the pain (twice). Private health care is an expensive option. If fuel was a strict necessity, as is often the case Stateside, then it would be food/clothing/heating (essentials) that would suffer. I remember weeks of walking to work in the cold & pissing rain..
[/story2]

[Moparnut72]

I am doing well mainly due to a bankruptcy because of an almost complete collapse in the economy in the mid 80's. I was in construction and there was absolutely no work. I made a major move and started all over at the age of 40. Fortunately things fell into place with a lot frugality on my part. A lot of that came from my mom who lived through the depression. One of her regular expressions was "what do you have to show for your money? Guzzi content.
kk