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Report Your Local Gas Prices Here (retired discussion, please see the new one)
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My personal conspiracy theory is that the oil companies are jacking up the prices while George Bush is still there to protect them. When Hillary is elected queen...er...president she'll bash them non-stop. They'll need all that reserve cash then.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Just to keep some of the naysayers happy, I figure this is all a part of the plot to get everyone using a lot more fuel after they cut back when there was this severe danger of a shortfall in supply due to refineries (and hurricanes forcast) a few weeks back. They built up a large supply despite the shutdown of a part of the refinery in Whiting while they were trying to raise the price to $3.50 and $4.00 a gallon, so they have to use up that reserve they hoped they wouldn't be stuck with... :P
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Looks like another good reason for administration change. :shades:
imidazol97, your a lucky dog with that cheap gas !!!! :P
-Rocky
87 - $2.759
89 - $2.859
91 - $2.919
93 - $2.959
diesel - $2.719
kcram - Pickups Host
So, what happened to the conspiracy theories? It's still summer, oil prices are going up, yet gas prices are lower than this time last year. :confuse:
Rock,
Prices in Texas (Brownsville, McAllen areas) were running $2.67 ~ $2.75 last week; didn't take notice of the prices in Mexico, sorry.
We are and have been well above that for 6 months now.
87 Octane $3.20
89 Octane $3.30
91 Octane $3.40
There are some stations that are a little more and some that are a little less, but for the most part this is the average price in Southern California.
To top that off, we also get crap fuel. It's also been hotter than 105 degrees for several weeks so the fuel in the tank is also hot and expanded. Which means we are actually getting less volume than we are paying for. It realitively basic knowledge. You heat osmething up or freeze it and it expands. The mass does not get more, just the density increase which takes up more room. So 1 gallon of fuel is more like 9/10 a gallon. I have also kept a detailed record of how much fuel I've used and how much I have put in my vehicle when I fill up for the past 19 months.
And our 91 Octane is not really 91 Octane. Most stations have 1 hose now for all 3 octane levels. So if someone used 87 Octane before you and you use 91 Octane, your going to get 87 Octane from the pump to the nozzel, probably at least a half gallon or more.
But who cares, right. Obviously the idiots in California don't. They are seen on the news reporting, well we got to have it, so I guess we will pay for it. Of course the media probably doesn't play the clips of people who like me are frustrated and let the oil companies and service stations that are gouging have it. Those clips get deleted.
E.M.S.
mid grade $3.09
high test $3.19
Diesel took a jump though - after being $2.99 for most of the summer, it's now $3.06.
Oil prices up but gasoline is down. I wish someone had the guts to investigate gas prices. This goes against the logic they have been feeding us the past 2-3 years. In the spring, supposedly, refineries were having a tough time keeping up with demand. Maintenance, gasoline formula change over, etc. Now come summer, all of a sudden they have a surplus. And haven't they been telling us all along that refineries are operating at 95%. Someone please tell me how the refineries were able to catch up during peak driving season?????
Me thinks there is more to this then supply and demand. :mad:
Yesterday:
Garden Grove: ARCO and Mobil for $ 2.759
Anaheim: ARCO and Chevron for $ 2.839
Barstow: Flying J and Circle K for $ 2.919 BUT some stations in Barstow are $ $ 3.359 and the average for Barstow is $ 3.169.
The low for Anaheim area is $ 2.759, average is $ 2.889, and the highest is $ 3.199. You can check prices at:
http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStations.aspx?m=1&l=1&zip=92802&x=22&y=6
Well you'd be wrong.
People don't purchase oil, they purchase gasoline. The supply of gasoline has been going up because more oil is being refined, reducing the price of gasoline. However, the result of this increased refining is that the stockpiles of oil have been going down, increasing the price of oil. These numbers are set somewhat in advance on the options market and don't have to move in perfect tandem. The price trends of oil and gasoline can lead or follow each other but the ultimate limiting force on the low side will be the price of oil. If oil stays around $75/barrel the price of gasoline can't be sustained below $2.80/gallon, maybe temporarily but not for long.
"Yeah, I've got a response. Ahh...what?"
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I understand supply and demand. I understand your post but this phenomenon goes against everything they have been feeding us for the past 3 years which is why I suspect that there is serious manipulation of the gas prices that don't follow the basic laws of supply and demand. The article I read had some analysts are now predicting gas returning to $2 by late fall.
Based on your argument, gas prices should be trending upward not down since the oil stockpiles are getting lower while demand is increasing. It would make sense that the gas prices should go up so we use less gas thus not using the oil stockpile as quickly. Again, over the past 3 years the trend has been the higher the oil prices means higher the gas prices, in many cases almost immediately. Of course they don't come down as quickly when oil prices go down. Hmmmmmmmmmm. When did this change?
Don't get me wrong, I like the lower price in gas but this volatility is getting ridiculous. It won't last.
I don't understand why we need so many differnt formulation of gasoline. Use the one that burns the cleanest and be done with it. Maybe I am looking at this too simplistically....
The argument about high gasprices due to insufficient refining capacity has been overblown. We import large amounts of refined, unleaded gasoline all the time. There is no real need for domestic refineries to meet domestic demand. It can lead to short term price spikes but it's not as big a deal as some imply.
I personally don't like refineries from an environmental perspective. Since we are already importing so much oil we might as well have it already refined into gasoline.
But after more than a week of prices at $2.50 and below all of a suddden there's an emergency price rise of $.25 to about $2.69 at most stations (they all found the same new price--isn't it amazing how that works).
As for all the explanations about disconnects as excuses for raising/maintaining high prices which were connected to the high price of oil, the excuse that disconnects now are the explanation... sounds like too much public relations tikme is being spent and being bought by some individuals.
It's all about profits.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Imidazol97: you picked up on what I was alluding to. To me, you have speculators who are driving the prices of gasoline instead of the normal supply and demand. It's how much cna I profit off of this. Yes we are using more gas so it should be higher then a decade ago. but the volatility of the prices is ridiculous. After watching a special on the Enron case a month ago, I'm very suspicious.
Not much more expensive. Obviously there are transportation charges involved but the refining costs can be lower in other countries, which will somewhat offset that.
You would have known that if you weren't in such a rush to throw an insult out...
BTW, city is mimicking your prices, with full-serve slightly higher.
Importing refined gasoline is nice, but having built more refinery capacity means we won't be dependent on a foreign country for adequate suppliers in the future. It's too bad the NIMBY and "green" folk blocked refineries for 40 years. Now the oil companies are using alterate fuels as an excuse not to invest in refinery capacity increases. The refinery portion was mentioned as a source of increased profits now in something that I read. So the margin the companies charge that own the refineries has increased: surprise, surprise.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
In terms of being dependent what does it matter whether we need to import 12 million barrels of oil a day or 12 million barrels of refined products?
People focus way too much on the number of refineries. While that hasn't gone up the existing refineries have expanded capacity tremendously over the past 20 years. Same result.
The refineries margin (crack spread) was huge prior to Memorial Day. Since then the price of oil has gone up $10/barrel and the price for unleaded gasoline has gone down 40 cents a gallon. This represents a big hit at both ends. Currently the margin that refineries are making isn't all that great.
What I find interesting is that no matter what gas prices do you see it as evidence of some conspiracy. The fact that gas stations seem to change their prices in unison has been going on for as long as I've been driving, which is 33 years.
What I find interesting is that you still haven't figured it out.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
$2.999 for 87
$3.099 for 89
$3.199 for 91
Lowest sightings: Speedway, BP and No-Name stations were @ $2.949 for 87 octane on work route (the BP petrol price was a nice surprise). Gas City is selling E85 for $2.56.
Highest sightings were by work, with 87 octane for $3.119 at the Shell and BP, the usually high Speedway in Warrenville was holding steady @ $3.059
In Chi-town (south-side) petrol was $3.359 average for 87 octane over the weekend. Some ticks higher in downtown areas.
Right over the border in Indy prices were $2.80 for 87 octane.
The bad part about these lower prices is that the speed-demons (trying to be nice) have increased dramatically. These jokers have really short memories or have an untapped fuel supply somewhere. :confuse: Even people in Priuses (or is it Pri-i?) are leaving me in the dust on the morning commute. Whatever happened to conserving :confuse:
87 - $2.699
89 - $2.819
91 - $2.919
93 - $2.939
diesel - $2.739
kcram - Pickups Host
$2.65 at Hess, Sheetz, and Kangaroo.
Yeah, I've noticed that too. I went up to PA for the weekend, and at one point I was doing about 70 in my Intrepid, when a Prius shot past me at around 80! I wonder what kind of fuel economy they get when you drive them like that?
That's probably wide open, top end for a Prius isn't it? LOL.
I still can't believe it. Last year the price peak occurred in July-August, which makes sense to me. This year it was May. :confuse:
$3.01 mid-grade
$3.11 hi-test
$3.05 diesel
Just got back from a short trip to LA where regular was $2.97 to $3.17 when I happened to notice.
We saw name brand 87 octane gasoline at $ 2.779 on Ball Road on thursday August 9th. The same station is now $ 2.759 in Anaheim (MSN site) and is $ 2.659 in Garden Grove. (We paid $ 2.839 for 87 octane in Barstow thursday.)
Unleaded 87 octane is now $ 2.819 in Salt Lake City suburb at Texaco and Sinclair.
Here's the roller coaster ride since the beginning of the year (all for 87 octane, and all close to home; no long trips in this one car):
1/7/07 $2.14
1/14/07 $1.98
2/2/07 $1.98
2/18/07 $2.05
2/25/07 $2.17
3/3/07 $2.29
3/29/07 $2.43
4/22/07 $2.67
5/12/07 $2.85
5/31/07 $2.99
6/9/07 $2.85
7/1/07 $2.74
7/11/07 $2.75
7/29/07 $2.69
8/12/07 $2.52
87 - $2.599
89 - $2.719
91 - $2.819
93 - $2.839
diesel - $2.699
kcram - Pickups Host
This summer’s average retail regular motor gasoline price is projected to be $2.95 per gallon, up 11 cents per gallon from last summer (Gasoline and Crude Oil Prices). Despite the continuing low gasoline inventories, gasoline prices began to fall in the second half of July and are expected to continue to decline through the end of this year. Regular-grade gasoline prices are expected to average about $2.64 per gallon in December 2007, compared with an average monthly high of $3.15 in May 2007.
The current price today is about $2.76 for the USA, so it apparently will only drop about 12 cents by the end of the year.
That makes any talk of $2 gas kinda "wishful thinking" at this point.
$2.85 regular
$2.95 the midgrade stuff (why bother with a midgrade anyway?)
$3.05 for hi-test
The Stinker stuff is ethanol blended afaik.
$2.979 for 89
$3.079 for 91
The Speedway close to Meijer had petrol for $2.849, BP for $2.879.
The Warrenville Speedway was $2.999 for 87; BP by work was $3.019 for 87 octane.
Chi-town yesterday was $3.119 ~ $3.159 for 87 octane.
UGH, you had to remind us???? :sick:
Anyhow, the thought did occur to me that gas prices have (relatively speaking) stabilized over the last 12-18 months, only taking their seasonal ebbs and flows. Think about it:
10 yrs ago, for 10 gallons of gas, we were paying about $9 in the winter and $12.50 in the summer.
Now, we'll probably pay $22-24 in the winter and $30-32 in the summer (ugh, why did I have to remind myself of that :sick: ).
Still, only about a 30-35% increase between seasons (why couldn't I have been born an oil exec's kid???).
Granted, the market volitility is WAY off the charts compared to 10 yrs ago, but provided their are no more BIG disasters I think people will get used to paying these prices (NOTE: that's different from ACCEPTING these prices) and adjust accordingly. While hybrid sales may be off the chart compared w/ 5 yrs ago, people aren't stapmpeding the doors for them, or the smallest most efficient cars out there. Let's face it: until you NEED a car, the one that's already paid for is going to cost you less per month to run.
Here in RI:
$2.74-$2.79 for regular
SE Mass:
$2.68-$2.75
I didn't realize gas was "reasonably" priced in RI and Mass. When I traveled for business from PA to MA, I would make sure I filled up in NJ (cheapest gas).
$2.65 in South central PA is now the norm.
Gas is $2.57 for unleaded here in So. Maryland. I consider that very cheap.
Now for volatility, is equally as simple. most of the worlds oil is in unstable, corrupt countries that have all nationalized their oil industries. On top of that, they all lie about production, and for the most part refuse to speculate on future increases/reductions in production. That leads to uncertainty in the markets, which leads to fear, which leads to speculation.
And finnaly, just to give you a few facts,
1. Oil companies make about 8-10 cents per gallon. If exxon and the rest of them ran entirely as a non profit, your gas would go down about 10 cents per gallon.
2. the various government (fed, state, local) collectively make about 80 cents per gallon, or 10x what the oil companies (who invest the money, find, produce, and bring the products to the market) make. If you want proof, just look up the WHOLESALE price of gas in the business section of your local newspaper.
3. and lastly, people like to point out the huge (upwards of 10 billion) the oil companies make in proffit. But, A..that pales in comparison to what the government's take is (and they don't do anything but skim off the top)
B. they pay more in taxes than almost any other company out there
C. oil and gas companies (except durring the 90's when everyones cheap gas was causing the oil companie to LOOSE billions of dollars) have alway been amoung the largert, most profitable companies in the world.