Gas goes below $3.00

Dean

Dean

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Dean
I didn't think I would ever see it again, but gas is $2.99 in Springfield, Mo today. :goofy:
 
smigaldi said:
3.75 up here, you must be in a battleground state.
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No political element to it. If suppliy is adequate, from the current spot price (~2.40), the pump price should be about 2.80 + state taxes.
 
Hey, at least you can buy gas.
Fortunately I've got a diesel car to drive when needed (my leave it at the airport car). If you really want to see a crowd form here in Atlanta, just pull up to a gas station (that has no gas, as most are right now) in a car, and start filling the tank. Last Saturday I did that and before I could put in 15 gallons, I had at least 7 cars pull in next to me thinking the station had gas. I had to tell each one I was buying diesel.
Now we are being told maybe mid-October things will be better. Right now, gas here is $4.09-$4.39/gallon. I just got back from Oak;and, Ca area where it is $3.60/gallon.
 
Keith Lane said:
Hey, at least you can buy gas.
Fortunately I've got a diesel car to drive when needed (my leave it at the airport car). If you really want to see a crowd form here in Atlanta, just pull up to a gas station (that has no gas, as most are right now) in a car, and start filling the tank. Last Saturday I did that and before I could put in 15 gallons, I had at least 7 cars pull in next to me thinking the station had gas. I had to tell each one I was buying diesel.
Now we are being told maybe mid-October things will be better. Right now, gas here is $4.09-$4.39/gallon. I just got back from Oak;and, Ca area where it is $3.60/gallon.
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I dunno why you had to the other drivers anything. Why ruin the fun?

My coworker says that Atlanta has a special auto gas formula and the refineries that make it were out of stock. :dunno:
 
mikea said:
I dunno why you had to the other drivers anything. Why ruin the fun?

My coworker says that Atlanta has a special auto gas formula and the refineries that make it were out of stock. :dunno:
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We do run a special EPA mandated blend. We also change over to a "winter blend" about the end of hurricane season. My (and only my) guess is that the refineries were close to the shutdown to convert the production to the winter gas when Ike shut them down. They did not want to restart and run summer gas for just a few weeks, so they just let us swing in the wind till time to go with the winter blend, thereby saving a shutdown/restart cycle for them. That's my story and until proved wrong, I'm sticking with it.
 
Keith Lane said:
Hey, at least you can buy gas.

Right now, gas here is $4.09-$4.39/gallon. I just got back from Oak;and, Ca area where it is $3.60/gallon.
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CHA is almost as bad, my Harley is parked as I cannot find the required super. I filled the small car last night, $4.29/g for regular, and was happy to find it. Gas is very tight here...
 
Bill Jennings said:
CHA is almost as bad, my Harley is parked as I cannot find the required super. I filled the small car last night, $4.29/g for regular, and was happy to find it. Gas is very tight here...
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It'll get better Bill. About 3 weeks ago over 80% of stations in greater Nashville were without fuel. Today that number is about 0%. On top of that I saw regular unleaded at $3.79 this evening. While not a bargain, that's about $0.40 less than 3 weeks ago.
 
Last edited:
$3.35 last I looked... probably down from that. Glad to see some form of lowering in the price.
 
Yeah, Dean,

I saw $2.94 today.

Gas is "cheap" here and you can't even buy it in ATL. Doesn't make much sense, does it?
 
Dean said:
I didn't think I would ever see it again, but gas is $2.99 in Springfield, Mo today. :goofy:
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Count your blessings - I paid 3.71 in Asheville, NC today - and was glad to get it. Many stations are still out, but I have always been able to find gas when I needed it. Just bought a car but still have the one I'm replacing (plus my wife's). So we have several to choose from - and combine our trips as much as possible.

Just about all the fuel sold in the Southeast comes up from The gulf coast by way of the Colonial Pipeline. When the refineries there shut down (as they did), there are few alternatives. An independent station owner related to a man I work with bought a load from Ohio at over $5.00 a gallon a week or so ago. Yesterday I spoke with a man who lives in Northeast Tennessee, and he said that they have had no shortages there.
The situation is improving - those stations that have gas are busy, but there are few lines now.

For anyone who wonders what the rest of the country is paying for gas -
check this out:
http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx

Dave
 
Still $3.99 for the "cheap" stuff 'round these parts.
 
I paid $3.35 in Austin, TX. I'm hoping for better by the next fill up.
 
I saw $3.22 here today and that includes a recent state gas tax hike.

-lance
 
Bill Jennings said:
CHA is almost as bad, my Harley is parked as I cannot find the required super. I filled the small car last night, $4.29/g for regular, and was happy to find it. Gas is very tight here...
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I paid 4.32 today. Here it's also tight. People are getting in fights here in NC. Thankfully I am not in AVL. They have NO gas.
 
mikea said:
I dunno why you had to the other drivers anything. Why ruin the fun?

My coworker says that Atlanta has a special auto gas formula and the refineries that make it were out of stock. :dunno:
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Yup...thanks to the government getting involved and DEMANDING we use some special gas due to our smog situation.

Government "fixing" things again....
 
tdager said:
Yup...thanks to the government getting involved and DEMANDING we use some special gas due to our smog situation.

Government "fixing" things again....
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...not to mention, the mandate to contaminate gasoline with ethanol, an inferior and inefficient fuel.
 
SCCutler said:
...not to mention, the mandate to contaminate gasoline with ethanol, an inferior and inefficient fuel.
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It's not inefficient to those being paid to produce it to meet a mandate by idiot politicians.
 
HPNFlyGirl said:
I paid 4.32 today. Here it's also tight. People are getting in fights here in NC. Thankfully I am not in AVL. They have NO gas.
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Not so! If you read my earlier post I said that the situation is getting better - and it is. There are still quite a few stations without gas at any given time - but there are more and more that have it as well. As I said, those that have it are busy, but lines are almost non-existant now in Asheville.
 
I'm surprised how expensive it is right now in Texas. I remember paying $2.15 when I was living in Austin in '03. During that time, it was at least 30 cents more in the Bay Area. I just filled up for $3.49, same as in Dallas apparently....odd.
 
I have no idea how much gas costs. I don't look at the signs or think about it. Either way I need it and there isn't much I can do about it. Pull up, swipe card, top off, drive away.
 
Yesterday I put $100 worth in the Excursion, which filled it up more than it has been over the past few months (I think the last time I actually filled the tank on it for $100 was when I bought it). That said, yesterday it was $3.35/gallon at Sam's, which is significantly down from the last time I bought it.

As we approach winter, gas prices will drop significantly. Right after Katrina, I remember paying $3.20/gallon in Indiana (and complaining about how expensive that was). By that Christmas, it went down to $1.99/gallon. Not saying it will get down that low by Christmas time, but mid $2s wouldn't surprise me for regular. Diesel will probably hold its course. I've noticed the past 5 years or so (during which time I've owned/been charged with owning three diesel trucks) that winter tends to increase diesel prices and summer decreases them.

Hey, it's all cheaper than AvGas, right?
 
jesse said:
I have no idea how much gas costs. I don't look at the signs or think about it. Either way I need it and there isn't much I can do about it. Pull up, swipe card, top off, drive away.
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Hmmm. Probably a wise attitude, from a mental health standpoint, but just imagine what prices would be if that attitude prevailed?

No, I will continue to drive across town to the station with the cheapest gas, even if it's only a penny or two difference. This is our only weapon against high fuel prices, and it works to keep 'em honest. Sorta.
 
jesse said:
I have no idea how much gas costs. I don't look at the signs or think about it. Either way I need it and there isn't much I can do about it. Pull up, swipe card, top off, drive away.
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That's my attitude too. Besides, I think driving out of my way to find cheaper gas is a bit self-defeating.
 
We have fuel at 99% of the stations and the price has "dropped" to $3.69. With fuel below $3 in other areas I have to assume the retail margin on fuel has increased significantly since I ran a store.:dunno:
 
kevin47881 said:
We have fuel at 99% of the stations and the price has "dropped" to $3.69. With fuel below $3 in other areas I have to assume the retail margin on fuel has increased significantly since I ran a store.:dunno:
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You would assume wrong. The retail dealers have always barely gotten the ~10 cents a gallon. The producers and distributors make sure of that. For one thing the oil company tells the operators of company-owned stations what to sell gas for.
 
mikea said:
You would assume wrong. The retail dealers have always barely gotten the ~10 cents a gallon. The producers and distributors make sure of that. For one thing the oil company tells the operators of company-owned stations what to sell gas for.
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When I ran a store in the mid-80's my margin was 3 to 4 cents/gallon. Interesting comment regarding company owned stores. I ran an independent store and had free will to sell at what the market would bring.
 
mikea said:
You would assume wrong. The retail dealers have always barely gotten the ~10 cents a gallon. The producers and distributors make sure of that. For one thing the oil company tells the operators of company-owned stations what to sell gas for.
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I managed a Philips 66, and our pricing was always an average of the 3 closest gas station prices. I had to go out daily and check their prices, enter it into a computer, and it would average the price and tell me what numbers to give to the kids to put on the board outside.

Now that I'm older, I feel that was probably illegal.
 
jesse said:
I have no idea how much gas costs. I don't look at the signs or think about it. Either way I need it and there isn't much I can do about it. Pull up, swipe card, top off, drive away.
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Jesse,

I hope what you really do is keep track of the cost but don't let it bother you. If not, you may be costing yourself quite a bit of money.

For example, near one of my current projects in Branson there are two gas stations across the street from each other. One is consistently $0.25 to $0.30 higher than the other (on Friday they were $3.09 and $3.39). Both are "name brands". I'm always amazed that just as many people seem to buy gas at the one with the higher price.

Apparently many people literally don't look at the price.

I won't drive across town and spend $5.00 to save $0.03 per gallon but I do track "the neighborhood" stations' prices and fill up at the cheapest one...which is typically the same one.
 
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