How do CALIFORNIANS COPE WITH HIGH GAS PRICES (Fontana, Merced: rental car, buy)

[texanborn]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I don't work for any oil company. The only investment I have is a small amount in an S&P 500 index fund. It probably has some oil stock but I've never checked.

Why don't you ride a bicycle to work? Or get a 41 MPG Corolla. Or move closer to work? Or take the bus? There's lots of ways to spend less on fuel. I guess its just easier to complain about the price of gas and blame the company that supplies it.

I'm retired so I don't drive to work....We don't have buses where I live...I haven't bought gas in three weeks...And I'm not complaining for me at all about the price of gas, I can afford it.....I just feel for those that it hurts the most....the low income that work everyday...And take your money and buy rental properties , you will make more in the long run....And I still blame the oil companies by their present and past history....

[Sorcerer68]

You know...in my move back here from Hawaii, I'm so used to paying for expensive gas that it's no change. The rest of my cost of living has gone down so much moving to L.A. that gas doesn't bug me. I am car shopping...my next car will be a Prius or a Mercedes diesel.

[dennismpat]

It's times like these (high gas prices) that I'm glad I work close by (7 miles one way) and that I drive a 4-cylinder subcompact car.

By the way, I've always wondered why gas prices are about .10 higher per gallon in San Diego than here in L.A. County/O.C? Whenever I take a trip down there, I always make it a point to fill up here first.

[blahblahLA]

Take the Metro, but make sure you plan ahead of time. It may take 2 hour for a 1/2 hour drive, but if you compare to the AAA's proximation of how much it'll cost, I guess it's better than spending hundreds of dollars at the gas station. LA has improved in the way public transportation work, but still need to increase timetables in areas that has been ignored in the past years. I live around the LA basin and I think my area doesn't have that many buses or train runs unlike areas that has the train and buses which are most of the time poorer and underserved neighborhoods. What's up with that! If California wants to be energy efficient it should be the forefront to start making the public transportation more accessible in all areas not just in certain areas.

[sonarrat]

I coped with it by moving within a block of a major road that has bus service from 5:30 am to 2 am, and gets me to work on said bus in 25 minutes. I've thanked myself for that decision every day since.

[Mach50]

Wife and I work from home and own a Honda that I fill up at Costco .

[Ultrarunner]

I live 7 minutes from the job...

[shannon94]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

What're ya gonna do? Ride a bike? What's the difference really... 20 bucks a month?

More like an extra 20 (or more) every time you fill up!! Not everyone drives a mini cooper. (I guess it depends though what price your comparing it to...last month or last year)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by blahblahLA

Take the Metro, but make sure you plan ahead of time. It may take 2 hour for a 1/2 hour drive, but if you compare to the AAA's proximation of how much it'll cost, I guess it's better than spending hundreds of dollars at the gas station.

I guess it depends on what your time is worth. There's 24 hours in a day. Take away 8 or so bed, 8 for work, 1 or 2 for eating and bathing, 2 for posting on City Data, and what are you left with?

To spend an extra three hours a day on a bus means losing about half of you remaining disposable time. To drive 1/2 hour at say 30 mph is 15 miles. At 15 mpg that's one gallon, or about $4 (or $8 RT). Is it worth it?

[killer2021]

My car gets 35MPG and don't drive much. Gas prices have little effects on where I drive or how much I drive. I'll probably pay 5-10$ more for gas than I did 3 months ago.