I pay $3.35 per gallon for gas. Should I be angry?

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by whatalady

I doubt very highly that gas companies would lower their prices if more people drove smaller cars.

It's not that the price of gas per gallon would be lower. It's that a smaller car takes less gas to run.

[taigagirl]

I live in Canada and it's over a $1 a litre here. Because I live in a rural area with no transportation, and my partner and I have employment travelling in different directions, we both need a vehicle. I think we spend about $2,500. per year on insurance, and probably another $8,000. on gas plus repairs and then there's our farm vehicles. It's insane. Neither of us can carpool because we also live on a small farm. My partner is the main gas guzzler, and he wants a new truck. (I think he should settle for a small SUV). I drive a small vehicle, but I have had to be towed 3 times this winter already because of deep snow etc; but I am not willing to put money into a gas guzzling vehicle, and then there's the environmental issues which I care about more. I don't think they will ever lower gas prices, and one of the problems for anyone living in a rural area in the prairie regions of the U.S. or Canada is the distance we have to drive to get anywhere. Believe me I'd love to move. I think we are just wasting cash on gas and vehicles that could be put to better use. Right now the Canadian government is pushing rebates for hybrids, which are quite alot more money. I used to live in the city and used public transit...but people here resist transit because they equate it with poverty. Right now I would love to live and work in a small town where everything is readily available. Even if only worked part-time and could walk to work I think it would be much better.

But Canadians and Americans (including my partner) seem very reluctant to give up their gas guzzlers. I have always had a small car and that has really helped even when I was carting kids around, and I had hockey equipment etc. The Big 3 have made us think we need these big vehicles and most of us don't. I have never bought into bigger is better and I never will. I've told my spouse to at least consider a smaller vehicle and ever time the gas bill comes I'm reminding him what he's spending (about $500. per month) not to mention what he's doing to the environment.

JerZ is right. Any vehicle that uses less gas is the way to go.

[FilmCutter]

I have a small car but I still pay around $30 a week for gas. On my budget, that hurts. The nearest grocery store is about 2-miles from me, downhill. It's all uphill on the way back. I do want to walk, and I have done it, but I will admit that it's very intimidating. My school is about 10-15min. away by car, but I would have to catch 3 buses to get there. The bus system here is terrible. We have the trains now, but they don't come anywhere near where I live. I would have to walk or ride 5 miles into town before I could get on the train! Where I live is quiet and safe, it's just far away from almost everything. I guess I will have to deal with the gas prices. Still, I wish we would complain as a community about the gas prices, and the food prices. Better yet, we could start urging our government to use alternatives to petroleum, like corn oil, which is environmentally safe. It's not like America has a food shortage. Why else are we more overweight than other countries?

[ferretkona]

One problem is that the mid size car is no longer being built, many families are forced to large SUV's and the ilk because a baby seat or booster will not fit in the current small cars. Even foreign made cars like Volvo, Toyota and Nissan have enlarged their car line to the point they all are offered with V8 motors in them now.

[Dennis P]

Like everyone else, I've been noticing how gas prices are inching their way up. I just filled up at my favorite Shell station and the price of 87 octane there was $3.13/gallon. The ARCO station near me was slightly cheaper at $3.11/gallon. Goes to show how powerful the petroleum industry is, huh?

It's times like this that I'm thankful that I drive a small car and live only 7 miles from work.

[taigagirl]

Prices will never go down, and there are so many politicians in the U.S. who have very strong oil connections that it is unlikely anything will happen. In Canada this is happening too. The situation in the Middle East would definitely be more stable if we were less reliant on their oil, and like someone else mentioned developed our own crop resources (like corn) for more industrial use. Plus it would really help both our economies.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by taigagirl

Prices will never go down, and there are so many politicians in the U.S. who have very strong oil connections that it is unlikely anything will happen. In Canada this is happening too. The situation in the Middle East would definitely be more stable if we were less reliant on their oil, and like someone else mentioned developed our own crop resources (like corn) for more industrial use. Plus it would really help both our economies.

The U.S. already has oil, and lots of it, but we conserve portions of it "just in case", as far as I know, and there is also the factor that if we paid actual U.S. salaries to pump, refine and yadda yadda, the price of gas would probably be $30 a gallon instead of $3.

I agree that prices will never go down, at least not significantly.

I also agree that not as many midsized cars are being built. But that's because of consumer demand for the SUV. It's we Americans who demanded these enormous buses to drive our two kids and three bags of groceries around. I think it's kind of disgusting how we could willingly gobble up resources willy-nilly because some day, maybe, we'll want to pack up a surf board even if we don't surf and drive over a wall full of rocks even though the tiny print in the corner of the screen says it's a dramatization.

[Norin]

Here the gas is 1,10$/litre so... 5$ the gallon. If I translate it from CAD to USD, 4,32$ the gallon

[taigagirl]

Originally Posted by Norin

Here the gas is 1,10$/litre so... 5$ the gallon. If I translate it from CAD to USD, 4,32$ the gallon

Exactly, and that is why my partner and I have frequent arguments about gas. He is one of those people who think they need a gas-guzzler even though he doesn't (I think he measures his manhood by the size of his vehicle..ouch!!!) and I've told him that soo many times...

But seriously there are lots of women cruising around in trucks and big SUVs too. (now I'm sucking back my words--lol) and look how many people there are in these vehicles most of the time. Usually one person or two, except on weekends if they have kids.

Right now, I drive an Alero coupe which is great on gas but a mechanical nightmare. Definitely not designed for a prairie Canadian winter. Today it is around -30 with the windchill.

[WJD]

I was in Texas two weeks ago..............DFW $2.36 per gallon!