So, the Fuel Gauge on Our Winter Car Is Down to a Quarter Tank

[MineralMan]

Sometime today, I'll go out and fill it up with 87 Octane gas. How much will I have to pay? $4.00? More? I'm not sure what today's gasoline prices are.

Shocking, isn't it? But never mind. I only fill up the car once a month or so. We don't drive just to drive. We drive when necessary.

Gas prices are high everywhere. My brother-in-law in California posted a photo of a gas station sign. Prices were over $6 per gallon. He's outraged at Biden over that. I asked him what gasoline prices were in Ukraine.

Gasoline is expensive. No question about it. However, there are reasons for the high prices. All the more reason to use our vehicles only when we must. There's shit going on that is causing those price increases. That's what we should be thinking about - not our wallets.

[drray23]

1. What's a "winter" car ?

Is that one outfitted with snow tires ? as opposed to your sport convertible 😆 ?

[Javaman]

2. it's like a summer car, but it has thicker doors. LOL nt

[Dial H For Hero]

3. That's exactly what I have, a Cadillac SRX for winter and a Porsche Boxster convertible for fun.

[MineralMan]

5. We have two small subcompact SUV-style cars.

One is a 2020 KIA Soul. The other one is a 2021 Chevy Trax. Both, oddly enough, were built in South Korea.

The Trax has All Wheel Drive (AWD). The Soul is a front wheel drive vehicle. So, the Trax is our winter car. It doesn't have snow tires - just brand new all-season tires. It's AWD is automatic, and activates the moment the traction control system indicates slippage on any wheel. It seems to work very well. I have tested its operation in a vacant parking lot covered with snow and ice. It is the least expensive AWD subcompact SUV available.

The Soul does OK on the typical snowy roads in Minnesota, but the Trax does better. So, the Soul stays in the garage and the Trax gets to go out on the roads when they're slippery. The Soul is one of the least expensive subcompact crossovers on the market.

Economy is why we chose both cars. Convertibles make no sense in Minnesota.

Does that make sense?

[drray23]

7. Sounds sensible.

We have AWD or 4x4 on all our vehicles. Ford 250 ( 4x4) , Nissan rogue ( AWD) , Nissan altima platinum ( AWD).

It makes a significant difference on snowy roads.

[Backseat Driver]

16. I once owned a pretty little Shadow convertible and drove it all year, but I was

terrified in the winter as I drove beneath huge icicles hanging beneath multiple bridges on my way to and from work. I just knew one would release and come crashing through the vinyl ragtop onto my head!

[mnhtnbb]

8. When we lived in Nebraska I had a winter car

which was a year old Nissan Altima I bought second hand from Hertz. It had front wheel drive and was intended to become the car for our 16 year old once he had his license. My summer car was a convertible!

Then we moved to North Carolina before the oldest son turned 16. We sold the Altima, and I drove the convertible to North Carolina with that son in the passenger seat and two cats in the rear seat. My husband drove the Explorer with the youngest son in the passenger seat and the dog riding in the back seat.

It was quite a trip.

[mnhtnbb]

4. I decided to fill my half full tank this morning.

Last time I filled up was January 27th. My car takes premium and with fuel points (promotion from the grocery store--Harris Teeter--where I shop they give discount fuel points that can be used at specified gas stations) I paid $3.29/gallon in January. Today I had more fuel points to use and I paid $3.79/gallon, which happened to be the posted price for non-discounted regular.

I think gas is only going up at this point and I don't know where it will stop, and I fear the grocery store may stop offering fuel points. So I used all of mine today which gave me a price $.70 LESS than posted for premium.

[MineralMan]

6. I think gas prices will continue to rise for a while.

Eventually, they'll slide back down again, assuming the current nonsense comes to an end. All things considered, though, the cost of gasoline is not much of a factor in our household budget. We put fewer than 5000 miles per year on both of our cars combined.

[70sEraVet]

12. So, all of those people who are blaming Biden for the high gas prices;

do you think they are going to PRAISE Biden when the gas prices come back down?

[MineralMan]

20. No, of course not.

They're idiots.

[mnhtnbb]

29. Record breaking traffic on GasBuddy

for the last hour has the site down.

[hlthe2b]

9. Ranging from $3.52-$3.79 within 2 1/2 miles of me in Northern Colorado currently

That's up around $0.50 in 7 days.


I ALWAYS pay cash after my credit card was cloned a few years ago at Safeway gas pumps (supposedly scanned 2x daily with an attendant, but... ) so all this volatility makes it very hard to guestimate to prepay.

[MineralMan]

10. Yeah, that's about the same as it is here in Minnesota.

So, it will take about 10 gallons to fill my tank. That 10 gallons will cost me about $5 more than the last time I filled it. Rather trivial, it seems to me, but I don't drive much, so it affects others more.

[maxsolomon]

11. WTF is Biden supposed to do about a commodity whose price is set by

global trading?

Suspend the Federal Gas Tax and knock 18 cents off $6/gallon?

I don't get the blaming - it has nothing to do with logic.

[FSogol]

18. Here you go

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1500610672849141760%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F100216451002

[MineralMan]

21. Of course. People are idiots.

[maxsolomon]

25. But this is your brother, right?

What would he say to the question "WTF is Biden supposed to do about it?"

"Drill Baby Drill"? "Beat their ass and steal their gas"? Approve any and all pipelines?

So frustrating.

[MineralMan]

26. Brother-in-law. He's an idiot, too.

[RussBLib]

13. our timing was good

we got a new PHEV a month ago, just before gas prices started rising

[Captain Zero]

14. Just put half a tankful in it and you will be up to 3/4

Maybe by the time you are under 1/4 tank again prices will be better.

If everybody di this every fill-up prices would have to come down at some point.

Don't keep their inventory in your tank !!

[MichMan]

24. Those who filled up a couple weeks ago disagree

[MineralMan]

28. Nah. More likely it will go up some more.

[gab13by13]

15. I buy my cars and appliances made in America,

I was a union official for 26 years. The day that Walmart came into our town I tried telling everyone not to shop there.

I keep ragging my daughter because I have 2 Subarus made in Indiana. She just texted me 2 days ago that she traded in her Mercedes for a Subaru Ascent made in Indiana. Every little bit helps.

[usonian]

17. Where do you get cheap $4.00 gasoline?

Asking for a friend in California.

[nocoincidences]

19. Virginia Beach.

Station down the road from me has it for $3.79/gal. $3.99 is one of the higher prices locally.

[MineralMan]

22. Most of the country has lower gas prices than California.

[peggysue2]

23. Last night, we passed the local Shell station

Regular was selling for $4.25. This is outside Philly and up from the $3.85 I paid a week ago.

Think of it as our communal donation to Ukraine's brave resistance. I anticipate gas prices will go higher.

[Vinca]

27. It's $4.07 this morning in southern NH. It's a shame Biden will get the blame for this when

it's actually GOP hero Putin who's causing it. I'm kind of glad I got used to going nowhere during the pandemic. Can't wait for gardening season.

[Roland99]

30. Gas was about this price in 2006. During B/C

It’s much cheaper. Relatively speaking

[maxsolomon]

31. I remember paying $4 in Northern CA on vacation

And thinking: this is probably what it should cost.