Gas for a Stude

[Son O Lark]

Gasoline prices just reached $3.75 a gallon here in Indy. Sadly no discount for Studebakers. I know because I asked! SB still in the plan for the weekend however![]

[bams50]

Smae price here in CNY.

Last weekend it was about $3.65. In central PA last Sat. I paid $3.49, but price varied widely as I drove through the state.

I never complain about it. It costs what it costs, I need it, and that's that. Nothing I can do about it. But I do think harder about ways to combine trips. My weekly gas bill, business/personal combined, is now at about $350.



Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"With your Lark you're on your own, free as a bird, alive as a Lark. You've suddenly discovered that happiness is a thing called Larking!"

[Avantidon]

It is becoming more and more of a problem with the predictions of $4.00 per gallon a reality by Memorial Day. Bob, from last Friday until this morning another 0.06 $ has been added to a gallon of gas in PA with the average now being $3.65.9. I am sure it will continue and like you we will be looking for ways to consolidate and conserve. I filled up two of my Studebakers last Friday and spent almost a $100.00 to do it. Maked me begin to wonder how much i will be driving outside of the area this summer. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

[Guest]

I've been reading "The Worst Hard Time" - compelling stories about the Dust Bowl, and author Timothy Egan writes at the depths of the Depression a [u]barrel</u> of oil was selling for 10 cents! FWIW

Western Washington, USA

[61hawk]

But in the 1930's how many people had vehicles, and those that did, how many drove more than 20-30 miles from home? Most in the country drove into town on Saturday night to do their shopping and sell eggs, cream, etc. Those who lived in town walked to the store. The price may be equivalent to today's prices, but the average driver I'm guessing used 2-3 gallons a week.

[JRoberts]

quote:Originally posted by 61hawk

But in the 1930's how many people had vehicles, and those that did, how many drove more than 20-30 miles from home? Most in the country drove into town on Saturday night to do their shopping and sell eggs, cream, etc. Those who lived in town walked to the store. The price may be equivalent to today's prices, but the average driver I'm guessing used 2-3 gallons a week.

Yep, it was a different situation. Nowadays to buy almost anything you have to drive 3 to 5 miles. No corner grocery stores, dime stores, etc. Everything means transportation, other than by your own two feet.

And now that I moved about 15 miles out of town, we do have to plan our trips to town. A list is essential and I try to get several things done all at once, making the most out of my 30-40 mile trip.

Joe Roberts
'61 R1 Champ
'65 Cruiser
Editor of "The Down Easterner"
Eastern North Carolina Chapter

[Roscomacaw]

Well Bob, that's nice that you can just blink and go. There's ALOT of folks who are REALLY feeling the crimp of these prices. I can't imagine deciding between food or the gas to go get it. But there's lotsa folks that have to sit down and figure what they can buy this week![V]

In spite of the fairly well-heeled ag industry owners here, the po folks that work and harvest the crops (Po because they're paid little so the farmer can keep his wife's luxury car filled and his Mega-PU truck's diesel engine throbbing, while the bed is empty and spotless. Oh - and so you can buy that half gallon of OJ for a fairly cheap price.)can't afford but old, tired, gas-thirsty cars and trucks to get to the fields and orchards with.

I DO find it satisfying that you guys are payin' a bit more than we do here (at the bargain stations where I buy anyway). Traditionally we've always been about 20+ cents higher than most other states.[^]

OK - I'm off to town to deliver Matthew's front bumper to the UPS store. Then do a bit of shopping on the rebound so as not to be wasteful with hundred and twenty dollar barrel of oil I'll be drawin' out of.

Miscreant Studebaker nut in California's central valley.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President two door

[Tom Bredehoft]

"hundred and twenty dollar barrel "

I think that's the problem, we're shipping our scrap steel to china, they are making barrels out of it to put oil in. They've got us over the barrel. If we could just get cheaper barrels. [all done tongue in cheek]

[img=left]http://www.alink.com/personal/tbredehoft/Bothcars4.jpg[/img=left]
Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe
'55 President (6H Y6) State Sedan
(Under Construction) 197 hrs.
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[Roscomacaw]

Dang! And me sendin' them that old 2E truck. Bunch 'o barrels there!

Let's not forget our once premium dollar's quickening shrinkage! That makes a barrel more expensive (to us) when it really isn't! Heh - our presidental hopefuls wanna give us 18 cents back. What a joke.[)]

Miscreant Studebaker nut in California's central valley.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President two door

[hopinfox]

Its' sad the politians won't let us drill for oil in our own country. I looked and all my studes say made in USA!

M.hopinfox/Kennesaw,Ga.
62 Hawk
63 Champ
64 Commander
64 Hawk

[Bredehoft]

To echo some of Mr Biggs' comments, I think there is a perspective that many overlook, especially by those of us that can afford many of life's luxuries.

Back in the day, when I was just starting out in this real world, the minimum wage was about $3.50 or so and gas was about $1 per gallon (forgive me if i get the values wrong - old age is creeping in! - I'm talking about 1979, 1980, somewhere in there). That puts the price of gas for the lowest wage-earners at about 1/3 of their hourly rate.

Today, minimum wage is around $7 (give or take, depending on the state you live in) and gas is rapidly approaching $4 per gallon. For the ratio to equate to what is was when I was a pup, it would need to be no more than $2 per gallon. Today we are at about 2/3 of the hourly wage.

To me, that is one of the easier measures of how gas prices can and do hurt. Remember, there are more people in this country less well-off than this group that can afford to have cars as a hobby. While we can make a call of whether a 200 mile trip for our hobby is worth it, Biggs is right - there are MANY people in this country that are starting to have to make choices between gas and necessities. In a country that has made itself car-centric, that is an eye-opener. Will we get to a point where people cannot afford to go to work in the traditional American way? If so, what will those people do? Most of the country does not have a public transit infrastructure.

One more eye-opener - the oil companies CONTINUE to post record profits. Maybe they raise the consumer prices faster than their costs raise?

--george


1963 Lark Daytona HT - 63V J8 175

[JRoberts]

If the speculation bubble would burst the prices of oil would drop. I listened on the TV the other day to a couple of economists who said that supply and demand indicates that oil should be between 60 and 80 dollars a barrel. But speculators are willing to bet they will make a profit even if they pay 120 dollars a barrel. On top of that there is, as was mentioned earlier, the shrinking value of the dollar. Since then I have read and heard other economists saying the same thing. Despite what the oil executives say, the supply of oil is not so low as to cause the soaring prices in and of itself. Taxing the windfall profits might well just cause the oil companies to get even by raising the prices even further. Finally those that claim Americans should be ashamed because their demand for oil has not declined (thus supposedly causing the price of oil to increase) are not quite on track. As has been said here before, in this day and age you cannot just stop driving. Local neighborhoods are not self sufficient like they once were. You can't walk to school, the store, work, etc., like you could 50 years ago.

Joe Roberts
'61 R1 Champ
'65 Cruiser
Editor of "The Down Easterner"
Eastern North Carolina Chapter

[Green 53]

I just filled at Costco this morning in Glendale, AZ. Home of the 2010 International Meet. Reg unleaded $3.29.9 and premium $3.47.9.
Denny L

[rockinhawk]

I don't pay much attention to the price of gas anymore since I bought a DIESEL!!! 4.35. NT


Neil Thornton
Hazlehurst, GA
'57 Silver Hawk
'56 Sky Hawk
'51 2R16 dump truck
Many others.

[showbizkid]

quote:Originally posted by JRoberts

If the speculation bubble would burst the prices of oil would drop.

Joe, you are spot on. I have said for years that we should not allow oil and gas to be traded on the futures market. Like it or not, it's not a commodity anymore - it's a utility, and should be regulated as such.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not a "big government" kind of guy. But in this case, I'm all for 'em stepping in to fix this. No fair a bunch of guys on Wall Street getting fat off the rest of us just because they found a way to make greed legal.


[img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]

Clark in San Diego
'63 F2/Lark Standard

http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

https://www.studebakersandiego.com