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Sheetz is doing something here in NC and southern VA I haven't seen in many years.
They're pricing their gas at 10 cents price difference between grades, as it was for decades- up to about last 10-15 years. 87 $3.27, 89 $3.37, 93 $3.47, 90NE $3.57.
Other stations, both branded and non-branded, are maintaining the 40-60 cent price difference between grades, whether they're high-volume or not. NE in any octane is in the $4.29/4.79 range everywhere.
If one can do it, why can't all do it? Makes you wonder just how much profit is really built in to higher octane grades of fuel.
For some time CostCo has sold gasoline based on a narrow spread. (They only carry high and low test.) But not as low as 10 cents. I can generally buy high test at Costco for what many other stations charge for low test.
The shock of the diesel price spread is still unbelievable to me. Diesel used to be considerably less than the price of gas. In addition the cost of a gallon of whole milk is more than gas, go figure.
Don't even get me going on diesel prices. It requires less money and energy etc to produce diesel fuel. When diesel prices got jacked up that was the start of huge inflation issues. Every single thing that we all own or use has been on a truck. Jacking up transportation costs trickles down. No politician etc ever brings that up. Oil companies are making record profits. Period.
Oil refineries are barely making enough money to keep the lights on in the offices. We should all be thankful prices are as low as they are.
Ha! My phone is dripping with sarcasm.
I’m sure the record breaking profits this quarter over last quarter (which are considerably high than last year) have NOTHING to do with record fuel prices.
Diesel is the biggest scam going. I just picture it as making sure consumers, directly and ultimately, cannot beat the system. The transport industry is captive for the foreseeable future. You can have 40mpg or better, but you’re not gonna diminish revenue. I know, there is some basis for supply/demand but that swill used to be considerably cheaper than regular gasoline. Have had diesels in the family since late 70’s. The VW Rabbit got mileage as good as a lot of modern diesels, but it was coarse in comparison. I could drive 30 miles each way between Hartford and Springfield to hockey practice confidently if it was on empty and I put .50 or a dollar in for good measure.
I find that at Costco in CT, 93 is about the same price as 89 at the “average” station. I’ve noticed over a few years that the spread between 89 v 93 varies, at least at Costco. When there was a guy at the helm that gave a rat’s *** about consumer prices and had the petroleum industry running on cruise control, the spread was about .10, when prices rose, especially recently, the spread gets bigger, though I don’t fuel up often enough anymore to keep track of it.
There was at least a $.75/gal spread between gas stations for 93 ethanol in my area this summer
When we see an unusually wide spread in price between Low test and High test, I have noticed that many of those fuel stations only display their Low test price to the street. Here, the current CostCo spread is 26 cents.
N.C., here, is $3.17 & 9/10(Low Test) at CostCo. Just the annual gas savings at CostCo, pays for the annual membership fee. It is interesting how a 9/10 cent add on has become the norm.
Last edited by Tri-Carb; Nov 18, 2022 at 02:10 PM.
Maybe the increase in fuel in general is based on a governmental effort to cause the public to begin looking at fuel based vehicles in a more negative light to increase a favorable opinion toward electric vehicles? I am by no means a conspiracy theorist but just speculating...
My wife just paid $2.99 9/10 for low test at a Speedway brand station today. It appears to be coming down in price. When you go the Europe and see their prices, you come back to the USA feeling pretty lucky. Speedway is a name used by 7-11.
Last edited by Tri-Carb; Nov 19, 2022 at 01:55 PM.
OP,
Just to give a somewhat off-the-wall view, if you’re just getting into classic cars, give some thought to buying classic cars that not many think of as classic.
I’ve enjoyed Olds big cars for 40 years. There is no reproduction parts market to speak of. So restoring them is harder. No they’re not muscle cars, but they’re quick enough for me with the right combination of engine and rear end.
I don’t have a collection, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my ‘66 98 convertible through about a million adventures from UCLA college to the CA wine county (40+ years). I’ve enjoyed my ‘66 Starfire as a waterproof (ish) old car in Winter (25+ years).
What I’ve found is that once you get out of A Body (Cutlass/442, Chevelle, Skylark, etc) land, the larger cars are generally family cars that 50 years later are often very close to what the factory built. Same for wagons, Toronados, Rivieras (excepting low-riders & no disrespect for their art…), Caddies too often had cushy early lives with rich owners.
If you’re just getting into this hobby, a slightly easier, potentially cheaper, road may be to find an older car somewhere away from the mainstream. It might be more “factory” or “stock” and just need some factory guided maintenance so you can learn what GM (or Ford, or Chrysler) intended at the time.
Just one guy’s take on how to get into the hobby and not take a huge speculative bet on a resale-red convertible not knowing what’s underneath or may be ahead of you in surprise repairs.
I’m no guru, the 455 I bought in the Starfire (no, not factory correct) was sold to me as “rebuilt”. Yeah. 3 or 4 years later, I found out, well no. I had it rebuilt and the engine is smooth as you could want for an Olds 455. Max power? No, it’s no grenade motor, but the idle is crazy smooth and it’s quiet. At 60, I’m kind of interested in power, but no noise…
Just a little something to consider from way outside the mainstream of the car hobby. Not a Chevy, not an A-body, not a muscle car, but still tons of fun. Fun enough that I did it twice. Convertible for Summer, Hardtop for California (snow/salt free) winters….
OP,
Just to give a somewhat off-the-wall view, if you’re just getting into classic cars, give some thought to buying classic cars that not many think of as classic.
I’ve enjoyed Olds big cars for 40 years. There is no reproduction parts market to speak of. So restoring them is harder. No they’re not muscle cars, but they’re quick enough for me with the right combination of engine and rear end.
I don’t have a collection, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my ‘66 98 convertible through about a million adventures from UCLA college to the CA wine county (40+ years). I’ve enjoyed my ‘66 Starfire as a waterproof (ish) old car in Winter (25+ years).
What I’ve found is that once you get out of A Body (Cutlass/442, Chevelle, Skylark, etc) land, the larger cars are generally family cars that 50 years later are often very close to what the factory built. Same for wagons, Toronados, Rivieras (excepting low-riders & no disrespect for their art…), Caddies too often had cushy early lives with rich owners.
If you’re just getting into this hobby, a slightly easier, potentially cheaper, road may be to find an older car somewhere away from the mainstream. It might be more “factory” or “stock” and just need some factory guided maintenance so you can learn what GM (or Ford, or Chrysler) intended at the time.
Just one guy’s take on how to get into the hobby and not take a huge speculative bet on a resale-red convertible not knowing what’s underneath or may be ahead of you in surprise repairs.
I’m no guru, the 455 I bought in the Starfire (no, not factory correct) was sold to me as “rebuilt”. Yeah. 3 or 4 years later, I found out, well no. I had it rebuilt and the engine is smooth as you could want for an Olds 455. Max power? No, it’s no grenade motor, but the idle is crazy smooth and it’s quiet. At 60, I’m kind of interested in power, but no noise…
Just a little something to consider from way outside the mainstream of the car hobby. Not a Chevy, not an A-body, not a muscle car, but still tons of fun. Fun enough that I did it twice. Convertible for Summer, Hardtop for California (snow/salt free) winters….
Good luck & good hunting
Chris
I think you scrolled too far when answering another thread perhaps?
