The price of gas in 1972 and 1976
#1
The price of gas in 1972 and 1976
Weedsport, New York. July 1972.
Wayland, New York. July 15, 1976.
One more. July 1, 1973. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Wayland, New York. July 15, 1976.
One more. July 1, 1973. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Last edited by jaunty75; September 16th, 2018 at 08:06 PM.
#5
Yeah, $2.59 is about what regular gas is running here today. We don't seem to realize just how spoiled we got from the late '80s until the early '00s when gas prices were so artificially low.
#6
Keep in mind there is more tax on gasoline today than there was in 1976. If you adjusted it on a before tax basis it may not even keep up with inflation. We are fortunate to be paying +/- $2.50 a gallon.
#8
Flame on:
I do understand that a portion of the federal gas tax goes for transportation infrastructure improvements, including roads. What bugs me are the electric and hybrid people, "saving the environment" while driving on roads that I paid for. Somehow, there has to be a tax or a fee for the glutton free, hummus eating Prius drivers. Have you noticed that they won't put their foot on the pedal, because it will start the engine?
I apologize.
Flame off.
I do understand that a portion of the federal gas tax goes for transportation infrastructure improvements, including roads. What bugs me are the electric and hybrid people, "saving the environment" while driving on roads that I paid for. Somehow, there has to be a tax or a fee for the glutton free, hummus eating Prius drivers. Have you noticed that they won't put their foot on the pedal, because it will start the engine?
I apologize.
Flame off.
#9
I do understand that a portion of the federal gas tax goes for transportation infrastructure improvements, including roads. What bugs me are the electric and hybrid people, "saving the environment" while driving on roads that I paid for. Somehow, there has to be a tax or a fee for the glutton free, hummus eating Prius drivers.
1. Have you actually ever driven a Prius? I got one as a rental car once, and after about 5 minutes figuring out how to use it, I fell in love with it over the week we had it. It really is a tremendous piece of technology and engineering. It's too bad they've developed such a bad reputation based on the type of people who typically buy one.
2. I agree completely about the gas tax problem. The fairest way to fix this would be to impose some kind of "mileage tax" where you pay a road tax based on how many miles you drive each month or year or whatever. Nothing could be fairer in terms of "those who use the roads pay for the roads" reasoning. But no one wants to have their driving habits monitored to that extent. The thing about a gas tax, which was also a good measure of actual road use until non-gas-using vehicles came along, is that it is paid anonymously.
#10
Flame on:
I do understand that a portion of the federal gas tax goes for transportation infrastructure improvements, including roads. What bugs me are the electric and hybrid people, "saving the environment" while driving on roads that I paid for. Somehow, there has to be a tax or a fee for the glutton free, hummus eating Prius drivers. Have you noticed that they won't put their foot on the pedal, because it will start the engine?
I apologize.
Flame off.
I do understand that a portion of the federal gas tax goes for transportation infrastructure improvements, including roads. What bugs me are the electric and hybrid people, "saving the environment" while driving on roads that I paid for. Somehow, there has to be a tax or a fee for the glutton free, hummus eating Prius drivers. Have you noticed that they won't put their foot on the pedal, because it will start the engine?
I apologize.
Flame off.
#11
I also never liked this all or nothing concept that if a car isn't zero emission, it's not helping the environment at all. A high mpg gas-engine car is still helping the environment over a less fuel-efficient car. There are many ways to help the environment. Driving an all-electric car is just one of them. It's not the only one.
What if I sold my car and used only public transportation to get around? Surely that's helping. Should I get a tax credit for that?
#12
I graduated high school in 1972 and I can remember when we had those gas wars the regular gasoline was 17 cents. They would pump the gas, check the oil, check the air and wipe your windows. I had a 66 mustang that my big brother had given me when I got to the 11th grade. But one thing I do remember during those years was very seldom would I see a car get 75k without having either a head job or ring job. Looking back I think the leaded gas was causing the valves to burnout.
Last edited by Gary's 2 442-S; September 19th, 2018 at 12:14 PM.
#14
It sure looks like one. More specifically, a '62 Invicta or LeSabre? The taillights I'm not sure because the green car appears to have red lenses all the way across while the two '62s have a white inboard lens, but certainly the front fender has sculpting that looks like a Buick. Weren't backup lights still an option on some cars back then? Perhaps the green car didn't have that option while the two cars in the brochure images would be more likely to show available options.
The wrap-around of the front bumper, the rear-wheel cutout, and the roofline all look right, too.
The wrap-around of the front bumper, the rear-wheel cutout, and the roofline all look right, too.
#16
It sure looks like one. More specifically, a '62 Invicta or LeSabre? The taillights I'm not sure because the green car appears to have red lenses all the way across while the two '62s have a white inboard lens, but certainly the front fender has sculpting that looks like a Buick. Weren't backup lights still an option on some cars back then? Perhaps the green car didn't have that option while the two cars in the brochure images would be more likely to show available options.
The wrap-around of the front bumper, the rear-wheel cutout, and the roofline all look right, too.
The wrap-around of the front bumper, the rear-wheel cutout, and the roofline all look right, too.
Last edited by Human; September 19th, 2018 at 09:24 AM.
#17
Another possibility is that the green car is a '62 Buick Electra 225. The Electra had red lights all the way across the back with the back-up lights between the red lights on each side.
The back end of this car, a '62 Electra, looks more like the back end of the green car.
The back end of this car, a '62 Electra, looks more like the back end of the green car.
#18
And gorgeous as 62 Buicks are, at the time it was just a 10 year old out of style used car.
My high school guidance counselor was still driving her 1955 Roadmaster in 1974. She showed a bunch of us how to start it one afternoon. Mrs Lantor never knew how much influence that one little act had on five gearhead boys.
I'm a firm believer in a road use tax for electric/hybrid vehicles. They put wear and tear on the roads same as any other vehicle. I wish these towns who put in dedicated bicycle lanes would figure a way for bicyclists to contribute to road upkeep too, or at the very least teach them how to share the damn road. Bicyclists should know better than to travel three-wide in a traffic lane.
My high school guidance counselor was still driving her 1955 Roadmaster in 1974. She showed a bunch of us how to start it one afternoon. Mrs Lantor never knew how much influence that one little act had on five gearhead boys.
I'm a firm believer in a road use tax for electric/hybrid vehicles. They put wear and tear on the roads same as any other vehicle. I wish these towns who put in dedicated bicycle lanes would figure a way for bicyclists to contribute to road upkeep too, or at the very least teach them how to share the damn road. Bicyclists should know better than to travel three-wide in a traffic lane.
#19
Regarding taxing vehicles for miles driven, I read many years ago that regular vehicles cause very, very little wear and tear to roads, whereas large trucks cause the most wear and tear. And guess what? Those large trucks pay the least taxes for roadway maintenance. Think about that before you petition for electric/hybrid vehicles to "pay their fair share".
#20
Those are a lot cleaner now too, but power generation can never be "zero-emission". Whatever is used to produce it, you are going to have some byproduct. I shudder to think how end-of-life solar panels will be handled. Simply put, not every component of a solar panel can be recycled.
#22
The rural mail carrier here is on her 2nd hybrid but the nature of her driving requires that gas engine to start frequently. So she's paying at least some fuel tax. Until winter anyway when she switches to a 4wd and she pays a lot!😄
States with annual safety and emissions inspections could easily calculate a miles-driven tax without getting into monitoring driving habits, but we know they'd want to use technology to do it. My issue is, living right on the state line as I do, I drive as much in NC as I do in Virginia. Am I to pay such a tax to both states? Or to pay it in any state I may travel to?
Since VA jacked up its gas tax July 1, gas prices are now about the same in both states. Before, VA gas was 20c cheaper per gallon so I wasn't paying my share to use NC roads. Lot of NC folks would come to VA for gas, so they weren't either, though they did contribute to VA road upkeep.
Can you see how this could become a logistical nightmare?
#24
And gorgeous as 62 Buicks are, at the time it was just a 10 year old out of style used car.
My high school guidance counselor was still driving her 1955 Roadmaster in 1974. She showed a bunch of us how to start it one afternoon. Mrs Lantor never knew how much influence that one little act had on five gearhead boys.
I'm a firm believer in a road use tax for electric/hybrid vehicles. They put wear and tear on the roads same as any other vehicle. I wish these towns who put in dedicated bicycle lanes would figure a way for bicyclists to contribute to road upkeep too, or at the very least teach them how to share the damn road. Bicyclists should know better than to travel three-wide in a traffic lane.
My high school guidance counselor was still driving her 1955 Roadmaster in 1974. She showed a bunch of us how to start it one afternoon. Mrs Lantor never knew how much influence that one little act had on five gearhead boys.
I'm a firm believer in a road use tax for electric/hybrid vehicles. They put wear and tear on the roads same as any other vehicle. I wish these towns who put in dedicated bicycle lanes would figure a way for bicyclists to contribute to road upkeep too, or at the very least teach them how to share the damn road. Bicyclists should know better than to travel three-wide in a traffic lane.
When I was just getting out of high school, I got a job working as a pump jockey at the local Standard/Amoco station. It was in April, 1979, and had JUST purchased my Sienna 1971 442 from the 2nd owner. So when I got to work, I parked it away from everyone else. Then I took a picture of it with my old Polaroid.
Then in July 2007, on the way back home from visiting my Dad, I wasn't in any of the 442s, I stopped in to fill up my then-fairly-new 2006 GMC truck. On a whim, I recalled that old photo and I decided to "re-create" the photo years later- this time with a digital camera.
Here they are.
Of course, that was just before the huge gas crunch of 1979 took hold....then by summer it looked more like this all around the country:
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