• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Gas price

Share this page

Gasoline costs what it costs - that cost is based on the price per barrel of oil. That is far far less than $9 / gallon.
Where does the rest of your gallon (or liter or pint or whatever) of gas money go?

Beyond that <span style="font-weight: bold">everything </span>(save a penny or two profit per gallon at the pump and a small percentage for the Big Oil fatcats) is either processing, delivery or taxes.

If your Government isn't directly using the tax on gas for health care then they are using some other tax for it, so mine is a general statement on taxation for social services.

<span style="font-weight: bold">IMHO </span>: if the Government (local, state, federal etc) can get away with taxing you 70% plus on gas they will. If they can tax you 700% on it then that's even better. (for them)
 
tosoutherncars said:
I'll risk the firing squad, and say... if $5 or $10 / gallon gas is what it takes to force Americans out of their pickups and SUVs, and into smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, it can't come soon enough. One of the most striking things I noticed in driving across the entire country (CA to Ontario) was the proliferation of large, gas-guzzling trucks. The trend, of course, started when the auto lobby succeeded in forcing the government to exclude most "light-duty" trucks from fleet fuel economy targets back in the 70s.

Without speaking to the circumstances of any particular individual... a 250HP 8-cylinder, 5+ litre vehicle is not a valid form of personal transportation, in today's day and age. It's just the logical conclusion in our consumer society.

I think recent developments are an undeniable sign that the era of cheap energy is over, and that the US love affair with certain types of vehicles is simply no longer possible.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I don't feel alone in this view.
 
Yep. Most of it is taxes.

The good thing about it however is that I can choose not to pay as much. I can simply drive less or get a car that will drink less.

Gas prices are roughly the same in all the EU countries (roughly twice the US price). The difference between the EU and US price is obviously tax. This has more than likely had an impact on the type of cars and engines that has been manufacured by EU car makers compared to the US.

If this is true we should all stand up and rejoyce the high EU fuel prices as without them there would be no such thing as a LBC. British sports cars would be big bulky things running huge V8 engines. :smile:

//Erik
 
ErikL said:
Yep. Most of it is taxes.

The good thing about it however is that I can choose not to pay as much. I can simply drive less or get a car that will drink less.

Gas prices are roughly the same in all the EU countries (roughly twice the US price). The difference between the EU and US price is obviously tax. This has more than likely had an impact on the type of cars and engines that has been manufacured by EU car makers compared to the US.

If this is true we should all stand up and rejoyce the high EU fuel prices as without them there would be no such thing as a LBC. British sports cars would be big bulky things running huge V8 engines. :smile:

//Erik
Click to expand...

I agree. Love my little 65HP Midget.
 
yes,

but if the taxes are based on a percentage of the price, and the price goes up, shouldn't the taxes/percentage in fact go down :wink:
 
People who told me how they "needed" their big guzzlers last year, are miraculously finding a way to dump them now and live smaller. Imagine!

You can actually see the difference in the supermarket parking lot nowadays. I biked to work last week past a residential street that had ONLY smallish sedans parked on it. Its been a long time since that has happened.

Like Bob said so long ago, "The times, they are a changin"

Glen

4LBCs at home, 30mpg on the worst, 38mpg on the best.
 
Certinly has not yet, just afraid from what I saw it might have gone that way easly.

Mostly gas taxes go toward paying for our roads localy and interstates nationaly. Yea it is high but look at the distances and the roads we have. I for one remember when we did not have any interstates or four lanes. Only Spridget roads. It took all day to get where we get today in a few hours.

Oh yea, big oil gets 4% profit on a gal of gas. If they are taxed more guess who gets to pay for it at the pump.

The only answer I see is to drill, pump, and refine more US oil and even then I'm not sure it would help much as the oil cost, ie per barrel, is tied tightly into the world market. ie the folks buying and selling oil futures.

The cost has been driven up as I see it by several things.

Asia markets requireing more and more oil to progress into the modern world. The poor showing of the Dollar on the world market against the other hard curancies like the Euro.

It is going to go up folks where it stops is anyones guess. You could make a lot of money if you knew. I supose we should just be thankful that it has been low for so long.
 
maybe the gross weight of america will go
down if people learn to walk again!!
just one good thing to come from it all :wink: .....z
 
But we no longer live in small towns within walking distance of everything and never get more than 20 miles away in our lifetime.

The only real answer for Americans, our distances and way of life is a high tech. break thru.

Hang on to your little cars.
 
I drove a lot of LBCs thru the years and got quite a nice MPG average from them all. Gas was cheap and in 74 when the gas embargo hit I used $2.00gal in my GT6 and did not have to be in line. The station closed from price grabbing. I now drive those 200+HP 4X4 British Sportscars ( Range Rover and Discovery ) basically because they will get me anywhere I want to be road or no roads. Comfortable yes, fuel efficient NO. But when you are going done the Interstate and see someone text messaging or on the phone or a POS with a presumed pothead barreling down the road, I'm glad I'm big and heavy. I still have a 30+mpg MINI so I don't feel to left out, but both Rovers will pass the emissions hands down and probably lower than most around. It's a shame they ended GT6 and TR6 because of emmisions. Have never figured how a 6 cyl that got 30+ was worse on emissions than a Mercury getting 20. Besides, my Rovers can pull any LBC out of trouble quicker than most tow trucks.
 
No one likes to pay high gas prices or high prices for anything for that matter. But there may be a bright side if high gas prices can stimulate us to conduct this most refreshing conversation.
 
the health care here is great and it is not up to my employer. the company I worked for in washington state advretised the job saying it had health care I moved across country and they didnt give me or my department health care. here in norway I was covered as soon as i got off the plane

cheery
steve
 
Ah - but remember here in WA state if you don't like what your employer is "providing" you have the freedom to <span style="font-weight: bold">buy</span> any health plan you want and can afford.

Residents of my fair state also pay (through taxes) for a social health care system.

Yes, here in WA state there is state-sponsored health "insurance":

https://www.basichealth.hca.wa.gov/

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Basic Health is a state-sponsored program providing low-cost health care coverage through private health plans.

Basic Health is for Washington State residents who are:

* Within Basic Health's Income Guidelines;
* Not be eligible for free or purchased Medicare;
* Not institutionalized at the time of enrollment; and
* Not attending school full-time in the United States on a student visa.

<span style="font-weight: bold">There is Space Available in Basic Health!</span>

If you'd like to apply online, click on "Apply" in the left-hand column. Or you can click "Forms" in the left-hand column to download an application packet. Remember to include all documentation requested so Basic Health can determine your eligibility and get you enrolled as soon as possible![/QUOTE]
 
So, to get back on track...
Would you believe I have a car that will:
1. Exceed the posted speed limit antwhere in the US.
2. Is way cooler than a Japanese Econo-Box
AND
3. Gets 40+MPG, on regular gas?

I do, really.

It's a 1963 Austin Healey SPRITE!!!!!!

OK, so it's not dead stock.
Single SU
Skinny little tires
Funny looking header
I TRY to drive in a reasonable manner (don't always succeed)

And I'm working to make it better, hence the posting asking about the fiberglass body panels.

No magic formula, just good, solid engineering. All of our LBCs (well, most of them) have the capabilities.

Mugs up,
Don
 
My wife drives a ford festiva I got her for christmas in 1993. Got a little over 200K on it but still averages 40mpg and it as cold A/C power steering, the works. We both like small cars. That ranger with the 2.3 is the biggest engine I won now. I drive a little 200cc motorbike the 12miles to work and 12 miles home, when I can. It averages 80mpg. Not too worried about it. That 250 gallon tank of Kerosene I have to buy for next winter is the worry.
 
I'm leaving this thread here, but any posts that allude to politics or political opinion - in any direction, will be removed.

Basil
 
the little A series engines are a more and more practical. because they were designed in the post war british gas shortage.
 
tosoutherncars said:
Without speaking to the circumstances of any particular individual... a 250HP 8-cylinder, 5+ litre vehicle is not a valid form of personal transportation, in today's day and age. It's just the logical conclusion in our consumer society.
Click to expand...

No comment
 
Sqrrig said:
So, to get back on track...
Would you believe I have a car that will:
1. Exceed the posted speed limit antwhere in the US.
2. Is way cooler than a Japanese Econo-Box
AND
3. Gets 40+MPG, on regular gas?

I do, really.

It's a 1963 Austin Healey SPRITE!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Would you believe I have a car that that will:

1. Double the posted speed limit anywhere in the US (not that I've ever tested that)
2. Is also way cooler than any Econo Box (regardless of where made)
3. Pushed nearly 400 HP to the rear wheels and...
4. Gets 32 MPH on the hiway and averages almost 30 in town if I drive nice.

It's a 2000 C5 Corvette Coupe 6-speed

Basil
 
Back
Top