Gasoline Prices, and your Z

[sblake01]

But really, what can you do? The prices won't change my driving habits, it'll just cost more to drive. Just got back from Solvang, 418 mi. round trip! I have four vehicles, and yard equipment to fill up too.

[xray]

Gas herein Raleigh is around $2.90 a gallon. I (thankfully) only fill up once a month, as my commute is a hefty 3.8 miles one way. Figured moving to a smaller town (From Atlanta) would allow me to actually live in town, which has had a nice impact on my wallet.

Without getting too political, I doubt gas prices will go down for quite some time.

Anyone for a Vespa forum???

Steve

[texasz]

My Z, my 4Runner, and my Silverado 1500 all get about the same gas mileage so it makes no difference what the price of gas does I still have to drive something.

Anyone for a Vespa forum???

Great idea!!!!!!!!! You crack me up, just the thought of making my comute on a Vespa... LOL ROFL

[hls30.com]

Oh man don't even get me going about trucks... i got a Dodge 1500 RAM.. I USE to use it to commute to the locale Park & Ride, plus all of my daily errands... Every freckin week and half I'd be at Costco filling it up to the tune of 60.00 bucks... Finally bought a 700.00 used Prelude off of Craigs List... Best 700 buck I ever spent... Now the truck just sits unless I need to make a dump, or Home Depot run....

Yep, that's the one, a 2003 Dodge Quad Cab-I am in the process of putting my roadster back to roadworthy-dropped a valev, and the head spent 2 months at the machine shop-don't ask...

Will

[1 Bravo 6]

Down here we're paying $1.30 ltr. which works out at around $5.85 gal.

Nobody likes paying high prices for fuel but what REALLY gets me mad is when a servo advertises standard unleaded at, say, $1.10 ltr. in the morning and $1.30 ltr. that afternoon, without having had the underground tanks topped up. It's the same fuel so how can the increase be justified ?????????

Rick.

:devious: :devious:

[mybabyz]

Gas here in Memphis is $ 2.87 and rising. Luckily my little darling is on Jack stands getting her 135,000 mile check up. She won't be taking any trips to the gas pumps any time soon. Now my 58 Chevy Biscayne.......Thats a gas hog.

[SavannahZ]

I wonder how many people have actually backed their carbs up a bit and sacrificed power to get a little more mpg.

I would rather have the power and pay a little more.

[Hrududu]

These days, I drive my buick almost as much as the Z. Its gas mileage is almost exactly the same, but it doesn't have to rum premium, so thats $.20 a gallon I can save right there. It's basically come down to, "I don't really care anymore." because A) there is nothing I can do about it, I have to drive, and C) does it really cost ALL THAT MUCH MORE in the long run?

[peng155]

Phil,

I use a Z or ZX almost daily and the '86 swallowed up $50.01 to fill up from empty the other day at $3.09 per gallon. Almost makes you want to frame the receipt?

BTW, That is a beautiful 9/70 240Z you have there! I especially like the color. What is the story of your Z?

Hey daddz...

Thanks for the compliment.... Not much of a story, I'm the 4th owner of HLS3010924 and as far as I can tell from the paperwork I have.... the car was purchased by the original owner from Beaverton Datsun Nov. 16, 1970..

The car ended up in Seattle where the second owner my friends brother purchased it from a used car dealership Nov. 1972 for the sum of $3797.00

My friend the 3rd owner brought the car from his brother in 1976 as soon as we were able to get our drivers license.... My buddy got married, and as usual priorities change and I picked it up from him for $2500.00. It was in pretty rough shape appearance wise when I got a hold of it.

I spent the last 4 years refurbishing various items on the car... It was the classic case of disassembling one thing on the car, which led to disassembling something else, and so on, and so forth... But most of it was appearance stuff.. carpet, seats, new weather seals.

I finally decide on a body/paint shop and had it repainted the original factory color #919 last spring. Engine wise all stock.. only mods I've made so far have been to change out the alternator-external VR setup to a GM alternator with a internal VR, and updated the fusible link to a blade type fuse.

I currently am trying to decide on what to replace the stock engine with.... I'm leaning towards a SU carbureted L28 setup, So there you have it the story of HLS3010924

[Dtsnlvrs]

What I am trying to figure out is, How high does it have to get before Americans stop buying and driving SUV's, or do we have to have gas lines again for that to happen.

[speedyblue]

Sorry, but you Murricans can't take the blame for this one. The Chinese in their fast developing country are all of a sudden using a lot more of the stuff, and due to it being a communist country, the government has fixed the price, and fuel is cheaper there than in the US. The Chinese gas sellers are not happy because the price they sell at may be fixed, but over the last year or so, the price they buy at has increased. Chinese development is the same reason steel prices over here have increased a lot too.

Of course, don't take my word at 100% because I can't remember where I heard it now.

[280z1975]

Sorry, but you Murricans can't take the blame for this one. The Chinese in their fast developing country are all of a sudden using a lot more of the stuff, and due to it being a communist country, the government has fixed the price, and fuel is cheaper there than in the US. The Chinese gas sellers are not happy because the price they sell at may be fixed, but over the last year or so, the price they buy at has increased. Chinese development is the same reason steel prices over here have increased a lot too.

Of course, don't take my word at 100% because I can't remember where I heard it now.

China is a one of the reasons for the increase in price, demand and supply being the next. It's not a matter of there not being enough raw oil (which a lot of people believe) but a matter of being able to refine it that is causing the supply to slip.

Still, I am paying less than I was last year in Europe for gas when I lived there, so that makes me feel some what good. But with summer around the corner and some long distance road trips for my work ahead, I am not looking forward to the extra cost. At least my Sentra gets 30 mpg.

When you think about it, for most of us who get around 18-20 mpg, it's not that bad for a perfomance sports car that is a blast to drive. I mean, most of the popular Muscle cars get what, 8mpg, and are good for a straight line. Even many modern cars don't get that many extra miles to the gallon compared to our 30+ year old Z's.