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I've got a friend who stops by every couple of weeks just to see what we're into, today was his day. He spoke about gas prices & of recently meeting a gentleman from Texas who recently retired from 30+ years with Exxon-Mobil. When my buddy learned of this, he ask about fuel cost & availability, etc. The guy told him just to be patient, that a year from now gas prices will be back down around $2.00. His reasoning is that after the election measures will be mandated causing oil companies to drill domestically, more new refineries will be built thus bringing down the cost. I wish I knew this to be fact, guess we'll have to wait & see how close his beliefs turn out to be.

We can only hope, or a multifuel may be closer in my future than I imagined...

EDIT: But he does make valid points. Now if we can get those things to happen...

I would have to say that I'm a bit skeptical. Refineries take time to build, and we'll be paying for them at the pump for quite a while. As far as new drilling, I don't think the ANWR debate is dead yet. The Arctic is an expensive environment to operate in. Again, we'll be paying at the pumps. As I understand it, the only oil shortage is easily accessable, light sweet crude. In other words cheap and easily refined. So be it, it will not be cheap ever again. Demand is on the rise overseas. Texaco et all will just take it to the highest bidder.

I recently went on a road trip from the East Coast to Minnesota. As painful as it was for me, I set my cruise control at 60 MPH. I passed NOBODY for the two days it took. On occassion someone would cruise along with me for awhile, but that never lasted more than twenty miles. They'd become impatient, and blow on around.

Even the neo-wanna-be-hippies would pass me up in some beater POS that hadn't had a tune-up in decades. No doubt on their way to a "No blood for oil" rally. I'm sure there were some bumper stickers about global warming, but I couldn't read them through the blue exaust smoke.

Now, I'm no tree-hugger, and global warming doesn't make my top-ten list of things to lose sleep over, but where is the incentive/pressure to drop prices? We absolutely refuse to change the way we consume. We complain about prices, drive an SUV at 75 mph, and keep on paying.

Pardon the rant. And if I sound preachy, I don't mean to, but I only see one solution and it will hurt.

My nickles' worth (everything has gone up)...

P.S. How does a 230 do on coal dust?

DaveO wrote:P.S. How does a 230 do on coal dust?

I don't know, but I'll bet it will carbon up pretty quick!

Well Dave, I see where you are coming from & we are forced to look at real time realism that we are all experiencing. As they say we can only hope better days are ahead, but seeing is believing. I can't say I'm a believer at this time either. Hope this guys view point makes one out of me in the future.

Me too, Charles. I guess I sound a little bitter, but it's really not the case. Three months ago I was the guy driving the SUV at 75.

Thankfully I'm retiring soon, so no more commuting. I'll be able to afford to stay in the hobby with running the trucks just a couple of times a week.

If gas goes to $2 a gallon I will personally eat this stankey
Cat hat that I'm wearing.
I expect $5 a gallon soon.
$4.47 was the cheapest that i could find today in the Bay Area.
$135 for 3/4 of a tank for my F-350.
$1/ mile ( gas only)
J.B.

I live within 5 miles of alot of refineries and gas here today is $3.73 for gas and $ 4.59 for diesel , It still hard to believe in the increase in the last 12-18 months and no end in sight!

Well if there is a bright side to this madness-every weekend I now ask my wife if we're going anywhere this weekend? She's already learned that her answer is "no, gas is too high" and then my response is "OK, I'll be outside workin' on the M!
Gary

Ahhh! Something good has come out of the gas price increases, after all!

I have heard that Iraq oil refineries are finally gearing back up - that should help some.

If Iran and Israel start shooting, that'll hurt a lot.

$2.00/gal price was probably undervalued by a fair bit - I'd be surprised to see those days again.

I miss the 25¢ gas I used to pump after high school. That and the independently owned stations that used to have "gas wars." In 1972, just before my ANG unit got activated to go to SEA, we had a gas war in my home town and it got down to 9¢ on one side of the street and 11¢ on the other, Guess where I filled up my truck!

I remembered this topic so I figured I would post an update. Yesterday I paid $2.59/gal

Still $3.35 this morning in Monterey.
Gary

$2.46 as of today