Poll: do you use a web site to find the lowest fuel price? Are you "gas obsessive"?

[Ryland]

I only fill up 15 times or so per year so I don't bother shopping around, I give my money to a Cenex gas station because they are a Co-op, member owned gas station and I am a member there so instead of profit going to out of state stock holders it stays in my community, it's also one of the few gas stations that is less then a block out of my way.

[rmay635703]

I don't use websites because they almost never have accurate or complete information for my area, many small fill stations south of here are consistantly $0.25 a gallon cheaper than the ones in the area.

I will fill at the cheapest station on my route to wherever it is I am going. I plan when I need to fill and go specific places specific days so I am never surprized and have to just fill somewhere. (at least very rarely)

I tend to know which stations are less expensive and in some cases the amount is rather extreme because there are several monopolies that I cross when going between areas.

Its really too bad state laws are such that they support monopolies, in Wausau there has been a breakfast club of station owners for decades so every station in that area except for maybe two independants will always have almost exactly the same price (never more than 2 cents difference usually no difference).
It also doesn't help that there is only one supplier to all the stations (except for 2 stations) and that stations that do sell gas for less are put out of business within about 2 years for selling below market or their license being pulled.

Another irritating aspect is if a price is listed on the news and our prices are $0.25 or in one case $0.50 a gallon cheaper, right after the news article about gas prices going up the prices will match on the button whatever was stated in the news. Sadly when the news says prices are going down we are usually 2 weeks behind the curve.

Free country eh?

[JeepNmpg2]

I suppose I could be qualified as "gas obsessive." I don't go out of my way, but I do keep a running tab in my head on where gas is the cheapest of stations that I will purchase fuel from. I tend to avoid ARCO here though, as their fuel seems to not produce the MPG that the others do even though they tend to be 10-15¢ cheaper. I haven't tested them out beyond that, just my hunch from watching average MPG's. When I can, I do try to time my fillup with my bi-weekly trip to Costco, as their gas is usually cheaper than the lowest station and the MPG's are just fine.

[Angmaar]

I have a station that I regularly go to. But I will stop at a closer station if I am running out of gas.

[gone-ot]

...in today's volitile economics, I "knew" where the lowest price was yesterday, but I have to check the website for today's lowest price.

[nemo]

I tend to use web sites for fuel prices when traveling. With gas prices fluctuating like they are only the electronic billboard post prices anymore. I hate getting off the highway to find I've picked the highest station in 3 counties. On my last road trip I noticed that most of the billboards were not lit at night.

[KITT222]

From my standpoint, gas is all within a few cents of each other, so why spend the time to go to Costco, a place I hate anyways, just for gas when the station I regularly go to has it for only 3 cents more a gallon? Sure, if I would have gone there maybe I would have paid like $38 instead of $40, but to me that doesn't really matter. In the long run it will affect me, but I don't have any expenses other than gas and car payments right now. Sure, I should get more obsessive, and use things such as Gasbuddy, but when the difference is under a nickel per gallon, I consider it moot (in BOTH terms of the word).

[cfg83]

Hello -

I voted that I don't pay much attention (mostly because I have a really messy life). I have a specific set of gas stations at both ends of my commute that I target. They are on the way to/from my work. If there is a tanker delivering gas, I won't use that station because I've been told that the tanker can make sediment in the gas-station storage-tank fly-up. Maybe that's an old wives' tale, but it's not hard to switch over to one of the other stations on the way.

CarloSW2

[TheMarkofPolo]

As long as I fill up on the Missouri side of the River, I'm fine. Near campus on the Illinois side gas is $0.20 more.
I usually stick with the QT near the fiance's apartment.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...in today's volitile economics, I "knew" where the lowest price was yesterday, but I have to check the website for today's lowest price.

I check the prices too, when I need to fill the tank. I'm driving around out of necessity anyway, so why not find the cheapest price available in whatever area I am driving thru?

BTW, doing this doesn't mean you are obsessive. Frugal and a tightwad, yes - but not necessarily OCD.