US gas prices near 6 year lows: guess what that means for the forum! (Crickets)

[user removed]

So now I have to worry about the yakking wife AND a yakking car.

Time to start assembling my bucket list.

regards
mech

[jamesqf]

Per the news just now, prices have gone up 35 cents/gal in the last month: U.S. gas prices up 22 cents over past three weeks -survey | Reuters

[MetroMPG]

Yup, I keep an eye on the US & Canada national average price graph on Gasbuddy. Gas Price Charts - GasBuddy.com - GasBuddy.com

The US average has climbed ~70 cents above the lows of late January.

Forum activity hasn't changed much in that time though. It's been pretty even (at the quiet end).

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If the Golf can have diesel, why can't the Tacoma?

Because in the US, HP/torque=payload/towing capacity. It's as if the frame, suspension and tires have nothing to do with it.

She can handle it, she's got a diesel!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

Because in the US, HP/torque=payload/towing capacity. It's as if the frame, suspension and tires have nothing to do with it.

If that was true, a Corvette would have a greater payload than any European van

Anyway, gearing also plays an important role to enable a smaller engine to perform a heavier job.

[MetroMPG]

So, prices in the US and Canada keep climbing, and have been since this thread started.

Compare the graph from post 1 (March 1) to today's graph from Gasbuddy:



Today:



Not surprisingly, forum activity based on "active users" (and most other stats) bottomed out at all-time lows in Feb., and has been tracking gas prices upward since then.

But it's not a perfect match: prices are now back to where they were in mid-2010. Yet forum activity back then was higher.

I wonder why.

I think one reason is: there was a big expansion in efficient vehicle choices around that time (both from increasing CAFE regulations, and the growth of the compact/subcompact segment). Maybe the average "non-MPG-enthusiast" person who cared enough about MPG back then to visit the forum made a vehicle switch that saved a lot and now doesn't worry about fuel consumption as much. They figure they've done what they can do.

[Chrysler kid]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

If that was true, a Corvette would have a greater payload than any European van

Anyway, gearing also plays an important role to enable a smaller engine to perform a heavier job.

I've pulled an 18 foot fishing boat with a 98 Pontiac trans am.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

But it's not a perfect match: prices are now back to where they were in mid-2010. Yet forum activity back then was higher.

I wonder why.

I'm looking at where prices were going into mid-2010. They were much higher than prices were going into mid-2015. So while today's price matches 2010, the price a couple months ago doesn't come close to what it was 5 years and a couple months ago. Add that to a scarier economy back then (not that it's better, the scariness just isn't being shoved down peoples' throats by the news channels).

[MetroMPG]

Zombie thread bump!

Nobody wins any prizes for guessing what the forum's traffic & activity stats look like these days. (Insert customary laughing emoticon here.)

We're doing considerably better than a few other related sites, but it's fair to say the majority of people hanging around here these days have a deeper interest in the subject matter than saving a few dollars a week when prices are already high (or rising fast).

[sheepdog 44]

Here's my question: How can i take advantage of low gas prices for my financial gain, especially if i'm only filling 10 gallons every 5 months. Is there a Gasoline futures market or something?

It's obviously impractical to buy barrels of oil that cost less than the barrel its in, and have it all go bad before you can use it, while also posing a significant fire risk.

In my short driving career i have never seen gas this low. I thought it would never go back under $3, let alone #2. In New England its at $1.57 a gallon.