50 bucks to fill up

[Curious Joel]

Originally Posted by ses4me

Yes, you're right. Silly me.

Well you still have to fill up more often with a 4.4 so you're still on the right track.

[UCrewX5]

I stopped and filled up in Toledo, Ohio this afternoon and the prices were $1.97 Regular, $2.07 Midgrade, and $2.17 Premium. I pumped in every drop the X would take!

Not sure why, but prices are always about 20 cents a gallon cheaper just across the border down in Ohio then they are in Metro Detroit.

[mogsyman]

Filled up with regular diesel today on the motorway (that's a highway to those who can't speak proper English!) and it cost £89 to fill up. With current exchange rates that works out to be around $170...

The car does about 500 miles to a tank and is currently averaging 25mpg. I do thrash it to within an inch of a new engine all the time and I cover about 30,000 miles per year (had it from new March 05, having now got 4700 miles on the clock already!) and I can't worry about fuel costs.

Our government plan on introducing road charging within the next few years so we'll then pay by the mile as well. During peak periods it could be as much as $3 per mile on major routes. They are determined to drive us all off the roads and I have the feeling they may do so.

Rant over...

[Curious Joel]

Originally Posted by mogsyman

Filled up with regular diesel today on the motorway (that's a highway to those who can't speak proper English!) and it cost £89 to fill up. With current exchange rates that works out to be around $170...

The car does about 500 miles to a tank and is currently averaging 25mpg. I do thrash it to within an inch of a new engine all the time and I cover about 30,000 miles per year (had it from new March 05, having now got 4700 miles on the clock already!) and I can't worry about fuel costs.

Our government plan on introducing road charging within the next few years so we'll then pay by the mile as well. During peak periods it could be as much as $3 per mile on major routes. They are determined to drive us all off the roads and I have the feeling they may do so.

Rant over...

That's horrible.. $170!!! Jeeze.... That's a ton. 25mpg is good though, for a car like the X5. I average 26 in my 330xi. That's horrible about the government trying to tax you off the roads... America is very car-friendly in many ways... It is a huge part of the culture...

[twm67]

Where do you gas up? The Sunoco in Princeton Junction gets me for about $45 on average. Not much improvement, but the places on Rt. 1 will always be more expensive.

I will never complain about gas prices as long as they're below $4 per gallon. Even when they hit $4 per gallon, I'll still pay it.

BTW - eat your hearts out, CA guys and gals - I load up on 94 in my Mustang, and I think the hottest stuff you get is around 91 on a good day.

[Smiley]

America is car friendly, but there is a lot of talk (and a pilot project or two in the works) to move away from a pay @ the pump gas tax, to a tax system based on miles driven. Seems like a lot of folks are concerned about 1) the fairness in the current system and 2) the ability of the tax receipts to fund highway projects.

There are merits to rethinking the gas tax (diverting federal dollars to the states, jurisdictions, roads with most traffic), but I'm not sure how the general public would accept such a system since it would have to track actual usage (privacy issues) and feel more like a tax (since most folks don't pay attention to the tax already included in the price of gas).

[bimmerfan]

Originally Posted by Smiley

America is car friendly, but there is a lot of talk (and a pilot project or two in the works) to move away from a pay @ the pump gas tax, to a tax system based on miles driven. Seems like a lot of folks are concerned about 1) the fairness in the current system and 2) the ability of the tax receipts to fund highway projects.

There are merits to rethinking the gas tax (diverting federal dollars to the states, jurisdictions, roads with most traffic), but I'm not sure how the general public would accept such a system since it would have to track actual usage (privacy issues) and feel more like a tax (since most folks don't pay attention to the tax already included in the price of gas).

I heard some recent rumors about this as well. I don't quite understand how they could track something like this before OBDIII (On Board Diags III) big brother type changes are implemented. And being that the proposed OBDIII changes have been tied up in the courts for about a decade I don't see it happening anytime soon... Have you heard anything about how they intend on implementing this idea?

[Smiley]

I don't know if a future 'road user charge' system would use OBDIII to send vehicle information to the state or federal entities responsible for collecting the tax. Regardless if a motor fuel tax alternative uses OBDIII or another mechanism to track and report vehicle information, it will likely face the same questions and challenges that OBDIII faces (again, privacy issues).

The University of Iowa (I think the Public Policy Center there), among other groups, are conducting tests with cars equipped with GPS and GIS technology to keep track of miles driven, location, and tax rates in order to credit user charges to the appropriate jurisdiction.

Oh, when I mentioned the reasons for rethinking the gas tax, I forgot one of the biggest reasons -- development and growth in alternatives to gasoline (Hybrids, ...). I guess government and academic types are thinking ahead.

[motordavid]

Not to toss a political aerosol can on the campfire, but if "gov't" was really serious about AltFuels, et al, they'd divert the dough we've wasted in Iraq the past few years, corral some of the oil producers/converters and some smart,Practical scientists and get a program and goal guide of real stuff using Real Dough. Lil' of the above will happen in any sensible framework any time soon, here in USA, imo.

[Thunder22]

I didn't read through the entire thread, but just as an FYI if you live in NJ by a Costco that sells gas, you DO NOT have to be a member of Costco to get gas there. They only accept AMEX and/or a debit card, no other credit cards and no cash.

I got super at costco on saturday for $2.09/gal..