Posted April 21, 200817 yr I have always wondered if gas prices would get better in the US once George Bush is out of office? I know that it would depend on who won office, but is there any chance that they will go down if, for instance, Hillary Clinton won the election? I know that gas prices are related to the economy, but I think we all know the government gets paid from gas companies. But none of the candidates give straight answers about how their presidency will effect the price of gas...
April 21, 200817 yr After a quick bit of research I have found that Americans on average pay $3.51(ish) for a gallon of gas. So that is about £1.70ish? We may have to pay that for a LITRE. About £1.10 for a litre of petrol where I live. Don't see how you can complain, especially when that means that for a gallon of petrol we may have to pay £4.95 or almost $10 for it in the U.K. You have it lucky!
April 21, 200817 yr Author After a quick bit of research I have found that Americans on average pay $3.51(ish) for a gallon of gas. So that is about £1.70ish? We may have to pay that for a LITRE. About £1.10 for a litre of petrol where I live. Don't see how you can complain, especially when that means that for a gallon of petrol we may have to pay £4.95 or almost $10 for it in the U.K. You have it lucky! Well you also have to take into consideration that gas has gone from around $1.85 (average at the beginning of 2007) to $3.64 where I live! That is just less then double in a little more then a year! :blink:
April 22, 200817 yr Gas prices will probably not decrease after the election, as they are almost never dictated by politics. Basic supply and demand theory assures that so long as countries like China and India continue to develop rapidly, demand will continue to skyrocket and prices will rise. So far it seems supply is keeping up, though we all know oil is a limited resource. Thus I don't think prices will ever decrease. Be prepared for that.
April 22, 200817 yr After a quick bit of research I have found that Americans on average pay $3.51(ish) for a gallon of gas. So that is about £1.70ish? We may have to pay that for a LITRE. About £1.10 for a litre of petrol where I live. Don't see how you can complain, especially when that means that for a gallon of petrol we may have to pay £4.95 or almost $10 for it in the U.K. You have it lucky! Of course that's true, but there are many things that Europeans should consider before brushing off the situation. Much of the US was developed during the motor age, from WWII on. Bar a couple of years in the 70s, oil has always been cheaper than water here. For decades. Entire cities with millions of people were developed since then, mostly "sunbelt" cities like Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas and Houston. These cities are gigantic and sprawling. Suburbs spread out 40+ miles from the city center. And they were built without an ounce of consideration for public transportation because oil companies and car companies bought out the trolleys and trains and shut them down in the 50s and 60s. And actually, that trend is global (just look at cities like Brasilia or Dubai; they look more like Atlanta than London). Thus for the vast majority of Americans (virtually all of them living in areas developed since 1950), a car is essential. There are millions of people who live on poverty level wages and were used to spending $20/week on gasoline. Well when that expense triples over the course of a few years and your salary remains the same, you've got a problem. Further, high priced oil (and smaller streets) has led to smaller cars in Europe and in much of the world. Americans have always had a thing for big cars. Mostly because they could afford it. Attitude does play a role, of course, but I honestly think that SUVs/4x4s would be just as popular in Europe if they were as cheap as they are in the US. Anyway, high oil prices have changed the American car buying trends dramatically in the past 5 years. SUV sales have plummeted and small cars and hybrids abound. But it will take more time for people to gradually accept smaller, more fuel efficient cars. I am happy to live in Chicago, a dense, urban city developed long before the age of the automobile. As a result, I can take a bus or train anywhere I want. But the vast majority of Americans need a car for school and work and often have to drive long distances. In my opinion, it's a devastating legacy left by greedy oil and automobile companies. And the US will have to adjust to the new price of oil to survive.
April 22, 200817 yr After a quick bit of research I have found that Americans on average pay $3.51(ish) for a gallon of gas. So that is about £1.70ish? We may have to pay that for a LITRE. About £1.10 for a litre of petrol where I live. Don't see how you can complain, especially when that means that for a gallon of petrol we may have to pay £4.95 or almost $10 for it in the U.K. You have it lucky! Agreed. don't see why u whinge so much, try living with our fuel prices
April 22, 200817 yr Totally agree. Once you live in Britain then you can moan over petrol prices. If you live elsewhere...deal with it, because you'll get no sympathy from me.
April 22, 200817 yr :rofl: they're nothing in the US compared to ours :P For example, ours went up from 107.9p to 108.9p in the space of 5 hours today :lol: to and from le Metro Centre
April 22, 200817 yr It seems to be a bigger problem to Americans since there has been such a big increase in a short period of time. I don't know about people in the UK, but Americans seem to rely on it pretty heavily and it's a major expense for pretty much everyone. The dwindling value of the dollar didn't help prices either. If gas prices keep going up the way they are the economy here is probably going to get worse too. Gas prices are one of the main reasons I still don't have my own car yet. If public transportation was actually a choice then I wouldn't care as much! Edited April 22, 200817 yr by Music Maniac
April 22, 200817 yr this is how ours is split at the moment at 107.9p http://www.petrolprices.com/images/petrolpricesdiagram.gif CREDIT: PetrolPrices.com
April 23, 200817 yr I don't even know what Duty is (is it different to VAT?) but I resent having to pay 50.53p a litre for it. Hence I don't drive. Even if I could afford the lessons, a car, tax and insurance, I sure as hell wouldn't be able to afford to feed it to make it move once I got that far. If local public transport wasn't so $h!t in the UK, I'd put off learning to drive forever, but as it is I resent having to pay £5.90 to get 5 miles up the road return more than any of the above.
April 23, 200817 yr I have always wondered if gas prices would get better in the US once George Bush is out of office? I know that it would depend on who won office, but is there any chance that they will go down if, for instance, Hillary Clinton won the election? I know that gas prices are related to the economy, but I think we all know the government gets paid from gas companies. But none of the candidates give straight answers about how their presidency will effect the price of gas... My advice is plan to make use of fuel efficient transportation. Consider walking, cycle, getting a motorbike and if you do have a car keep in mind the running costs.
April 23, 200817 yr :rofl: they're nothing in the US compared to ours :P For example, ours went up from 107.9p to 108.9p in the space of 5 hours today :lol: to and from le Metro Centre 24hrs, diesel went from 115.9p to 120.9p as its all the garage had left.
April 23, 200817 yr I don't even know what Duty is (is it different to VAT?) but I resent having to pay 50.53p a litre for it. Hence I don't drive. Even if I could afford the lessons, a car, tax and insurance, I sure as hell wouldn't be able to afford to feed it to make it move once I got that far. If local public transport wasn't so $h!t in the UK, I'd put off learning to drive forever, but as it is I resent having to pay £5.90 to get 5 miles up the road return more than any of the above. £5.90 for 5 miles?! Even Hummer's aren't quite that bad!
April 23, 200817 yr I don't even know what Duty is (is it different to VAT?) but I resent having to pay 50.53p a litre for it. Hence I don't drive. Even if I could afford the lessons, a car, tax and insurance, I sure as hell wouldn't be able to afford to feed it to make it move once I got that far. If local public transport wasn't so $h!t in the UK, I'd put off learning to drive forever, but as it is I resent having to pay £5.90 to get 5 miles up the road return more than any of the above. Duty is a levy on fuel that the Government applies to raise money, an they increase this each year by rate of inflation Vat is a sales tax on the price, so you are really paying tax on tax :(
April 23, 200817 yr Don't you all have more fuel efficient cars though? That's what I've heard, at least. While you pay more for gas, you do it less? I could be wrong though.
April 24, 200817 yr Author Agreed. don't see why u whinge so much, try living with our fuel prices I'm not whinging, or whatever the f*** that is...I was simply asking if the price of gasoline was related to the president's choices. Once you live in Britain then you can moan over petrol prices. If you live elsewhere...deal with it, because you'll get no sympathy from me. Why would you care...what are you, twelve? Leave discussions like this to people who actually have to deal with the economy by themselves, not people who still get everything they need from their parents. :) f***ing A, seriously is this like a competition or something? I ask a simple question and I have people "whinge" ( :rolleyes: ) about how I should shut-up because they have it worse. I really don't care, and if I did I would have asked.
Create an account or sign in to comment