Why isn't there any organised public action against petrol prices? You could count me in for anything.
Because fuel is still cheap. Yes, it really is.
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Because fuel is still cheap. Yes it really is.
No it is not.
The cost of fuel at the pump is out of all proportion to cost of producing and retailing it because it is so heavily taxed. We would not stand for any of the other essential goods we buy having their prices inflated like this.
The "Fuel is cheap in reality" nonsense is a load of cack that is continually spouted by the greens to the extent that many have begun to believe it.
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The "Fuel is cheap in reality" nonsense is a load of cack that is continually spouted by the greens to the extent that many have begun to believe it.
It's nothing to do with the Greens, nothing to do with tax, and nothing to do with the cost of production. It's to do with the retail market.
The measure of a good's cheapness is whether people are prepared to pay a given price for it. Since people are still buying fuel for their cars in significant quantities I conclude that fuel is still cheap. It's the price rises that are making people complain, not the absolute cost--so far.
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Because fuel is still cheap. Yes it really is.>>
True. I won't believe it's too expensive until I see more folks slowing down. With some long cross-country runs held at no more than 60 mph and a bit of town stuff, the old Mondeo 2L petrol estate has just returned 42.2mpg (brim to brim). My tax per mile is about the same as it was 3 years ago - I object to paying this totally incompetent government any more than I really have to! For quick trips for the 1.5 miles into town, I now use the pushbike.
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fuel is still cheap. Yes it really is.
There doesn't seem to have been a noticeable decline in fuel sales in the last 10 years, approximately (source: UK Trade Info.).
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I have just been offered a MG ZS 1.8 with LPG. Its the same year as my Audi diesel and I will probably pocket a couple of K at least after buying the MG and selling my Audi. Headgasket done so thats a bonus. At £1.29 a litre of diesel at local Tesco, LPG has to be the way to go!
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At £1.29 a litre of diesel at local Tesco LPG has to be the way to go!
Until Mr Darlings next mini budget (probably sometime next week)...Got to get that 2bn back from somewhere.
Edited by gmac on 14/05/2008 at 23:12
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>>Until Mr Darlings next mini budget (probably sometime next week)...Got to get that 2bn back from somewhere.
Its a gamble I know but I recon the savings are worth it. Unfortunatley I cover a reasonably high mileage and therefore any savings are good for me....and the local garage does LPG!
I am going to test it for a week and maybe 600 miles or so first before I make a definate decision.
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I have a 2.0 Vectra which is not an excessively large car. However, I am seriously thinking of changing it for a diesel. This really hacks me off as, effectively, the government is telling me what I can (or can't) drive. If that lovely Mr Darling were to cut fuel duty by 9p per litre then he would still be getting the same in fuel duty that he was getting six months ago and Labour would get a boost in the polls. However, that's too much like a good idea...
I cannot do without a car as I work odd hours and there is no way I can get to our yard at stupid o'clock on public transport. Also, I don't want to drive a tiny, fuel efficient car as I have children and I don't feel that a tiny car offers the same protection to the them in the event of a collision as a larger car. I know that current small cars are a lot safer but I'm on a very limited budget and can only afford a older car which, historically, will be weaker in a crash.
Cheers.
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Badwolf I am biased but if you are on a budget have a look at a first generation Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI preferably in 110bhp spec. This is a solid and reliable car that can be bought cheaply and will return 55 mpg on a run. Will feel as quick as your Vectra as well becasue of the torque.
Know what you mean about the nannying though but I am not going to bother to rant any more, see my other threads onthis topic.
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Not yet it hasn't, it might later in the year though when I will probably chuck an LPG kit in my Mondeo and run it for peanuts until the tax on LPG goes up.
Only this evening I went shooting past the entrance to my estate on the way home from work and took a detour of 3 or 4 miles at warp speed with the tunes thumping and the night air blasting through my hair with the top down, all the stars were in the sky above, beautiful. :-)
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This LPG is great and garages offer it but my mate is fed up with fuel stations running out of LPG he says for him it has not been worth the conversion costs because he often has problems finding stations that have regular stock
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Availability around my neck of the woods is pretty good, my uncle has used LPG to do a daily commute down into Yorkshire and hasn't had any problems, I suppose it must depend upon where in the country you are.
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Not petrol prices in particular, but the weak pound is having a drastic effect on my income. I earn in pounds but spend in zloties and now I'm only getting 4 instead of 7 for every pound I earn. After 15 years of V6s, straight 6s and turbocharged 2-litre petrols, the next car will be diesel, sensible and simple. Unless, that is, I suddenly find a golden client who wants to throw money at me.
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We completed our first long run in the Charade yesterday. Including 4 days of running around town and 250 miles of dual carriageway at 75 mph, we got and average of 52 mpg, which we felt was more than acceptable against the Forester which would come in around 30 mpg.
Even more telling, my misses said that she found the Charade almost as comfortable as the Forester and she would be happy to downsize to an auto Charade if economies dictated.
Certainly we can afford to run the Forester currently because it is only used twice a week to doing about 40 miles, but if fuel and road tax jumps another 25%, it will have to go, but not yet!
On the food front, anyone tried cornedbeef pie? we have it once a week and it works out for 4 people at 55p per head for a huge plateful, including all veg and potato.
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Someone said above: >> The cost of fuel at the pump is out of all proportion to cost of producing and retailing it because it is so heavily taxed. We would not stand for any of the other essential goods we buy having their prices inflated like this. >>
Well. I don't want to argue what's essential and what's not, and I do agree that road fuel is over-taxed, but how much of the cost of a bottle of wine or spirits relates to producing and retailing it? We do put up with taxes on consumption of what we like to consume.
Anyone want to see duty on alcohol go up so that duty on road fuel can go down?
Cheers!
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Anyone want to see duty on alcohol go up so that duty on road fuel can go down?
Optimist - of course I realise that you are only using this as an example. However, if we were, in a fantasy world, to be given that straight choice, I would have to say that yes, I would rather see more taxation on alcohol, if it genuinely did lead to a reduction in fuel prices. I can take or leave alcohol ( usually I leave it as it happens ) but I absolutely need to be mobile to provide for my family. If it happened to have the secondary effect of making our town and city centres safer and more pleasant at night then so much the better. Bring it on.
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Not tried the pie stu but a corned beef and onion toastie goes down a treat....'Dribbles'
My favourite pie is sausage onion and tomato or a shepherds pie made by my own fair hand using the lamb mince from Southdown sheep raised by one of my employees.
We buy half a lamb at a time and freeze it to save money.
The difference in taste from the supermarket lamb is remarkable.
Likewise we have friends with an allotment who we receive vegetables and fruit from regularly when in season.
But lets get back to motoring ......
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cost of a bottle of wine or spirits relates to producing and retailing it?
Getting drunk is optional but commuting is mandatory! You can't compare losing money vs earning money ;)
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well this morn , just put £5 in there, because i had,nt got my wallet , result 4.54 ltr
result = the £5 gallon,
sad days I can remember my father buying 4 gallons (and a couple of spashes of redex) for a £1
personally , 33p a ltr
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Diesel on the Costa del Sol is now 1,24 euros a litre.
With the current exchange rate that's as near £1 a litre as makes no odds!
Unleaded is around 1,18 euros a litre
Thank goodness I'm only 20 mins from Gib!
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Diesel is £1.289 this morning at my local
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Just filled my Audi up at £82 which is about £20 more than what it cost at xmas. 65 litres at 1.28, if it goes to £1.50 then its going to be £100 fill up!!
I have just driven to Newcastle up the A1 and followed a Saab Estate with a sticker in the window that said 'If your stuck behind me Im saving fuel'! Wonder where you get those from? He wasnt hanging around though so only knows what he was like before he was saving fuel!!
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I've noticed the M25 is quieter on the weekend - fewer Sunday drivers. Every cloud has a silver lining!
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I spent £20 on half a tank for my wife's Micra yesterday. A stupid price for a small amount of fuel.
You know what? I don't care. We've two cars and I've no intention of altering how we use them. There are worse problems on the horizon to do with the cost of food, maybe peaked according to the UN, and with keeping a roof over your head.
I know I've got to avoid being political, but the PM said yesterday that he was the right person to get us out of this mess because he'd done it before.
Excuse me? Isn't this the same man who told us that as Chancellor he'd brought us record growth, prosperity and employment. So, er, where was the mess, please?
Still. When he's taxed us into recession, demand for fuel will drop for industry and for private motoring so the pump price should fall. Every cloud...........
(That's a joke. Unfortunately it's not funny.)
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Political take on VED increases backdated:
tinyurl.com/4n5zg6
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It wouldn't be so bad if that and the fuel tax was all ring fenced to make driving a pleasurable experience.
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Still. When he's taxed us into recession demand for fuel will drop for industry and for private motoring so the pump price should fall. Every cloud........... (That's a joke. Unfortunately it's not funny.)
Unfortunately it's no joke as well as not funny.
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I'm currently between contracts so not got a commute. Still doing quite a lot of leisure miles driving at the weekends to see friends and I've a driving holiday planned soon to either France or Scotland depending on my mood and the weather.
I've taken to driving at around 65 to 70 on long runs instead of about 85ish leptons. Having more time on my hands means I'm less bothered about getting places quickly. I've noticed that the motorways are definitely quieter at weekends and the traffic is moving more slowly.
When I take the Porsche out that still gets used as its makers intended, I', fortunate enough that I don't have to watch the pennies but I don't like paying the government any more than I have to.
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I had my first incursion into £70 for a tank of petrol today, and that was at the seemingly 'cheap' price of 109.9!
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I haven't changed my driving habits yet, but I am thinking about trying to economise on domestic heating oil. The price of this has increased 30% in the last 5 months and 80% in the last 16 months. Petrol price rises have been small in comparison.
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Yes, so thought I'd try and change a habit. For the 70 mile trip Epsom to Stansted last Sun left home bit earlier and instead of usual 70ish mph stayed at 62-63 for whole trip, M25/11. Consumption (computer readout) went up fm usual 56ish to 64.8mpg at end of my return today. And each way probably took 5 mins longer - lesson learned, I reckon.
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And to think some of us were wanting the motorway speed limit raised to 80mph!
I think we'll all be travelling at 60mph very soon!
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I was doing the same thing today whilst driving to the New Forest & back on the M4/A33/M3, cruising at around 60-65mph, trying to keep the rev needle at the 3k rpm mark.
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Has HJ mentioned in his column how to drive most efficiently? Rather than the tripe on the radio (Always use the lowest gear...since when? Peak torque was in 3rd not 4th at 30mph on my last car)
Lots to be said for anticipation as well.
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Absolutely mss1tw. Every time you brake it's fuel down the drain.
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www.whatgas.com - Unleaded Prices are going crazy! Link now working
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 25/05/2008 at 19:59
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