When it’s all said and done Hurricane Katrina will probably be the most economically devastating natural disaster to hit the US ever. And that’s not to mention the enormous human toll that it has inflicted. But for most of us the biggest effect the storm will have locally is at the pump.
So let’s hear about what you’re seeing out there. There are reports that much of the nation could conceivably see a gallon of gas reach $4 over the next week or two. Has anyone seen this or higher? Has anyone seen gas shortages yet? How will these high prices effect how you drive your MINI?
And for those looking to squeeze out a few more MPG DB over at dbmini.us has a few suggestions that may help out a bit.
If you are able to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, please consider donating via the link below:
[ Red Cross Donations ] Amazon.com/Donate
<p>No shortages here but at the prices they are charging it just might stay in the tank a little longer. Just paid $3.999 for premium last night. Ouch!</p>
<p>Just glad I don’t have to fill up the twin gas tanks on my old F-150. Double Ouch!</p>
<p>Since the high gas prices starting two weeks ago, I’ve been experimenting with feathering the gas pedal as little as possible. Yeah, I’m losing a lot of fun in my commute and driving slower than normal. But if nothing else it’s an experiment to see how much I would save if I sucked the needless fun out of my driving to work. And hopefully will stretch my tank till prices settle down in a week or so. Here’s what I’ve been trying to do:</p>
<p>-pretend you have an egg under your foot, only lightly press the throttle or brake if possible
-make use of the closely spaced six gears…play the “stay under 2krpm game”
-resist the temptation to show up every v8 on the road
-put on a smile when I’m stuck behind a toyota on an on-ramp, that 60-second 0-60 is money in your pocket!
-wave at every MINI even if they don’t do that ’round here anymore. Others will be even more annoyed when they see those of us getting double their gas milage have smiles on our faces at a time like this!</p>
<p>Well, up here in Canada, we’ve seen a 15-20% rise in gas prices, but we haven’t seen any shortages or huge queues. It’s worth noting that us Canadians are still paying approximately 10% more than our American friends even with the recent rise in prices. </p>
<p>I haven’t really changed my driving habits. As much as I plan to drive more conservatively before I get into my car, once there I usually end up favoring performance to frugality. :-)</p>
<p>I actually paid $3.14 yesterday but I know of at least 2 stations charging $3.55/$3.60 for 1 gallon of the good stuff. I actually expect to see $4 by Monday.</p>
<p>I have not yet seen $4/gallon, although didn’t drive around much today.</p>
<p>Yesterday however, saw a gas station at North and Ashland in Chicago (non name brand gas) for $3.79 I think for premium. This was ~25 cents more than the day before. So quite a jump in quite a short time.</p>
<p>I filled up with premium for $3.50/gallon in Elmhurst, IL. The pump said 93 octane, but my engine is not running nearly as smoothly as normal. I am not accusing anyone, but I wonder if it was really 93 that I put in my tank. I assume the state has several checks and balances in place to randomly test gas stations to ensure the octane level meets the advertised amount. For all we know all three pumps could be pumping from one big generic tank(Sorry for the pessimistic attitude). But I now have 250+ miles until it is out of it’s system. I am just waiting for the news clips showing the crying SUV owners. Thank you MINI for coming to America.</p>
<p>$3.09 is the going rate for Regular in Cincinnati these days. I gave $2.78 for premium at Costco on Wed… and thought I was getting over at that!</p>
<p>Drove almost 3000 miles (only a thousand in the mini) over the last 3 weeks. By using the immediate fuel consumption function, and driving as carefully as possible… I saw mileage as high as 40.2 mpg (a/c off, running 55-65 mph on secondary roads), and as low as 33.2 (a/c on, running 80-95 mph). </p>
<p>Speeding up going down hill, then feathering the throttle makes a clear improvement in fuel economy. </p>
<p>I’d be curious about developing a ‘fuzzy’ cruise control, designed to keep you within 5 miles either side of your desired speed, as determined by keeping your fuel economy above 25 mpg (or thereabout?). Thoughts?</p>
<p>I think their is a plus or minus 5 octane range that is allowed by law in the USA. So 93 octane gas could be 88 or 98.</p>
<p>I had a tour of the battleship Wisconsin on Wednesday (31st). When I left my apartment at 4am, it was $2.75 for prem. When I came back at lunch to change clothes, it was $2.98; in the 30 minutes to change clothes, it hit $3.20. Today it went to 3.40. Ugh. There are some around town that are going slower – I’m checking the naval base today to see what prices are. They usually beat the lowest in the area by a couple of pennies. I’m hoping for under $3.</p>
<p>3.20-ish for regular around the west chester PA area. Was 2.90 on the way into work yesterday, 3.13 on the way home…. :(</p>
<p>Paid $3.79/gal in North New Jersey. Cost me $45 to fill up today. Can we get a cummulative ouch? Went up $.65 in one day here. But worst of all is my other car is LR Discovery, requires premium too, but tank is 25gal, rather than 13gal. I am afraid of how much it is going to cost to drive to San Diego Next week.</p>
<p>I have friends in Lafayette LA that run several convenience stores and they are having to ration gas at $50.00 per purchase. Normally, they will get a load of gas every 2 days, but the supplier said it will probably be a week before he’ll be able to come back if then.</p>
<p>They said that Lafayette is a nightmare as well as Baton Rouge because there are so many people just roaming around and the traffic of the influx of refugees.</p>
<p>Here in northern VA its around $3.14. I had planned on goin on a drive tomorrow down to skyline and such, but now with the gas prices…seems im gonna have to post pone it =( hope these prices dont last long. but honestly..I dont want to complain too much. we have to deal with high gas prices..but those people lost everything they had =</p>
<p>In Lansing, MI they are limiting the gas station owners to only 1000 gallons a fill up. Usually they fill up their holding tanks which can be upwards of 6K gallons. One station owner told NPR that he had run out of his 1000 gallons in less than half a day. He has to close his business because he can’t afford to stay open under those restrictions. </p>
<p>I saw gas in Atlanta was up to $6/gallon. I’m not sure if it stayed that high or not. We are dealing with $3.40/gallon for regular.</p>
<p>We spiked to $3.419 for premium a couple of days ago. That’s about a 70¢ increase in 8 hours. Like what’s in their tanks suddenly got more expensive?</p>
<p>No matter. I’m off to Hawaii for a week tomorrow morning. Maybe things’ll be better when I return. :-)</p>
<p>A friend in Atlanta told me gas was selling at $6.09 a gallon, with a limit of 10 gallons per car. Expected to run out on Tuesday.
Prepare. Find ethanol.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I filled up with premium for $3.50/gallon in Elmhurst, IL. The pump said 93 octane, but my engine is not running nearly as smoothly as normal. I am not accusing anyone, but I wonder if it was really 93 that I put in my tank. I assume the state</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mark,
There is a station in Elmhurst selling 93 for 3.39. You should look a little harder if your on the North side.
I saw that Marathon in Elmhurst had gas at 3.79 on Thursday. It was next to a Shell with a price more in line with 3.30 a gal.</p>
<p>Going to pick up my new Mini in about 1 hour. I think I’ll pay whatever they charge, at least for the first tank.</p>
<p>Premium in Phoenix AZ Metro is $3.21. Some stations are running out and only have premium.</p>
<p>Philly Main Line (extended): Tuesday 2.81 1/9 same station today 3.39 1/9. BTW, what’s with the 1/9 cent? I’ve never gotten change or a credit card statment with fractional cents. But its got to add up to a tidy sum over time.</p>
<p>Just curious how many of you guys fill up with premium and if so, what type of mini you have. What are you reasons for using premium vs. regular? Just curious – thx.</p>
<p>I just ordered my MINI today. I was going to wait until I learned to drive a stick (next week), but I figured there would be a run on fuel-efficient cars.</p>
<p>OK, so I needed an excuse to put the order in sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>No runs or rationing in lower Westchester County, NY that I’ve seen.</p>
<p>I paid 2.90/gal here in Riverton, UT yesterday morning, but since then it has risen to 3.10.</p>
<p>I honestly did not notiice the prices at any of the 7 gas stations I passed today. I filled up Wednesday night at $2.84, warned as I was of the coming spike, and was determined to make the tank last through this labor day free for all. I am driving more conservatively than i ever have. And the highway was full of right-laners going 50-55. I rode along with them, in 6th gear, at 2k rpm. At traffic lights, I am holding suvs up. This is mainly to see what i get for this tank full, but if i get into the groove, it may be my new way of commuting. We’ll see about that ;)</p>
<p>a traveling coworker says $3.15 for regular is cheap today. Brookfield, CT.</p>
<p>When I filled up on Tuesday night, I paid $2.86 for 93 octane. When I was on errands yesterday, I saw prices ranging from $3.09 for 87 octane to $3.27 for 93 octane. Fortunately, I don’t drive very far at any given time, so my talk will last for, maybe, another week and a half.</p>
<p>I haven’t been out yet today, so I have no idea of what sort of 24-hour increases have taken place.</p>
<p>I need to call the local auto parts stores to see if anyone has a K&N air filter before I waste the gas looking for one…</p>
<p>I paid 2.78/gal for premium here in Orlando, FL and we are seeing stations with out gas down here. Just yesterday there was only 1 station with gas on a 5 mile strech of 50 just outside of downtown.</p>
<p>Paid $3.15/gallon for Citgo 93 octane yesterday morning. Fortunately I am not driving more than 90-100 miles a week and the fill up lasts about 2 weeks or so. Still, I am driving conservatively and consolidating errands, etc.</p>
<p>One place I usually go to, had $3.19 for premium (91) yesterday. Today it was $3.79 that is a jump of 60 cents in one day. Good thing I filled up before Katrina hit, my tank is at 5/6 full.</p>
<p>Filled up this AM in Arlington VA at $3.85 for premium. There were four other cars at the gas station at 6:00 am. Usually, I am the only one there. A friend reports a line for gas this afternoon in the Rockville MD area.</p>
<p>Just glad again I have a fuel efficient car. Same friend drives a van for his business. Cost him $108 to fill it up today.</p>
<p>Here in Madison, WI 93 octane is $3.49 at most stations, with 87 being $3.25. Unfortunately, my red gas light just came on, so I’m going to have to bite the bullet, unless I want to drive my Suzuki XL-7 which gets about 14mpg in town.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed that since the price of gas has shot up it seems like our friends with huge SUV’s are driving a bit more conservatively. I find it refreshing since they tend to be the drivers we typically see driving aggressively. </p>
<p>As for me and my MCS, I get 28 mpg no matter how hard I drive, so I’m going to take advantage of the situation and have fun on the roads. You can almost feel the jealousy……</p>
<p>Motor On!!</p>
<p>My 3-week old MCS is only getting 23mpg, these prices are going to hurt :(</p>
<p>$3.49 in Bethel, Ct.</p>
<p>Funny, one station closed with full tanks at just under $3.00 per gal. I couldn’t figure out why…then they opened today with the same gas and charged .50 cents more gallon. </p>
<p>Hmmm….50 cents at 20,000 gallons…not a bad profit for two days of NO business.</p>
<p>hey michael!
shameless plug: join NEMINI.org and ride witth US. We’ll save you gas! :D</p>
<p>I used to live in Bethel Center.</p>
<p>I’ve got you all beat… For reasons I can’t figure out a Shell Station just a few miles from my home (Centreville VA) raised gas to $5.89 for reg and $5.99 for mid-grade and super!</p>
<p>Yes $5.99 a GALLON!</p>
<p>I hope this link will work
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0902/4931211_320X240.jpg">http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0902/4931211_320X240.jpg</a></p>
<p>If the picture doesn’t come up I’ve also got it over on my blog…</p>
<p>Hard to believe this but gas here in Vandalia Ohio, a burg just north of Dayton, gas went from 3.09 for regular to 2.99 this afternoon, the other grades dropped also, at all but the BP stations!!!!</p>
<p>I have switched to mid-grade gasoline for the time being. Gas here in Indianapolis jumped from $2.60 to $3.49 in one day.</p>
<p>A few people have commented about the price going up quite a bit while these stations have gasoline in the ground that was bought and paid for before the costs went up. I will try to clarify why that is.</p>
<p>I work for a company that ownes 100 gas/c-stores. Our rack rate (the price we buy fuel for) has gone up about $0.35 per gallon since Monday. Our street prices (prices to consumers) have gone up about $0.40 per gallon this week. While some stores maybe didn’t recieve a delivery for several days the street price still increased as the rack price increased. Why? Can you imagine trying to set street prices off of deliveries. We operate 100 stores in six states with ONE person in charge of moving the price. The things taken into consideration are the rack price and the competition’s price. If the rack moves up and the store across the street moves up then we also have to move up. If we did it off of when the product was delivered then we may have stores with a $0.30 difference only miles away and it would be a nightmare trying to figure out when to move each individual location’s street price. The person in charge of moving the street price does not know when the last delivery was made to a certain location or when the next one will be made. We have some locations that have three 12,000 gallon tanks and others have one third that holding power. The flip side to this is what when prices go down we still move the street price according to what happens with the rack price. When stores lower the street price becasue of a lower rack price the product in the ground is still at the higher price.</p>
<p>Issue #2 is why have street prices outpaced rack increases? Think of how many people pay with credit cards today. For each transaction with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover card we are charged a 3% processing fee. With gas at $3 per gallon that means the credit card companies are making $0.09 per gallon on fees. Just a few years ago our target margin (difference between rack and street) was about $0.10 per gallon. Today the number one expense for our stores is labor. #2 is credit card fees!</p>
<p>Let’s also not forget how much our fuel taxes are. Every state is different but here in Idaho we pay $0.434 in taxes on every gallon of gasoline pumped! Currently the federal government, the state government and the credit card companies are all making more money on a gallon of gasoline than our stores we run are.</p>
<p>Please keep this in mind the next time you fill up and let’s not take out our frustrations on the poor clerks at the store. Remember, these people are not the ones responsible for the increase in pump prices. They are just trying to do their jobs as best they can.</p>
<p>With all that said, this does not excuse anyone out there charging $5 and $6 per gallon. Our current prices are $2.959 for regular up to $3.159 for supreme.</p>
<p>My MCS is in the shop right now, but this morning I filled up my rental car and it was $3.09 for regular (3.29 for 93 octane). At 4pm this afternoon it was $3.29 for regular and $3.49 for 93 octane.</p>
<p>I live in Seattle. Premium is $3.18 and when I was at the station they were completely out of regular and plus. All that was left at the station was premium.</p>
<p>Monday- premium was $2.89
Tuesday-$3.09
Wed-$3.29
Thurs-$3.39
tonight -$3.59</p>
<p>yea! $.70 in 5 days-can’t wait till next week!!</p>
<p>On the way to the airport tonight, premium was generally $3.39 – $3.59; we filled up at a station selling for $3.19. There was a big queue there.</p>
<p>Just 200 yds down the road another station was trying $3.79! And one person was filling up there :(</p>
<p>My Local Mobil in Boston MA has</p>
<p>311 regular
335 premium</p>
<p>Lovely gasoline prices. Regular (87) octane has been up to $1.38 CDN per litre. That’s $4.38 per US gallon, I guess.</p>
<p>I’m scared to see what my usual 94 octane is up to now.</p>
<p>$3.37 here in Tampa for Premium.. $37.70 to fill up… I’m just happy I found gas.. drove past 5 stations that didn’t have any, little red light came on just as I was pulling into the station that had gas… !</p>
<p>Atlanta was hit hard, due to the pipeline from the gulf being out of service for 2 days. Gas rose from an average of $2.54-reg, $2.70-super to $3.78-reg, $3.99-super in only 4 hours on Thursday 8/30. Every station had lines of cars waiting to fill-up. There were a few stations downtown Atlanta selling regular for as much as $6.05 a gallon. The gas hystreia was partially due to the media reporting only a 5 day supply on hand and no way to get any more due to the pipeline being down. </p>
<p>Now 2 days later the pipeline is back to 100% capacity and the prices are dropping, They are now at $3.09-reg, $3.35-super. </p>
<p>I have an 04 MCS and commute 120 miles round trip. I keep the revs under 3000 rpms and average 32mpg.</p>
<p>Hmmm…. all the NE Cincinnati gas stations that were 3.09 this afternoon are now 2.99. Wonder if all the threats are working, or if people really are dialing back their consumption?</p>
<p>Didn’t see any lines or problems this afternoon, either…</p>
<p>Just drove from KC to Ft. Wayne, IN today. 1st stop for fuel was St. Louis: $3.39 for 93 octane. </p>
<p>2nd stop was Effingham, IL: $3.29 for premium.</p>
<p>Nicest part is that my MCS is getting 32-34 MPG.</p>
<p>does labor day account for any of this? I seem to recall an oportune price gouge toward the very end of summer every year. 11% of oil refinery was effected by the hurricane, according to the DA of New York State. I think that takes into account shipment interuption. Does that warrant such an increase?</p>
<p>This evening (Friday) I saw $3.259 for 91 here in the L.A. Basin. I’m driving to Phoenix on Sunday and dreading what I’ll have to pay along the way.</p>
<p>Suck it up people – I originally lived in the UK before coming to California, so you have a long way to go before you’re paying UK gas prices.</p>
<p>They are at $6-$7 a gallon right now.</p>
<p>And what makes you believe that the US price won’t be heading to those levels?</p>
<p>If the Europeans can afford it, then the US sure can.</p>
<p>At least, I bet that’s what their thinking as they hike the prices!!</p>
<blockquote>
Just curious how many of you guys fill up with premium and if so, what type of mini you have. What are you reasons for using premium vs. regular? Just curious – thx.
</blockquote>
<p>You’ll find most everyone running Premium in their MINI’s. I actually experimented with this on my site and the results were as expected. I ran 2 tanks of regular and the MINI ran very very poor. I then ran 3 tanks of Mid-Grade (89 octane) and saw some improvement, but there was still quite a bit of power loss. </p>
<p>I don’t think the savings are great enough to justify running the lower octane fuels. I drive over 500 miles a week too, so the savings for me would be considerable, but the poor performance just isn’t worth it.</p>
<blockquote>
Let’s also not forget how much our fuel taxes are. Every state is different but here in Idaho we pay $0.434 in taxes on every gallon of gasoline pumped! Currently the federal government, the state government and the credit card companies are all making more money on a gallon of gasoline than our stores we run are.
</blockquote>
<p>Not sure about the other states either, but here in CA, every gallon of gas is charged sales tax…TWICE! Once from the jobber that delivers to the reseller, then once again to the reseller. Man, don’t even get me started! grrrrr</p>
<p>Well I know the Americans are sick of hearing about gas prices going up, but thought I would add the European perspective. I have got a ’05 Cooper S automatic here in Amsterdam. I did some calculations, and converted the euros and kilometers over to gallons and miles, so thought I would share my findings.</p>
<p>Yesterday I filled the tank, from almost empty, and it cost me, yes wait for it…. US$98.89. Yes it is a standard factory tank.</p>
<p>Before June this year I owned an ’02 Cooper, and I have been shocked by the fuel consumption. Driving short distances to work, which consists of a heavy footed on-ramp, 6 miles of highway, and an off ramp, hard break and park, I typically average only 18mpg over the week. </p>
<p>However I just got back from a trip to Scotland (Curvey, speed camera free heaven for the Mini) with aggressive mountain road driving, and over the long trip the consumption really dropped. Over 1000 miles in 10 days I got 38 mpg.</p>
<p>I have now practiced a lighter foot method for the trips to work, and have really seen a big change from the 18mpg, I can get about 32mpg for day to day driving. But honestly, it is so dull, that I feel I may as well trade in the MCSa for Mini Cooper Diesel. And that just won’t happen.</p>
<p>Let’s face it, the Cooper S wasn’t made for fuel economy. We bought it for fun, it just happens to kill lesss trees than an SUV.</p>
<p>When you get above $6.50 a gallon, you will have our sympathy ;-)</p>
<p>filled up my MC with 93 at $3.41 per gallon. i’m driving my classic mini a lot these days. it gets about 6 – 10 mpg more.</p>
<p>My question is who was the brain sugeon who thought it would be a good idea to put a huge chunk of our refineries and oil ports all on one hurricane prone area. Being that our whole country and it’s economy depends on oil products, that does seem like it was the best ideas!</p>
<p>In Atlanta, my usual gas station was closed, out of gas. The one across the street had a $30 a fill-up limit, at 3.49 a gallon for premium.</p>
<p>Writing in from Baton Rouge, we just got power and internet back, and most importantly AIR CONDITIONING, thank God. </p>
<p>We have VERY long lines at gas stations, most stations are out of gas at this point, and some fights have broken out as well. I believe since we’re in a state of emergency there’s been a fix on gas prices, but I haven’t much looked at the prices, since we’re trying not to drive around too much:</p>
<p>a.) to conserve the gas in our tank, and</p>
<p>b.) to avoid the traffic congestion that continues to center around gas stations. </p>
<p>I think eventually the gas prices will stabilize, and don’t forget that there are other oil facilities in the Gulf, some in Texas and some here in Baton Rouge, all of which are functioning. </p>
<p>But New Orleans is a major port city as well, so don’t be surprised if coffee and other goods end up costing a lot more in the next couple of weeks. </p>
<p>Baton Rouge is projected to surpass Las Vegas as the fastest growing city in the country next year, and it’s precisely because of the displacement of New Orleans (and surrounding parishes) residents. Other cities in the state (even up in Shreveport!) are doing the same. </p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I’m not griping about it. We’ve met a LOT of these people, heard a LOT of amazing stories, and they all have the right to be frazzled. </p>
<p>On topic: an EB/W MCS was one of the first cars I saw driving around right after the storm, over tree branches and debris, and it made me smile. Gotta have a lot of faith in those run-flats!</p>
<p>Some of this is pure greed and profiteering by the oil companies and gas station owners. It has been documented in the Tampa Bay area and I would have no doubt that it is occuring nation wide that Circle K in particular, and other stations that have closed their pumps actually have gas on hand in their tanks, and are just been waiting for prices to go higher before putting it on sale. We are being robbed by these unscrupulous people who are using a truly devistating disaster to line their pockets with our hard-earned cash while continuing to rake in record profits! Of course with W and Cheney being oilmen, nothing will be done about this.</p>
<p>You got that right, TSizemore! Last time I checked, Halliburton stock was at an all-time high and Cheney was smiling all the way to the bank! Crooked politician. Hope he has a coronary. This whole thing is the beginning of the end, if you ask me. The next thing to go is this housing market crap, you watch. It is soooo over-inflated anyway, and this economy needs to correct itself. Maybe the hurricane will do just that, and gas will stay at about $4.00 a gallon. THEN you will see the right cars on the road once again, like there were 30 years ago…SMALL CARS! NO MORE SUV’S!</p>
<p>Around here, people are siphoning gas out of other’s tanks. As far as cars go, most people buy what they WANT, not what they NEED. Isn’t that a reason we drive MINI’s anyway? It’s all I need, and I want it too!</p>
<p>I hope for $5.00 a gallon everyday. Maybe then people will stop complaining and start doing something. $3.xx a gallon will only see us complaining…</p>
<p>In Belgium, price for a gallon is around 5,7 EUR (4,63 USD)</p>
<p>Sorry 5,7 EUR/gallon means 6,80 USD !!!</p>
<p>um, I thought Cheney sold his stock in Halliburton? Wishing death on people? Really. One other reason that the prices are high is that there hasn’t been a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/news/ntn12966.htm">new refinery</a>
built in the last 29 years because of all of the environmentalists fight them every step of the way. So, esentially, we are running on todays demand on thirty years ago ability to to meet it. So what do you want? Cheap gas or hug a tree? You can’t have both.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In Belgium, price for a gallon is around 5,7 EUR (6,80 USD)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While I would agree that we still have it good in terms of fuel prices around the world, the US is fairly unique in the way our society revolves around the automobile. We have very little public transport outside of very major cities so if you want to get anywhere you need a car. Secondly the sheer size of the country precipitates lots of driving and lots of fuel. So I would venture to say that high fuel prices would hurt this country more than about any other.</p>
<p>Can’t tell you what gas prices are, but I can tell you that by the time I send them, they will be wrong.</p>
<p>I am curious what other MINI owners get for mileage.</p>
<p>I have a 2004 MCS with the basic 2004 JCW package. If I drive like there is
egg betwen my foot and the accelerator (and the eggshell is thinned because of DDT) or I put the car on cruise control, I can get city mileage up to 21.7. That is at an average speed of about 26 MPH. However, that isn’t a lot of fun, so I would say that on a typical tank of gas, I get about 18 MPH. </p>
<p>On the highway, I easily get 30-33 MPH, going with traffic which in New York and Connecticut usually means 70 -75 MPH. (I try not to do long trips during in rush hour).</p>
<p>Mileage is always a hot topic esp. for the MCS…I honestly dont know anymore what to think. I calculate my mileage by hand, not trusting the OBC. The best I have ever gotten on my 03 MCS is 30.0mpg on the highway. The worst was 22.8mpg on the highway (a deserted highway, so maybe that’s why!). My daily suburban commuter drive to and from work has been best at 27mpg and as bad as 21mpg, usually I am at 24-25mpg. My tire pressures are set at 35psi all around, I shift between 3-4k rpm mostly. Still seems like a huge variation. Either that or different stations have different definitions of “gallon” !</p>
<p>Alan,</p>
<p>I too, have an ’04 MCS with the JCW. I just got 23 driving “normal” (showing up Bimmers and such) with the A/C on. I get an average of 26 in town and 35 on the highway, and got over 40 for a stretch at 60 mph.</p>
<p>Basically, I’m on par with Jimb0.</p>
<p>…being a truck driver who makes his money picking up shipping containers from the various port cities in the South(Savannah,Charleston,Mobile,New Orleans,etc.);I can tell you guys,frist hand,that rising fuel prices will be the last of your concerns. With the damage of the port cities along AL,MS,and LA(not to metion the all-american pastime of corportate gouging)expect items from foreign countries to go up. Makes you feel a little better that,we’re saving a little money on fuel since most of us here on this website own MINIs…</p>
<p>Perhaps if we hugged trees more and drove vehicles with high gas mileage we would not be in this mess in the first place.
This is just a foretaste of what is to come.
Last year was the beginning, we can expect more and more devastating storms in the near future.
The politicians and corporations that pay them want to be ostriches with their heads in the sand and are now getting kicked up the rear because they would do nothing.
As to gas, yesterday there was none available in this area of Florida</p>
<p>If anyone wants a bumper sticker, that I myself think is <em>requeset</em> for a mini…<br />
It reads “HUMMER’S SUCK”</p>
<p>I can get them at a local shop for $2.50, here in Santa Barbara, and I’m totally willing to pick up some extra if anyone is thinking that they too need to apply such a thing to their ‘baby’ </p>
<p>I find that it gets plenty of laughs from drivers behind, and certainly some thumbs up from a lot of people… mini and truck driving folks all the way.</p>
<p>cheers all</p>
<p>jono</p>
<p>I live in Chitown (north side), filled up at $3.57 at a Shell in Wrigleyville on Thursday. Nice to see it back down to $3.50… Well, sortof nice :- </p>
<p>I’m running about 27MPG, averaging some city and some highway. 32MPG when I hit the highway… Just glad I’m not driving a beheamoth and take the train to work these days :-)</p>
<p>Went to a gas station today near Boston…$3.12/gal for regular. Half of the pumps had <em>NO</em> gas and the rest only has premium left. The premium was $3.32 or something pretty “cheap” though, so that was good.</p>
<p>Here in San Diego we’ve had some of the highest gas prices for years, so most of the increases are typically higher than elswhere, too. It’s not like there is an alternate transportation method in SoCal to shift over to either, as I’ve run thru the combined bus/train/trolley schedules, and not only is it little real savings, I would be on the road at least 3 times longer, with very early to rise and late to bed penalties. Sadly, this is how the mostly ignored “underclass” gets around, or doesn’t, as is often the case. Katrina was a big fat underline to that sentence, BTW.</p>
<p>Remember, it’s not just gas and diesel that are going up at such accelerated rates – plastics require petrochems, and any body noticed what’s riding on the rails lately? Yeah, that’s right – Container boxes, which eventually have to take a ride on a tractor-trailer, so anything inside those boxes has this added fuel cost, regardless what’s in ’em. </p>
<p>Here in SoCal, we’re stuck with the freeways as the only viable option for a while, so getting more MINIs, or heck, any small cars on the road is only a quick & less dirty solution. Things have to change, and soon, I’m afraid, or we’ll go past some undiscovered tipping point and it’ll be too late. I’ve got my fingers crossed, and touch wood.</p>
<pre><code> BCNU,
Rob in Dago
</code></pre>
<p>Chicagoland NW subs here. Cook County prices about $3.309 unl $3.509 prem, Lake County prices about $3.099 unl $3.299 prem. On Fri I was in the city and there was a station charging $2.99 unl at Roscoe and Lincoln — was quite a line for a while. Usually the city is a lot more than the suburbs. Keeping driving to a minimum, I’m still driving on a tankful I bought for $2.859 a week ago!</p>
<p>2003 MCS with my mostly short trips, if I drive shifting at 1800 RPM, I get 25 MPG, increase of 3 MPG from shifting at 3000 RPM as would be normal. Can get 32 MPG highway at 60 MPH, but around 27 MPG highway if I go fast. Trip computer reads 1.5-2.2 MPG too high (everyone has mentioned that one, though). It does seem like normal car and minivan traffic isn’t accelerating as fast these days. pick-up trucks/SUVs still seem to be gunning it by comparison.</p>
<p>I never knew before that you could drive in 6th gear at 34 MPH… but you can and the car doesn’t complain. I assume that if the car stalls, the gear is too high!</p>
<p>San Francisco. Gas prices have gone up a bit but because they were so high before (from an American perspective), it just looks like the regular fluctuations around here. Pre-Katrina, I filled up for $3.05 for 91. Now 91 goes for $3.20 on the average.</p>
<p>i am fixing to make a trip from pensacola,fl to ohio and i would like to know if there is gas all the way there and will there be some for me on the way back. could anyone let me know please?</p>
<p>Hey where are all the conspiracy theory folks??</p>
<p>When gas was .50¢ a gallon everybody said “I won’t be able to drive as much as I used to, let’s all get VW’s!” Then it went to $1.50 and I heard the same thing and so on, ad nauseam, through the years.</p>
<p>In Europe gas is way, way more expensive than here and traffic is up in volume.</p>
<p>It’s just part of our lives and it won’t change it’s just going to get more and more expensive.</p>
<p>So keep asking for that 300HP+ MCS and 600HP+ Porsches and keep using your car for frivolous adventures to go get ciggies don’t worry be happy soon it will be all gone. </p>
<p>LOL……..RB</p>
<p>Just noticed that in Dayton Ohio this morning Gas dropped from $2.99 to $2.96 for regular, super went down to $3.16.</p>
<p>3.69 here for premium in center city Philadelphia.
big deal – we can walk, use transit, ride a bike, etc.</p>
<p>Ok, let’s get it over with and just go to $5.00 a gallon to be more in line with other countries. Then maybe we can do what they do and drive SMALLER, more environmentally friendlier cars. Or bikes. Or motorcycles. Or, heaven forbid, WALK more. </p>
<p>I’ll go hug my tree thank you. I don’t mind paying $5.00 a gallon for gas. Maybe when it gets there (and it will someday) Detroit will stop making such roadhogging behemoths that soccer moms use mainly to run their kid back and forth to school in, or to go to the grocery store 2 miles away.</p>
<p>I didn’t vote for -W-. He’s a moron as far as I’m concered. Look at the mess in Iraq…that’s not for this board though.</p>
<p>Have a nice day. We are OUT of premium around here.</p>
<p>Here in Germany I yesterday paid 1.50 Euro for one (!) liter of 98 premium gas. This makes about $7.50 for a gallon. Since the New Orleans flood desaster the gas prices raised about 20%. But I still smile every morning when I start my Mini JCW S.
cheers all
Wolfgang from Hamburg</p>
<p>I got mcs 2003 with jcw, since I’ve got too much speeding ticket I garrage it…. Now I’ve got 1977 cooper with 998 cc motor this is great co’z only consumed 48 mile to a gallon..</p>
<p>The only gas station that’s run out near me was the Sam’s Club – but off course they are always the cheapest gas around so that’s no surprise. The only stations that are regularly having trouble keeping gas in stock are the Mom & Pop’s.</p>
<p>Here in Richmond, VA we’re paying between $3.39 (Costco & Sam’s Club) and $3.69 for premium.</p>
<p>I lived in Japan for a while back in the mid 90’s. I paid around $5/gallon back then – and I drove a lot less too!</p>
<p>I get around 27 mph average with 85% highway miles on cruise control.</p>
<p>Well, luckily here at Ft Hood, it just went up 3 cents in like a couple hours, so now its $2.91/$2.81/$2.79 but up in dallas, yesterday it was $3.07-09 for mid grade</p>
<p>Wow! I wish I had those gas prices. I’m paying $5.25 a gallon for premium up in Toronto Canada. That’s for 91 octane too. USD it’s aprox $4.30 and the prices are still rising. Some of the gas stations have only reg (89) and are still charging the same as what prem would be. Oh well. It was going to happen sooner or later.</p>
<p>Haha…funny that. Here we were discussing the rising price of gas to begin with and it is ending up that we are talking about RUNNING OUT of gas in the end!</p>
<p>Some areas don’t even have gs available? Well, that’s a sure-fire way to save some money. Hahaha…</p>
<p>C’mon $5 a gallon. Hopefully tomorrow.</p>
<p>While our friends in the EU love to tell us how cheap our gas is compared to what they pay, I would like to remind them of a few key points.</p>
<p>First, the vast majority of the amount they pay for a gallon or liter of gasoline is taxes that fund social services and public transportation. I would not mind as much paying a bit more if I knew the additional amounts were going toward things like healthcare, alternative energy research, public transportation, and road maintenance. What I do mind is when the increases simply mean that more profits flow into the hands of the wealthy few. Hell, I’d be willing to pay $5.00 a gallon if it meant we had things like universal healthcare and real environmental protection. Sadly, this will not occur under the current regime in Washington.</p>
<p>Secondly, in Europe, you tend to have much smaller distances to travel to work and shop. I remember standing on the side of a mountain in Germany and looking out on a valley, marveling how every two or three kilometers there was another village or township. In the states, particularly if you get out of the Eastern Seaboard, you can sometimes go many miles between towns. It is not unusual to have a commute to work or market of 20, 30, or even 50 miles. Clearly there is a difference in scale between a large country that has only been really developed in the last couple of hundred years and a smaller overall landmass that has been occupied and developed for thousands of years.</p>
<p>Third, in most areas of the country, we don’t currently have a viable alternative of public transportation. With the exception of some of the major cities, public transportation is virtually non-existent in most smaller communities. So with the spread-out nature of our communities and relative lack transportation alternatives, unfortunately the car is the only available form of transportation for most people. Therefore a large and sudden increase in fuel prices will affect almost everyone in the country and has the potential of damaging our economy.</p>
<p>Not to go off on anyone ;-)</p>
<p>To TSizemor:
I agree with You in the most aspects. In Europe taxes on gas are very high but most of them are used as “normal” taxes that go into the states budgets, not specially for social services, alternative energy etc. Its true too that distances normally are much shorter here and people often have the alternative to use public transport – although its often very poor on the country site but mostly still better than in the US. But I think as drivers of small but very powerful cars, that use relatively very much gas, we should not complain about gas prices because we bought that car for heaving fun to drive it. Else we should drive other cars like smaller japanese or others, that often need less than half of the gas then Minis. I think most people that drive a Mini have enough money to pay for the gas. But I think all over the world in the US as well as f.e. here in Germany a reasonable part of the price rising is extra profit for the oil companies. </p>
<p>By the way: I wonder that You can use gas with 89 or 91 octane for Your Mini, here a minimum of 95, better 98 octane is recommended for the Cooper S and especially for the “Works”. But maybe it has to do with the speed limits You have.</p>
<p>In the US, premium gas is usually 93 octane. You never see anything sold above that with the exception of a few gas stations that sell “race fuel.” I’ve never even seen 95, but I have seen 100 & 105 – that’s race fuel. And a good number of those stations do not allow you to pump that higher octane fuel directly into a car (unless it’s on a trailer).</p>
<p>So for us, 88/89 is regular, 91 is mid-grade and 93 is premium. That seems to be the norm.</p>
<p>You can’t quite compare octane numbers between the U.S. and Europe. In the United States, there were two different standards to calculate the octane rating for gasoline, research octane number (RON) and another standard that brain fade currently prohibits me from recalling. The federal government decided to resolve the difference between the two different figures by adding them together and dividing by two. The final number is the pump octane number (PON) and tends to be lower than EU ratings, even though actual octane levels are fairly close.</p>
<p>In Portland Maine we’re paying $3.79 for premium and $3.49 for regular. This is ridiculous because we went up a whole dollar since Katrina. Our state gov’t is thinking of cutting the $.29 gas tax temporarily to give us some relief.</p>
<p>I have put into place some of the suggestions given to increase MPG and have seen an increase of 3MPG on my last tank, which is nice!</p>
<p>Gas prices around where I live east of Toronto are now down to 102.1 cents per litre for 87 octane. That’s around $3.27 US per gallon. Of course, I can’t put that in my car, so it’s really 112.1 cents per litre ($3.59 per gallon) for 91.</p>
<p>I guess I’ll continue to hold off on using 94 octane again for a while.</p>
<blockquote>Issue #2 is why have street prices outpaced rack increases? Think of how many people pay with credit cards today. For each transaction with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover card we are charged a 3% processing fee. With gas at $3 per gallon that means the credit card companies are making $0.09 per gallon on fees. Just a few years ago our target margin (difference between rack and street) was about $0.10 per gallon. Today the number one expense for our stores is labor. #2 is credit card fees!</blockquote>
<p>Look. The change in consumer behavior with regard to the increase in Credit Card usage has affected <em>every</em> industry that deals with the general public. (Restaurants, Book Stores, Golf Courses, Barbers, Consumer Electronics, etc.) Everyone has to deal with this fact. It’s part of the cost to do business.</p>
<p>I personally don’t use credit cards for anything that’s consumable. Food, gas, etc. That’s just because I don’t like paying for something a month after it’s already gone into nothingness.</p>
<p>Aside from that, why not use debit cards at the pump instead of credit? Where I live, if you deal with the right bank, you are not charged any transaction fees. It costs you the same as if you went up to the gas attendant and paid cash.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s the same everywhere, but I’d check into it. If you need to use your credit because you’re a little bit short at times, you could also withdraw from your credit card, then deposit to your bank account for debit purposes.</p>
<p><strong>CREDIT CARDS ARE THE DEVIL!</strong></p>
<p>Those of you who have watched <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120484/">Waterboy </a>will get the humour in that.</p>
<p>Gas prices here in Vermont have just dipped below $3 for the first time in a couple of weeks. The lowest I’ve seen today is $2.89. I can assure you the rack rates have dropped at a much higher pace. This is exactly where price gauging is taking place. I’m a business broker and I sell convenience stores, so I deal with a lot of fuel suppliers. They make their money when the rack rate is on the downswing, obviously, by not lowering their prices at the same rate. Yet, the first news report of a problem prompts them to raise their prices immediately, way ahead of the increase to them. We’ve all heard their reasoning for it, but their excuses are not symmetrical; they use one set of reasoning for raising and another set of reasoning for lowering it. When they raise the price at the pump, retailers say they’re not price gauging because the price to them is increasing. Using that same logic, when the price to them is lowered and they don’t lower the price at the pump, they are, by their own admission, gauging prices. The bottom like is that they do it because they can.</p>
<p>We consumers have also proven the validity of their methods; the higher prices go, the more we buy. In a perfect world, the U.S. would become independent of foreign oil. This is not going to happen in our lifetime. What is realistic, however, is to trim down our usage. Supply and demand. Trimming your personal gas usage by 10% is not unrealistic at all. It would not put that big of a pinch in your lifestyle, but it would put a BIG pinch in the pocketbooks of oil companies. </p>
<p>Probably the biggest problem in the oil industry is the consolidation that has taken place. In the United States, oil is controlled by three large conglomerates. There used to be a lot more and gas was cheaper then. They are controlling the market in collusion. In my opinion, they are blood-sucking leeches.</p>
<p>Can you believe that we ae getting ripped off by a bunch of money hungary people. Since when has diesel become the gold of the oil industry. These people are trying to bury the middle class. In 2006 and beyond we will see the effect.</p>