var json_comments = new Array("
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ximmaculatex
October 5, 2009 1:57 PM
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krogers is the best deal for me 3cents off when you use your card. and if u spend 100 10cents off filled up yesterday for 1.95 a gallon

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5 replies
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lmarconi
October 5, 2009 7:35 PM
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@ximmaculatex: Cumberland Farms - cheap gas + 69 cent slurpees. They have my heart.

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*
October 5, 2009 7:04 PM
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@ximmaculatex: NC, i think it's around 2.33 now... been almost 2 weeks since i filled up

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yentaleh
October 5, 2009 2:31 PM
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@ximmaculatex:

I hate you. Living here on the west coast I'm lucky if I can get away with 2.19 a gallon. Mostly we're hovering around 2.49-2.69 a gallon on average.

However its worse back home in Canada, I just got back from Vancouver and we filled up there for 1.22 a litre. (Thats around 4.00 a gallon give or take.)

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Starfury
October 5, 2009 3:51 PM
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@yentaleh:

SF Bay Area prices are crrently around $2.85 to $3.10 for regular gas....and the refineries are 35 miles up the road.

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firemunkie
October 5, 2009 5:09 PM
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@Starfury: probably due to all the smug in your area. seems like they are trying to discourage the driving of hybrids

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
October 5, 2009 9:00 PM
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@firemunkie: i was thinking that you meant to say 'smog in your area' instead of 'smug' but then i realized you were talking about san francisco and now i'm confused

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firemunkie
October 5, 2009 10:58 PM
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@catastrophegirl: south park episode reference. its the one where stan writes a song and gets everyone to drive a hybrid, epa gets involved, turns out smug is worse the smog... humor is kinda lost if you havnet seen the episode.

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firemunkie
October 5, 2009 3:20 PM
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@yentaleh: 2.15 average here before any discounts. gas is always been a little cheaper here in south texas.

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sleze69
October 5, 2009 1:58 PM
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Amex Blue Card - 5% off gas after you spend $6500 per year.


Inflate your tires fully.


Buy a diesel car.

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3 replies
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kjherron
October 5, 2009 3:21 PM
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@sleze69: Diesel FTW. My diesel new beetle gets ~41 MPG, while the comparable gas-engine car is rated at 26 MPG. The better mileage is more than enough to offset the slightly higher cost of diesel fuel.

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karmaghost
October 5, 2009 6:26 PM
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@kjherron: I've always wondered if the increased fuel economy on most diesel engines offset the extra cost of diesel fuel. I remember when diesel was cheaper than unleaded, then it was about the same/more expensive, now in a lot of areas it's waaaaaaay more expensive.

When I was in Europe this summer, I noticed diesel was much cheaper than unleaded. Right now I'm looking online and it's about €.10 cheaper per liter (about €.38 cheaper per US gallon). Turns out this is because diesel is subsidized by the gov't.

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sleze69
October 5, 2009 6:45 PM
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@karmaghost: It is an easy formula. Use the MPG as an input to calculate cost per 100 miles.


Formula - 100 miles / (X MPG) * (Y cost/gallon) = $z.zz / 100 miles


In my case


Passat TDI - 100 miles / (40 MPG) * (2.68 cost/gallon) = $6.70 / 100 miles


If you're trying to decide on buying one car over another, you can take it further and average how much you drive in a month and then add the monthly payment of one car vs another to get total ownership cost.

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wcnghj
October 5, 2009 2:09 PM
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@sleze69: Same here, only I have Penfed and get credited monthly with no yearly minimum to start getting 5%.

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Elcheecho
October 5, 2009 2:02 PM
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\"avoid stations that are located off the freeway and traditionally charge more.\"

\"Gas stations near major freeway exists can be more expensive that stations further away.\"

Do stations on the freeway or off the freeway charge more?

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7 replies
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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
October 5, 2009 9:03 PM
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@Elcheecho: i think it can really depend - one single gas station right off one exit of the highway on the way to my house averages about 20-40 cents more a gallon than a cluster of 4 near another highway exit that compete not only against each other but with a sams club gas station.

isolated gas station was 2.55 saturday, i filled up sunday at sams for $2.25

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H3ion
October 5, 2009 3:31 PM
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@Elcheecho: On the New Jersey Turnpike (maybe the Parkway also) there is a contract with the state (Turnpike Authority) that limits the price stations on the Turnpike can charge. The price is usually reasonable. Of course, you can't pump your own gas but the attendant will be happy to put your credit card into the gas pump for you.

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chargernj
October 5, 2009 5:07 PM
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@H3ion: Amazing thing about NJ, we have self serve gas and the average price of that same gas is cheaper than in the surrounding states.

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bonzombiekitty
October 5, 2009 6:28 PM
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@chargernj: That's because your tax on gas is way less than the surrounding states, especially NY. Even though it's cheaper, I loathe getting gas in NJ. I can't stand mandated full service. I could do it way faster myself.

when I get my own gas, I'm done fueling in just a couple minutes. When it's full service it takes at least twice as long.

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madanthony
October 5, 2009 2:17 PM
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@Elcheecho:

I don't really think there's a hard or fast rule. I drive to my parents pretty regularly, and find some exits are stupidly overpriced and some are great deals. Usually exits in the middle of nowhere with one station are high. Exits with a bunch of stations, especially if they are truck stops or have big convenience stores, are often a deal.

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korybing
October 5, 2009 2:14 PM
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@Elcheecho: Both. If you're right on the freeway the prices are always high, and if you're in the middle of nowhere the prices are always high. There's a sweet spot inbetween the two where the prices are almost always 5-10 cents cheaper.

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bonzombiekitty
October 5, 2009 2:10 PM
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@Elcheecho: I think by \"off the freeway\" they mean directly off the freeway, like right at the exit ramp. The two sentences you quoted are saying the same thing.

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ximmaculatex
October 5, 2009 2:04 PM
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also to add u will use more gas looking for a cheap station then spending the extra 5 cents on the one by you.

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3 replies
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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
October 5, 2009 9:04 PM
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@ximmaculatex: look for the cheap gas station online before you go anywhere?
sometimes i find p://gasbuddy.com/ to be useful, although it runs a few days behind. but you can keep and eye on it and look for stations that always trend lower

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pecan 3.14159265
October 5, 2009 2:37 PM
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@ximmaculatex: If it's extra five cents per gallon, that can add up to a lot of lost money. And obviously, your common sense compass is broken if you drive completely out of your way to get to the cheapest gas station, but gasbuddy.com can tell you which gas stations are on your route home or to work, and you can save money by either stopping for gas earlier, or waiting just a little longer til you hit that cheaper station.

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floraposte
October 5, 2009 2:56 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Yes, this is pretty doable math. I get roughly 35 mpg and I have a fairly small tank (and rarely leave it till the very bottom), so I'm losing money past 5-7 miles if we're only talking the 5 cent spread that's usual here in gas prices. On the other hand, most of the local gas stations are within about 2 miles, and it's often pretty easy for me to schedule a gas stop amid other relevant errands, so if I can save half a buck by buying gas on the southern run instead of the northern run, why not?

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JerryMouse
October 5, 2009 2:05 PM
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I was always puzzled by suggestions such as these.

At 10 gallons x 3.35/gal = $33.50

Now if you were to find a place that had gasoline for $3.30 a gallon and you needed 10 gallons of it...

At 10 gallons x 3.30/gal = $33.00
...you have saved $0.50.

Is it still really worth the time of searching out a gas station, one that is not along your daily route/out of the way to save a whole $0.50 a week?

Maybe my math is off? Maybe my priorities are backwards? Can someone please help?

BTW, I dont drive an SUV or a monster truck that requires a 50gallon fuel-up, three times a week. I drive a nice little sedan that gets roughly 25 to 30 mpg and has a 14gallon tank.

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12 replies
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ktetch
October 5, 2009 4:39 PM
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@JerryMouse: \" I drive a nice little sedan that gets roughly 25 to 30 mpg and has a 14gallon tank.\"
Then you must either have a small sedan from the 50s, a very poorly maintained car, or be a terrible driver.

I have an 88 civic, 40-45mpg (its got the dual-point injection, and 290k miles on it)
I also have a 91 Lumina (with the 3.1) - not exactly a small sedan - and I can get 33-35 from it, the wife gets 30 from it. Used to have a fully loaded town+country, and even that (with the 3.8) averaged out about 25, and it's kinda hilly out here in rural Ga (and windows or AC are essential)

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JerryMouse
October 5, 2009 4:58 PM
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@ktetch: I am not sure how your comment contributes to the conversation in a way other than to attack me, but I am glad that your twenty year old hatchback is working out well for you. My 2009 Scion Tc is working out very well for me.

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mizike
October 5, 2009 2:31 PM
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@JerryMouse: No, you're completely right. I've never been able to understand the rationale of people who drive around, wasting gas, hunting for the lowest price so they can save MAYBE $1 on their $40 purchase. It's not like they're going to find some magical hidden gas station that charges 1/2 of the going rate.

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ktetch
October 12, 2009 3:07 PM
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@mizike: I did once. It was during one of the presidential debates last year (I think the one where McCain wandered around looking for Mr Snuffles) It was around $3.45/gal but this one station we passed (usually has cheap fuel) had it for $2.99. That's when I learnt that a racheting pedal-parking brake is crap for a handbrake turn.
@JerryMouse:
You said maybe you got your maths wrong, I think you did, or that you would have figures that added up better if you a) learnt to drive more efficiently, or b) got your car tuned up.

A Tc should get a HELL of a lot more than 25-30mpg, you've got a smaller, more efficient engine, and a lighter car that's more aerodynamic.

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MeOhMy
October 5, 2009 2:30 PM
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@JerryMouse: I agree! Sure all those pennies add up, but how much is your time worth driving around looking for the cheapest gas station?


Now where I live I know which stations usually are lower and which are higher, so I try to swing by the cheaper stations. But if I'm in an unfamiliar area and I need gas about the most effort I'll put in is making sure the place across the street isn't cheaper.

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Saboth
October 5, 2009 2:25 PM
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@JerryMouse:

No, your math is pretty spot-on...it's only worth it to find a cheaper place if you happen to be close. I laugh at the people that used to drive 40-50 miles in their SUV to fill up at a spot across state lines or somewhere far off, just to get gas .20 cheaper. \"But umm...you get 15 mpg in that behemoth...so you actually spent what you were going to save on the 3 gallons of gas it took you to get there...\"

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jeffbone
October 5, 2009 2:36 PM
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@Saboth: Not to mention the time spent on the drive. My time is reasonably valuable to me, I'm not going to spend 30 mins trying to save a buck or two on a fill-up.

I do monitor the stations along my normal commute and try to pick the cheapest, but I don't sweat it if the next one is a couple of cents cheaper/gallon.

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hi
October 5, 2009 2:16 PM
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@JerryMouse: I own a monster truck SUV and you're right it's not worth the time. You're not going to save any money. But I also don't fill up three times a week.

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ExtraCelestial
October 5, 2009 2:13 PM
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@JerryMouse: In my area the difference in costs is more along the lines of 15-30 cents. Even if it's less, if you're just going up a block or two or across the street that $.75 for a weekly fill turns into $36 over a year.

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madanthony
October 5, 2009 2:12 PM
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@JerryMouse:

Unless there is a huge discrepancy I usually figure I'm going to burn off more gas driving out of my way to find a cheaper station than I would save on gas there. Same thing with idling in line at a warehouse club waiting for a pump to open up.

FWIW, I drive a small pickup, so I use more gas than a sedan but less than a Hummer.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
October 5, 2009 6:39 PM
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@madanthony: There's a station that I'm sometimes nearby that is typically 13 cents less than my usual station, but is quite a ways from my home. I once did the math to figure out what gas would have to cost before it would be worth my while to drive to that station on purpose. It was something like $3.35/gallon at my nearby station and I'd need at least 10 gallons (I have a 12 gallon tank) before the savings from the fill-up would outweigh the cost of the gas to drive there. But it still takes 20 minutes to get there and back. I did the math in my head during one of those drives!

(The far station is near a friend's house and a community garden I volunteer at, so I fill up when I happen to be there, but otherwise it's not really worth my effort.)

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TuxthePenguin
October 5, 2009 2:12 PM
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@JerryMouse: No, you're certainly right. In a pinch, just fill up enough to get you where you're going. But it also pays to look at gas stations on common routes (such as to work) and see where has the lowest prices. Since you're going to be driving that route anyway, all you're changing is where you stop to fill up.

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wcnghj
October 5, 2009 2:11 PM
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If you have perfect credit or near perfect credit, just get a credit card with 5% cashback on gas.

Penfed has 5% cashback on gas, 2% on groceries and 1.25% on everything else. No caps to start earning and you get credited automatically.

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2 replies
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Murph1908
October 5, 2009 3:40 PM
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@wcnghj:

I have a BP card that gives me 5% back on gas. It's great getting the gift cards in the mail, and getting a free gas week every month or so*.

*other purchases also give % back, obviously.

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korybing
October 5, 2009 2:13 PM
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I've been made fun of a few times because of my constant vigilance of gas prices, a couple people asking me if it was a regional thing to always be on lookout for cheap gas.

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2 replies
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MostlyHarmless
October 5, 2009 2:27 PM
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@korybing: Lol. Dunno about regional, but it definitely is a cultural thing. Ask any typical middle aged indian driver, and they'll show you the pump with the cheapest gas at any given time within a 50 mile radius.

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korybing
October 6, 2009 2:25 PM
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@MostlyHarmless: Hah, well I'm not Indian, but my sister and I are always acutely aware of which gas station has the cheapest gas at any point in time. This causes great amusement with my brother-in-law, who finds our obsession with cheap gas to be hilarious and weird.

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bornonbord
October 5, 2009 2:16 PM
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The Drive Smarter Challenge has a calculator that shows how much you will save by taking a few small steps to save gas.

Just enter in your make and model of car, and it'll give you a few tips. You can also see an entire list of tips by clicking \"Money Saving Tips\" at the top.

[drivesmarterchallenge.org]

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2 replies
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ktetch
October 5, 2009 4:47 PM
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@bornonbord: What you say is true:

Wow, I just tried that, it gave me 6 options, 5 I already do, and the other completely inaplicable (I live in rural Ga, with 55mph winding 2lane roads around and nothing for 10-15 miles, walking isn't an option and biking isn't safe)
Still claims I just learnt how to save $274 and 113gal (or about 1.5 weeks worth - its a 60 mile trip to work each way). I'm curious to know how doing what I already do, has saved money/fuel etc. It also doesn't factor in usage. Lumina's a 91. We got it last June with 70k miles on it. He got it from his grandmother (the original purchaser) 5 years earlier with 30k miles. My 'saving' would be greater than theirs, since it now has 130k miles.

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bornonbord
October 5, 2009 4:56 PM
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@ktetch: Sounds like this site I recommended is a complete FAIL.

Try clicking on \"Money Saving Tips\" at the top and see if any of those dozens of tips help.

Perhaps you're a helpless cause to save money via gasoline, as you are already on the very top of your game and maximizing your gas mileage.

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ktetch
October 12, 2009 3:12 PM
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@bornonbord: What you say is true:
If you've got an option for 'I already do this' then don't go adding the 'savings' as something you'll now gain, it's that simple.

It's not that I'm 'at the top of my game', it's that I was given proper driving instruction. Here in Ga, you don't even have to know how to read, and you can get a license. The tests need a complete overhaul, with a written test, maybe a Situational Awareness test, and retests every 10 years. Lets get the deadly drivers either off the road, or under tuition.

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PunditGuy
October 5, 2009 2:17 PM
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In order to save money on gas, buy it where it's less expensive or find ways to avoid using gas.

Brilliant advice.

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chrylis
October 5, 2009 2:20 PM
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For a site usually as clueful as The Consumerist, I'm a bit surprised to see accusations of \"overcharging\" in this article. The higher price is completely fair: Customers choose the higher-priced stations, presumably for convenience, and I'm sure it costs more to build a station right next to a major highway.

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ExtraCelestial
October 5, 2009 2:33 PM
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@chrylis: \" It is best to avoid affluent areas when looking for a cheap fill. People in these areas are less price sensitive, and the gas stations realize this fact. Not only that, the gas stations are located on more valuable land, and land taxes will be higher. They pass on these higher costs to customers.\"


They covered this.

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chrylis
October 5, 2009 2:55 PM
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@TinkishDelight: They did, but it's a left-hand-right-hand kind of point: The source article doesn't call it overcharging, but the Consumerist post (what I intended to refer to) does, without any real justification other than that the price happens to be higher.

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Scotus63
October 5, 2009 2:21 PM
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I don't agree with the statement that you find higher gas prices near the interstate. I have also found that at some exits with several stations (aka, competition) you can find some of the lowest gas prices. This weekend I saw a station near an interstate with gas at 2.09 a gallon, by far the lowest in the area.

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nstonep
October 5, 2009 3:58 PM
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@Scotus63: Absolutely...the prices on the highway (if it's not a turnpike) are usually lower than in the city.

Coming from: I drove across the country searching for bigfoot (okay...that's a lie...I moved and took an ill advised road trip). Worst-best place to drive: Colorado in winter...gorgeous to a crapulose t but deadly nontheless.

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veronykah
October 5, 2009 3:36 PM
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@Scotus63: This is true a lot of the time in LA. Gas can be the cheapest near the freeway for some reason, perhaps because its usually an undesirable neighborhood?

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ecwis
October 5, 2009 2:36 PM
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@Scotus63: Well of course there are exceptions but I have noticed this in a lot of cases. It's most common with gas stations right before an entrance ramp to an interstate. The gas stations that are in the middle of nowhere (and serve as a truck/refueling stop) often do their best to compete and have lower prices.

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mizike
October 5, 2009 2:24 PM
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Buy this car to drive to work, drive to work to pay for this car.

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CyGuy
October 5, 2009 2:38 PM
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Join Costco and get a CostCo Amex card (with no additional annual fee). CostCo has the best prices on gas, and when you can't get to CostCo (or even when you can) paying with the Amex card will earn you enough 'cash' back (at 3% on gas and travel) just on gas to pay for the Costco membership.

Oh, and of course pay your balance off every month.

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pecan 3.14159265
October 5, 2009 2:39 PM
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I've completely stopped being in tune with how much gas is around my area because I don't drive. Mr. Pi can tell you where the best gas prices are, but I'm at a complete loss when I'm around the area on errands.

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TouchMyMonkey
October 5, 2009 2:40 PM
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Oh, and right-size your vehicle choices. It makes no sense whatsoever to drive a Chevy Tahoe if all you do with it is drive to and from work. We have a new Corolla. Smooth sedan ride, room for 5, 35 MPG, and the snow tires from our old Accord are the same size.

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katia802
October 5, 2009 2:56 PM
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we have a grocery store that does the gas rewards as well. 5c per 50$ spent. My hubby and I don't have a car, so I save it up and give the card to my parents when we need to do our once monthly big trip to the store. Works out well for both of us.

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firemunkie
October 5, 2009 3:28 PM
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i dont waste my time if im not saving 10 cents or more. i dont use gas cards /store cards so i dont look for a discount. i drive a 1.5liter honda, i get 36ish highway i fill my car once every three weeks thats 10.5 gallons. so if we do the math 20 times a year at 10.5 and a savings of 10 cents a gallon... i came up with 21 dollars. about a 1.75 a month of savings, and thats IF i can find a 10 cent diff, usally its 1 - 3 cents and its just not worth the drive.


also in my area 1 mile away from the freeway/expressway/highway the price of gas will vary only by 3 cents on average. not worth it in my opinion

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H3ion
October 5, 2009 3:36 PM
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There are two stations near my home which are always 20-30 cents per gallon higher than the gas stations near my office. I don't understand why people buy buy their gas there.

One thing not mentioned in the article is the grade of gas. Your car manufacturer may suggest 89 octane but your car may run fine on 87 octane. If there's no knock or ping with the lower octane, it should be OK. If there is some knock, ping or hesitation, go back to the higher grade. This doesn't apply to high performance engines that require 92 octane. There you're pretty much stuck.

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nstonep
October 5, 2009 3:56 PM
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@H3ion: High performance engines require premium grade. This is different in different locations. Typically it ranges from 91-93 (94 if sunoco offers that in your area) and race gas (over 100 octane generally). Generally this requirement is because of the fuel mapping on your pcm (at least in my car). Some GM pcms actually adjust the fuel delivery to the grade of gas your using (after about 2 fill ups), but running less than 91 or running poor brands of gasoline gives you tremendous knock.

Frankly, in my experience...if you have a naturally aspirated v6 or above (or a turbocharged or supercharged 4 or above) you need to run the highest grade gasoline available. Basically regular and medium grades are for 4 bangers and older vehicles (which will have knock anyway). It's probably in the manual somewhere but I assume the fuel mapping is set for premium octane (91 or above) in those vehicles.

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ktetch
October 5, 2009 4:58 PM
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@nstonep: Oh boy bubba, leave the Nascar tailgaiting myths out of it.

Most cars will run on 'standard' in the US, It's just the way the engines are tuned, for low-end power and smoothness (usually because of the standard slushbox) and higher performance, and import-only cars run the higher octanes (because 'premium', is actually 'standard' in the UK for instance).

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veronykah
October 5, 2009 3:38 PM
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Living in SoCal, buying a scooter to drive around the area I live and commute to work was the biggest gas saver.
Going from a $30+ fill up to a $3 fill up has been pretty great.
Its also faster than driving, cheaper than taking public transportation and a great way to see the city.
If its feasible where you live I highly recommend it.

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nstonep
October 5, 2009 3:49 PM
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Screw the gas...a 12 pack of bud for 7 bucks?!? That's the deal I'm after.

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nstonep
October 5, 2009 4:03 PM
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I forgot to add...look for gas chains that offer money off for fuel purchases paid by cash or debit. There's a local Vegas chain called Speedee Mart (it's the attached mart name) that offers this. You can usually save 5 cents a gallon this way (at these stations) and generally the gas is good as well (shell). I've used their generic gas and it feels better than shell v-power in my car! Though the 91 shell v-power is garbage compared to the 93 v-power, so generally I stick to the chevron gas or mobil if I'm desperate.

But...this all depends on how much you actually have available in your bank account ;)

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JGKojak
October 5, 2009 4:28 PM
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The keep your windows up tip is stupid.


Here in Kansas, a significant part of the year if I keep my windows up I'll suffocate due to the heat (even an 85 degree day, when your car has been in a parking lot for a couple hours, can be stifling). If I run the air conditioner, it wastes gas too-- probably more-- so not sure who these people are who can suffocate in their car and get all sweaty on the way to important business meetings all in the name of saving 15 cents.

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bonzombiekitty
October 5, 2009 6:30 PM
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@JGKojak: Drag caused by windows costs more in terms of fuel efficiency than running the A/C at highway speeds. Especially with newer cars (i.e. 90s and later) that have more efficient A/Cs.

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nstonep
October 5, 2009 4:48 PM
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@JGKojak: They're talking about drag. But as I recall the windows down drag on fuel efficiency takes at least 55 mph to kick in (as I recall).

The A/C in my car is disabled so it's going to be windows anyway.

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MyPetFly
October 5, 2009 5:12 PM
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We've got a couple of gas stations near a freeway on-ramp here in San Diego (probably several like this). The one closest to the on-ramp (maybe 100 feet) is usually 10 to 15 cents higher per gallon than the gas station about 500 feet further away. And people go for it anyway...

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Thricebanned
October 5, 2009 7:59 PM
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I drive across the river (2 miles) from Kansas to Missouri. 10-cent a gallon savings right there.

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CappyCobra
October 5, 2009 8:12 PM
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I <3 the GPS on my HTC Touch Pro. Just search gas by price at the current location and bam I get the cheapest price around. Sprint has been good to me. So glad I gave ATT the boot

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