Bygone Petrol Prices

semihere · 14-08-2006, 15:20

Just thinking the other day about how I remember the shock of Petrol breaking the £1 per gallon barrier... and now it's £1 per LITRE!!!

Which explains why they switched to pricing it in litres I suppose.

Margaret Pilkington · 14-08-2006, 20:20

I can remember my dad saying he would get rid of his car when petrol went up to five bob a gallon........he never did but he complained endlessly about being held to ransom over fags and petrol.......and later on in his life booze,he cursed the chancellor every budget day....but carried on paying the prices. I am glad he has gone to the great motorway in the sky.....Lord knows what he would make of the current prices!

cherokee · 14-08-2006, 21:03

take a look at pipelinecard.org joined myself but its slowly taking off

cashman · 15-08-2006, 11:19

inflation = a trap we are all snared in and can do sod all about it, only whinge.

Basher · 15-08-2006, 11:49

I've considered LPG conversion but I don't do the mileage which would make it worthwhile unless I keep my car for longer than normal and also the price of approx 39p per litre is of course dependent on the government not deciding to raise the TAX on it. I had a look at a Prius last time I changed but unless you learn how to drive them so that they mainly run off the batteries they aren't that much of a frugal machine especially when you consider the rising electricity prices.

When at college I worked at a petrol station part time and iirc the price worked out to around 40p per litre.

Kisser · 15-08-2006, 13:04

Thanks Cherokee, I have just joined that Pipeline - I have heard about it but never registered. What harm can it do to sign up, it could come to something one day. I do over 20k miles a year, and over the last 12 months have spent 4 grand on fuel alone. I am looking at renting a place closer to work, which means leaving good ol' Accy

Maybe Pipeline will help me?

Madhatter · 15-08-2006, 14:15

Dunno how you cope going round the M60 kisser, that bit of it drives me crackers.
Anybody got any old accy photographs with petrol prices on them? It's not something that you think of including in a pic is it. I try to avoid taking people or cars unless they are relevant to the picture but I suppose it will date it in the future and make it more interesting.

entwisi · 15-08-2006, 14:53

Where do you work Kisser? also if you do that sort of mileage the LPG is for you. I work in Knutsford and have been on LPG for over 5 years( 3rd car now). I run a Volvo V70 2.5 Turbo, get 22/3 to a gallon on gas at 40p/litre, thats alos sitting at Ahem mph most of the way there. I could probably get another 2-3 if I slowed down a bit.

Shout if you want more info

Kisser · 15-08-2006, 15:21

I work in North Wales, just on the border at the Airbus factory in Broughton. It's about 70 miles each way for me, drives me potty. I drive an MX-5 too (poser that I am) so I dont get many miles at all to the gallon. I keep thinking I should change my car really. I am giving serious consideration to renting in maybe Chester or something and come home at the weekends. Thanks for the info on the LPG though, and yes please send me more info on it. I dont really know what you mean to be honest

entwisi · 15-08-2006, 19:57

OK, brief tour of LPG

Your car is converted to run on gas instead of petrol, any petrol engine that can run on unleaded will run fine[1]. YOu get a tank in the boot/spare wheel well(which on yours is tiny so looks like a boot tank for you!) with a filler somewhere on teh car, I have mine on a bracket on the towbar so that I didn't have any holes cut in the body. Simply, as you start the engine it switches over to gas, you can switch back and forth at any time even whilst driving along. You tend to get slightly less mpg than on petrol, usually about 10% less but as opposed to 98.9/litre gas is about 40p so taking my example, I get 22 mpg on gas, but gas is only 40% of the. cost, so that means I get an effective 55mpg. So better than most diesels with the 200bhp turbo charged engine, volvo safety, leather and toys interior and a boot the size of a cave.

It costs in the region of £1700 for a top quality conversion. You can get cheaper kits but as with most things, you get what you pay for. Effectively it takes about 25K miles to get your cash back then its profit all teh way. Plus its environmentally friendly.

For an installer I can highly recommend Simon and Gary at Grange Lane garage (motorgas conversion) who have done my last 2 cars. They have been doing then for years now and really know their stuff.

Any questions please ask.

[1] Some vehicles with soft valve seats need a lubrication system called flashlube, not dear for the piece of mind it gives, I officially didn't need one but I put one on anyway as I want to get the far side of 300K on this car (160 and counting).

cherokee · 15-08-2006, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kisser

Thanks Cherokee, I have just joined that Pipeline - I have heard about it but never registered. What harm can it do to sign up, it could come to something one day. I do over 20k miles a year, and over the last 12 months have spent 4 grand on fuel alone. I am looking at renting a place closer to work, which means leaving good ol' Accy

Maybe Pipeline will help me?

hope it takes off kisser would be handy to a lot of folk if it could but at moment its still in negotiation with many outlets and relies heavily on member quantity.. also why not try www.petrolprices.com it gives the cheapest stations in your area.so maybe handy also for the travelling you do ...good luck

Kisser · 16-08-2006, 17:41

Thanks for your help entwisi and it is certainly something to consider, although I do probably between 20-24k miles a year and rarely keep my cars for longer than 2 years! Also my boot space is very limited with it being a sports car, and I work away a lot meaning I constantly have a big suitcase in the boot. I think what I probably need to do is get a more fuel efficient car and keep it for longer than a couple of years (I get bored!!), and just hope that fuel prices dont raise too much more over the next few years. Or get a job in Accy

katex · 16-08-2006, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kisser

and just hope that fuel prices dont raise too much more over the next few years. Or get a job in Accy

Just heard on Radio that Tesco are reducing their prices this evening and Asda tomorrow. Think only 1p. per litre (sorry only half-listening) .. every little helps though.

SPUGGIE J · 16-08-2006, 21:46

The price of petrol varies so much countrywide. A workmate drove to Cornwall last week and couldnt belive that petrol was cheaper there than in Grangemouth with its refinery. Gordie Brown must love it when the price of fuel rises so high because of the money he gets in tax. As to wether the tax on LPG for cars will increase well yes it will as the more popular it becomes the more likely a tax rise will appear. Just look at deisel as an example because as more people started running deisel cars the tax and price went up yet at one time it was about 12% cheaper than petrol.

entwisi · 17-08-2006, 06:33

Spuggie, The Gubment have signed up to EU jurisdiction(for next 3-4 years IIRC) that says they can't increase the tax on LPG any higher PA than they increase petrol. so if Petrol goes up 1p then thats all LPG can go up. plus there is a scam that some people use in that the LPG you buy for heating can't have any tax imposed yet is exactly the same stuff, one home pump later and you have your own mini filling station

So irrelevant of how many take it up its still going to be cheap.