God I feel old.....Waldo remembers when gas was .89/gal. I remeber when it .19/gal!!!!!!

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98 Nascar Edition, Superchip, Airaid, Flowmaster 70 series, bedliner, in bed tool box, Profile bug deflector and window vents, Class III receiver hitch.

 

I am glad you made your post because I can remember back in the days of "gas wars" and the lowest price I can recall is .18/gal. Even at that, we would take up a colection to go cruising on weekends. I also remember my Grandfather buying a new 1953 Belair w/automatic for around $2000. My supercharger cost almost twice that!

 

When I was young never spent more than a dollar a time at the pump.
"A dollar's worth of regular, please."

Saw a 1966 magazine where a new Beetle was going for...$1966.

Anyone remember that advertising jingle back in the 80's?

Sakes Alive! Only Mazda's got a truck, for just, $5795.

 

How can the oil companies justify over the past couple years justify charging .20-.25 per gallon more for premium gas which is lower octain than it used to for only .10 more per gallon for 100 octain. Now we pay more for less octain!! Those s.o.b.'s are making money hand over fist and you know where their stickin' the fist.

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'97 F150 4.6L XL WHITE,FLEETSIDE R/C L/B, LEER SHELL W/FISHING POLE RACK, BED MAT,LIMMITED SLIP,245/75/16 DESERT DOGS ON POLISHED ALUM, WHEELS.
AIRAID, 3" CAT BACK OUT THE SIDE w/MAGNAFLOW MUFFER

 

In the Washington DC area we tend to have the lowest or the highest prices. The oil companies try to send a message the government by under/over-inflating our prices. The thinking is that the oil companes can influence the people in the government who make decisions.

Currently 1.84 high octane and 1.53 for 87.
Crown (cheapy gas) can be purchased for about 1.35.

 

If you think about it the oil companies have ALL the power in the world! Everything you and I touch was influenced somehow by oil. Or it got there by the gas-guzzlin truck that cooked some up on the trip.

Its all total BS! They do have us by the nuts... What can we do? You think any of us on this site would get excited about doing 1/4 mile runs with an electric F150?

I can see it now. "Hey man I just got the new ZX4000 PowerPack! Gave me an extra 400 Giga-Watts and shaved about .05 off my 1/4!" "WooooWeee thats cool!"

Our kids might find this cool.

 

Hi Mikey,

Yes, I've been in most of the refineries in LA (and the rest of the 48 states), from Shreveport to Baton Rouge to Bossier City to you name it, and you're right, they certainly do have money. You may find this funny after the Exxon Valdez oil spill etc., but in Exxon's refineries and tank farms, I saw the absolutely cleanest and safest operations of any refinery operation I'd ever been in, which is all of them in the 48 states that existed as of about 1983 or so. Exxon was head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of safety and cleanliness from what I saw personally. They wouldn't hesitate to spend 5 times as much for something if they felt it had 1% better "whatever", just as a loose observational comment. For example, in their internal floating roofs in their many storage tanks (these prevent unburned hydrocarbon release into the atmosphere), the standard of the industry for the materials that made up the roofs & support & flotation structures was and still is aluminum-based materials. Not Exxon, they spent 5-10 times as much to use stainless steel instead, man what a pain, but they didn't bat an eyelash. So for me personally, it's a shame to see that Exxon's gasolines here in America are of such low energy content, as their operations were among the very finest I've ever seen. Sorry, didn't mean to get off on a tangent.

Rand and I agree about at least 1 thing, and that is the fact that the oil companies have *far* too much overall influence on our lives, and if you stop to think about just how much of an effect, it's staggering. They have been allowed to get away with unfathomable acts, unimaginable pollution, windfall profits, etc., and it just goes on and on, unabated. Personally, while electric-based propulsion systems have their place, I'd like to see vehicles have the ability to run on gasoline or alcohol, stop playing around with "gasahol" blends and let's get moving on real alcohol-based fuels, and the biomass grown to produce those fuels would help air quality (to say nothing of our farmers) even more, just think of the things we could do. Henry Ford was a huge believer in alcohol fuels, so much so that for many years all his vehicles were dual-fuel capable right from the factory, back in the days of the Model A & Model T. In today's fuel-injected vehicles you'd have to have completely different fuel delivery systems, as alcohol has roughly half the energy content of gasoline and so you'd need much larger injectors, etc., but it could all be done. There are of course major ramifications due to the effect on the oil industry, but they could adapt over time, as we all can and do. Perhaps some day.......

In the mean time, at least we have lower gas prices right now, so we'll enjoy it while we've got it.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 12-22-2000).]

 

As you can tell by my user name, I work for Conoco. I have made my living in the oil industry for 21 years in 5 different countries. Now I'm not going to try to defend the oil companies but would like to point our a few things that people outside the oil industry seldom think about.

First and foremost, why have I sought employment overseas at various times during my career? Simple, tens of thousands were being laid off here in the USA due to Plummeting oil prices. Of course few people outside the oil industry heard about it but when they lay off a couple hundred in the auto industry, everyone knows it. And, something is done about it!
Second
When oil is in the $12 per bbl range the companies are operating in the red. Just in the survival mode. The easiest way to cut overhead is to cut people. Now what happens when oil goes back up? You see what people feel is price gouging. The oil companies would most likely say they are recouping their losses and saving for a rainy day.
Third
Our drillship that we operate here in the Gulf of Mexico, some of you may have seen it in the commercials cost $350,000 per day to operate. That's $14,583 per hour. And no, there is no guarantee we will find oil.
Fourth:
Mike T. mentions a stable gas price. It aint never going to happen boys and girls. Nor should it. At least not until we have stable oil prices. How can anybody expect them to sell gas at a set price when the price of oil needed to manufacture that gas fluxuates so wildly?
Fifth:
Are oil prices going to drop and who controls it? No, the prices are not going to drop much. To a very large degree, OPEC controls the prices. But, things have changed. Used to the president could ask them to open the taps and the oil prices would magically drop. What's changed now is that the refineries are maxed out. The pipelines are maxed out. And, OPEC don't have the reserves they used to. How much they have, only they know.
Why are we maxed out? Nobody builds new refineries, pipelines, or drilling rigs because the price of oil is all over the place. Why is the price of oil all over the place? A lack of an energy policy. Pure and simple. The oil companies want a basement price of $18 per bbl. They make money, your gas is cheap, everybodies happy. Sounds simple don't it. The government worries about the farmers, the autoworkers, etc. The oil industry, they are on there own.

I'm done!

 

Hi Conocoan,

Thank you *so* much for your response, we rarely get to hear from "the other side" when we complain about the oil companies.

I personally have no problem with any industry making a profit, of course you have to cover expenses, and certainly oil exploration has to be a fantastically expensive enterprise. My complaint is only about blatant price gouging, such as we saw earlier this year in several parts of the country, to the point where numerous states launched investigations into the variable pricing in certain areas specifically, at the very same time that oil companies are posting the highest profits they have *ever* made in their entire history! We've been seeing for the past 60-90 days now, these reports of the highest profits ever for a number of the oil companies in all the major media. *That* is my specific complaint, I have no complaint with making a fair profit, that's the capatalist principle, making a profit, and effort in giving results back in return, I'm a big fan of all that, absolutely.

Conocoan, please don't take my posts in this thread, or anyone else's post as any kind of "attack" on you or your company, that is not how any of us mean our comments. You have made some substantial contributions to the exchange of relevant information on these message boards in your time here, with information that has benefitted many of us in my opinion, and we all hope, I'm sure, that you will continue to post when you have the time, your input is invaluable, especially given your occupation. What we're specifically compalining about, or perhaps I should say what *I'm* specifically complaning about, is this rather rare circumstance of extremely high gas prices combined with record profits. We've seen numerous reports this year of pricing that has little to do with the actual expense of delivering a finished product to certain areas, where prices are 20% higher just a few miles down the road, etc. It's *those* types of things that I have a problem with, and I think that the oil companies in general have too much influence in our political process, but then, so do a lot of other "special interests", that's one of the problems with our current political "system", the influence of money, so that isn't something the oil companies have a corner on by any means.

Conocoan, I think everything you just posted is right on the money, and I have no doubt that oil companies provide a valued service and desparately needed product, since we've allowed our modern society to be so hooked on fossil fuels. It's just that along the way, this year, we've seen what appear to be somewhat predatory pricing practices by many of the oil companies, as has been noted in all the media for months now. In other words, we have had a rather unique situaiton of price gouging and resultant record profits, rather than the more normal ebb and flow of prices based solely on real expenses and the effects of fluctuations in market demand, that's all. Perhaps my comment of "stabile prices", which I did not mean literally, was not the best way to put it, my basic thoughts here are just that with the rather wide fluctuations that we've seen this year, unique in recent history at least, it seems to show that we have had price gouging. Of course as the price of a barrel of crude fluctuates, so does the price of the finished product, but that isn't what we've seen this year, we've seen something quite different; we've seen the highest gas prices ever in this country, combined with record profits for the oil companies. I think there's a problem with *that* unique set of circumstances.

Any comments you might want to make are more than welcome, and please don't feel that we expect you to personally answer for the entire oil industry. I think we'd all love to hear your perspectives and any comments you'd care to share with us, as someone who is in the industry, you could perhaps provide us with some invaluable input, if you'd care to and have the time, of course.

Thanks for your post Conocoan, & Merry Christmas!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

Hello Mike,

I didn’t take your comments as an attack Mike. I think I know you better than that. When I went back and read my post, it did sound pretty harsh. Believe it or not, I really didn’t mean it that way. Although I seldom post here I visit this site quite often. The information and experiences shared here are of course one reason. But, the main reason that I keep coming back is the camaraderie and respect everyone has for each other. Believe me, it was not my intention to rock the boat or come across as abrasive as I did. Maybe it’s a subject I’m a little too passionate about. Sorry.

First of all, there is a lot we all agree on. For one, there is no doubt the oil companies are price gouging and I agree that it is wrong. Also, I too would like to see stable prices. I was just trying to point out why I think they do it and why it may be impossible to stabilize the prices under the current conditions. Remember guys, I have to buy gas too. The oil companies want the government to guarantee a basement price of around $18. That would provide the US companies some protection from OPEC. It would also give us fair prices at the pump while allowing the oil companies to make a fair profit. Now if the government did this, I think it would be fair to demand that the oil companies set a ceiling on prices. That is what frustrates me. It seems so simple but nothing ever changes. That is part of my argument for an energy policy.

The oil companies do wield a lot of power and influence. It’s easy for me to imagine them trying to squash any technology that would cut our dependence on fossil fuels. Understandably, most folks outside of the oil industry aren’t too happy with the way they’re wielding that power right now in regards to pricing. While I don’t have the numbers handy, I can probably find out how much it costs to manufacture a gallon of gasoline if anybody’s interested.

Now I will give an example of when that power was used for the good. In 1980 when Regan took office, interest rates were at 21 percent. Inflation was running rampant and the cold war was in full swing. Ronald Regan made a deal with OPEC. He asked that they flood the market with cheap oil and this agreement was kept quite until the end of George Bush’s term. It had a positive affect for everyone in the US except for those of us in the oil industry. While it helped bring down inflation it crippled us for years. But, the main reason it was done was to cripple the Soviet Union. Russia’s main export to fuel their military machine was oil. When oil became virtually worthless overnight, the results were inevitable. The Soviet Union began to collapse and we witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Many people doubt that could be done today because oil usage is up world wide while supply is down. As I said earlier, no one knows how much reserves OPEC has left. To make matters worse, we are not aggressively searching for new fields to replace the ones we are currently depleting. So, we have depleting fields, maxed out refineries, and pipelines with usage higher than it has ever been. That is why I don't expect a huge drop in oil prices unless new reserves are discovered.


I just slowed down and remembered that this is a forum on computer chips. Now I will promise to behave in the future if y'all promise not to ask me what the Berlin Wall has to do with computer chips!

Sorry for the misunderstanding and Merry Christmas everybody!

Mark


[This message has been edited by Conocoan (edited 12-23-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Conocoan (edited 12-24-2000).]

 

Back to the thread Topic, For the heck of it, Texaco Premium for $1.34 at the Texaco in front of Choctaw Bingo on US75 in Oklahoma north of Sherman/Denison. Of course you'd have to be from North Texas or Southern Oklahama *AND* travel 75 to know where I'm talking about.

Just thought I'd make some of your mouths water.......Happy Holidays everyone.

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2000 Eddie Bauer Expedition 4x2
Estate Green
5.4 ltr
3:55 LS rear
Tow Package
Superchip
Airaid FIPK
Rear Load Leveling
Moonroof
Century Child Seat!
Gibson Stainless Steel Swept Side Ordered and Backordered!

[This message has been edited by FamilyRide (edited 12-24-2000).]

 

My original post stated 131.9, but today it's 139.9 at the same station. That did not last long but I did manage to get one tank at the 131.

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1999 F-150 Lariat SC 2 WD, White/Silver, 5.4L, 3.55LS, K & N FIPK, Superchip, underdrive pulley set, Dynomax Super Turbo Series Exhaust, six disc CD changer, towing package and captain chairs

 

Hi Conocoan!

Once again, thanks for your response. And by the way, everyone here knows how passionate I am personally, so I understand being passionate about what you do, we could all use a little dose of passion! The point being, don't worry about being passionate in your post, it simply shows that you really do care. And when you combine knowledge and passion, you usually get increased understanding, and ultimately, that's what F-150 Online is all about, the exchange of relevant information.

Thanks once again for posting that information about Reagan etc.,, as I'm guessing that most people are unaware of those actions, though having been in that business for a few years, I was aware of it from higher-level contacts, I don'tknow if your "average refinery worker", for lack of a better term, knows that scenario. And you're absolutely right, it decimated our oil industry and caused rampant layoffs, etc., for years and years, that was about the time I left "the oil patch". It was a brave and bold move, that ended up helping to seal the fate of the Soviets from a cash flow standpoint. Of course, what they did to themselves militarily in Afghanistan (with *much* help from us, of course) didn't hurt, either. Nowadays I feel so darned sorry for the Russian people and those in the former Soviet block due to the many hardships they have been facing, that who knows what history will ultimately say was their one big downfall, and what their saving grace (which we haven't seen yet of course) turned out to be.

I agree with you on the need for a firm energy policy that protects US interests, and protects our economy from the influence of OPEC. It's caused US-based oil companies to limit exploration, etc. Imports across the board have decimated our manufacturing base in this country, so I feel we need some restructuring of basic trade policies as well. When's the last time any of us saw American-manufactured television sets in any real numbers besides the old Curtis-Mathes? We could go on forever about trade policies, imports, etc.

While it would be very interesting to see just what it costs to manufacture a gallon of gas, for proper perspective we would also need to know expenses and the whole P&L statement, as salaries, advertising, infrastructure investments, exploration & logistics quickly eat up gross profits (this year being an exception), so what actually gets to the bottom line is usually a tiny fraction of what was generated gross on the top line. Don't run the risk of potentially getting yourself in trouble with your employer by posting those kinds of numbers, would be my suggestion, though we thank you for the offer, that is my personal opinion. You never can tell just who reads these posts!

Any other perspectives you can lend us given your unique experince from time to time are invaluable, and I'm sure we'll all soak up whatever you care to share with us, to help our understanding, as you have done here. Yes, it is true that this particular section is devoted to "Computer Chips", but it is also true that the tradition & nature of this section has also been to discuss other issues whenever we get a chance to come across someone with specific knowledge, whose work gives a unique knowledge and perspective that we can all benefit from, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Heck, most of us are just tickled pink to get perspectives from those in the oil industry, as over the past few years, we've been lucky enough to have a few chemical engineers, etc., working in that field fill us in on some things from time to time, and we always have a need for that kind of info.

Conocoan, I don't think anyone took offense at what you originally posted, and we need to hear from "the other side", so thanks for sharing with us, and we hope you will continue to do so, have at it & Merry Christmas!

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 12-26-2000).]

 

Hey Waldo0506, what type of Flowmasters do you have and how big are the actual mufflers. I had the "dual chamber" installed on mine and they look so small. Are they really that small?

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1999 F-150 Lariat SC 2 WD, White/Silver, 5.4L, 3.55LS, K & N FIPK, Superchip, underdrive pulley set, Dynomax Super Turbo Series Exhaust, six disc CD changer, towing package and captain chairs

 

Hi Family Ride,

Sorry about the "thread drift", that's my fault as I encouraged the discussion between "conocoan" and myself especially, since we had an opportunity to get his unique perspective. We'll always take advantage of that kind of info whenver we can get it!

Gee, I'd say that Texaco premium @ $1.34 a gallon will make some of us jealous! I thought our gas prices in this area of Virginia were low, that's even lower than we get here, excellent!

Thanks for your post,


------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer