Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[HudsonHawk]

59 cents?! Geez, it was never that here in 1998.

That was in South Carolina during the gas wars. It was under $1 though for quite a while, up until about 2002.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

When I still lived at home, Illinois raised their gas tax by more than a dime a gallon. I seem to remember gas going from about 50 cents a gallon to 70 cents a gallon. The sign at Wide's Gas Station said 14.9 cents a gallon for about 25 years, until they tore it down to put in the bank. Gas was normally 19.9 a gallon until they had a gas war, then it went down.

later

 

[jamespowers]

Hi

When I still lived at home, Illinois raised their gas tax by more than a dime a gallon. I seem to remember gas going from about 50 cents a gallon to 70 cents a gallon. The sign at Wide's Gas Station said 14.9 cents a gallon for about 25 years, until they tore it down to put in the bank. Gas was normally 19.9 a gallon until they had a gas war, then it went down.

later

14.9 cents!? :faint:

 

[1961MJS]

14.9 cents!? :faint:

Yep, back in the 1960's. I remember the Wide's station, but never remember it being OPEN. I do remember 19.9 cents a gallon, I think I paid in the 50 cent a gallon range. I remember a time when they had to switch pumps to get over $1 a gallon too.

Later

 

[Stanley Doble]

First garage I worked at was a B/A (British American Oil Company) station. Regular was 45.9c a gallon. Shortly after I started working there, the price rose to 49.9. The owner predicted a large drop in trade, as the price had been 45.9 for several years and he didn't think his customers would stand for the increase. This was in 1968. Shortly after, Gulf bought B/A and there were no more B/A stations.

In 1981 Canada changed to the metric system, about the time gas went over a buck. So dollar gas became 25c a liter gas. Soon it was back up to the 45 - 49 cent range, only now it was liters instead of gallons.

A few years later for some reason gas took a sharp drop, to 26 cents a liter. I got a kick out of filling my car with such cheap gas, as I was driving a 68 Buick Electra 225 with a 365HP 430 cu in motor.

Today it was $1.26.9 for a liter (quart).

 

[Sloan1874]

Round my way, petrol's currently the equivalent of $2.03. Count yourselves lucky! :eeek:

 

[Zombie_61]

Round my way, petrol's currently the equivalent of $2.03. Count yourselves lucky! :eeek:

Petrol is sold by the liter in the U.K., is it not? For us U.S. folks, that's about $7.69 per gallon. :eusa_doh:

 

[jamespowers]

First garage I worked at was a B/A (British American Oil Company) station. Regular was 45.9c a gallon. Shortly after I started working there, the price rose to 49.9. The owner predicted a large drop in trade, as the price had been 45.9 for several years and he didn't think his customers would stand for the increase. This was in 1968. Shortly after, Gulf bought B/A and there were no more B/A stations.

In 1981 Canada changed to the metric system, about the time gas went over a buck. So dollar gas became 25c a liter gas. Soon it was back up to the 45 - 49 cent range, only now it was liters instead of gallons.

A few years later for some reason gas took a sharp drop, to 26 cents a liter. I got a kick out of filling my car with such cheap gas, as I was driving a 68 Buick Electra 225 with a 365HP 430 cu in motor.

Today it was $1.26.9 for a liter (quart).

Per Quart?!:faint:

 

[Stanley Doble]

1 liter = 1.05669 US quarts. I threw that in for my American readers who may not be familiar with the metric system, just think of a liter as about a quart.

Canada is the world's only oil exporting nation whose citizens do NOT get a break on oil prices. Our oil gets sent to the US where it sells for less than we pay for it at home.

Love the image of some redneck filling his monster truck with cheap gas and screaming about how he has the right to it, when he doesn't even know that 30% of US oil is imported.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Love the image of some redneck filling his monster truck with cheap gas and screaming about how he has the right to it, when he doesn't even know that 30% of US oil is imported.

Where have you seen that image? Most Americans are well aware that the US is a net oil importer, and there is quite a bit of handwringing and consternation about it.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I read certain American hot rod sites with a lot of "they can have my big block V8 when they pry it from my cold dead hands" "if those Commies and Ay-rabs won't give us their oil let's go steal it" and "front wheel drive and 4 cylinder engines are for homos" type comments.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I read certain American hot rod sites with a lot of "they can have my big block V8 when they pry it from my cold dead hands" "if those Commies and Ay-rabs won't give us their oil let's go steal it" and "front wheel drive and 4 cylinder engines are for homos" type comments.

I wouldn't place a lot if stock in what you read on online sites. Most people are just blustering.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

I can remember when there were still some hand crank railroad crossing towers in the town in which I lived when I was young. I got to know one of the tower guards, his name was Tony, and when he was a younger man he had been a fireman on a steam locomotive. I used to visit him often, and several times he let me crank the crossing gates up and down! Being and admirer of steam locomotives he was very interesting to talk to and spend time with. The crossings are still there, the towers are long gone, and the gates are automated.

 

[jamespowers]

1 liter = 1.05669 US quarts. I threw that in for my American readers who may not be familiar with the metric system, just think of a liter as about a quart.

Canada is the world's only oil exporting nation whose citizens do NOT get a break on oil prices. Our oil gets sent to the US where it sells for less than we pay for it at home.

Love the image of some redneck filling his monster truck with cheap gas and screaming about how he has the right to it, when he doesn't even know that 30% of US oil is imported.

I think you need to turn that introspectively and figure out why YOU are paying so much more. Ask your government just how much they tax your gas first. Might as well look at the source for the problem there. This might help: and here:

 

[Stanley Doble]

You mean taxes account for less than half what we pay for gas? I'm surprised it's that little.

 

[jamespowers]

You mean taxes account for less than half what we pay for gas? I'm surprised it's that little.

Well you could always move to France. lol lol lol

 

[1961MJS]

You mean taxes account for less than half what we pay for gas? I'm surprised it's that little.

HI

I'm surprised too, I've heard news storied (can't reference) that said otherwise. I'm very shocked at how little it said it is in comparison to the price of the crude oil. I knew it wasn't as heavily taxed as say Bourbon (talk to Jack Daniels), but I thought it higher.

Later

 

[jamespowers]

HI

I'm surprised too, I've heard news storied (can't reference) that said otherwise. I'm very shocked at how little it said it is in comparison to the price of the crude oil. I knew it wasn't as heavily taxed as say Bourbon (talk to Jack Daniels), but I thought it higher.

Later

You also have to remember that one of those figures is from 2005.

 

[vitanola]

Note that the countries with the highest taxes on fuel are those which historically had negligable oil reserves. Very early on in the Automobile Age it was realized that the cost of imported fuel could be a seriously destabilizing force, as large imports of fuel would tend to drain an economy of foreign exchange (gold, in those days). A regime of heavy taxation was put into place to limit demand and manage this drain of the economy. Such taxation never took hold here in the 'States because we were at the time the world's great exporter or oil products, and this heavy taxation would have made no sense.

 

[Master Mason]

HI

I'm surprised too, I've heard news storied (can't reference) that said otherwise. I'm very shocked at how little it said it is in comparison to the price of the crude oil. I knew it wasn't as heavily taxed as say Bourbon (talk to Jack Daniels), but I thought it higher.

Later

Jack Daniels is not bourbon