Gas prices might increase 24 cents

Fri Mar 4, 6:19 AM ET Business - USATODAY.com


By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

Gasoline prices could rocket 24 cents a gallon the next few days, as stations across the USA scramble to keep up with big jumps in the prices of oil and wholesale gas, a veteran energy-price analyst forecast Thursday.


"It's going to be brutal, horrendous," says Peter Beutel, president of energy-price tracker Cameron Hanover. He has followed energy markets for nearly three decades.


Thursday, light, sweet crude oil for April delivery traded as high as $55.20 a barrel in New York before closing at $53.57.


A 24-cent jump in the price of gas would bump unleaded regular to a nationwide average of about $2.16 a gallon, blowing through last May's record of about $2.06. It could go higher as increased warm-weather driving in another two months pushes up demand, and therefore prices, forecasters say.


Adjusted for inflation, gas would have to hit about $2.95 for a record.



I'm buyin a @#$^@ prius

 

We all knew it was going to happen.

On a side note about the prius. Does anyone else find it funny that celebrities buy prius' then start preaching about saving the environment with them. Then they drive home too one of their mansions which requires the power of a small country to heat and a/c?

 

so true....It's also pathetic when they step out of the prius wearing fur coats...

 

haha...oh wait I'm screwed

 

Dammit! I'm so tired of these gas price increases! As I heard someone once say at a gas station pump, "Didn't we win the war in Iraq?!?"

I know it's more complex than that (OPEC, etc.), but still, this is ridiculous...

 

damn that sucks, doesn't effect me though.

 

$2.16? Thats cheap! $2.79 for me.

 

Excellent news--I guess I'm down to one meal a day now.

 

It's not that big of a price increase, it will costyou an extra 10-20 bucks a week maybe.

 

10-20 bucks?? That's $40-80 more a month, or almost $1000 more a year! I'd say it's that big of a price increase. Any increase at this point, to me, is ridiculous. Diamonds and oil--the two nonrenewable resources that are SO overinflated in price due to monopolistic regimes. What a tragedy.

 

I am thinking in canadian dollars and litres. I figure it would cost an extra few bucks every fill up, so 2-3 fill ups a week 10 bucks CDN. It shouldn't send anyone too the poor house

 

I'm glad I kept the Oldsmobile. Now the 8 can stay in the garage when it snows and when gas goes through the roof.

 

After moving to DC, I normally commute via the Metro bus/rail system. Use the RX8 a couple days a week if I need the flexibility of a car during the day. Costs a nominal $2.50 per day. Makes me appreciate driving the RX8 on the weekends. The gas price increase, of course, probably won't affect me much. Those of you putting on more miles -- I sympathize.

The folks the gas price increase is really going to affect are the shippers/truckers and the monster-truck/SUV drivers getting 10-12 MPG. Ouch.

 

Yeah they're not called limousine liberals for nothing :D

Ok so when does the Hydrogen 8 go into production.

(Well on another side-note even hydrogen energy is not as free as we would like:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/general...927469,00.html )

 

ITs not bush's fault. China is really vying for our resources, steal, lumber, oil. MAN china is growing fast.

 

But your name is No More Oldsmobiles...I always kind of thought you got rid of your final Oldsmobile for the 8. My preception of you is shattered!

Anyway, I really don't see this as being the Earth-shattering change the media seems to be making of it. People will adjust, prices will go up and we'll all live on with maybe one less impulse purchase per week. Anyone remember how bad the all those problems were with Y2K? Yeah, I tend to take anything the media says with a grain of salt. A big one. Pretty close to the size of a salt lick.

 

Well, it's true that they aren't making Oldsmobiles anymore -- so there will be No More Oldsmobiles.


Actually, I had fully intended to sell the Olds. Then I started figuring what a set of snow tires would costs, and new wheels, and getting them put on ... Because the insurance on an RX-8 is so reasonable, I was able to keep both. Another reason I love the 8.

 

Down under this morning it cost me just over $60.00 to fill my 8 from a 1/4 tank to full.

Now I fill twice a week just to get me to and from work Monday to Friday. That's $120.00 for just the first 5 days of every week. No wonder I have been cutting down my weekend drives.

Still love to drive it though!!!!!!!

 

Hey cool, I'll be living only 4 miles from work/shopping by the time this starts sticking people in the ***. :D I could actually make use of an electric car, heh. I doubt we'll see gas lines like in the 70's though...unless we invade Iran or institute price controls.