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Author Topic: Do you drive across town to save $ on gas ? Post a Reply Back to Topics
mickeyrv

Sophomore Author
Dayton

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Message Posted: Aug 22, 2012 8:21:28 PM

I thought driving across town to save on gasoline prices was a smart thing to do. Then I realized that when you look at the whole package. Wear and tear on the vehicle plus tires, Oil changes, maintenance, life of vehicle, insurance, etc. It literally costs arounnd 30 to 45 cents per mile ( or more) to drive your vehicle. Unless you can offset the real cost of driving with gasoling savings, You are just kidding yourself and spending more $ in the end.
REPLIES (newest first)
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borsht
All-Star Author Oakland

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Message Posted: May 22, 2013 2:45:06 AM

I thought the main purpose of gasbuddy was so we could see where the cheapest gas is along our route of travel?
I commute about 60 miles/ day. sometime the gas is cheapest near where I work, sometimes it near where I live and other time it is in between.
I use the map view. It's great. I won't drive more that a mile extra to get cheap gas. And with GB it is not necessary!
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51stovi
Sophomore Author Nashville

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Message Posted: May 21, 2013 11:51:03 AM

Not unless there is a very big difference. I do make sure to fill up closer to where I work where gas is .10 - .20 cheaper than where I live. My work is about 25 miles from home.
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: May 21, 2013 8:41:40 AM

Nope
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weddy11
Champion Author Phoenix

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Message Posted: May 20, 2013 9:55:04 AM

Never
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dgsteven
All-Star Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: May 20, 2013 3:08:45 AM

no
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Quick68
Champion Author Columbus

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Message Posted: May 20, 2013 2:45:47 AM

Not across town but I will go to within reason. All gas is the same at all stations.
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forestghost07
Veteran Author Miami

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Message Posted: May 20, 2013 1:08:46 AM

Across town, never. My SUV's OAC (overall operating cost) is near 50c/mi. now, and there are more gas stations within 2 mi of me than I can count.

I do drive 4 mi to gas up the classic car but that's for ethanol-free fuel.

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5p33df73ak
Sophomore Author Gary

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Message Posted: May 19, 2013 10:55:54 PM

no
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jimmy544
Champion Author Boston

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Message Posted: May 19, 2013 10:50:46 AM

We go across town to the low priced grocery and the cheap gas stations are just nearby. Makes no sense to drive further unless you are going someplace else. Makes no sense not to fill up and run down to empty just more trips to the gas station unless you are going somewhere else. Less weight in the car helps too.
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ugly46
Sophomore Author Indiana

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Message Posted: May 19, 2013 9:58:54 AM

yes..the differance is .7 mile as to .5 mile.
Besides I am on that side of town sometime during the day anyway.
That is where the bar is.
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streetirsx
Veteran Author North Dakota

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Message Posted: May 19, 2013 5:38:04 AM

No, it ends up costing more to drive further in town to save 5cents a gallon than it is to fill up at my normal station coming from work
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mybigtruck
Sophomore Author San Jose

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Message Posted: May 18, 2013 1:07:16 PM

Depends on how much fuel I need versus how much difference per gallon in savings I'll get for fueling up on the other side of town, but I don't make special trips to do it if it's more than a couple miles out of my route.

Driving around costs me about $0.25/mile in fuel. If I'm near empty with my 38gallon tank, a few dimes/gallon starts making a big difference over time.
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WhiskeyBurner
Rookie Author Illinois

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Message Posted: May 17, 2013 2:48:11 AM

Much like running E85, it comes down to "the spread". The difference in prices between what my local stations are and the one I buy E85 for my Chrysler from can be enough to make driving my Jeep there worth while. I otherwise bu crom a station that is just by where I work, they're usually pretty cheap and I drive past them going to and from work.
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mybigtruck
Sophomore Author San Jose

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Message Posted: May 11, 2013 11:55:55 AM

The thought of towing a fuel tank behind my rig has come up several times. I can load up several hundred gallons of fuel at a time.
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MARIOWERX
Champion Author Vancouver

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Message Posted: May 10, 2013 10:48:21 PM

Sometimes I cross the border.
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Desoto49
Sophomore Author KW

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Message Posted: May 10, 2013 4:37:18 PM

No, seldom worth it
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mwhbulldog
Champion Author Lubbock

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Message Posted: May 10, 2013 8:33:55 AM

No
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: May 10, 2013 5:40:46 AM

Yep
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: May 10, 2013 5:40:37 AM

Yes
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Z12
Champion Author Toledo

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Message Posted: May 9, 2013 7:00:28 PM

No I do not
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dgsteven
All-Star Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: May 9, 2013 3:45:40 AM

no, I won't
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ace12012
Champion Author Phoenix

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 12:57:18 PM

it would have to be a significant savings.
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weddy11
Champion Author Phoenix

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 9:59:34 AM

Never
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RalphHightower
Champion Author South Carolina

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 6:00:55 AM

no
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Jmac2008
Champion Author Missouri

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 5:24:33 AM

no
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 1:10:20 AM

Nope
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 1:10:10 AM

No
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jl1rp
Champion Author New Hampshire

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 1:09:53 AM

no
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dontuknowOH
Champion Author Ohio

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Message Posted: May 8, 2013 12:35:35 AM

I did drive across town in my younger days, Her dad was willing to pay for my gas. He said "just you keep that engine running, no parking, put on some mileage, no shut offs". I'll pay for fuel sonny.

She was a Sweetypie at that, and lived in the County across town, that worked for a while, about 1500 mile anyway, The date broke off, sorry She was built like a brick Sh....H.... and had a big Daddy! I was afraid to not save fuel! Then......
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WEDDY
Champion Author Phoenix

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Message Posted: May 7, 2013 9:35:24 PM

No
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sks1586
All-Star Author New Jersey

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Message Posted: May 7, 2013 1:06:11 PM

Yes
Reason - to get major saving from Sam's Club (Shopping + Gas = double saving)
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nimravus01
Sophomore Author Austin

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Message Posted: May 7, 2013 5:35:01 AM

No. My car costs about $.20 per mile, so, if I have to drive 5 miles out of the way, then drive 5 miles back on track, I've used $2.00 worth of fuel to "save" about $.03 per gallon. If I fill up from 1/4 tank, that's about 15 gallons. So, I "saved" $.45, but, spent $2.00 getting to the cheaper station.
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ace12012
Champion Author Phoenix

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Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 6:58:26 PM

I try to find the best price close to home.
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 5:20:14 PM

No
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 5:19:59 PM

Nope
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WEDDY
Champion Author Phoenix

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Message Posted: Apr 28, 2013 1:59:17 PM

Never
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toastagirl
Rookie Author Cape Coral

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Message Posted: Apr 27, 2013 7:50:49 AM

My car only has a 10 gallon tank. If I drove 10 miles to save .02 per gallon, I would only be saving .20. Doesn't make sense. My time is more valuable than saving .20!
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traffic cop
Champion Author Boston

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Message Posted: Apr 25, 2013 10:10:06 AM

Depends upon how big your town is, doesn't it?
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Jmac2008
Champion Author Missouri

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Message Posted: Apr 22, 2013 1:35:16 AM

no
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dandeeman
Champion Author Georgia

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Message Posted: Apr 21, 2013 7:51:58 PM

NOPE
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: Apr 21, 2013 7:31:38 AM

No
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: Apr 21, 2013 7:31:13 AM

Nope
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ricebike
Champion Author New Jersey

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Message Posted: Apr 21, 2013 1:28:00 AM

no ~ only along my commute or errand route
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Ukaserex
Rookie Author Mobile

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Message Posted: Apr 20, 2013 10:03:45 PM

I have a 35 gallon tank. But, I only get about 13mpg in town. So, I just do the math. If I need 30 gallons, and the gas that's 10 miles away is 4 cents cheaper, I only save 1.20. Not worth it. But, if it's 10 cents cheaper, then if I have the time, I'd make the trip. Even then, I wouldn't be saving much. Using 10/13 of a gallon that costs 3.25 would cost me 2.50, so I'd save 50 cents. Is my free time worth 50 cents? Not usually, lol.

That's the beauty of gasbuddy.com! We can see where the cheapest gas is on our normal traffic pattern without going out of our way.
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TornadoRed
Champion Author Minnesota

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Message Posted: Apr 20, 2013 1:06:23 AM

Of course not. If it costs a dollar to save a dollar, what's the point?
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krazkar
Veteran Author Calgary

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Message Posted: Apr 19, 2013 8:46:55 PM

No.
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traxx808
Rookie Author Honolulu

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Message Posted: Apr 16, 2013 8:02:19 AM

i used to think i did but when i sat down to think about it looked at how much i was driving it really didnt matter i wasnt saving that much on gas
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BartandLisa
Champion Author Newfoundland

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Message Posted: Apr 15, 2013 5:23:58 PM

Not purposely, but gas prices in my city range nearly 10% from one end to the other. Those near Costco keep prices competitive, while those 10-15 miles away charge much more! I make sure to buy gas only when in the "cheap" end of town.
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aboutblank1
Sophomore Author San Jose

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Message Posted: Apr 15, 2013 12:31:01 PM

Depends on how off it is from my current route, but for most occasions, no
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IAMCANADIAN73
Champion Author Ontario

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Message Posted: Apr 14, 2013 7:34:00 AM

No
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