Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

[korygrandy]

When I first started driving at 16 the price of petro was $0.78/gallon. Now I am 30 and I've seen it go up to $4.00/gallon which equates to 5x the price it was 14years.

Is this a similar pace that the boomers experienced during this time in there life?

At this pace in another 14 years when I am 44, gas should be roughly $20/gallon. Aren't you all excited!

 

[robert graham]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I was born in 1943, least I've ever paid was $.18/gallon, then it stayed in the $.22 to $.28/gallon for many years. We drove up to Gatlinburg, Tenn. one summer and Amoco White Gas superpremium was $.36/gallon!, I almost fell over it was so expensive!...times do change! Back in my teenage years most gas was $.25/gallon, Cheeseburgers were $.25, Cigarettes were $.25/pack and rubbers was $.25/pack of 2....And it occured to me then that for $1.00 a guy could have a pretty darn good cheap date!....Cost a fella more than that now!...Good Luck!

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

when i started driving i was paying 0.35/gallon for the 95 octane my '69 SS 396 needed.

 

[JB]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

Started driving in 1951. $.25 worth of gas covered a date. I think it was about $.12/gal for leaded regular. Mom's '47 Studebaker got 15mpg.

When I was traveling as a Field Engineer I paid for a 1964 Mercedes 190Dc with the $.08 allowance. I was paying $.08 to $.10/gallon for Diesel fuel and getting 35-37mpg.

Later, when running a Field Service corps I had a debate with a Field Engineer about whether his Chebby Malibu wagon (9mpg) was an economy car and if our $.11/mile allowance was enough to cover his expenses. I do remember telling him that if gas ever hit $.50/gallon I would raise the allowance to $.15/mile.

Before you get all excited about how easy we had it back then, $10,000/ann. was considered a dang good salary, average was more like $5,000.

What do you guys get today for travel in your private vehicle??

 

[southkogs]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I can remember paying about 60? per gallon. Today I got kinda' excited for only paying $3.19 per gallon ... groan.

I think mileage last I looked JB was about 55?*per mile.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

What do you guys get today for travel in your private vehicle??

It's 55.5 cents/mile this year.

 

[mscher]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I worked at Dad's Phillips "66" during high school, in the mid-70's. We rarely ever changed gas prices, maybe once or twice a month ( now they sometime change 3 times a day). It believe it was around 30-32 cents, plus IN had to externally add 4% sales tax (at that time).

I remember that "gas war" of the early 70's they only time you could drive around town and watch the price drop at every station. In 1973 when the OPEC oil embargo kicked in, gas "skyrocketed", to 45 cents in a few weeks and people thought for sure, it was the end of the world.

In the second crunch in 1979, I was test driver for a brake shoe company, testing in So. California, when the odd-even license plate days, long gas line came to vogue. I think gas was about 65-70 cents at that time.

We had a deal with a Union 76 station, that would sell us gas, every day, which was illegal in CA (we did need gas every day). He parked his U-Haul rental trucks around one island of gas pumps, hiding them, so that the "good customers", could get gas whenever they wanted it. There would be 100 cars waiting out in the street, for gas, while we scooted right in to the hidden pumps.

 

[G-Daddy]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I paid $0.25 per gallon and got paid $0.75 per hour

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

When I first started driving, I could get gas during the local gas war between 0.16 and 0.19 cents a gallon, I could take a girl out to dinner, put gas in the car and go to a movie for less than $10, man those were the days, and I didn't even worry about gas mileage, we worried about having big back seats!

LOL

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

When I first started driving, I could get gas during the local gas war between 0.16 and 0.19 cents a gallon, I could take a girl out to dinner, put gas in the car and go to a movie for less than $10, man those were the days, and I didn't even worry about gas mileage, we worried about having big back seats!

LOL

Hmmmmmmm was it MOGAS LOL!!! <<< That will go over many heads and bring back memories for many

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

When I was a teen,,,,,,,gas was real cheap using a hillbilly credit card.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

What ever happened to the unstaffed, stand alone gaspumps that took dollars bills like a vending machine? Oh I remember now, people kept stealing the gas from them! or dont have time to shove 57 singles into a vending machine one at a time!

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

LOL, Great thread.

When I was in high school gas was 35 cents a gallon. My buddies and I could pony up for a dollar of gas in Mom's 64 Corvair and cruise all night.

Around the same time I worked at a Standard Oil station (now Amoco/BP) it was full serve and mini serve, no self serve. Mini serve we pumped the gas, nothing else, full serve we pumped, washed the windows, checked the oil, tires etc. Those days are long gone.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

Would you believe we still have a full service station near us!?! It's almost creepy going someplace where they ask you what kind of gas you want, wash your windows and ask if you'd like them to check your oil ... oh, and they use your first name!!

I felt guilty the first time I let them pump it

The prices are competitive too, they're sometimes the cheapest around.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

When I was a H.S. senior (1964) I worked at an Amoco station, gas was 17 cents +/- a few tenths - full service only, wasn't any self-serve. Common sale was $2, big spenders were $5 and got change. Price varied up or down by 1 or 2 tenths, unlike today when it jumps 10-15 cents and goes down by the penny.

 

[veritas honus]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I'll never forget the day My parents all but flipped out that "GAS IS UP TO .35 PER GALLON!!!" I think I was about 4 or 5 years old. I used to laugh at them for looking at the posted prices and driving by to get gas for a penny or two less per gallon. I found their discussions about gas prices to be both boring and humorous at times. Funny how things change and we end up pretty much turning into our parents.

When I was still in the military, Sunoco Ultra 94 octane was just under a dollar per gallon in Georgia.

 

[ehenry]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

When I started pushing a lawnmower at 12 years old to make some money it was .32 cents a gallon. When I started driving at 15 years old it was around .45 a gallon.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I saw regular unleaded posted at $2.99 a gal here yesterday and thought WOW what a deal gas for under $3.00 a gal..............:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:

 

[45Auto]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

I worked in a gas station in high school, graduated in 1975. No such thing as self service, we waited on everyone. Some of the girls in short skirts got their windshields cleaned by 3 or 4 different people. Gas was .30 - .33 cents/gallon, minimum wage was $1.80.

Now gas is $3 a gallon, min wage is $7.25. Can't be much fun for kids just entering the job market.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Gas prices when boomers were teenagers

In 1975 I recall paying $.50/gallon or close to that. Within a couple years, it hit a buck, then worked it's way up to $1.20 then in the early to mid 90's fell back to as low as $0.70 or so- which led to the SUV craze. I also remember two times in the 1970's where there were real gas shortages- at times you couldn't get any, and when the deliveries came, it was often rationed out with a 10 gallon per person max. Interesting times.