Poll:Do You Actively Comparison Shop For Gasoline?

[Hyper]

We're in a semi-retirement, touristy area with very few goods, that is fleeced yr round on fuel prices. We have to travel at least 30 mile away for all our goods weekly anyway so very regularly buy fuel elsewhere.

 

[sengsational]

"OK Google, I need gas." It immediately displays all upcoming gas stations with the price per gallon and distance to each. Very useful.
.

Yep, super easy to find the cheapest gas along the route... that's what we do.


DW and I have a routine...the passenger puts the destination into a map app (even if we know the trip by heart because it "knows" about traffic congestion). The other duty is to eyeball the gas gauge and pop the prices up, then add a stop to the route. This goes on without even any discussion. It became so routine on long trips that we carried it over to cross town one's.


We don't have an "always cheaper" option close or on our usual routes, and the spread can easily be a couple of bucks. Besides, it ain't nothing but something to do.

 

[audreyh1]

Yep, super easy to find the cheapest gas along the route... that's what we do.


DW and I have a routine...the passenger puts the destination into a map app (even if we know the trip by heart because it "knows" about traffic congestion). The other duty is to eyeball the gas gauge and pop the prices up, then add a stop to the route. This goes on without even any discussion. It became so routine on long trips that we carried it over to cross town one's.


We don't have an "always cheaper" option close or on our usual routes, and the spread can easily be a couple of bucks. Besides, it ain't nothing but something to do.

Yeah - just bringing up google maps shows prices at nearby gas places.

Siri does the same, of course.

I just have to tell my watch - "Hey Siri, route me to XXXXX", and everything is engaged. And we mainly do it for traffic notification on common routes.

 

[Willers]

I could answer either way depending on the situation. I don't in our town because we get discounts linked to our grocery store. Their partner is usually the cheapest anyway, but is by far the best option when the discount is applied.

When traveling, I'm a gas buddy junkie. I'm constantly amazed at the difference in prices at nearby stations near highways. Turning left instead of right can make a significant difference. I'm not always looking for the cheapest (not willing to drive 5 miles into town), but I want to be sure I don't get hosed.

 

[6miths]

I look at GasBuddy sometime when I am traveling but generally I know where the cheapest gas is by about 5-10% - Costco.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We buy our gas at Costco. I don't think I've ever seen a lower price on gas buddy than Costco for our area.

 

[swakyaby]

I don’t use an app and am more a creature of habit. The closest gas station to my house, 76, has large bays and large overhead canopies, so that’s my favored place. Occasionally, my frugal side suggests Costco, but there are always lines and construction zones around it. Most of the time, we use our electric car and skip the gas stations altogether.

 

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

We don't use the app. The logic is relatively simple.

Avoid the one station that is $1.00 a gallon higher by the expressway.

Buy in the suburbs to avoid cook county taxes saving 20-30 cents a gallon if heading there anyway.

Otherwise buy from the constantly cheapest station that is on my traveled route on days where I have some time to kill and am down about 3/4 of a tank.

If the car needs washed buy from the second cheapest convenient site that discounts the gas with a wash to about pay for the car wash.

Costco is cheapest but enough out of the way that the couple dollars a tankful and gas used to get there and lines make it a less pleasant experience.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Drive over 20 k miles a year, fill up about every 4 days. Could go to Costco, save about $1.50 to $2.00 on 10 gallons, for me, not worth driving a mile and waiting in a line. Our good years days and minutes are slipping away. I save price shopping for non commodity things in life. Just my opinion.

PS Regular is $$3.60 to $4.05 locally these days here

 

[Dawg52]

No. I know where the cheaper stations are around town. On my routine travels, same there. Out of the ordinary road trips I don't worry about it.

 

[braumeister]

There is one station (actually the closest one) near me that is always at least 20-25 cents a gallon higher than the average of everyone else in the area. All the rest are in such a narrow range that it's pointless to look around. The funny part is the expensive station is owned by my neighbor and he is almost never there. Just hires a minimum wage cashier to handle it.

On the road, I tend to look for an interstate exit that has a lot of hotels/restaurants, on the assumption that there will be more gas stations and thus more price competition among them.

 

[Chuckanut]

No. I know the less expensive places near me. No need to shop.

 

[easysurfer]

No I don't. I usually go to a station that costs a few pennies more per gallon than a place about 1/2 mile away as the going in and out of the station traffic isn't as bad. I'd rather pay a bit extra for the convenience than save with the added aggravation.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Our Costco doesn't usually have any lines in the off hours - weekdays around 10 am, 2 pm and evenings after 7 pm. I get a few groceries while DH gets the gas, the dog gets a ride in the car and then they pick my up at the front.

 

[Fedup]

There’s always line here regardless of the time, we near a big university. There’s lot of students who don’t have money.

 

[Scuba]

No. In So CA, ARCO is usually the least expensive so I normally go to one of three or four convenient stations. Once I waited in line at Costco since I was going there anyway. Took 10-15 minutes and the gas was only 3 cents/gallon cheaper. Saving less than fifty cents is not worth waiting in line. Now that we’re retired, our gas usage is much lower so the price per gallon is really not important to us.

 

[davebarnes]

No.
Our Audi requires premium.
Bogleheads say “only buy Top Tier” gas.
At 4200 miles per year who cares about price shopping?

 

[CaptTom]

Interesting discussions. I think this group self-selects for a certain end of the spectrum.

I pumped gas as a part-time job once, back before pay-at-the-pump was as common. I also used to help out on an oil truck, and spent a lot of time at the terminal where they all fill up. Some observations:

Some people prefer to pay more, especially when others are watching or they can brag about it later. Maybe it makes them feel important, I don't know. But that explains why two stations on opposite corners can have prices 10 cents or more per gallon apart.

Some people think paying more means they get better gas. The fact is, all the trucks fill up at the same terminal. The fuel all comes in on the same pipeline or tanker, from the same refinery.

Some people think a higher "octane" rating is somehow better. Unless your car was specifically designed to require it (very few are) then it makes absolutely no difference.

And some people think giving a big corporation more money than necessary is generally a bad practice, and seek out the vendor with the best price. It's called free-market capitalism; if you can sell me the same product at a better price, I'll go out of my way to support you with my business.

Obviously I'm in the last camp, and in the minority here.

 

[NW-Bound]

At home, I always fill up at the nearest Costco, which is on our way when we go run errands.

Driving to/from my 2nd home, I know where to get gas at the usual stop.

When taking the RV for a 10,000-mile trek, I always use Gas Buddy to look for places to slake the thirst of the beast. It guzzles gasoline at a rate of 8 to 9 mpg, and has a 55-gal tank. Gas in the Yukon Territory is up to US$5/gal in some spots. And you don't want to be running empty in a situation where the nearest and cheaper gas station is 200 miles away.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Nope. I have 2 electric vehicles and couldn't tell you what gas prices are. I do get a hefty dividend from my BP stock every 3 months.

Not sure if I will ever be in a gas station again.

 

[foxfirev5]

No.
Our Audi requires premium.
Bogleheads say “only buy Top Tier” gas.
At 4200 miles per year who cares about price shopping?

Yes, AAA says the same. When I run my mere Chevy in ECO mode there is a noticeable difference between discount gas and the name brand stuff.
DW's Lexus has been fed a steady diet of good stuff and not a glitch in 14 years. Why bother with penny pinching?

 

[Katsmeow]

No, I don't do this. We do pay some mild attention to price. That is, we know generally the average price and would notice if something was unusually high but the places we generally shop are in line with the typical.

 

[fritz]

So those who use gas finder apps are outnumbered about 4:1. Though for those where gas prices only vary a few cents per gallon I can understand why, it usually a difference of 20 cents/gal where we are - and even then we save about $125-150/year, not a lot. I do agree GasBuddy is a lot less user friendly now, using the map feature makes it easier IME.

Interesting poll results. Live in far southwest Chicago suburbs and use Gas Guru as a check before going out to fill up. Actually don't use an app when traveling as find it fairly easy to determine pricing on interstate signage (ie. Love's etc.) Used Gas Buddy in past, but has become cluttered with adv. info. Don't usually go below 1/2 tank, but fill up is usually +/-10 gallons. We also find prices vary aro. 30 cents a gallon locally, especially on the day when there's a big jump in pricing (can easily be +40 cents/gal). Use Kroger for discount - kind of a formed habit place as it's close to home and decent pricing, but Gas Guru points out the lowest either on distance or price (and Kroger can be off enough to go elsewhere). Given our location, gas app does a great job of getting us the best price with all the stations around us. Savings are worth it w/o any real extra drive to get it.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Interesting discussions. I think this group self-selects for a certain end of the spectrum.

I pumped gas as a part-time job once, back before pay-at-the-pump was as common. I also used to help out on an oil truck, and spent a lot of time at the terminal where they all fill up. Some observations:

Some people prefer to pay more, especially when others are watching or they can brag about it later. Maybe it makes them feel important, I don't know. But that explains why two stations on opposite corners can have prices 10 cents or more per gallon apart.

Some people think paying more means they get better gas. The fact is, all the trucks fill up at the same terminal. The fuel all comes in on the same pipeline or tanker, from the same refinery.

Some people think a higher "octane" rating is somehow better. Unless your car was specifically designed to require it (very few are) then it makes absolutely no difference.

And some people think giving a big corporation more money than necessary is generally a bad practice, and seek out the vendor with the best price. It's called free-market capitalism; if you can sell me the same product at a better price, I'll go out of my way to support you with my business.

Obviously I'm in the last camp, and in the minority here.

The basic gasoline may be the same, but the additives are different and may be added when the truck fills up.
Most car makers recommend "Top Tier" brands to reduce deposits in your engine, most of the majors and many of the little companies are on that list so I will shop for price on Top Tier.
Google Top Tier gasoline to find the current list.
Some people think it's an advertising scam by the gasoline companies, but the idea was actually developed by the auto companies to reduce warranty expenses.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

And some people think giving a big corporation more money than necessary is generally a bad practice, and seek out the vendor with the best price. It's called free-market capitalism; if you can sell me the same product at a better price, I'll go out of my way to support you with my business.

Obviously I'm in the last camp, and in the minority here.

You may be in the minority but you are not alone. I feel the same way.