gasoline preference/brand loyalty?

[cmb]

just curious here,

1)are you loyal to one brand of gasoline, or do you fill up at whatever gas station is most convienient/least expensive...?

2) If you are brand loyal why?

I used to be prety brand loyal and used mostly Sohio(now BP)fuel, but over the past few years have become a price shopper.

[Wables]

There is only one place in town that I can get to with my rig without a hassel, and that's where I get my gas. It's on the right side of the highway, lots of room between the pumps, etc. They also sell ice and bait, so I'm set. The workers also let me fill my coffee mug for free! :) It would be interesting to know if one brand is better for my motors than another, though.

[Dan]

Without getting into the octane and ethanol argument, most all gasoline bases are the same from one vendor to another. The differences will be found in their additive package offered. Generally, amounts of about 3 gallons or so of additive will be injected into the transport as it is being loaded. Point being, we are talking very small amounts of additives making gasoline differences from one station to another small at best.

[Scoop]

BP. It is the ONLY petro company who's profits do not go to the Middle East. "Fox News".

[Bloody Well Right Old Chap!]

Since BP (British Petroleum) bought Amoco (AMerican Oil COmpany), they don't stay here either!

[rock2me]

I mostly price shop as the gas actually comes from one of only a few different sources.

I am boycotting SuperAmerica. (I'm sure they don't know and don't care, after all, it is just me and my wife.) In my area they are always the first to raise the prices and last to lower them. ALWAYS, I check every day! Somehow, their pumps are busy everyday...???..




Good Luck

[Eddy]

Where do you think the crude oil comes from?????? Ohio

[Brad]

I read that Sunoco also does not buy from the middle east. In addition to BP and Sunoco, the article I read mentioned a third company that does not buy from the middle east, but I can't remember what it was. In response to where they get the crude from, I would think it comes from offshore drilling rigs and domestic land based rigs.

[rock2me]

I read somewhere that, contrary to popular belief, Americas biggest source of oil is from South America. As I recall it was Venezuala or some such country.

It was an interesting article that I should have kept or at least remembered the details better. If I'm wrong, I'm sure there will be plenty of people to pile on my back.



Good Luck

[KM]

You're right about Super America-- first to raise, first to lower.A terrible way to do business

[Trailerguy]

I price shop, all the gas in this area comes out of a pipeline 10 miles from me. Different stations have their own additives, (dyes being a large part), the octane sticker tells the story for me. The local coop oil is the last to drop and 1st to go up here, they haul there own too, go figure.

[Suzuki]

I went out of my way to buy straight gas a few weeks ago and it smelled terrible. My motor blew with that gas. Don't know if its related but even the machanic noted the strange smelling gas before I told him. It was 93 octane gas labled for recreational vehicles. I will never do that again. Local station with oxygenated premium for me.

[Sunshine]

All things being equal with octane rating........ gas is gas

When Bush gets done with Saddam Hussein, it won't matter where you buy gas, the US will own it.

[eyegetit]

I shop around for the best price. Although if I see an ethanol sticker on the pump I will generally avoid that brand altogether.

[Hookman]

SAMS CLUB...before they put gas in ,all the stations were charging $1.49 to 1.54...now prices are 1.29 to 1.39 ..Sams is always the lowest price ...if it were not for Sams they would bo charing a 1.69 now...Hookman..Southern ILL.

[Jim Ordway]

Citgo, for now. Until I use up the free $750.00 from last promotion!!!

[Kevin B]

I used to be brand loyal. Now I find "loyalty" only a noble exercise in futility. I try to stick to major brands like Texaco, Conoco, Phillips 66 while in my home state. But even that can be difficult at times (depending upon whether I'm on the north or south end of the state, in a major city or out in the sticks, etc.). Ironically, my truck gets the best mileage with an inexpensive off-brand, Total. When I leave CO and head to PA, those three brands are not on every corner. Likewise, if you live in OH using BP or Sunoco, I dare yo to find Sunoco in NM or CO. BP will usually only be found along major freeways in the west. So you live in CA and use Union 76? I dare you to find Union 76 in CO. Live in TN and use Chevron? I know of only 5 Chevron stations in CO. Additionally, all CO gas is oxyfuel, surrounding states are not always oxyfuel. I'll add another kicker, even the major brands change their additives without warning. I know you said leave the octane arguments out, but CO has 3 octane levels (85,87,90). Some states sell only 88 & 91 octane. I drive about 45,000 miles each year. In short, I save my energy for worrying about things other than gasoline. I don't even hunt for a 10 cents per gallon savings. When I need gas, I pull in and fill er up. I don't even look at the prices anymore because there are enough things capable of raising my blood pressure without worrying about gas prices! For me, brand loyalty is a thing of the past. What state do you live in cmb?

[cmb]

Kevin, I live in northern Ohio

Thanks for all the responses, as I said, I was curious.

while I was groing up, I seem to remember being told to use one brand if possible, and I occasionaly han a Piece Of S....car that wouldn't run on certain brands. However, since most "brands" come from the same pipelines and all brands change their additive mix seasonaly ect, I don't see much difference. It would be interesting to find out where the oil is imported from, as I'm sure many of us would favor a company that avoids the middle east!

Thanks All!

[DarrenB]

I've used gas from Mobile, Shell and BP and the truck runs the same on all of them. I don't think there's that much of a difference, like someone said gas is gas. I'm pretty loyal to certain stations...namely those with the lowest gas prices.

Unlike the SuperAmerica someone mentioned that is always crowded, there is the exact opposite going on in my neighborhood. The Shell on Cumberland and Irving Park Rd on the NW side of the Chicago charges at least 12 cents more than any other gas station in the area(even one 2 blocks away). They have been ripping people off for years and because of this the station is always empty when I drive past it.

[eyedoktr]

Kevin, I have to agree that gas is gas (pretty much). I have to laugh when friends tell me that they saved 3,4,5,whatever cents/gallon. If I was to put in 20 gallons and saved $.05 per gallon,I saved a whole dollar. WOW, that sure was worth driving out of my way for. Our gas is cheap ($1.55 for regular here)and as long as I can get all I want whenever I want it, I'm not going to worry about a few cents/gallon.

[DarrenB]

You sound like my wife eyedoctor. LOL! Sure it's only 10 or 15 cents here or there, but with all the driving I do, over the course of a year or two all that change adds up. My wife says I am cheap, but I call it economically conservative. Haha!

[Rod Holder]

Someone above asked about what company imports the least oil. I don't know the full answer but do know that Marathon Oil produces most, if not all, of its oil right here in the midwest. They have a considerable number of producing wells in southern Illinois. Marathon merchandises oil through the Speedway stations as well. I know of no difference between gasoline bought from either a Speedway or a Marathon other than the sign out front.

[CMB]

My understanding is that marathon is the brand name for the independant stations, while the company owned stations are Speedway/Superamerica.

while I personaly won't use Speedway becuase of a bad coustomer service experience I do frequent the local familt owned Marathon.

I supposedly put 17 gallons into a car that had 1/4 tank of gas and a fuel capacity of 14 gallons. The coustomer service rep told me my personal experience with this car and the specs in the owners manual were wrong, and that it couldn't possibly be the meeter on their pump! Then she insisted the extra several gallons were in my fill pipe! (they sent me a $3.00 cupon that I never used)