15 responses to “Do you buy gas based on price or brand?”

1. honestly, i buy based on location.

2. Don’t get me started of the cost of fuel. Where I live the brand doesn’t really matter. We have Texaco and Shell. Both offer the same price. The difference comes with eithe regular or premium. Premium is now at a whopping $9.50bze (which is $4.25US) per gallon!!! Regular is at $7something.

   So, I couldn’t care what the brand is, I just want to find something cheaper.

   sorry, just had to rant a bit.

   me

3. Brand is overrated – as far as quality of gas. Most times gas is gas, with the exceptions at the millionths per part level. Competitors on the street corner often get their gas from the same terminal. The terminal also gives Shell trucks the “Shell additives” and Chevron trucks the “Chevron additives”, which get “road mixed” into the gas – while the truck is driving to the gas station its refueling.
   A better basis of choosing is price and quality of service, if you use the convenience store most stations have these days.

4. I buy from wal-mart’s gas station. it’s the cheapest in town.

5. price and convenience

6. I’m a cheapskate, so I bought a diesel car and I shop around, unless I’m running on vapour, in which case it’s the next most convenient place. Prices? Here in Ireland (where the price of diesel has gone up *27%* in the last year), average price is 1.07 euro per litre – that’s (pauses to think) just over $5 per US gallon! Here, Diesel and Petrol are around the same price – diesel used to be a lot cheaper until everybody bought a diesel car…

7. Actually, Chevron gas from what I’ve heard or at least what the company claims includes Techron which DOES work to clean out your fuel injectors and etc.

   Not sure how the concentration of it is though, but they do recommend using name brand gas vs. some knockoff because of octane levels and quality.

   But when gas is approaching almost $3, it really does come down to who cares as long as it works.

8. It really fascinates me how we all gripe about the price of fuel even though here in America the price is so much less than much of the world.

   I’m curious if any of you log your mileage? I have a friend who is very precise about doing that and can say for certain that brand matters. At least he could two years ago. I still go to the nearest place that has the best price if I even notice.

9. Have you ever run out of gas because you were trying to get to a station you thought would be cheeper? I haven’t but I’ve come close!

10. Whatever is closest when I hit “E.” I have a Civic so am not hurt by the price of gas too much.

11. I haven’t ever run out of gas on accident. Yet… *knock on wood*

12. But you have run out on purpose? 🙂

13. Bill,

    Yes, it is true that a lot of our gas all comes from the same terminals but it’s false to say that the additives are added there. The additives are almost always added at an actual addtive station specific to the company and mixed there. These additive stations are close to the terminals and the trucks make a stop there before heading to their destinations. I work for Shell and if you ever come down to Texas and want to see the way it all works just shoot me an e-mail.

    The additives do work, at least for newer vehicles. The detergents that are used don’t allow build up of carbons, which hinder the flow of oxygen to the engine, decreasing performance. Would I suggest buying them? It depends on your driving habits and personal preference really. If you want to avoid “knocking” in 10 yrs. (if you’re going to have your car that long) then I would definitely go for the more expensive stuff, or at least add the additive you can buy from an auto parts store (when you do this you are basically buying the detergents the oil companies make).

    Back to the original question, I have somewhat of a brand loyalty so I buy based on that most of the time.

14. I definitly go with the cheapest. Haven’t noticed a difference between brands, but sure can tell when it’s summer and I’ve got the AC going. I think I lose close to 30 miles off a tank.

    P.S. Can you imagine how broke we’d be if our cars ran on coffee?

15. Coffee? How about Frappachino’s. We’d have to get loans. Those things are expensive.

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