gas price and your first rig

[chevykid65]

alright so i thought this could be fun. in 2000 i got my licence and gas was $1.36 gallon. my grandpas lil 72 f*rd courier only had about a 14 gallon tank so i wasnt in too bad of shape. how about you guys?

[Clyde65]

1980 got my license, gas was about .90 a gal, but premium ( leaded gas) was way up over $1.00 a gal and I had to go to the airport to get the high octane premium since they wer fazing it out shortly after.

I had a 68 Cutlass 2door and I really didnt care what mileage I got, never checked it in the 5 years I owned the car.

[markeb01]

I started driving in 1964 and gas was about 26-28 cents a gallon. My high school car was a 1954 Chevy. Back in those days few people had money for a “fill-up”, you just put in a couple dollars worth and that lasted quite a while.

Here it is in the high school parking lot in 1965.

[61_FL_Apache]

Started driving in 82 in my 69VW Bug and gas was just $.90ish per gal.

[lakeroadster]

In January 1977 gas was $0.62 per gallon. I was driving a '70 Nova that got about 14 mpg (6 cyllinder 230 with 3 on the tree). Also sometimes drove my dad's '72 C20 which got about 8 mpg.

We never really checked mileage back then.. different times.

Are gas prices really that high? Lets do a comparison:

A Chevy Vega cost $3,249 in 1977
A Chevy Cruze costs $16,525 in 2011

$16,525/$3,249 = 5.08 ratio increase

5.08 x $0.62/gallon fuel in 1977 = $3.15 per gallon gas in 2011... Todays (04-25-2011) average US price is $3.85/gallon

Whatever that's worth to ya.

[bobcostas]

I got my license in 1999 and I think reg 87 octane was just over a dollar. My first ride was a '91 Wrangler and it only cost ~$15 to fill it up.

Great idea Chevykid.

and Mark, that picture is awesome. Very cool memento.

[csa daddy]

got my permit in 1996 an i think it was around 80 or 90 cents a gallon an i got about 16 or 18 mpg in a 84 jeep cherokee

[NCD1966]

got my license in 1997. I was driving my 66 stepside, gas was about $.99. I didnt really care about fuel cost my parents were paying the bill, as long I was in high school and driving my 2 sisters to school.
I did work however; either was cutting grass, helping a electrician, or pushing buggies at the grocery store. Had to pay my insurance and liked spending money on hot rod parts.

[A.T. RockDriller]

I remember, as a little boy, when gas prices per gallon passed up the price of a lb. of ground beef for the first time......at about $.40....in about '66.

In '75 I spent $.52 per gallon in my first car....1955 Chev 4 dr Sedan.
I think it was still more expensive than ground beef at that time.

[PGSigns]

When I got my license in 74 I think it was about $.48 a gallon here in Virginia. Never put more than $5 in the tank. Got my first truck in 75, a 63 short wheel base step side. Would put lawn chars in the back at the drive in.
Jimmy

[dallas71]

I got my license in 1976 and my first car (Dont Laugh!) was a 1971 Gremlin and the gas was somewhere around 60 cents

[gimmy 64]

got my liscence in 64. i had for my first car a 61 chevy with a built 348 and 4spd. 4:11 gears ex drag car. i put the best gas at the time in it chevron white pump .27 cents a gallon

[jimmydean]

I think I got my license in '89, my first car was a '72 Grand Prix that got about 6mpg @ just about a buck a gallon.

My fuel gauge was busted, but my folks gave me a gas card. The first month, I would just fill up every other day or so to keep from running dry. When the bill came, it was just over $400 for the month and my folks flipped out. They owned a Camary and the bill had never been over $60 for a month worth or gas.

[az65]

1990, 74 Dart Swinger with 318/2bbl. gas was cheap enough that if I spent 5 dollars I'd get pretty close to 5 gallons.

[Surfdaddy]

When I got my licencse gas went from .48 to 55 cents a gal. I had a friend who had a 71 Camero Z28 (set up in the typical 70's drag style with the tail lights in the sky) He said that gas was too much and sold it and got a VW Bug. I had a 73 Vega and only got 18-20 MPG. Back then 4 bucks got me to the beach and back with gas left over to go out on a date and work the next day. Today I can't even get to work on 4 bucks.

[jonzcustomshop]

got mine in 88, gas was 90-1.00 a gallon, had a 71 camaro

[1966Stepside]

Got my license in 2000 and gas was in the $1.25 range. Had a 94 camaro and drove it till the wheels fell off. Still have it, just waiting for it to get "old" before I rebuild it.
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[bama63]

lets see...1977 1970 chevelle ss 396 4spd

5gal gas=$3.00
2 large burgers with fries and a huge drink=$2.50
2 movie tickets=$6.00

total=$11.50

now

5 gal gas=$18.25
2 average burgers,fries and drink=$13.00
2 movie tickets=$16.00

total=$47.25

kinda easy to see why kids get in trouble now days, they cant afford to go out with friends for a nice evening

[6tfo]

Regular 33 cents a gallon. Somebody pumped it for you, washed your windshield using a squirt bottle, checked your oil, and gave you contest stamps. 1969. Give me a dollars worth mister.

[mikie 1954]

Got my license in 1970, cheapest gas I can remember paying was .25 cent per gallon at a self serve that you used quarters like a vending machine. Gas elsewhere was about .30 cpg. I drove a 65 dodge coronet, 318 2barrel ,auto,and have no idea what the mileage was.

[javadoc]

Fun topic!

I got my license in 1986. Gasoline was about $0.90/gallon in the 49th State, and my trusty ride was a 1975 brown Toyota Corolla that I affectionately named "The Turd." You CAN polish a turd.

Fond memories of filling that car by literally using my spare change.

[Rich 5150 69]

Originally Posted by markeb01

I started driving in 1964 and gas was about 26-28 cents a gallon. My high school car was a 1954 Chevy. Back in those days few people had money for a “fill-up”, you just put in a couple dollars worth and that lasted quite a while.

Here it is in the high school parking lot in 1965.

I can remember the gas wars on some corners that were crazy, dropping as low as 18 cents a gallon, that was in `67, I drove a `62 ss 409/4 speed, never knew or cared what milage it got. Hamburgers then at Micky D`s were 19 cents.....

[Indian113]

here I go again showing my age! Hey Mark do you remember gas wars when you could buy gas for 19 cents a gallon and they washed your windows and checked your oil ? I worked at a gas station in 1965 for .75 a hour and bought gas for my 55 chevy for .21 a gallon. My dad had a 65 Pontiac Ventura with a 389 and 4 speed he bought premium for .27 Moms 58 Biscayne wagon with a 348 burned regular

[Rich 5150 69]

We used to buy the Gulf green gas, and that didnot mean it was eco friendly, that was the 104 octang for 24 cents a gallon.

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by Indian113

Hey Mark do you remember gas wars when you could buy gas for 19 cents a gallon and they washed your windows and checked your oil ?

I sure do. We also had independent stations that always undercut the brand name stations. Our nearest independent was called Simas Brothers, and routinely sold gas for 17 to 21 cents a gallon. Late at night you could frequently find a Chevron, Shell, Flying A, or Texaco truck unloading whatever gas was left in their tankers.

The first gas wars I remember were in the mid 50’s when I was just a kid. The big stations would drop prices to as little as 10 cents a gallon, and kept it up until the independents went out of business at which point prices went up higher than ever. It was probably an illegal tactic, but there weren’t many rules back then.