buck12
Veteran Member
I remember my high school buddy and I pooling our change to get gas money. We would buy bexactly $1.31, $2.87, or whatever we could scrape together.
Least dollar amount of gas purchased for car or truck
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Bird
Rest in Peace
When I got my first car in early 1956, I carried a one gallon can of gas in the trunk just to have if I ran out. Twenty-five cents worth was common since I frequently couldn't afford a dollar's worth at a time.
But then that summer, my dad bought a service station so I've kept my tank full ever since. In the late '50s, it was very common for customers to request a dollar's worth of gas at a time. We sold name brand motor oil for $.40 (10W-30 was $.45) and some customers would seem embarrassed to ask if we had any "two-bit" oil. Actually, on the re-refined motor oil that we sold for 25 cents, we made 12.5 cents profit. On the $.40-$.45 oils, we only made 11 cents profit, so we didn't mind selling the cheap oil at all. Incidentally, we sold both "white gas" and kerosene for 10 cents a gallon.
But then that summer, my dad bought a service station so I've kept my tank full ever since. In the late '50s, it was very common for customers to request a dollar's worth of gas at a time. We sold name brand motor oil for $.40 (10W-30 was $.45) and some customers would seem embarrassed to ask if we had any "two-bit" oil. Actually, on the re-refined motor oil that we sold for 25 cents, we made 12.5 cents profit. On the $.40-$.45 oils, we only made 11 cents profit, so we didn't mind selling the cheap oil at all. Incidentally, we sold both "white gas" and kerosene for 10 cents a gallon.doall
Platinum Member
We didn't think of gas as an expense until after Katrina. Never thought about filling up. They figured out we will or we have to pay it then. I remember once trying to coast into a station in the mid 80's, got up to the pump and realized I didn't have any money. In the floor and console I found $.89. about 1 gallon at the time. Right after Katrina I once put $120 in my 03 Z-71.(over $4 a gallon.
westbrooklawn
Platinum Member
When I was 15 (1964), one of my older friends had a car and we would all pile in and cruise. I remember several times taking the back seat out of the car and collecting the coins that had fallen out of pockets and gone down behind the seat. It wasn't uncommon to come up with less than 50 cents which promptly bought another couple of gallons to keep us going.
roamerr
Silver Member
BP between home and work has great Car Wash. They offer $2 off the car wash with any gas purchase. My car was nasty so I wanted to get it washed. Easy enough -- I pulled in put $.05 gas in tank and got the regularly selling $7 car wash for $5. Total was $5.05.
Now the kicker is that was the last car wash I purchased there. The owners wife was there and came outside cussing me out about $.05 worth of gas. She kept saying it cost her $.50 for me to get $.05 of gas. She was mentioning the Credit Card fees. I understood what she was saying but politely tried to explian to her that I would have used the credit card at the car wash. In reality her fees were the same since she would have paid the credit card fee at the car wash instead of gas pump. I basically just paid $5.05 for a car wash. She did not understand it and told me to never come back. Tripped me out since I paid $5 for a car wash that cost her maybe $.75 in variable costs (soap, water, electricity). She was still covering her other costs with the remaining $4+. I'm no financial wiz but am really amazed when someone sinks $1million+ into a business and does not understand basic economics. Irritated me more that she made me feel like a thief when I was just using the promotion as entered. The reality is that the BP's car wash is still there rarely used and the car wash that is $5 further down the road stays busy and is now better. The BP has also changed owners since that time....
Now the kicker is that was the last car wash I purchased there. The owners wife was there and came outside cussing me out about $.05 worth of gas. She kept saying it cost her $.50 for me to get $.05 of gas. She was mentioning the Credit Card fees. I understood what she was saying but politely tried to explian to her that I would have used the credit card at the car wash. In reality her fees were the same since she would have paid the credit card fee at the car wash instead of gas pump. I basically just paid $5.05 for a car wash. She did not understand it and told me to never come back. Tripped me out since I paid $5 for a car wash that cost her maybe $.75 in variable costs (soap, water, electricity). She was still covering her other costs with the remaining $4+. I'm no financial wiz but am really amazed when someone sinks $1million+ into a business and does not understand basic economics. Irritated me more that she made me feel like a thief when I was just using the promotion as entered. The reality is that the BP's car wash is still there rarely used and the car wash that is $5 further down the road stays busy and is now better. The BP has also changed owners since that time....
johnrex62
Platinum Member
If anyone came out to cuss me what you describe, I would make it a point to stop every time I had an extra couple minutes to get another nickles worth on my card just to annoy them. I might even make a number of nickel transactions at the pump each time I stopped, depending on how bad she cussed me. If they want to use a gas purchase as a leader for car wash sales and ensure they make more money on the sale they need to do like all the other stations and put a minimum purchase on the offer. Every station I have ever seen with a discount or free car wash requires 8 gallons to qualify. I can tolerate such a requirement if made part of the offer, but to be rude to a customer because they did not word their offer sufficiently to avoid the scenario is just wrong.
jinman
Rest in Peace
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When I was in high school in '64 to '66, I worked in a coin-op laundry with Speed Queen washers. I did janitorial work and machine maintenance. The owner always told me I could keep any money I found in the dryer lint and/or around the machines. While working on machines, I found that the agitator covered an area on the bottom of the tub with a sand drain. There was a lip around the tub and it would catch loose change that dropped out of clothes and slid under the agitator. In a place with 40 washers, I could clean out under the agitators and get $5 to $10 per week in change, pennys mostly, but lots of dimes and nickels with a few quarters. Everytime I cleaned those machines, it was like getting a raise.
I had a pocket full of "green" gas money and my boss had the cleanest machines in town. That's a win-win in my book. The most I ever found in the lint trap was a $20 bill. It was all neatly folded so that it easily slipped through a gap in the front of he dryer drum, between the drum and the body of the machine. When we found baby socks in the lint, I'd thumbtack them up on a bulletin board so they could be easily seen by the person who lost them, but I wasn't about to tack up that $20. :laughing:
tallyho8
Elite Member
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I remember many times when I was a kid going to the gas station with a can to get 25 cents of gas for the lawnmower. At about 25 cents a gallon it was easy to stop the pump on exactly 25 cents.
Do not try this now. Sometimes I try to stop the pump on an even amount, such as $40 and if it stops on 39.99 and you give the trigger a slight squeeze, you wind up with $40.10.
Around 1960 cruising was one of the most popular pastimes for teenagers. In the days of drive-ins, American Graffiti style, and drive-in movies, even though gas was about 25 cents a gallon, it was difficult for a teen to keep gas in his car as money was always a little tight.
I knew 4 kids, (no names mentioned) that ran out of gas while cruising on a Friday night and had no money left. They did have an empty one gallon gas can and a hose and there was a Sears truck parked in a dark area so they came up with the brilliant idea to requisition a gallon of gas. As soon as they started to siphon a police car pulled up and arrested the 4 of them for attempted theft of 25 cents of gas.
They were released to their parents and all had to go to court where the judge found them guilty and suspended their sentence since it was their first offense.
I'm wondering if anyone was ever arrested with a charge less than this charge of attempted theft of 25 cents worth of gas.
Do not try this now. Sometimes I try to stop the pump on an even amount, such as $40 and if it stops on 39.99 and you give the trigger a slight squeeze, you wind up with $40.10.
Around 1960 cruising was one of the most popular pastimes for teenagers. In the days of drive-ins, American Graffiti style, and drive-in movies, even though gas was about 25 cents a gallon, it was difficult for a teen to keep gas in his car as money was always a little tight.
I knew 4 kids, (no names mentioned)
that ran out of gas while cruising on a Friday night and had no money left. They did have an empty one gallon gas can and a hose and there was a Sears truck parked in a dark area so they came up with the brilliant idea to requisition a gallon of gas. As soon as they started to siphon a police car pulled up and arrested the 4 of them for attempted theft of 25 cents of gas.They were released to their parents and all had to go to court where the judge found them guilty and suspended their sentence since it was their first offense.
I'm wondering if anyone was ever arrested with a charge less than this charge of attempted theft of 25 cents worth of gas.
brin
Super Member
I remember many times when I was a kid going to the gas station with a can to get 25 cents of gas for the lawnmower. At about 25 cents a gallon it was easy to stop the pump on exactly 25 cents.
Do not try this now. Sometimes I try to stop the pump on an even amount, such as $40 and if it stops on 39.99 and you give the trigger a slight squeeze, you wind up with $40.10.
Around 1960 cruising was one of the most popular pastimes for teenagers. In the days of drive-ins, American Graffiti style, and drive-in movies, even though gas was about 25 cents a gallon, it was difficult for a teen to keep gas in his car as money was always a little tight.
I knew 4 kids, (no names mentioned)
They were released to their parents and all had to go to court where the judge found them guilty and suspended their sentence since it was their first offense.
I'm wondering if anyone was ever arrested with a charge less than this charge of attempted theft of 25 cents worth of gas.
No I was not arrested but in about 1961 before I was old enough to drive I was out one night just after dark with a friend from school in his car and he was almost out of gas and he pulled in next to a car parked next to a building and out of sight of the road...I asked him what he was going to do and he said he was going to siphon some gas since he was almost out..I told him not to do it and he persisted...I left and walked 2 miles home. As far as I know he did not get caught but I wanted no part of that and never rode with him again...I did not want to get in trouble, back then they punished bad kids ....not like today...
WH401
Platinum Member
The lowest I ever paid was around 2.00 for diesel. My grandfather has told me a number of times that when he was a kid in the 20's/30's that gas was about 7 cents a gallon. But that price was at the station in town, if you drove a few miles down to the harbor docks it was 4 cents a gallon. As ridiculous as it was, he's said my great grandfather wouldn't buy it from the docks because he said the reason it was cheaper was because they put water in it.:laughing: