Official Old Fart Thread!

[Backwoods Savage]

The cheapest I've ever bought gas was $0.079 per gallon. No, that is not 79 cents per gallon, it is 7.9 cents per gallon. I also remember once when I was driving a Volkswagen and it really ticked me off because it cost over $3.00 to fill that tank. That really got me at the time.... But then, I also used to send mail with a $0.03 cent stamp and then there was the penny postcard.

I can easily relate to what Craig wrote too. To me a $10 bill is still a lot. But then, it takes almost that much just to get a haircut. Cost me $8.00 here but I know it is higher elsewhere.

I also remember buying our first brand new car. $1835.00.

 

[PapaDave]

Happy anniversary Dennis and Judy. Sorry I missed this yesterday.

 

[begreen]

The cheapest I've ever bought gas was $0.079 per gallon. No, that is not 79 cents per gallon, it is 7.9 cents per gallon. I also remember once when I was driving a Volkswagen and it really ticked me off because it cost over $3.00 to fill that tank. That really got me at the time.... But then, I also used to send mail with a $0.03 cent stamp and then there was the penny postcard.

I can easily relate to what Craig wrote too. To me a $10 bill is still a lot. But then, it takes almost that much just to get a haircut. Cost me $8.00 here but I know it is higher elsewhere.

I also remember buying our first brand new car. $1835.00.

Back in the early '70s $3 was pretty common for a fill up and the tank had to be pretty low. Gas was like $.15/gal before the oil embargo up in rural CT at the time. If my Barracuda needed $3 of gas it was running on fumes.

 

[Jack Straw]

I think a big problem when gas prices rose is that old gas pumps could only go up to $9.99. If you needed more you had to reset the pump.

http://www.vintagevending.com/vintage-gas-pumps-and-gas-prices

 

[WeldrDave]

Back in the early '70s $3 was pretty common for a fill up and the tank had to be pretty low. Gas was like $.15/gal before the oil embargo up in rural CT at the time. If my Barracuda needed $3 of gas it was running on fumes.

I don't remember gas that cheap, but I was a kid pumping gas at an ARCO station during the OPEC embargo B.S. 1975 I think, Gas went up every day I went into work! we had odd and even days, Only allowed to get $5.00 max for the day. I saw fist fights, people swapping tags in the parking lot, a guy wanted to trade me a case of beer one time for $2.00 worth of gas, I was beat up once after I put $5.00 in a persons car and they couldn't pay, "not an easy task for them" Ah, the good old days

 

[Ashful]

I think a big problem when gas prices rose is that old gas pumps could only go up to $9.99. If you needed more you had to reset the pump.

http://www.vintagevending.com/vintage-gas-pumps-and-gas-prices

I have the same problem now, that most stations around here stop the pump at $100. I can't remember the last time I went to the station and needed less than $100, between the truck, tractor, and lawn mower.

One station around here still stops their pump at $75! I don't bother resetting it. I hope that seeing lots of max'd out $75 charges will encourage them to finally set a more realistic limit.

 

[BrotherBart]

I never thought I would see the day I gave thought to how much it cost to fill up the garden tractor.

Nineteen cents a gallon is about as cheap as I remember. I do remember getting chewed out by the lady that owned the station when I didn't cut the pump off soon enough on a one dollar purchase because the extra ate her profit for the next ten gallons sold.

I was busy washing the windshield and checking the oil and tire pressure. Standard practice then but when is the last time ya seen that? Or a free drinking glass with a fill-up.

 

[begreen]

It costs me now about as much to fill the lawn tractor's wimpy tank as it did to fill my car in 1971. And I am going through 12-15 gallons of fuel a month when the grass is growing strong.

 

[Ehouse]

I never thought I would see the day I gave thought to how much it cost to fill up the garden tractor.

Nineteen cents a gallon is about as cheap as I remember. I do remember getting chewed out by the lady that owned the station when I didn't cut the pump off soon enough on a one dollar purchase because the extra ate her profit for the next ten gallons sold.

I was busy washing the windshield and checking the oil and tire pressure. Standard practice then but when is the last time ya seen that? Or a free drinking glass with a fill-up.

Or a free cup of coffee if you wandered in.

 

[DAKSY]

Just got back from a run on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. $1.359/liter = $5.144/gallon. Not gonna get into the conversion rate. Many places took NO US Dollars, so you had to use a credit card & then get hammered with additional "out-of-country" fees...

 

[Ashful]

Well, at least you got a cool avatar out of it, Moderator Daksy!

 

[Retired Guy]

Just got back from a run on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. $1.359/liter = $5.144/gallon. Not gonna get into the conversion rate. Many places took NO US Dollars, so you had to use a credit card & then get hammered with additional "out-of-country" fees...

Late week we were up north and exchange rate was a couple pennies from par with the dollar a bit stronger. Cdn. gas taxes and 18% sales tax take a big bite.

 

[begreen]

Yep. Many folks come down from Vancouver to shop and fill up in WA state.

 

[DAKSY]

Yep. Many folks come down from Vancouver to shop and fill up in WA state.

Agreed. We gassed up in Calais, Me., on the way in & most of the cars in the station had New Brunswick plates. They came across, gassed up & headed back north. Probably one of the more profitable Citgo stations on the planet!

 

[MasterMech]

How about looking back to the time when we planted corn 2 rows at a time and picked it (not shelled) one row at a time. That is scary compared to today's machines.

I don't qualify as an "old fart" by any strech, but I did spend a good bit of time as a kid on a '47 John Deere B cultivating corn 2 rows at a time. (Organic Grains Farm, who else uses cultivators anymore? ) Lot's of time to think on that one.

We had a one row picker too!

 

[WeldrDave]

I don't qualify as an "old fart" by any strech,​

Well, my daughter is 20, so anything over 30 is an old fart to her. Now I'm under the impression that baby boomers back qualify as old farts, hence 50+..... I'm sure the peanut gallery will let us know, what's your take Dennis?

 

[begreen]

If you ask Dennis, an old fart is one whose wood has long gone dry.

 

[Jack Straw]

It's a state of mind........you would rather wear something comfortable as opposed to something cool.

 

[webbie]

I'd say 50 is a good cutoff date...

 

[BrotherBart]

I'd say 50 is a good cutoff date...

That is the age where I stopped having "elders".

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Well, my daughter is 20, so anything over 30 is an old fart to her. Now I'm under the impression that baby boomers back qualify as old farts, hence 50+..... I'm sure the peanut gallery will let us know, what's your take Dennis?

I'm amazed to realize none of our grandchildren ever lived when there were no computers. I guess I'm a bit too old to be a baby boomer but 50+ works for me.

Ya Begreen, the wood dries faster as you age....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Then there was the day when I realized our US President was younger than I....

 

[Ashful]

Then there was the day when I realized our US President was younger than I....

As long as you're not talking about Reagan, you're in okay shape.

<-- assuming Clinton.

 

[BrotherBart]

The morning after Reagan was elected I woke up hearing a groan on the other side of the bed. I said "What's the matter kid?". She replied "I just woke up and realized that a bad B grade movie actor is the president of my country.".

Any question why me and that girl have been married for 38 years? Well, sharing a closet for 40 years.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

A real old fart also remembers the time he could change a spark plug without removing many other things before he could even see them!

I also remember when the family car had a crank. One used that to start the engine. Many folks also learned new words as engine was being started.