Pre Owned Auto Report

I honestly can’t understand why some people think that everyone should own a “fuel efficient” vehicle from an Iowa City dealer. Sure, I’m all for the conservation of our resources – why waste stuff? But it’s the definition of waste that I think we’ve taken totally out of context.

Back in the late ’60s and early ’70s automakers were pretty much free to put whatever they wanted under the hood. But in ’74 came the OPEC gas crisis that the government met with emissions and fuel efficiency standards.

Here’s the deal. Fuel efficient vehicles are great, I’ve got nothing bad to say about them. But what people don’t realize (which actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it) is that people drive their fuel efficient vehicles from Dickinson dealers considerably more than they drove their “non” fuel efficient vehicles. A study done by the Heritage Foundation illustrates this and also goes on to say that since people drive these new vehicles more, it in now way offsets the amount of CO2 that’s pumped into the atmosphere.

Think about that logic for a second. If you just sold your 1995 Chevy Suburban to a Sioux City dealer to buy a brand new Honda Civic you’re obviously going to save a lot at the pump. You’re also going to drive that vehicle more because you can go so much further on the same tank of gas.

Also, another thing that people don’t think about is that vehicles that get 14 or so miles to the gallon is actually pretty good. A gallon of gasoline is considered to be the equivalent of 500 man hours of work. Five hundred all from that little milk jug. A vehicle with a 20-gallon fuel cell has the capacity of doing 10,000 man hours of work. If you don’t believe that, then try digging the foundation of a 2,000 square foot house with just you and your shovel.

At the end of the day, fuel efficiency is still great. But there are still things that we really can’t (well we could, but who wants to) replace with super efficient things.

Are there really some cheap gas brands that won’t run as well as brand name gas station’s gas? I’ve heard stories for years never to buy gas from one gas station because it’s watery, or only buy from this brand because it gives better gas mileage. Do any of these stories have a basis in fact?

The real fact is that 99% of all gasoline in the United States is of good quality. Many gasoline, no matter the brand and no matter what Iowa City car it’s in, probably comes from the same source and refined at the same refinery. They are probably even sent out in the same pipeline and stored at the same storage terminal.

So what is the difference, if any, between gasoline brands? It’s the additives that are added to the gasoline. All gasoline in the United States contains additives to meet EPA federal standards, even the cheap gas station gasoline. There is a difference between name brand additives and the generic ones but how much of a difference is there and does it really make a difference to your Bismarck used car‘s performance?

The additives are added to the gasoline when the gasoline is loaded into tanker trucks right before it is taken to a gas station. Until then, all the gasoline is the same. The amount of additives added varies, but for some brands it’s just a quart of additives for 8,000 gallons of gasoline.

What will have the most impact on the gasoline quality is the gas station’s tank quality, the tanker truck and the consistency of the suppliers in the chain to keep the quality at a certain standard. That affects the gasoline more than the additives. Consumer Reports tried to test gasoline brand differences but quit when they realized differences were not more than differences caused by factors such as temperature and humidity.

There will be differences in gasoline in different parts of the country. The volatility of gasoline in the winter in Connecticut will be much different than that of gasoline in Arizona. Also states and regions have different regulations and standards concerning the quality of the gasoline. Some areas may require gasoline formulated for lower emissions. You may actually run into a bad batch of gas, but it’s due to the individual gas station than the brand.

The best thing to do would be to find a gas station that is convenient for you to fill up at, that is reasonably priced and has a consistent supplier. There really is no reason to change gas stations if you’ve found one that works for you. But only use the grade of gasoline that your Sioux City car‘s manual specifies as that will save you money and headaches down the line.