Filling up your car has escalated as gas prices are reaching the $3.50 a gallon average across the United States with little sign of gas prices dropping anytime soon. With gas hitting $3.50, diesel prices topping off well above $4 a gallon and a record $117 a barrel for oil, Americans have finally become more proactive about saving money at the tank.
In addition, the surge in oil, which is traded globally on the Euro instead of the slumping US dollar, is leading to rising costs in food, utilities and simple pleasures like eating out or business travel. As the current mix of economic downturn and rising expenses lead to innovative forms of saving cash, Americans can also turn to search engines, mash-ups, and other online services to find which gas stations are selling gas for which prices, and which are having sales or discounts.
Several search engine powered sites track the prices of gas nationwide and can help us all save thousands of dollars every year, here are some of them.
- GasBuddy : Local search based network of more than 180 different sites which track gas prices on the local level. GasBuddy compares states and national averages from year to year and includes zip code search. Tracks by service station location, areas of town, the time the price was recorded, and which volunteer gave the price.
- Yahoo Search Shortcut : If you find the GasBuddy.com site too difficult or time consuming to navigate, just search for “gas price” + location on Yahoo Search and their shortcut will give your the link to GasBuddy.com results in your neighborhood.
- GasPriceWatch : Google Maps Mashup which highlights specific locations in your neighborhood, route or destination that offer the lowest gas prices. Although the Google Maps mashup makes searching for gas prices incredibly easy, the information served is sometimes quite old, with some gas prices being served from 4 days ago (when gas was 3 cents cheaper anywhere). Still useful however if prices are updated in your area and since this uses a Google API, you can search by zip code, town name or state.
- MapQuest Gas Finder : AOL owned MapQuest offers the MapQuest Gas Price Finder which allows users search for the cheapest prices for gas, diesel or alternative fuels. This tool is integrated with MapQuest’s Directions, which makes it easy for travelers to preplan gas stops along their route.
- MSN Autos Gas Prices : Microsoft’s MSN Autos channel compiles gas prices every evening to deliver a very user friendly gas price comparison experience, complete with a gas price list and mapping technology. Unlike other services which use volunteers to monitor gas price changes, MSN prices are provided by OPIS. OPIS tracks more than 90,000 daily retail gasoline prices, and 70,000 rack and spot prices for heating oil, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, LP-Gas, residual fuel, natural gas and ethanol.
- Motor Trend : MotorTrend.com also has a very simple to use gas price checker which reports gas prices on the local level and is updated daily. Not too many bells and whistles on this site, just direct information.
Have some other favorite gas prices search engines or socially powered cheap gas finding tools?
Then please feel free to share them in the comments below.
Are they could just get off their fat asses and walk.
It is bizarre to see people in their 20s and 30s driving a few blocks to a store or even in some areas, driving a few blocks to a mailbox to send a letter.
You will see commuters going into the city – one in a car. No one wants to car pool, everyone wants their space.
Teens are driving to their friends houses instead of walking etc etc etc
And forget about taking public transportation – it is considered tacky by some upper class people.
They insist on driving or taking taxis – even if the train stops a few blocks from their destination!!!
Guia da Semana, a “City Search” website is offering this service since last year, using Google Maps.
http://mapas.guiadasemana.com.br/
Nice, thanks Marcelo! That will come in useful next time I’m in Brazil. It’s pretty cool that Alcol is listed on Guiadasemana.
The US is trying to use Ethynol, a similar technology based on Flex which came out of Brazil, but we’re using corn instead of sugar cane.
Of course by using corn for gas, we’ve inflated the corn market and now there is a corn shortage for food. Corn’s not like Sugar, doesn’t grow like a weed or bamboo :)
Loren, it will be nice if someone made a social media search engine to filter out the Rumors, Flames, and Facts!
When will it all end? What will it take to drive down the gas prices–we all want to drive our cars. I take the city bus; it’s crazy. To go to the city next door, on the bus, I catch it half a block from my house and I have to ride completely around for an hour; taking the car takes 8 minutes. Public transportation saves us gas, perhaps, but the time factor to go anywhere is positively insane.
If you want facts – check this slideshow and follow where your money is going.
http://www.slideshare.net/zafanoor/follow-the-money-why-are-you-paying-4-at-the-pump
Zafa
Try this metasearch for it – TripleMe http://www.tripleme.com
TripleMe.COM fetching you results from Yahoo, Google and MSN Live on one screen in three columns side by side, allowing users to quickly find relevant links for the search string they entered.
TripleMe Search Engine supports search requests in all languages, netting a global reach where users anywhere in the world can easily search top results for Google, Yahoo and MSN. In addition, users can also perform local and global searches; something not currently offered with other metasearch engines.
According to TripleMe users statistic data for 3 months, 40% of results found in the Google column, 31% of results found in the Yahoo column and 27% of results found in the MSN Live column.
3 in 1 solution is definitely the way of searching today.
Great post. I have to admit that the cost of gas finally hit me over the weekend when I filled up my PT Cruiser at a discount station to the tune of $40. FORTY DOLLARS to fill up this little thing? Sheesh!