Why do people waste gas finding the cheapest gas station for marginal "savings"?

Question

My sister harasses me because I won't go out of my way to find a cheaper gas station. However, I believe the nearest is usually the best choice, even if it is a few cents more expensive. This is why, though.

1) My car only has a 15 gallon tank. Even if I find a station that is 20¢ cheaper by driving a little further, I only "save" $3.00. That's if the car runs out of gas the minute I pull up to the pump.

2) Almost no stations in my area vary more than 20¢/gallon. Even if the difference is 50¢ per gallon the total savings is only $7.50, so if such a gas station is 30 miles away, it still wouldn't be worth it - for me, anyway.

So, why do people drive 50 miles to a gas station that is 40¢ cheaper, or wait in ridiculously long lines, unless they have huge gas tanks?

Answer 1

I agree with you 100 per cent.It might make sense if the stations were within a few hundred feet of each other. But going thirty miles to save money is not saving anything.

Answer 2

because in their minds they don't see this as wasting gas but a chance to save on the price that they pay for it,they don't think about the amount that they use to get to the cheaper gas,to them its still cheaper to do this,i debated this with a few of my relatives,they too think their saving money,by the time they get back home though the gas hand has already moved a considerable amount,you cant convince them of this though,i have tried,you might as well let them do it,someday maybe they,ll figure it out,good luck.

Answer 3

People just don't think ahead.  They just don't realize that will take extra gas to get to that cheap station and save a dime.

There isn't any a gauge in the dash that reports "this trip used 1.365 fuel units and cost $2.55".  Since there isn't a trip computer required as standard equipment we have to do this figuring in our head.  If there was one, we would be to lazy to enter the exact price and amount every time before leaving the station.