Welcome to the days where filling your mini will suck up that $50 bill and where filling your fullsize... well, let's not even go there. Ready to cruise your pimped-out, high-horsepower, chick-grabbing, neighborhood-shaking, crazy-lifted F-150 on 22 inch rims and tires taller than the roof of your Toyota pickup, you glance at your flamed-out gauge cluster only to notice you're out of gas. Again. As usual. You check your wallet. Out of money. Again. As usual. Void of that unique-smelling fluid called fuel, your beast of a truck turns from a roaring lion into a small, dependent lion cub, whining to be fed again. Quietly you slide open your vertical door and let gravity pull you back to earth's floor. Suddenly that four banger five speed 'Yota doesn't look so bad after all - small, and definitely easier on the pocketbook. This morning I came across a friend on the road, who was selling his lifted F150 in order to get a 'bagged four banger five speed Ranger. In his excitement about this transition, he mentioned that it was going to be so much cheaper to feed the Ranger. Almost simultaneously, I heard the radio pronounce that California, where I live, had topped Hawaii in the prestigious (haha) quest for the nation's highest gas prices. Congratulations California! This makes me wonder how the custom scene is affected by gas prices, and if there are any shifts in makes/models due to fluctuations in gas prices. Or, if engine modifications (or lack there of) reflect trends in gas pricing. Logically, it seems there would be a correlation. For example, if gas prices weren't an issue, I'd roll a late 60's C10 as my commuter. I'd also be more likely to do engine work to my S10. Today, the nationwide current average, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, for regular unleaded sits at $2.517, and for Diesel, $2.708. Hopefully you reside in state more gas price-friendly than California. Although prices may be on the rise, it is still a good idea to find the lowest gas prices in your local area. How have gas prices affected your custom world?
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