Will fuel prices ever return to sub $1.

[piss98]

6.24% per fortnight of my take home pay goes on fuel.

76.47% goes into my home loan though.

[HAMMER]

3.8% on fuel for the M5 per week. I do have a company car though for work purposes so that is a god send.

[smellytofu]

Bus & train usage has gone up in Sydney too.
Once people start using the public transport they'll be hooked; the biggest hurdle is getting over the fact that you might need to walk for 5 minutes at either end. Once they're over the smelly passengers & filthy seats, so long as things run on time (yeah, I know), it's easy to get addicted to not having to not have the effort of driving (and the ability to have a drink or two after work).

Unfortunately, there are many that don't have this as an option. If I could catch public transport, I would but to go from the northern suburbs to the middle of nowhere doesn't give me much of a choice.

[Art Vandalay]

Personally I don't think it will drop below $1/L again any time in the next few years, if ever.

Since I moved a couple of months ago, I haven't had much need to really keep an eye on fuel prices as I can now walk to work instead of spending $50+ per week on fuel. It really hit me the other day when I was returning a hire car and realised it is now cheaper to return it without pre-filling and just paying the rental company's fuel price. $1.27/L (Hertz) vs $1.34 (BP).

[HoonBoy]

Less then 1% of our after tax income goes on petrol. It helps when we both catch the train to work.

[coyote]

Fuel accounts for 2% of our combined gross.

Although I drive to work every day, it's not far and my other half has all her fuel paid for by her employer. That's why she has the 6 cylinder Outback and I have the 4 cylinder Impreza.

Guess which car we use on weekends?

[rowdytoot]

Day to day we spend about 2 % on fuel... both work close to home...
however if we go rallying we easily spend 350-400 bucks in a weekend on fuel...

Rowds

[browny]

So other than 911SC, fuel seems to be SFA of our weekly (personal) budget. Interesting, considering the significant media attention on domestic fuel prices of late.

I'd be interested to get the perspective from someone in the transport industry.

[Che Castro]

I spend jackshit on fuel as I only ever drive on the weekends. Maybe about $40 every fortnight now? I think the good side effect is more ppl catching public transport. However that itself needs improving so people will keep using it in the long term. Also it'll force people to walk more and do more exercise
We have some of the cheapest petrol in the world anyway so I really dont care all that much if it rises. It really is inevitable anyway.

[HAMMER]

Less then 1% of our after tax income goes on petrol. It helps when we both catch the train to work.

Perhaps add in your train fares for the week and recalculate though.

[coyote]

Okay, so add on another 2% for parking. Yep, I spend the same on that as I do fuel.

[HoonBoy]

Perhaps add in your train fares for the week and recalculate though.

Good point. We spend more on train tickets then we do on all car expenses (excluding the project car, but that is not transport...) That takes it to 4%

We spend more on insurance, rego and servicing then we do on petrol. If I take in to account all travel expenses, including depreciation, then it goes to about 9% of our net income.

[HAMMER]

Then again, you dont have wear and tear on the cars. So I guess it equals itself out. I spke to Cal about this sort of thing discussing something else that came up. If I didnt have a company car and had to use my M5 as a daily driver, I would have to sell it due to fuel costs. Either that or buy a very cheap to and from car. The M5 runs at about 13L/100K's.

[intehnet]

hmm the LS1 did 17L/100km on the last tank.
me think i need to be less heavy footed..

[Guido]

I train it every day, $26.40 for a weekly ticket as opposed to ~$15 per day for parking, then fuel, then maintenance, easy choice really.
I pretty much only drive on the weekends, makes it hard to justify two cars and their associated rego and insurance costs.