Petrol recent history in United States
From 1998 to 2004, the price of gasoline fluctuated between $1 and $2 USD per U.S. gallon. After 2004, the price increased until the average gas price reached a high of $4.11 per U.S. gallon in mid-2008, but receded to approximately $2.60 per U.S. gallon by September 2009. More recently, the U.S. experienced an upswing in gas prices through 2011, and by 1 March 2012, the national average was $3.74 per gallon.
In the United States, most consumer goods bear pre-tax prices, but gasoline prices are posted with taxes included. Taxes are added by federal, state, and local governments. As of 2009, the federal tax is 18.4? per gallon for gasoline and 24.4? per gallon for diesel (excluding red diesel). Among states, the highest gasoline tax rates, including the federal taxes as of 2005, are New York (62.9?/gal), Hawaii (60.1?/gal), and California (60?/gal). However, many states' taxes are a percentage and thus vary in amount depending on the cost of the gasoline.
About 9% of all gasoline sold in the US in May 2009 was premium grade, according to the Energy Information Administration. Consumer Reports magazine says, "If (your owner?s manual) says to use regular fuel, do so?there?s no advantage to a higher grade." The Associated Press said premium gas?which is a higher octane and costs more per gallon than regular unleaded?should be used only if the manufacturer says it is "required". Cars with turbocharged engines and high compression ratios often specify premium gas because higher octane fuels reduce the incidence of "knock", or fuel pre-detonation. The price of gas varies during the summer and winter months.
Źródło: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline
Service and maintenance - is it necessary?
Service and maintenance is sometimes the best way to avoid any defects and malfunctions that may occur when you least expect. Regular technical inspections, temporary repairs, small fixes - all of this together ensures us that our car will be smooth and will serve us well for a long time. Every vehicle owner should be very serious about such issues, because often they are able to protect themselves against higher costs and dangers that entails faulty car. You should also know that periodic technical inspection is a legal obligation of the holder of the car, and the avoidance of risk of legal consequences.
Rare visits to the sites of car
As you know, most of the people going to the car service decides to take this step due to the sudden emergency situation and still persisting problems with the car. Of course, there are also compulsory inspection of cars, but apart from a cursory check the performance of our car hardly anyone decides on a thorough diagnosis of the car. This is primarily associated with costs that have to be incurred in connection with the sometimes very costly repairs and replacements of car parts. Often the repair turns out to be also unprofitable, because it exceeds the value of the car. In such cases, the best solution would be to sell the car.