I am definitely in that group.
My father got gas ('48 Plymouth then '68 LeMans) when the needle dropped to 3/4 full.
My motherās father ('63 Chevy II) never seemed to have more than 1/4 tank,
which is what $1 worth would buy in the late '60s
Yup, I think you guys have hit on something. Itās like never pass up a mens room if you are traveling in the wilderness. Yeah I anticipated having to spend the night in my car once but had a full tank, a 12 pack of Coke and a package of Hostess cup cakes so I would have been OK. Luckily made it to the truck stop to wait for the plows. Now you folks in NY where neither plows or the National Guard can get to you and miles of stalled cars and trucks is a situation to behold.
Perhaps those of us who lived through the oil embargo in '73 and have been stuck in a few great blizzards have learned a valuable lesson that younger drivers havenāt yet learned?
What say you, fellow oldsters?
I went through the gas crisis and the blizzard of 77 in Buffalo and the more widespread blizzard of 78. 77 was far worse. In 3 hours 15ā high Thruway overpasses filled to the top and whole freight trains were buried until spring.
I too keep my tank 1/2 full or better in the winter but that has nothing to do with summer road trips.
I use the whole tank, fill up every other Saturday at Costco. I keep an eye on the weather forecast, 106F next week, no snow storms.
Because I am an old retired guy, I have the luxury of filling-up at Costco on Thursday or Friday, when the lines are very short to non-existent. That being said, I am usually purchasing only ~1/4 to 1/2 tank of gas each visit, because my driving tends to be in the range of 100 to 200 miles most weeks.