"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
12/09/2015 at 01:43 • Filed to: None
5
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"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
12/09/2015 at 01:43 • Filed to: None | 5
| 26 |
We all know the good things about California: nice roads, sunshine, great temperatures, a care free attitude, and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (which annoyingly is also a Katy Perry song - which doesn’t hold a candle to the Beach Boys, but I digress...) so instead of focusing on the positive, let’s instead focus on the negative.
#1: Gas Prices
The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! has enjoyed a lovely reprieve from the high gas prices. But Californians pay an extra 30-90 cents extra per gallon over the rest of the US. So why you ask? California has it’s own “smog friendly” blends, it has no pipelines to connect to the rest of the US crude supply, the refineries are outdated, the gas tax is the 2nd highest in the US (59.32 cents combined state/federal on each gallon -28% over national average), and it’s incredibly far for ships carrying crude to reach it.
Don’t expect it to get better, either. The rise in electric cars / hybrids infrastructure problems have them looking to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Look forward to the continuation of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as I look deep into the automotive nightmare that is California.
TheHondaBro
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 01:47 |
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great temperatures
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
For Sweden
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 01:51 |
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I’m not so sure about visiting Montana
Sneaky Pete
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 02:04 |
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Nice roads? Where the hell are those? 95% of the roads I’ve driven on (having lived all over the state) are absolute shite.
The carefree attitude only applies to certain areas of the state.
I hope the lack of proper drag strips in the birth state of drag racing makes your list.
CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 03:54 |
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Currently, the gas price for premium (and the cheapest place I can find it at) is 2.57. Its crossed the 3 dollar line a lot before.
And I'm stuck with 91. Damnit, I want some 93. It's sort of ironic there is a fucking oil refinery about 20 minutes away!
Illegitimus Prime
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 05:19 |
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I can’t take gas price complaints from the states seriously anymore. Yes, I’m from the states but perspective is everything. I live in The Netherlands at the moment. Gas is roughly $7 a gallon. California doesn’t seem so bad after that.
yamahog
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 06:05 |
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Hahahahhahahahahha preach! I really hated living in LA for a number of reasons, and now the most annoying part is people who take it personally that I didn’t OMG LOVE their little dreamland because they think everything California needs to be the best just because of their weather.
traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 06:29 |
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2. Earthquakes
3. Longtube headers are illegal
Aaron M - MasoFiST
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 08:29 |
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This was a big deal in 2007 or 08 when the prices were spiking, but nowadays it’s a bit more of a minor annoyance. I visited my brother in LA in October and prices for premium didn’t really get above 3 anywhere...admittedly that’s for 91, but it’s not appalling. In Boston, another “bad” area for prices, I regularly pay 2.50-2.60 for 93. I guess it could be lower, but I really can’t complain.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you wanted to write a California Sucks series, #1 has to be CARB. Either visual inspections for emissions, or the fact that you have to smog every single vehicle made after 1976. My brother’s roommate has to tag his 280Z in Idaho, and that’s just not right.
BigBlock440
> Illegitimus Prime
12/09/2015 at 09:00 |
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I can’t take gas price complaints from Europe anymore, especially when it’s self-inflicted. $5 in taxes for every gallon is crazy.
wiffleballtony
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 09:06 |
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As an ex-Californian, I’d take issue with the care free attitude. I’ve never met so many stuck up self important snobs in all my life. Also it’s only care free if your cares are compatible with popular public perception.
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wiffleballtony
> Sneaky Pete
12/09/2015 at 09:08 |
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This x10000
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wiffleballtony
> BigBlock440
12/09/2015 at 09:09 |
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How else are you going to prop up a welfare state?
Milkman's Son
> For Sweden
12/09/2015 at 09:15 |
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Gas is cheap, but everything else about it is terrible.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Sneaky Pete
12/09/2015 at 09:25 |
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It is all about the canyon roads. It is night and day the difference between how great the roads are out there compared to the East coast. I can rattle off quite a few roads that I absolutely cannot live without in my future. Sure, you can say take it to the track! But if I can have an absurd amount of fun at the speed limit, then I am doing nothing wrong.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Illegitimus Prime
12/09/2015 at 09:29 |
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I am planning a European road trip for late spring, certainly going to be experiencing gas price shock in short order! Hopefully the USD-Euro conversion rate doesn’t make it worse.
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Illegitimus Prime
> BigBlock440
12/09/2015 at 09:43 |
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I’m not complaining, I’m stating lol.
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Illegitimus Prime
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/09/2015 at 09:45 |
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Depends entirely on your bank and how you spend. Be wary of currency conversion schemes as well. It’s actually more beneficial to spend any money in my US accounts directly from my US cards (be sure to have a card with a chip if you’re around The Netherlands) rather than trying to exchange money. This may be different for you, again depending on bank. My rates are pretty good with USAA.
ceanderson920
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 10:16 |
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Gas prices are $1.79 here in Sioux Falls South Dakota! Only about 25ish to fill up my Mazda.
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BigBlock440
> Illegitimus Prime
12/09/2015 at 10:16 |
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Yeah, most aren’t really complaints, more an attempt to “one-up” Americans, as if high gas prices are somehow a badge of honor. Yeah, we get it, you guys tax the shit out of your gas, congratulations.* I just used complaint because you did, and sometimes I like to reply to people using as close to their wording as possible while making a separate point.
*not you specifically
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Aaron M - MasoFiST
12/09/2015 at 10:27 |
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Oh don’t worry- there will be a special place in hell (and in this list) for CARB.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
12/09/2015 at 10:28 |
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Yep, same here. My poor car ran terrible on 91 until a flashed a new map to it. It was stuck in “you put the wrong fuel in me” map.
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Illegitimus Prime
> BigBlock440
12/09/2015 at 11:05 |
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Fair enough, I totally get it. I can see where it might get a bit irritating. I’ll try to word it better if the topic comes up again and I decide to reply. I was just sharing my perspective on the situation.
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BigBlock440
> Illegitimus Prime
12/09/2015 at 11:15 |
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It was nothing against you or your comment, I guess it just had the right combination of words and struck me in the right mood to give you a hard time. Also, it wasn’t mostly at you, just Europeans in general that always bring up their gas prices. Every single comment about gas prices brings up how high they are in Europe, it’s pretty much a guarantee. Even if it’s not a European bringing it up, it will get mentioned.
El Rivinado
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/09/2015 at 11:22 |
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I can confirm this is true. Also, bullshit on the nice roads, the roads around my area are beat to hell and back and haven’t been repaved in months because our state is flat-broke because of blowing money on ineffective, feel-good, bullshit.
Believe me, California is overrated as hell. It’s not just the communistic attitude toward the automotive landscape that’s the sole proprietor of my state’s problems.
Also, nice temperatures is also bullshit. This summer I had to suffer through three straight months of 100+ degree heat with ungodly high levels of humidity and absolutely no air-con whatsoever.
DrScientist
> Nick Has an Exocet
12/20/2015 at 23:10 |
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clearly david lee roth’s version was superior. :)
His Stigness
> Nick Has an Exocet
01/19/2016 at 01:42 |
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If high taxes means are roads don’t fall to shit like they do back east, fucking bring em on. Shit, I’d rather pay a dollar more a gallon if it meant pristine roads like they have in Europe. And better designed roads so less traffic.
And not sure how serious you are about hating California, but if you're really serious, then move!