Gas-guzzler owners aghast

Salesman Josh Wing might have to be at his silver-tongued best to move an item in his personal inventory.

His gas-guzzling Dodge Ram, the one with the For Sale sign in the window, which gets 14 miles per gallon or only 10 to 12 when he's pulling a flatbed trailer stacked with the kitchen countertops he sells. The vehicle is cutting into his bottom line.

"It cost me way too much," he said while pumping unleaded regular at $2 a gallon into the rig Friday. "I spend at least four bills in gas every month . . . That's why it's for sale."

Four hundred dollars a month for gas would put the squeeze on any working stiff. And Wing isn't alone. Soaring petrol prices are prompting people to rethink what, where and why they drive.

A sampling of those gassing up at various stations Friday found David Holbrook wanting to trade his Lexus in for a vehicle that burns hybrid fuels, William Treseder vowing to ride his bicycle more, and Tyra Homer trying to combine all her errands into one trip.

Gas prices in Salt Lake Valley ranged Friday from $1.89 (a few cents cheaper to those who swipe a preferred customer card at grocery store pumps) to $2.07 a gallon for regular.

"When I was 16, I was paying 88 cents. Here I am 23 and I'm paying two bucks," Wing said.

"That's quite the jump," his work partner, Steve Lamarr, said.

"And most of it's been in the last few months," Wing added.

At $1.85 per gallon for regular, gasoline prices hit a record high in Utah last month. The federal government in April anticipated at least another nickel per gallon increase by the end of June. But the nickel has turned into a dime — if not a quarter.

And Memorial Day weekend looms.

With the peak summer driving season just around the corner, the price of oil climbed to $40 a barrel Friday and analysts said motorists should brace for more expensive gasoline in the days ahead.

Spot prices for gasoline have soared between 10 cents and 25 cents per gallon over the past week along the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountain region, one market watcher said, and that is almost guaranteed to be passed along at the pump.

Mark Norseth watched the digits on the gas pump spin like cherries on a one-armed bandit. It wasn't his lucky day.

"For the first time ever, it's eclipsing the 50-dollar mark to fill this thing up," he said, gesturing to his black Ford Expedition.

At $1.99 per gallon, Norseth paid more for gasoline Friday than he ever had, save a recent trip to Hawaii where he shelled out $2.40 a gallon.

When the numbers stopped rolling at a Chevron in Sugar House, the pump window looked like this: Gallons: 25.082. Cost: $50.14. He's thinking about getting a smaller car.