simonsi

Because it leads to bad decisions based on poor data with rubbish analysis based upon dubious statistics.

Your conclusion that petrol in NZ somehow costs 2.29UK is hypothetical in the extreme and of zero relevance to all consumers as the actual comparison you make occurs for no actual consumers at all. In Europe this sort of rubbish ends up driving Govt policy...

Imagine a change in the exchange rate, say to 4:1 (doesn't matter which way!) occurs - your analysis would yield that the "price" of petrol had changed drastically (again, it doesn't matter which way!) - yet the actual price hasn't changed for any consumers in either country (ignoring any bizarre consumers living in the UK but paid in NZ$ or vice versa). Now I know I've ignored the fact that world petrol prices are also tied to world oil prices but you ignored it too in your analysis :-)

See? A conclusion of huge change where none has actually occurred for any consumers....a dangerous and misleading use of maths and statistics...

In fact, using your method and carefully choosing currencies I expect you could prove that petrol in NZ was getting both cheaper and more expensive at the same time...

Bo-Jangles

Just to add another option, one time when my old dog of 1999 Toyota Echo spat it's dummy the mechanic told me to fill it up with 95 in it every so often.

He told me I should try to mix it up and put two thirds 91 and one third of 95 and also to mix up the brands of petrol and not stick to the same station all the time. He specifically recommended that I should avoid Gull, as their petrol is inferior / has some additive in it (or maybe not in it ) which was the cause of the sputtering and laboured driving up huge hills that I was experiencing..

My car certainly does appreciate a drop of the hard stuff (95) and whilst I have not carried out any scientific research nor done any double blind official trials or studies on the matter, yes it does make a difference and yes it does last noticeably longer. I get ten days anyway on a full tank of 91 ($70ish) but I can feel the difference straight away with the strong stuff.

Mark Smith

Cheers Simonsi, will ask the garage.

TommyLuck

A-ha!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19489908

BEVS

Am I now the one missing something .
What has this to do with us lot down here spending our NZ$$ on NZ petrol.
For myself, I'm not bothered about that article back in the UK although my family and friends back there might be. Mind you I can't imagine they are bothered about prices this end either - unless they are holidaying and spending GBP.

simonsi

Its raining in West Falkland.

Unfortunately I don't know the price of chips in Skegness.

Bo-Jangles

Perhaps we could make it more relevant by substituting the word petrol for milk and then sigh wistfully, thinking of those bygone days when we had Consumer watchdoggy types looking out for our interest.

MOSO

One way of getting your petrol discounts to really work is using an AA fuel card at Caltex garages. Every time you spend $40 they will give you 6 cents discount off a future purchase over 2 months. To gain the most from this only fill up with $40 each time so that you can build up your discount. Last month we ended up with a whopping 42 cents off per litre and then we filled up the car of course

Justcol

Wow thats a huge saving. I never bother with my AA card, usually as i just cant be bothered, I will now though

simonsi

However you build up the discount, make sure you take a jerry can(s) to use the discount on the max - most of the vouchers here are for a single fill up to 150L...

TommyLuck

I was really for the benefit of Assanah's obsession of comparing things in NZD's with things in GBP's.

Bo-Jangles

The Smartfuel card can be worthwhile if you can figure out where to use it; I recently got 30 cents off a litre by having my WOF done at the AA.

Just looking at the deal with Caltex it is 6 cents if you are an AA Member or 4 cents for non-members (to a max if 50 litres). I usually manage to get 6 cents off at Pak n Save anyway.

http://www.aa.co.nz/aasmartfuel/

Bo-Jangles

There are however only three Caltex stations in the whole of Auckland; Albany, Ellerslie and Avondale.

Assanah

My post wasn't an analysis. And just to calm your nerves what you just wrote is what I said in another post. However, in my post here I was referring to somebody else's post from the UK who thought the $2.29 per liter is cheap because he converted the currency. $2.29 is not cheap for people living in NZ, maybe for British tourist. That was the only thing I was trying to point out.

TommyLuck

And £1.30-odd isn't cheap for people in the UK either ...